Top 10 useful android tips.

Whether you are new to Android and eager to try out every available option you see on the screen, or familiar with the system, including the annoyances that plague you on a daily basis, tips and tricks to get around a system is always helpful. We are here to help you with that.

In this post, we are featuring 10 useful Android tips and tricks that may improve your experience while using your Android device. Do note that the steps may vary a little from one Android phone to another due to the differences in the build and the OS version, but if you play around with it, the next step isn’t too far off.

Recommended Reading: 10 Tips To Tighten Security On Your Android Device

1. Disable App Notifications

Bugged by annoying app notifications that just keep coming? If you don’t know already, these app notifications also drain your phone’s battery. If you want to turn them off, and you are on Jelly Bean 4.1 and above, here’s how:

1. On any of your unwanted notifications in your notification bar, long press on the notification for a message box to appear.
2. Tap on App Info > Untick Show Notifications > OK.

2. Disable Mobile Data

Whenever you don’t need to stay connected, disabling the Mobile Data can help keep your smartphone battery from draining too quickly. Turning off mobile data is as easy as:

1. Going to Settings > Data Usage.
2. Disable Mobile data by toggling the setting from ON to OFF.

Read Also: 10 More Tips To Conserve Your Smartphone Battery

3. Set Mobile Data Limit

Want to keep track of how far your usage is from your monthly mobile data limit? If you have ICS and above, there is a feature which lets you keep track of how much of the quota you have left.

1. Head over to Settings > Data Usage.
2. Set your data limit by dragging the orange line to reflect your monthly quota.
3. Set your data usage cycle based on when your "month" starts and ends, and you’re done.

You will be alerted once you hit the limit you have set. Note that the tracked data usage of your phone may vary slightly than your carrier’s tracking.

4. Add Multiple Google Accounts

You need a Google account to use an Android phone but did you know you can choose to run more than one Google account on your Android device. This is convenient if you use more than one account for several of your Google services. To add multiple Google accounts:

1. Go to Settings > Add account.
2. Select Google and setup your New or Existing Google account.
3. Once added, choose what you want to sync with the account.

Repeat all the steps above if you want to add more accounts.

5. Disable automatic App Updates

Prefer to read through app permissions and manually pick which app updates to adopt? You can, but first you need to disable your automatic app updates. Here are the steps:

1. Open Play Store and head over to Settings.
2. Tap on Auto-update apps.
3. Choose Do not auto-update apps.

If you want to enable the auto updates, follow the same path and choose Auto-update apps at any time or via Wi-Fi (available for certain Android devices only).

To update your apps manually, just open Play Store, and on the main page swipe in from the left and tap on My apps. You can tap on apps with pending updates and update them manually, or if you like to update them all at once, just tap on Update All.

6. How To Check For android System updates

For Android users that are using stock ROM, you may want to look for new updates to your system. To check for updates:

1. Go to Settings > About phone/tablet.
2. Tap on System updates.
3. Tap Check now to look for system updates.

7. Changing Default Apps

If you have already set some default apps for particular tasks (e.g. using Chrome for opening web links) but wish to change this:

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Swipe right and look for the All tab.
3. Select the app you want to remove as default.
4. Tap on Clear defaults.

8. Organize Homescreen Shortcuts With Folders

Once you have a lot of apps installed, your homescreen might be filled with app shortcuts. Unlike the app drawer, the apps on your home screen are not arranged alphabetically. So, you might want to create some folders for your homescreen shortcuts.

1. Assuming you have more than a handful of shortcuts already on your homescreen, long press on any of the shortcuts and drag it onto another shortcut.
2. A circle should now appear around the apps, indicating that a folder has been created.
3. By tapping on the newly created folder, a mini window will pop up with your apps in it.
4. You can drag and drop additional apps into the folder if you like. You can also rename the folder by tapping on the text area at the bottom of the mini window.

9. Disable Animations

Here’s a tip on how to make your Android device run a bit smoother: disable its animations. You will need to have access to Developer Options which can be found under Settings or About device.
Note: For some phones, you may need to go to Build number and tap on it repeatedly until you see "You are now a developer!". Developer options are now enabled.
Under enabled Developer options, look for Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Then, turn them off (disable) them one at a time.

10. How to Turn Off Auto-Correction

Hate the fact that your phone is going English teacher mode on you? Turn off auto-correction for peace of mind when texting.

1. Go to Settings > Language & input.
2. Tap on the settings icon next to the keyboard that you are using, e.g. Google Keyboard.
3. Look for Auto-correction and tap on it.
4. Select Off to turn auto-correction off.

Sheathe your sword, draw your deck, and get ready for Hearthstone -- the fast paced strategy card game that's easy to learn and is based in the epic world of Warcraft! Start a free game on Battle.net and play your cards to sling spells, summon creatures, and command the heroes of Warcraft in duels of epic strategy.
Challenge players of all skill levels on Battle.net or hone your skills in practice matches against some of the greatest strategists of Azeroth -- Thrall, Uther, Gul'dan, and more! With powerful prebuilt decks, and hundreds of additional cards to win, craft or purchase - your collection never stops evolving.

Republique Episode 2: Metamorphosis

Intense, thrilling, and topical, Republique is a stealth-action game that explores the perils of government surveillance in the Internet Age. Challenging puzzles and complex strategy are offset by the simplicity of custom-designed controls crafted for complete access for players of any experience level. Republique boasts striking visuals, a haunting, atmospheric score, veteran game design talent, and an all-star cast.
Episode 2: Metamorphosis explores the origins of intellectual fascism through the continuing story of Hope and our efforts to liberate her from her Orwellian prison. Amid growing intrigue and ever-more-dire consequences, the player seeks out the librarian, Señor Luis Octavo (voiced by Marcelo Tubert), a sympathetic figure whose concern for Hope makes him a target of The Overseer’s wrath. This second installment is at once action-oriented and contemplative as the veil is lifted from Hope’s eyes. Working together with the player, Hope gains a better understanding of her captors and the desperate lengths she’ll need to go to escape them.

Rovio's Upcoming Retry Borrows from Flappy Bird

Flappy Bird is long gone from the App Store, but the clones will be with us for a long, long time. Rovio, makers of the iconic Angry Birds games, have hopping on the Flappy train with the upcoming game Retry. It's not a straight clone of Flappy Bird, but the inspiration is clear from the intro video, which you can see below.

Just like Flappy Bird, Retry is a 2D side scrolling game that requires you to maneuver through a series of obstacles. Flappy Bird was extremely simple—it was just an endless maze of pipes. Retry at least mixes things up with different objects, angles, and deeper controls.

Your plane in Retry is designed to be really hard to control. You've got a throttle control and thrust, but whoever designed this plane needs to find a different occupation. It doesn't appear to have ANY lift. As soon as you stop accelerating, it drops like a rock. Collision detection seems to be super sensitive, just like Flappy Bird. The result, is something that's very, very frustrating. Apparently people like that.

The graphics are done in a retro 8-bit style, which serves to strengthen the Flappy Bird association. Unlike Flappy Bird, there isn't a giant ad at the bottom. However, Rovio is monetizing Retry with in-app purchases. A game that's designed to be incredibly hard with IAPs might not be the best combination, but we won't know for sure until the game is out everywhere. It's currently available in a few markets on iOS as a test, but it's headed to both iOS and Android worldwide.

EA Removes Peggle from New Zealand App Store, Tests New Free-to-Play Version

Electronic Arts may be close to steamrolling the last of remnants of PopCap's glory days. EA bought the celebrated game developer a few years back for about $750 million, and quickly set to work making our nightmares come true. Now it looks like the classic time-waster Peggle is about to get a makeover that pretty much ruins the game.

The new version of Peggle has shown up in the New Zealand App Store, which is the testing ground for many developers before a wide release. EA has unpublished the original Peggle iPhone and iPad games, replacing them with a new version with the same basic gameplay mechanics. You shoot balls toward all the pegs and blocks in an attempt to clear the board before you run out of ammo. It's a strangely compelling experience. 

Every PopCap title since EA took over has featured in-app purchases to some degree. Sometimes it was manageable, like with Plants vs. Zombies 2. However, the upcoming version of Peggle seems to be taking the most dramatic turn toward in-app purchases yet. If you're running low on balls, the game lets you buy more. Annoying, but not necessarily a deal breaker. It's the energy system that will turn people off.

Like a number of other EA games, Peggle only lets you play so many rounds before you have to either pay to get more energy, or wait until it regenerates naturally. This rather destroys the casual time-wasting nature of Peggle. The new Peggle adds some new collectables and uses a different level layout as well, but it's not clear to what degree that content is monetized.

This is still just an early soft launch, so maybe the IAPs will be toned down before a wide release. Still, if you want the classic Peggle, now might be the time to go and get it.

TwoDots Hits iPad and iPhone with More Strategic Gameplay than the Original

Dots was one of the surprise hits of mobile gaming last year with its minimalistic, yet highly addictive gameplay.Now the sequel has arrived on iOS with many of the same mechanics, but a few new twists as well. You're still connecting the dots in TwoDots, but now you have a purpose.

Rather than simply chasing the high score, TwoDots is focused on levels with specific challenges. You have to clear a certain number of each color in a limited number of moves to advance, but there are a few things standing in your way--literally. There are sometimes barriers that divert the dots and can make it harder to link up long chains to clear them. You also get some anthropomorphized dot characters to urge you onward.

In the first game, creating a square of dots got you big points, but this time it actually clears all the dots of that color. This makes the gameplay feel a bit more strategic and lends itself well to the new challenge-focused style. It's not simply about clearing the most dots each move, but about clearing them in the smartest way you can manage. If you fail stages too many times in a short time, it's back to the start with you. 

TwoDots is free to play, just like the first one. That means you can have at it without paying anything up-front, but there are some additional items to buy with real money. You can play the entire game for free with a little skill, or pay a few dollars for some powerups that can help you through some of the harder puzzles. You get a fair amount of gameplay for free with 85 levels of varying degrees of difficulty.

It might not have the infinite replayability of the original, but TwoDots might be even stickier for players. There's always the possibility the developers will roll out more levels over time as well.

Apple app design awards.

Apple has always stressed the importance of design when it comes to mobile apps and games. it even promotes apps that do a particularly great job of it at WWDC each year. Yes, there's more to this week-long developer conference than the keynote. Apple has announced the winners of its annual design awards, and there are some stunning apps this year. Let's take a look at them, starting with the games.

Monument Valley: This is a fantastic geometric adventure game with mind-bending puzzles and beautiful graphics. It's no wonder it was singled out by Apple. We posted about this game when it arrived on Android a few weeks ago.

Threes!: This is a simple but challenging number puzzle game with a very clean style and extreme attention to detail. It can be endlessly addictive if you're even a little bit fond of numbers.

Device 6: This might not look like a game at first, but that's because Device 6 offers a unique experience. This is an interactive story told in a retro 60s style filled with puzzles and interesting UI experiences. Definitely something to try for yourself.

Blek: A deceptively simple game, Blek tasks you with collecting all the colored dots and avoiding the black holes. You simply draw a pattern, and your line segment races off, replicating that pattern over and over until it either collects all the colors, or hits a black hole. The minimalistic graphics and elegant interface have won Blek many fans.

Leo's Fortune: For the more adventurous types, Leo's Fortune sends you on an epic quest through lush environments filled with physics-based puzzles. This is a fully 64-bit game and it looks stunning--almost photo-realistic in places.

Okay, enough fun. Now it's on to the app winners.

Sky Guide: This is a gorgeous, detailed map of the heavens in app form. From the high-resolution imagery to the handcrafted illustrations, Sky Guide is a killer app. You might even learn something.

Storehouse: The end of boring vacation slideshows—that's what Storehouse promises. We took a look at this app a few months back, and now Apple has recognized it for letting users tell visual stories with elegant editing tools and transitions. This is also a 64-bit app on A7 devices.

Yahoo News Digest: Yes, even Yahoo can still knock one out of the park when it comes to design. The News Digest app combines slick animations and clean lines with excellent editorial to make for a great news app. It supports all manner of iOS technologies like background fetch, core animations, and more.

Well, those are all the big winners from 2014. The official Apple page also includes a few Mac apps, as well as some winning student iOS app submissions. Feel free to check those out too.