In Brief (TL;DR)
Discover 20 tricks and little-known features of your Android smartphone to make it faster, personalized, and productive.
From interface customization to advanced battery management, these practical tips are designed to make your device faster, smarter, and suited to your needs.
Get ready to discover features you didn’t know existed, designed to optimize every aspect of your device.
The devil is in the details. 👇 Keep reading to discover the critical steps and practical tips to avoid mistakes.
The Android smartphone has become an extension of our daily lives, an inseparable companion combining tradition and innovation. We use it to communicate, work, get informed, and entertain ourselves, but often we only exploit a minimal part of its potential. Under the surface of a familiar interface hide dozens of features, shortcuts, and lesser-known settings that can radically transform the user experience. Knowing these “secrets” isn’t just for tech enthusiasts; it means making the device faster, more efficient, and personal, adapting it perfectly to our habits.
From advanced notification management to regain focus, to battery optimization to get through the day without anxiety, passing through extreme interface customization, the tricks we are about to reveal are designed for every type of user. Whether you are a professional looking to maximize productivity or simply a person curious to discover what your phone can really do, this guide will open up a world of possibilities. Get ready to take control of your device like never before.
Optimization and Productivity
Improving daily efficiency starts with small gestures. Android offers powerful tools, often hidden within settings, to speed up repetitive operations and organize work better. Learning to use them means saving precious time and reducing distractions, transforming the phone into a true personal assistant.
1. Split screen for multitasking
One of the most useful features for productivity is the ability to use two apps simultaneously. To activate it, open the recent apps selector, press and hold the icon of the application you are interested in, and select “Split screen”. You can thus, for example, take notes while following a video call or consult a document while writing an email, all on the same screen.
2. One-handed mode
Smartphone screens are getting bigger, making one-handed use difficult. Many Android devices integrate a specific mode that shrinks the displayed interface, making it easily reachable with your thumb. It is generally activated with a gesture, such as a swipe down in the lower area of the screen, or from the quick settings.
3. Automatic text for quick replies
If you find yourself often typing the same phrases, like your email address or standard responses, you can create keyboard shortcuts. In your keyboard settings (like Gboard), look for the “Dictionary” or “Text replacement” section. Here you can associate a short word, for example “email@”, with the entire text string, drastically speeding up typing.
4. Pin an app to the foreground
If you need to lend your phone to someone but don’t want them accessing other apps, you can “pin” an application to the screen. This function, called app pinning, is activated from the security settings. Once enabled, open the recent apps screen, tap the app icon, and select “Pin”. To exit this mode, you will need to enter your unlock code.
5. Document scanning with Google Drive
You don’t need a dedicated app to scan documents. The Google Drive application integrates a very effective scanning function. Open Drive, tap the “+” button, and choose “Scan”. The tool will automatically improve text readability and allow you to save the document directly in PDF format to your cloud.
Interface Customization
Making your smartphone unique is one of the great advantages of Android. Beyond simply changing the wallpaper, it is possible to modify the appearance and behavior of almost every graphic element, from icons to widgets, to create a tailored experience that reflects your style and needs.
6. Enable Developer Options
A whole world of advanced customizations hides behind “Developer Options”. To activate them, go to Settings > About phone and tap repeatedly on “Build number” until a confirmation message appears. Now in the main settings menu, you will find a new entry full of features, such as the ability to speed up system animations to make the phone more responsive. For a complete guide, you can consult our article on Android developer mode.
7. Change icon shape
If the default theme doesn’t satisfy you, you can change the shape of app icons without installing alternative launchers. By activating Developer Options, scroll until you find “Icon shape” (or similar). Here you can choose from different options like square, teardrop, or circle, to give a fresh touch to your Home screen.
8. Use an alternative Launcher
For total customization, a third-party launcher is the best solution. Apps like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher replace the default Home screen, offering granular control over the app grid, icons, gestures, and much more. They allow you to revolutionize the interface and optimize workflow according to your preferences.
9. Notification history
Did you accidentally clear an important notification? Android keeps a history of received notifications. To activate it, press and hold on an empty spot on the Home screen, select “Widgets”, and look for the “Settings shortcut” widget. Drag it onto the screen and, from the menu that appears, choose “Notification log”. Now you will have an icon that gives you access to all recent notifications.
10. Customize Quick Settings
The quick settings panel (the one that appears with a swipe from the top) is completely customizable. Tap the pencil icon or “Edit” to add, remove, or reorder the various toggles (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Flashlight, etc.). You can insert useful functions like “Screen Record”, “Dark Mode”, or “NFC” to always have them at hand.
Battery and Performance
A slow phone or a dead battery can ruin your day. Fortunately, Android offers many tools to optimize battery life and performance. Often, just changing a few settings or adopting correct habits is enough to give new life to your device and ensure it is always ready when needed.
11. Manage background apps
Some applications consume a lot of power even when you aren’t using them. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage to see which apps are the most “energy-hungry”. From here you can limit their background activity, preventing them from consuming precious resources for no reason. This not only improves battery life but can also make the system snappier.
12. Disable constant Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning
Even when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off, your phone might continue searching for networks and devices to improve geolocation, consuming battery. To disable this function, go to Settings > Location > Location Services (or “Scanning”) and turn off “Wi-Fi scanning” and “Bluetooth scanning”.
13. Use Adaptive Battery
The “Adaptive Battery” feature, present on most modern phones, uses artificial intelligence to learn your habits. It limits the power consumption of apps you use less frequently, optimizing battery life without you having to do anything. Make sure it is active in the battery settings.
14. Reduce animation speed
An effective trick to make the phone feel faster is to reduce or disable system animations. After activating Developer Options, look for the entries “Window animation scale”, “Transition animation scale”, and “Animator duration scale”. By setting a lower value (e.g., 0.5x) or disabling them completely, you will notice an immediate feeling of responsiveness.
15. Free up space intelligently
Full memory is one of the main causes of slowdowns. Android integrates a space management tool in Settings > Storage. This function, often called “Free up space”, analyzes files and suggests deleting superfluous items like temporary files, downloads, and photos that have already been backed up. If you have space issues, our guide to freeing up memory can help you.
Security and Privacy
In an increasingly connected world, protecting your data is fundamental. Android has made giant strides in terms of security, offering advanced tools to control who accesses your information and how. Knowing these functions allows you to use your smartphone with greater peace of mind.
16. Privacy Dashboard
Want to know which apps have accessed the camera, microphone, and location? The “Privacy Dashboard”, accessible from settings, offers you a detailed report of the last 24 hours. This transparency tool helps you identify any anomalous behavior and revoke permissions directly from a single panel.
17. Microphone and camera access indicators
When an app is using the camera or microphone, Android shows a small green indicator (a dot or icon) in the top right corner of the screen. This alerts you in real-time if an application is accessing these sensors, even in the background, allowing you to maintain control over your privacy.
18. Revoke permissions for unused apps
To reduce security risks, Android can automatically revoke permissions granted to apps you haven’t used for several months. You can activate this function in Settings > Apps, selecting a specific application and enabling the option “Remove permissions if app is unused”.
19. Secure browsing with Private DNS
For an additional level of security and privacy while browsing, you can set up a Private DNS. This function encrypts your DNS requests, preventing your internet service provider from monitoring the sites you visit. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Private DNS and enter the hostname of a trusted provider (e.g., `dns.google` or `1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com`).
20. Smart Lock for intelligent unlocking
Entering your PIN every time can be tedious. With Smart Lock, you can set your phone to stay unlocked in safe situations: when connected to a trusted Bluetooth device (like your smartwatch), when in a safe location (like your home), or when you are carrying it. You can find this option in the security settings.
Conclusions
Mastering your Android smartphone goes far beyond simply knowing the most popular apps. The twenty tricks we have explored represent the key to unlocking the true potential of your device, transforming it from a simple tool into an efficient and personalized technological partner. From shortcuts that speed up daily tasks to settings that protect your privacy, every suggestion is designed to concretely improve your user experience. Innovation lies not only in great technological revolutions but also in the ability to adapt technology to our needs, making it more intuitive and powerful. We invite you to experiment with these features, integrate them into your routine, and discover a new and smarter way to interact with your digital companion. If you want to discover more secrets, read our smartphone tricks no one told you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Widgets are small extensions of applications that show information or allow quick actions directly on the Home screen, without having to open the corresponding app. For example, you can have a widget for weather, calendar, or music controls. To add a widget, press and hold on an empty space on the Home screen, select the «Widget» option from the menu that appears, choose the widget you are interested in, and drag it to the desired position.
«Developer options» are a hidden menu intended primarily for programmers, but it also contains features useful for common users. Activation itself is not dangerous, but changing settings without knowing their function can cause device instability. It is advisable to modify only the options whose effect you understand, such as animation speed or USB debugging, which is useful for transferring files with a computer.
Smartphone slowness can depend on various factors such as full memory or too many apps running. To improve performance, you can try freeing up space by archiving photos and videos on cloud services, clearing app cache, and uninstalling those you don’t use. Closing background apps and ensuring the operating system is always updated can also make a big difference. As a last resort, a factory data reset can return the phone to its original speed.
To prolong battery life, there are several measures. Reduce screen brightness or set it to automatic, turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS when not in use, and close applications that consume a lot of energy in the background. Many phones offer power saving modes that limit non-essential functions. It is also useful to check in the battery settings which apps consume the most and limit their background use.
Android «secret codes» are combinations of numbers and symbols to be typed into the phone dialer to access hidden menus and information. These menus are often used by technicians for diagnostics or to access advanced connectivity settings. A well-known code is *#06#, which shows the device IMEI code. It is important to use these codes with caution, as some can modify critical phone settings.
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