Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. While Apple’s iOS (iPhone and iPad) receives lavish attention and has a devout following, Android continues to rack up impressive numbers. In fact, according to figures released as recently as January 2014, Android had an astounding 79 percent worldwide market share in 2013!
Part of the reason for this is that Android faces little competition. iOS continues to be its only viable foe, particularly in the United States with about a 41 percent market share. Windows Phone and the ever-fading Blackberry continue to be also-rans.
All this really means is that a whole lot of people use Android and, time after time, we see people struggling to master it. It’s not that Android is hard to use, in fact, it’s very easy, but earlier versions are often slow and clunky while newer ones have a lot of features you need to learn to make the most of it. Also, people may simply not know or realize many of the ways you can better manage your device rather than it managing you.
Lollipop? Kitkat? JellyBean?
Android has seen nearly 20 versions since version 1.0 was released in 2008. Since 2009 they have been named after deserts or sweets, for example, version 2.3 was known as “Gingerbread.” The most recent version is version 5.0.2 or “Lollipop.”
Previous to that was Jelly Bean or version 4.3. Google has labored mightily to improve adoption rates for Android 4.x, but amazingly, over 20 percent of Android devices still run some form of Gingerbread! Contrast that with iOS 7, Apple’s latest mobile operating system, which 87 percent of iPhone and iPad users have installed.
Therefore, it’s difficult to write with one single Android version in mind, but we believe in always having the latest version of any operating system installed. Not simply to take advantage of the latest features, but also because Lollipop represents a long effort by Google to hone its operating system so that it works on much older hardware than previous Android versions.
If you cannot upgrade to Lollipop, or even Kitkat, then it probably means you’re stuck with the version you have until you can buy a new phone or tablet. Don’t worry, most of the information we cover here can still be applied in some way and, if it cannot, you still have this series as a resource when you do finally upgrade!
"Pure Android" Vs Other Distributions
Handset makers go through a vast array of tricks to make Android more user friendly. What you often end up with is a convoluted mess of UI eye candy and unneeded apps that add more bloat than their worth. So, we have many manufacturers creating their own “skins” for Android to make it behave the way that they want it, like HTC “Sense” and Samsung “TouchWiz.” While they each have their own dedicated fans, this problem splinters the Android community and gives everybody a different interface to learn.
Starting with Jelly Bean, there’s been a concerted effort from Google to really refine Android and make it more fast and fluid, as well as compatible on older devices. With Kitkat, there’s been even more refinement to the point now where Google has attracted its own hardcore, almost cult-like, following of users who prefer and swear by stock, or “pure” Android. This is Android with none of the skinning and extra features that handset makers add.
The result of this is an Android distribution as Google intended. For the purposes of this series, we will refer to, and include, screenshots from Android Kitkat and, where necessary, Samsung Touchwiz. We include Samsung simply because it is used by 27 percent of US Android users and worldwide, the company accounted for 32 percent of all smartphone shipments in 2013.
Getting a Lay of the Land
Android is super easy to use. It employs a few consistent UI features and elements that can be found across nearly all Android devices. We’ll go on a little tour of these before diving a bit further into many of the settings you will encounter throughout this series.
The Home Screen
Turn on, unlock your device, and you see your home screen. We can think of this as a desktop of sorts, but unlike a traditional desktop PC device, you can have as many home screens as you want, which you simply swipe left/right to access. You can place a whole variety of app shortcuts (we’ll cover this in Android Tutorial 2), app groups, and widgets on your home screen(s).
Here below we see vanilla Android pictured leftmost compared to Samsung's Touchwiz, LG, HTC and Sony's own Home screen Layouts.
Note, your home screen will vary according to how your handset manufacturer lays it out or however you customize it.
The Status Bar
At the very top, ever-present, is the status bar. The status bar is persistent in that it rarely leaves the display, except in some full-screen applications. The status bar displays important information including time, signal (Wi-Fi/mobile data), notifications such as texts and e-mails.
The Vanilla Android L Status Bar on Left and Samsung Touchwiz Status Bar on Right.
Again, your status bar will display differently depending on your phone manufacturer and any customization’s you may have made or apps you've installed.
Quick Settings Panel
In recent Android versions, Google introduced the “Quick Settings” panel which allows you to pull push and pull the status bar down on the right side of the status bar to access a whole array of device features. This feature isn’t available on the Samsung Touchwiz interface.
Note again, this may appear differently on your device.
Notifications
Notifications have always been one of Android’s strong points. With notifications, the system and apps can notify you when something needs attention, such as an e-mail, text message, or something app-specific such as a Facebook alert. Pull down on the status bar’s left side to see all your notifications, which you can then attend to or clear out.
Simply swipe each notification to clear it or tap the clear notifications icon at the very top to take care of all of them at once. Again, Samsung doesn't divide the status bar into two halves, so no matter where you pull down, you will always get the notifications screen.
Favorites Tray
The so-called Favorites Tray allows you to pin certain apps such as your contacts and phone dialer so no matter what home screen you are on, you can always access them. Further, you can stack apps in groups or if the whim strikes you, remove them altogether.
Left [ Vanilla Android Lollipop ] vs Samsung Touchwiz [Right]
Action Bar
At the bottom of your device is the “Action bar,” which like the status bar, never goes away, even when it seems as though it has. The status bar almost always displays three symbols (left to right) back, home, and recent apps. It may also display three small dots when an app has extra options you can access.
Regardless, you should always see these three navigation elements wherever you are on your device. On Samsung models, the S5 Galaxy in particular, these are physical buttons, not onscreen elements.
App Drawer
Finally, there’s the app drawer. This is the center icon on the app tray that opens up the place where all your apps shortcuts hang out.
{[Left] - Android Lollipop App Drawer ] vs [ Android KitKat App Drawer [Right]}
From here you can open them, uninstall, or pin shortcuts to the home screen.
Settings
Get to know your settings, this is how you will achieve maximum control over your device. By mastering them, you will be able to use the system with a great deal more finesse and efficiency. There are two ways to access settings, you can either open the app tray and tap the “Settings” shortcut or you can pull down the “Quick Settings” panel and choose “Settings” from the choices.
Android Lollipop [Left] vs Android KitKat [Right]
On the Samsung interface, you simply touch the “menu” button and then “Settings.” You’re then given four tabs.
Note that the Android “Quick Settings” gives you access to many oft-used functions while on the Samsung, the closest analogue is the “My device” tab.
The “Accounts” tab is more quickly accessible whereas on standard Android, it is including among all the other settings.
And then finally, the “More” button where you can access everything else. This is somewhat similar to what you will find in standard Android.
Apps
Manage your apps, force them to stop running, clear out cache data, and more with the “Apps” settings. On the Samsung, you can reach this from the “More” tab.
Battery
Battery life, or lack thereof, is a huge impasse to our cord-cutting desires. After all, what fun is a mobile device if you have to be near an outlet “just in case”? What’s the point of thinness and ultra-portability if you have to cart around a clunky charger and cable with you everywhere?
Nailing down the battery settings can help you diagnose and fix a great many battery woes. Note, on the Samsung, you can reach this from the “More” tab.
We will talk a great deal about this in Android Tutorial 3.
Display
Using the display accounts for the majority of battery use. Simply put, if you never used your phone except when necessary, your battery would probably last for days (plural). But you don’t use your phone that way so you can dial down the brightness and decrease the timeout period to eke a bit more time out of your battery.
On the Samsung skin, these settings are quite different but most should have the same effect.
We go into display settings more in Android Tutorial 3.
Wi-Fi
If you spend a great deal of time at home, or you have a device that doesn’t have mobile data capabilities, then you can turn your Wi-Fi on or off to save battery. The Samsung “Wi-Fi” settings are more or less the same with a few added options at the top.
We’ll talk more about this in Android Tutorial 3.
Data Usage/Mobile Data
If you’re on a tight data plan and want to know how much data you’re using, or if you want to see how much data certain apps use, then you’ll definitely want to learn this setting and use it. Similarly, you may not want to use your phone’s mobile data when you’ve got perfectly good Wi-Fi at home.
Note, you can turn off mobile data, which will help save your battery, but this may have undesirable side effects, such as the inability to send and receive MMS. As you can see the Samsung’s version of the “Data usage” settings is more or less the same.
More on this in Android Tutorial 3.
Location
Many of your apps, such as “Camera” and “Facebook,” report your location and this can lead to high battery use. You can adjust your location settings so that they use less battery. You can also turn off location specific items in many apps.
You can access the Samsung “Location services” from the “More” settings. As you can see it has a bit more going on than with the plain Android “Location” settings.
We’ll explain more about this in Android Tutorial 3.
Security
There’s a great many ways to protect your device and data on Android. On the Samsung device, the “Security” settings can be accessed from the “More” tab.
However, the “Lock screen” settings are accessible from the “My device” tab.
We’ll show you how it’s done in Android Tutorial 4.
Storage
Similar to battery life, you can run out of storage space too. The storage settings are an excellent place to determine what is taking up space, and how much you can reclaim by removing applications and deleting stuff you don’t need. You’d be surprised how much space you get back this way. On the Samsung, this can be reached from the “More” tab.
We’ll talk a great deal more about this in Android Tutorial 5.
Backup and Reset
Backing up your stuff is pretty important on any computer you use, but it’s even more important on your phone. Aside from the everyday disasters that can befall it, it’s also really easy to lose, in the back of taxicabs, to toilets, and common thieves. Using your device’s backup abilities effectively can save you a lot of awful heartache.
On the Samsung device, you can access this at the bottom of the “accounts” settings.
We’ll talk a great deal more on this in Android Tutorial 5.
What this series offers?
This series is comprised of series of four detailed tutorials that covers what we believe are keys areas to managing and mastering your Android devices.
Android Tutorial 2 – Application Management
Trying out new stuff is fun and it’s all too easy to download apps until your phone is crammed with shortcuts and widgets. If you have a bunch of apps on your device you should understand all the ins and outs of shortcuts, Google Play, and the app settings.
Android Tutorial 3 – Extending your Battery’s Life
You should definitely understand how mobile device batteries works, and the best conditions under which to operate them. Moreover, there’s a ton of stuff you can also do in the settings, which can help you get more use out of your battery during the course of a day. We cover all those things including managing your battery’s settings and the best ways to help it survive an average day’s use.
Android Tutorial 4 – Performance and Security
Speed things up and lock things down! Truth told, there’s a bevy of devices on the market that perform very well even when burdened by whatever you can throw at it but there’s also a great many that don’t. So we’ll discuss possible ways you can improve that.
Also, you should definitely take device security seriously whether it’s a pattern lock, password, PIN, encryption, or any of the other ways you can protect your data and self from prying eyes. No worries, we’ll take you through all that in this tutorial.
Android Tutorial 5 – Data Management
Finally, we’ll talk about managing your data both in terms of how much space it occupies, and whether it is routinely backed up. After all, you spend a great deal of time on your phones and tablet, shouldn’t you understand what your devices are storing, and how much storage that data is taking?
Furthermore, if you’re going to keep your most important stuff on on a device the size of deck of cards, shouldn’t you at least make sure you can’t lose everything in one moment of forgetfulness? We think so and that’s why we cover a variety of methods you can always make sure that even if you drop your phone down a sewer grate, everything that’s on it can be saved.
Conclusion
That’s all for today. We’re going to stop for the time being and let all this sink in. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with your device’s settings before we get to good stuff tomorrow when we’ll talk all about managing your applications and getting to know the Google Play Store’s settings.
