In this week’s tips and tricks guide, we will be focusing on Android Smartphones. We will be focusing on different types of smartphones in separate blog posts, as each one has it’s own ins and outs to experiment with. Androids, in particular, are useful for users that like to use gmail and other google services on their computers. Gmail, Youtube, Google Calendar, and Google Drive all use the same login information and contacts to work, and Android operating systems are designed specifically to work with software like these. This can make an Android phone an absolute lifesaver when it comes to organization and productivity. These are just some ways to make the most of Android’s hardware and software.
1: File sharing across devices
As I’ve mentioned above, Android phones are powered by Google’s software. In fact, when you buy a new Android phone, it will ask you to sign in or create a google account. While you can skip this option, I don’t recommend it as signing in to a google account will let you store and access things like your contacts, gmail, and Google Docs anywhere. This essentially means that there is little to no risk of losing files if you misplace or break your phone. Setup is simple, and once your phone syncs with your account, all you need to do is use the associated app to access your files.
2: Remote Security
This is an excellent feature if you happen to be accident prone. If you misplace your phone or worse, your phone is stolen, you can use the Android Device Manager app to track your phone’s last known location by GPS, make the phone ring, or even lock it remotely, thus protecting any sensitive files. You can also access the ADM from your computer, which is helpful if you just can’t remember where you put your phone down before bed last night.
3: File Management
Unlike iPhones, Android phones actually have their own file manager, similar to Windows’ Windows Explorer. This can be very helpful if you have a particular photo or music file you want to move from your computer to your phone or vice versa. Unfortunately it’s a little bit buried in the settings. Simply open the settings menu, then go to Settings > Storage > Other and you’ll have full access to your phone’s entire file system.
There are plenty of other little tricks to enjoy your Android phone, but these are the most useful from a business and efficiency perspective. Next week we will be focusing on the Apple iPhone, and all of it’s integration with Apple’s computer software.