Table of Contents
Identifying Your Device’s Android Version and its Skin
Understanding Android Version Numbers and Names
Finding Out Which Android Version Your Device Is Running
Establishing Whether Your Device Is Using a Skin
Setting Different Volume Levels for Different Audio Sources
Turning the Notification Light On or Off
Turning Off Notifications for an App
Using the Keyboard and Spelling Correction
Entering Text Using a Hardware Keyboard
Setting Up a Tablet for Multiple Users
Switching Among User Accounts and Profiles
Deleting a User Account or Restricted Profile
Understanding and Avoiding Problems
Getting the Best Battery Performance
Checking Free Space and Seeing What’s Taking Up Space
Understanding Your Options for Syncing Your Device
Getting and Installing Your Sync App
Installing a Sync App on Windows
Choosing What Happens When You Connect Your Device to Windows
Installing Android File Transfer on OS X
Using Android File Transfer on OS X
Updating, Backing Up, and Restoring Your Device
Setting Up and Using Remote Lock and Wiping
Setting Up Remote Find and Wiping
Remotely Locking and Wiping Your Device
Adding and Removing Home Screens
Adding Apps to Your Home Screens
Adding Widgets to Your Home Screens
Adding Web Addresses to Your Home Screens
Organizing Home Screen Items into Folders
Adding Dropbox Folders to Your Home Screens
Repositioning Items on Your Home Screens
Removing Items from Your Home Screens
Changing Your Default Launcher
Making No Launcher the Default
Choosing the Best Locking Method
Setting Up Locking on Your Device
Putting Widgets on the Lock Screen
Putting Your Owner Information on the Lock Screen
Choosing Location Settings to Protect Your Privacy
Encrypting the Data on Your Device
Decrypting the Data on Your Device
4 Connecting to Networks and Devices
Taking Control of Cellular Connections
Displaying the Mobile Networks Screen
Enabling and Disabling Data and Roaming
Choosing Between 3G and 4G Networks
Configuring a New Access Point
Connecting to a Different Carrier
Managing Your Wi-Fi Connections
Connecting to a Closed Network
Setting Up a Network Using WPS
Installing Digital Certificates
Choosing Advanced Wi-Fi Settings
Whitelisting Your Device on a Wi-Fi Network
Configuring IP Settings Manually
Connecting Through a Proxy Server
Improving Your Wi-Fi Connections
Sharing Your Device’s Internet Connection
Sharing the Internet Connection via USB Tethering
Sharing the Internet Connection via Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
Pairing a Bluetooth Device with Your Android Device
Transferring Files to Another Device via Bluetooth
Sharing an Internet Connection via Bluetooth Tethering
5 Installing, Running, and Managing Apps
Evaluating Permissions When Installing Apps
Configuring Your Play Store Account
Getting the Package File for the App
Setting Android to Allow Apps from Unknown Sources
Working with the Recent Apps Screen
Switching Apps with the Recent Apps Screen
Closing an App from the Recent Apps Screen
Opening the App Info Screen for an App
Clearing an App’s Cache, Data, or Defaults
6 Taking Gmail to the Pro Level
Setting Up Your Other Gmail Accounts
Configuring Your Gmail Accounts to Work Your Way
Configuring Account-Specific Settings
Triaging and Reading Your Messages
Navigating Among Your Accounts and Labels
Working in the Conversation List
Labeling and Archiving Your Messages
Dealing with Problem Mail and Problem Senders
Searching with Advanced Search Operators
Searching with Boolean Operators and Grouping
Setting Up 2-Step Verification
Setting Up 2-Step Verification Using a Computer
Setting Up 2-Step Verification Using an Android Device
Logging In to Your Account with 2-Step Verification Enabled
7 Becoming Expert with the Email App
Setting Up Your Non-Gmail Accounts
Gathering the Information Needed to Set Up an Email Account
Setting Up Exchange Server Accounts
Getting the Information Needed for Your Exchange Server Account
Entering Your Exchange Server Account Details
Deleting an Account from the Email App
Sending and Receiving Messages
Creating and Sending a Message
Receiving and Reading Messages
Replying to Messages and Forwarding Messages
Setting Up and Using Quick Responses
Setting Up Your Quick Responses
Choosing Account-Specific Settings
Choosing Essential Chrome Settings
Configuring Your Google Account
Working with the Save Passwords Feature
Choosing Privacy Settings and Clearing Browsing Data
Choosing Accessibility Settings
Managing Bandwidth and Preloading
Returning to a Tab You Recently Closed
Viewing Your Chrome Tabs Open on Other Devices
Returning to a Page You Visited Earlier
Installing Chrome to Mobile on Your Computer
9 Maximizing Your Productivity
Streamlining Your Life with Google Now
Navigating and Customizing Google Now
Accessing Google Now from the Lock Screen
Working with Reminders in Google Now
Making Sure You Know Essential Maps Moves
Choosing Key Settings for Maps
Displaying Only the Contacts You Want to See
Joining and Separating Contacts
Importing and Exporting Contacts
Mastering Your Schedule with Calendar
Choosing Which Calendars to Display
Controlling How the Calendar Appears
Transferring and Syncing Files with Google Drive
Configuring the Cache, Encryption, and Data Usage
Adding Documents to Google Drive
Keeping Documents on Your Device
Print to an HP Printer Using the HP Print Service Plugin
Printing on Your Existing Printer
Setting Up a Chromecast with Your Android Device
Casting Your Screen to the Chromecast Device
Playing Music to the Chromecast Device
10 Making the Most of Phone and Messaging
Becoming Expert with the Phone App
Saving Time with the Call Log and History
Configuring the Phone App to Work Your Way
Setting Custom Ringtones for Important Callers
Chatting, Talking, and Conferencing via Hangouts
Making Hangouts Comfortable for You
11 Exploiting Camera, Photos, and Videos
Getting Great Photos with the Camera App
Opening the Camera App and Navigating Its Interface
Accessing the Camera from the Lock Screen
Configuring the Camera App to Suit Your Needs
Taking Photos with the Lens Blur Feature
12 Enjoying Your Music Everywhere
Understanding Your Options for Listening to Music on Your Device
Getting Your Music onto Your Device
Understanding Which Music Formats Your Device Can Play
Getting Your CDs onto Your Android Device
Syncing Songs Directly with doubleTwist
Getting the Most Out of the Play Music App
Getting Started with Play Music
Syncing Your 20,000 Songs to Play Music
Buying Songs from the Play Store
Deleting Songs from Your Device and Your Library
Configuring the Play Music App
Improving Your Music with the Equalizer
Creating a Custom Equalization
Three Apps for Identifying Music
13 Staying in Touch via Social Networking
Making the Right Decision When Logging In
Getting and Configuring Facebook Messenger
Choosing Essential Privacy Settings
Securing Your Facebook Account with Two-Factor Authentication
Using Multiple Facebook Accounts on the Same Device
Removing Your Facebook Account from Your Device
Securing Your Twitter Account with Login Verification
Using Multiple Twitter Accounts
Getting Up to Speed with TouchWiz Essentials
Using Gestures to Control Your Samsung Device
Working with Quick Settings and Settings
Using the Notifications Panel and the Quick Settings Bar
Using the Quick Settings Panel
Understanding the Samsung Hub, S Apps, and Samsung Apps
Using the Camera App’s Extra Features
Mastering the Essentials of the Camera App
Making the Most of the Camera Modes
Setting the Camera to Take the Photos and Videos You Want
Browsing with Samsung’s Internet Browser
Grasping the Essentials of the Internet App
Saving Pages and Reading Them Later
Returning to Web Pages with Bookmarks
Opening Multiple Windows and Navigating Among Them
Loading Your Favorite Pages onto the Quick Access Screen
Adding a Web Page Shortcut to Your Home Screen
Syncing Open Pages Through a Samsung Account
Making the Most of the Galaxy Note’s S Pen
Improving Performance by Turning Off TouchWiz Features
Taking a Five-Minute Tour of the Essentials
Getting the Hang of the Soft Buttons
Getting to Grips with the Three-Finger Gestures
Navigating and Customizing the Quick Settings Panel
Setting Up the Lock Screen on Your HTC Phone
Making the Most of the Home Screen
Putting What You Need on Your Home Screens
Getting More Out of the Status Bar
Hiding the Apps You Don’t Want to See
Getting Around the Phone App’s Five Tabs
Using Gestures When Your Phone Rings
Enjoying Music with the Sense Music App
Using the Camera’s Extra Features
Configuring the Camera App to Take the Photos You Want
Shooting Both Ways with Dual Capture Mode