Phones are evolving very fast and as phones evolve, so do the features and options that control your phone. The evolution of phones is such that if you miss an update or two, you are likely to be behind the curve of what’s the latest and greatest.
With so many helpful Android features, there are probably at least a few that have bypassed your radar over time. This is because it is easy to lose track of some of Android’s core features as latest models hit the market.
However, there are quite a few older features that you will want to refresh your memory on. From emergency information to focus mode, here are five hidden Android features you might have never known your phone has and which you will end up using all the time.
Emergency Information
No one ever wants to get into an accident or a situation where we cannot fend for ourselves. However, mishaps do happen because we have no control over some of the occurrences.
How will someone know who to contact if you’ve been rendered unconscious, like in a car accident, or if you have allergies or are on medication? If you enter your emergency information on your phone, authorities and medical personnel can view it without having your passcode. It could save your life. To set the emergency information on your phone:
- Open Settings.
- Choose About Phone.
- Click Emergency Information.
- Enter what you want to share in case of an emergency
Lock People Out of Specific Applications
We all have somewhere faced the problem of being asked for our phones by people we do not want to show our personal data. Well in such a case it is safe to lock such people out and prevent them from opening your apps such as WhatsApp, Gmail, or your photo gallery, which contain some of your private content which you want to keep to yourself.
To keep such information private from people’s eyes, you can use the Screen Pinning option on your phone. This feature helps you keep your apps locked until and unless you enter the code (which only you know) to open it. To enable the screen pinning in your phone stick to the following steps.
- Go to Settings> Security> turn on Screen Pinning.
- After turning it on, open the app your friend/ loved one asked for.
- Open the recent apps screen with the square button below the phone screen. You’ll see an icon that looks like a pin in the lower right corner.
- Tap an icon that looks like a pin in the lower right corner, and it’ll remain pinned to the front.
- Now that’s all anyone can use until you enter the password.
Split Screen for Multitasking
The most important highlight of Android is the ability to have two applications running on the screen simultaneously. However, many people are yet to discover this convenient feature of any android phone.
You are probably chatting with someone on Whatsapp while at the same time watching a YouTube video. Or you want to take a meeting on Google meet while at the same time checking emails. You could also be face-calling a friend and scrolling social media by the side.
The split screen gives you the option to enjoy both activities with limited interruption. To switch to split screen, you need to:
- Open the app that you wish to use in split-screen mode.
- Enter the recent apps screen by pressing the recent button.
- From the recent apps screen select the app that you wish to run on the second screen of the split-screen view.
- Open any other secondary app from this recent menu or from the home screen and this app will be open in a split-screen view.
Snooze Notifications
We all have received a notification on our phones when we are not ready to deal with the message. However, the challenge comes when you check the message immediately after the notification comes through because you will not remember it later to deal with the message.
The snooze notification is a hidden gem on our androids that is often less used. Once you set up snooze notifications, you can easily have a notification pop up later by dragging it left or right and picking a time to notify again. Here’s how to set it up on your Android:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications
- Turn on Allow Notifications for Snoozing.
Focus Mode
Focus mode is part of the Android Digital Wellbeing campaign aimed at helping you live a healthier life. However, many people often see this icon on their phones but do not know its use.
With so many apps on our phones, it’s easy to get distracted and that is where the Focus mode feature comes in because it allows you to pause apps temporarily or even set a schedule.
With the focus mode feature, you can have a fun date night, get through an important meeting, or enjoy Saturday mornings with your kids without unnecessary interruptions. You can access Focus mode in Settings or the Digital Wellbeing dashboard.
