Android phone: five unknown and essential tips!
Android is a mobile phone OS, offered by Google; currently the system arrives in its version 14, still in beta. However, we all like tips to make everyday life easier. Here are 5 tips for even easier use of your smartphone: Google Maps, multiscreen, Smart Lock, connection sharing and OTG.
Contents
How to use Google Maps offline?
It is easy to download a Google Maps map or route to view without an internet connection. To do this, the procedure is simple:
- Select locationroute or destination address
- From the three-dot menu options in the top right, click Download an offline plan
- Move the plane on the desired area
- The plan is saved in Offline maps > Downloaded maps
And There you go ! To find out more, you can find our guide dedicated to this feature!
How to overlay two apps on Android?
The Split Screen option lets you display two apps simultaneously on your Android screen. To use it, nothing could be simpler:
- Swipe the screen up starting from the bottom of the device (or tap the square multitasking icon if you’re not using gesture navigation)
- Once the horizontal list of applications is displayed, long press an app icon
- Select Show on top
- A split screen appears, allowing you to select theapp icon to display at bottom
The functionality may change slightly, depending on the builder layer of your Android smartphone. To find out more, find our Express Tutorial on video!
What is Smart Lock on Android?
Smart Lock is a tool that allows you to unlock your smartphone more quickly. No password, PIN or pattern, if your device is in security condition. Several options are possible for this functionality:
- Keep the laptop unlocked as long as you hold it in your hand
- Keep the laptop unlocked as long as it is in a safe area (home, office, etc.)
- Keep the phone unlocked as long as it’s connected to a trusted Bluetooth device
The security of this feature relies on your device locking automatically as soon as it leaves the safety frame conferred by one of the options. Discover all the possibilities of this tool on this homemade guide dedicated to Android Smart Lock!
How to turn your mobile phone into a mobile hotspot?
Connecting your Android smartphone is possible as an access point, as you probably know. But did you know that this is a feature that can work over Wifi, Bluetooth or even USB? Here are the connection sharing options available:
- In Wi-Fi ; this is the most popular and well-known Android hotspot version
- Via USB cable ; less known, this feature helps to broadcast a stable connection to a device
- In Bluetooth : the devices must be close, the speed will be lower than with Wifi, but this feature can be useful
- Through RJ45 ; if it is a more complex assembly, in particular, because it requires an adapter, know that this option is also possible!
Learn more about our article on tethering options via Android
What is OTG connection?
OTG functionality, On The Go, is an Android standard allowing you to connect a peripheral to your smartphone via USB while activating a USB port on the smartphone offering both data output and input. Rather interestingly, this can allow you to connect various peripherals: keyboard, mouse, printer, joystick, camera, but also Ethernet cable ! To learn more, we encourage you to read our article on the OTG function via Android!
