Smartphone maintenance tips and tricks 2019
Best smartphone tips and tricks to impress your friends
Charged: Remember to keep your battery charged so you don't find yourself in a situation where you can't make a call or send a text in an emergency. Also, always use genuine batteries from your phone manufacturer or an authorised dealer. Going for the cheap option of a counterfeit battery can be dangerous. And remember to keep your mobile battery out of landfill by safely recycling it with MobileMuster when it reaches the end of its lifecycle.
Secure:Use the PIN and password security features on your mobile to prevent someone else from using your phone and running up charges and to protect personal information that may be stored on your device e.g. banking details, contacts and photos. If your phone is lost or stolen, contact your service provider immediately to block both the SIM card and the handset. (more tips on reporting a lost/stolen phone here).
Protected: Use a keypad lock to lock your phone when you are not using it. This prevents accidental calls when your phone is in your bag or pocket.
Clean: Mobiles can be cleaned with a soft cloth. Avoid using harsh detergents, solvents or harsh chemicals.
Dry:Keep your phone dry as liquids and high humidity can damage it.
If you mobile does get wet or falls into water:
Quickly retrieve it and dry it.(If your phone is connected to its charger and a power source when it falls into water, turn off the power source first to avoid electric shock)
Turn the phone off immediately (leaving it on can cause a short circuit).
Open up any compartments, covers or sockets on the phone and remove the battery and SIM card (SIMs are usually able to recover) and gently dry with a towel.
Place the phone in rice (or similar dessicant) in sealed container as this will assist in drying it out completely. Leave the phone in the rice overnight.
Most mobiles will have an indicator that will show if your phone has been water damaged (check with your manufacturer or service provider) and this will let you know if your mobile can be saved.
Don't use a hair dryer or heat source to dry your phone as this could damage it further.
Covered: Using a cover for your mobile is a good idea as it will prevent scratches and repel dust and dirt. Rough treatment can damage the circuitry in your mobile so avoid dropping or unnecessarily shaking your phone.
At the right temperature: Avoid exposing your phone to extreme changes in temperatures as this can cause condensations and damage the phone.
Don't expose your mobile to heat sources. Never leave your mobile device sitting in direct sunlight or in a hot car - especially during summer months. Most devices will show a warning if they are overheating. If your device has been exposed to heat, take it to a cooler place and remove any cover/case to ensure it is well ventilated.
Finally, the best source of information about how to look after your mobile device is the manufacturer or your carrier.
Best smartphone tips and tricks to impress your friends
There's more to your smartphone than you might think: underneath its user-friendly, simple surface there are all kinds of hidden features and shortcuts you can take advantage of do more with your handset of choice.
Okay, okay - maybe your friends won't be that impressed unless you make your phone vanish into thin air.
But these are all handy little tips you can use to get more out of your mobile, and maybe raise an eyebrow or two along the way.
1. Digitise your documents
Thanks to the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, you no longer need a scanner to get all of your paper files up into the cloud. Evernote, Google Drive and CamScanner are three of several apps that can do the job.
2. Identify songs in an instant
You can use apps such as Shazam or SoundHound to work out what you're listening to, but you don't have to: Google Now, Siri and Cortana can all respond to the voice command "what song is this?".
3. Put your contact details on your lock screen
If someone else finds your phone, will they be able to get it back to you? Put your details on the lock screen to make sure: the option is in Settings on Android, Health on iOS and on Windows Phone you'll have to edit the wallpaper.
4. Get automatic weather alerts with IFTTT (Android and iOS)
Set up a recipe on IFTTT (or the accompanying mobile apps) and you can get alerts sent straight to your phone if the weather's looking bad - handy if rain or snow means you'll need to leave for work earlier.
5. Fix the Google Calendar time zone (Android and iOS)
Delve into the Google Calendar app settings and it's possible to fix the time zone (rather than have it update every time you travel somewhere). That way, you'll always know when something's happening at home.
6. Turn Wi-Fi off with your voice
The future is here: Siri, Google Now and Cortana let you turn off Wi-Fi with your voice. Just launch your app of choice and say "turn off Wi-Fi" to achieve the desired result. It works with Bluetooth as well).
7. Email huge files from your iPhone (iOS)
iOS 9.2 added Mail Drop to iPhones, so when you email a large file from your phone you'll get a prompt to use it. Instead of attaching the file, Mail uploads it to iCloud, with the download link valid for 30 days.
8. Control your computer with your phone
A host of apps, from Spotify to YouTube, have some kind of remote control functionality built in. If you want overall control of your laptop or desktop, take a look at the likes of Unified Remote and Alfred.
9. Change the keyboard (Android and iOS)
Both Android and iOS now support the use of third-party keyboards, which can do everything from add extra emojis to apply some neural network processing power to your phone's autocorrect feature.
10. Find out where all your battery power is going
Android battery
All the major smartphone OSes now have detailed readouts of which apps are using up most of your battery juice, so have a root through the Settings app to find the worst offenders and uninstall them if necessary.
11. Use aeroplane mode to speed up charging
Just like everyone else you probably want your phone to charge up as quickly as possible (even more so if you're in a rush). Put it in aeroplane mode and it will use much less battery life and thus charge more quickly.
12. Keep your kids or friends inside one app (Android)
On Android Marshmallow, go to Settings, Security and Screen pinning - when activated, you can 'pin' apps from the multitasking screen, so the app can't be left without a PIN. Handy for lending your handset to other people.
13. Use your iPhone's LED flash for notifications (iOS)
You can have your iPhone's LED light flash whenever a notification comes in as an extra way of alerting you to new activity: from Settings, choose General then Accessibility and then toggle LED Flash for Alerts to the on position.
14. Access Android's hidden safe mode (Android)
Android has a hidden safe mode (like Windows) where third-party apps are disabled, which is useful for troubleshooting. On stock Android, Bring up the Power off menu with the power button then long press on it.
15. Quickly flush the RAM on your iPhone (iOS)
iPhone 6S
iOS doesn't have a safe mode, but you can quickly clear out the memory and speed everything up again - press and hold the power button, then when you see the "slide" message, press and hold the home button.
16. Unlock the System UI tuner (Android)
Android Marshmallow includes a hidden System UI tuner for playing around with the Quick Settings pane (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc). To enable it, press and hold the cog icon at the top of Quick Settings, then find it in the Settings app.
17. Turn the keyboard into a trackpad (iOS)
If you're running iOS 9 or above on an iPad, an iPhone 6S or an iPhone 6S, press and hold two fingers on the keyboard to turn it into a makeshift trackpad. Unfortunately the feature doesn't work on older iPhones.
18. Go home with one button tap (Android)
Google Maps for Android offers a one-icon widget that instantly directs you to the address of your choosing - that means you can create a home screen shortcut that takes you home from anywhere with one finger tap.
19. Fall asleep to your music (iOS)
If you go into the Clock app on your iPhone you can set a countdown timer - easy enough - but you can then choose Stop Playing as the option from the When Timer Ends menu to shut off all your music after the allotted period.
20. Set your alarm to get louder and louder (Android)
Here's a tip for the Android Clock app: delve into the menu (three vertical dots) from the main alarms page then find the option that says Gradually increase volume. It gives you that extra impetus to get out of bed.
21. Snap photos with a hardware button
Sometimes you can't beat the feeling of a real physical button when taking your snaps - well, good news, because on Android, iOS and Windows Phone you can take photos using the volume buttons whilst in the Camera app.
22. Record screencasts on your phone (Android and iOS)
You can record phone screencasts pretty easily: either via the YouTube Gaming app on Android, or by plugging your iOS device into a Mac computer and selecting it as the recording input source in QuickTime.
23. Search for settings (Android and iOS)
If you need to get at a phone setting but you don't know where it is, just search for it - the Settings apps on both Android and iOS have search options at the top that you can use to look for obscure options.
Tips for Smart Cellphone Use
Some 95% of Americans own cellphones of some kind, according to Pew Research Center – among 18- to 29-year-olds, the number is a whopping 100%. But no matter your age, there are some basic ideas for keeping mobile phone use safe and constructive:
Share with care. Use the same good sense about what you post from your phone as from a computer. Once they’re posted, text, photos, and video are tough to take back, can be copied and pasted elsewhere, and are up there pretty much forever. Think about the people in them (including you!). Reputations are at stake.
Phones are personal. Letting other people use your phone when you’re not around is like letting them have the password to your social network profile. They can impersonate you, which gives them the power to mess with your reputation and relationships. Lock your phone when you’re not using it, and use strong and unique passwords for all your apps.
Keep it kind. Because people socialize on cellphones as much as online, cyberbullying can be mobile too. Treat people on phones and the web the way you would in person, and the risk of being bullied goes down. Be aware, too, of people randomly taking pictures at parties, in locker rooms, etc. – you may not want to be tagged in their social-network photo albums!
Sexting: The vast majority of kids are smart and don’t take, send, or post or even store nude photos of themselves or peers on their phones. People who do so can be charged with production, distribution, or possession of child pornography, a serious crime. They can also be subjected to jokes, bullying, blackmail, expulsion from school, loss of a job, etc. and the images can circulate forever. Just don’t go there.
The value of presence. If you do a lot of texting, consider the impact that being “elsewhere” might be having on the people around you. Your presence during meals, at parties, in the car, etc. is not only polite, it’s a sign of respect and appreciated.
Know what your apps know. Pay attention to any permissions apps request as you install them. If an app asks to access your location, contact list, calendar or messages or to post to your social networking services, consider if the app really needs that information to function. When in doubt, consider withholding permission or not using that app.
Down time is good. Constant texting and talking can affect sleep, concentration, school, and other things that deserve your thought and focus. You need your sleep, and real friends understand there are times you just need to turn off the phone.
Share location mindfully. A growing number of apps allow friends to pinpoint each other’s physical location. If you use such a service, do so only with friends you know in person, and get to know the service’s privacy features.
Have a conversation (not a lecture) with your kids about smartphone use. Consider drawing up a family cellphone contract and talk with your children about why each point is important (there’s a sample contract at ConnectSafely.org/mobile). If you decide to use parental-control apps, discuss them with your children.
Consider parental-control tools. There are actually two major types of parental controls. The first is family rules or guidelines that you establish with your children, and the second is technology tools provided by cellphone companies, smartphone makers and app developers. If you do use technology to monitor or limit your child’s phone activities, in most cases it’s a good idea to be up front with them and revisit it every now and then as they mature.
Don’t text or handle your phone while driving. Texting or even touching your phone while driving is dangerous and illegal in many states. If you must speak on the phone, use a speaker or headset and hands-free controls. Never text, send or read email or post online and if you use your phone for navigation or listening to music or podcasts, set it before you leave or use hands-free voice recognition
Share with care. Use the same good sense about what you post from your phone as from a computer. Once they’re posted, text, photos, and video are tough to take back, can be copied and pasted elsewhere, and are up there pretty much forever. Think about the people in them (including you!). Reputations are at stake.
Phones are personal. Letting other people use your phone when you’re not around is like letting them have the password to your social network profile. They can impersonate you, which gives them the power to mess with your reputation and relationships. Lock your phone when you’re not using it, and use strong and unique passwords for all your apps.
Keep it kind. Because people socialize on cellphones as much as online, cyberbullying can be mobile too. Treat people on phones and the web the way you would in person, and the risk of being bullied goes down. Be aware, too, of people randomly taking pictures at parties, in locker rooms, etc. – you may not want to be tagged in their social-network photo albums!
Sexting: The vast majority of kids are smart and don’t take, send, or post or even store nude photos of themselves or peers on their phones. People who do so can be charged with production, distribution, or possession of child pornography, a serious crime. They can also be subjected to jokes, bullying, blackmail, expulsion from school, loss of a job, etc. and the images can circulate forever. Just don’t go there.
The value of presence. If you do a lot of texting, consider the impact that being “elsewhere” might be having on the people around you. Your presence during meals, at parties, in the car, etc. is not only polite, it’s a sign of respect and appreciated.
Know what your apps know. Pay attention to any permissions apps request as you install them. If an app asks to access your location, contact list, calendar or messages or to post to your social networking services, consider if the app really needs that information to function. When in doubt, consider withholding permission or not using that app.
Down time is good. Constant texting and talking can affect sleep, concentration, school, and other things that deserve your thought and focus. You need your sleep, and real friends understand there are times you just need to turn off the phone.
Share location mindfully. A growing number of apps allow friends to pinpoint each other’s physical location. If you use such a service, do so only with friends you know in person, and get to know the service’s privacy features.
Have a conversation (not a lecture) with your kids about smartphone use. Consider drawing up a family cellphone contract and talk with your children about why each point is important (there’s a sample contract at ConnectSafely.org/mobile). If you decide to use parental-control apps, discuss them with your children.
Consider parental-control tools. There are actually two major types of parental controls. The first is family rules or guidelines that you establish with your children, and the second is technology tools provided by cellphone companies, smartphone makers and app developers. If you do use technology to monitor or limit your child’s phone activities, in most cases it’s a good idea to be up front with them and revisit it every now and then as they mature.
Don’t text or handle your phone while driving. Texting or even touching your phone while driving is dangerous and illegal in many states. If you must speak on the phone, use a speaker or headset and hands-free controls. Never text, send or read email or post online and if you use your phone for navigation or listening to music or podcasts, set it before you leave or use hands-free voice recognition
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