Android Phones For Dummies

Description

Your full-color guide to putting your Android to work for you Your smartphone is essentially your lifeline―so it's no wonder you chose a simple-to-use, fun-to-customize, and easy-to-operate Android. Cutting through intimidating jargon and covering all the features you need to know about your Android phone, this down-to-earth guide arms you with the knowledge to set up and configure your device, get up and running with texting and emailing, access the Internet, navigate with GPS, synch with a PC, and so much more. Whether you're new to Android phones or have just upgraded to a new model, Android Phones For Dummies makes it fast and easy to make your new smartphone your minion. Written by bestselling author Dan Gookin, it walks you through the basics in a language you can understand before moving on to more advanced topics, like dialing tricks to forward calls, working with predictive text, accessing special characters, manipulating the touch screen, and using a USB connection to synchronize your stuff. • Set up your phone and configure its settings • Play games, listen to music, and start shooting photos and videos • Join the conversation and have fun with social media • Make your life easier with Google Voice typing No matter how you slice it, life with an Android phone is more organized and fun―and this book shows you how to make the most of it. Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction About This Book How to Use This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here Part 1 Getting Started with Your Android Phone Chapter 1 Hello, Phone! Liberation and Setup Phone Assembly Removing the plastic sheeting Installing the SIM card Installing a microSD card Removing the microSD card Charge the Battery Android Phone Orientation Finding things on your phone Using earphones Adding accessories A Home for Your Phone Toting your Android phone Storing the phone Chapter 2 The On/Off Chapter Hello, Phone Turning on your phone for the first time Turning on the phone Unlocking the phone Working the screen lock Unlocking and running an app Add More Accounts Goodbye, Phone Locking the phone Turning off the phone Chapter 3 The Android Tour Basic Operations Manipulating the touchscreen Selecting a group of items Using the navigation icons Setting the volume “Silence your phone!” Changing the orientation Home Screen Chores Exploring the Home screen Switching Home screen pages Reviewing notifications Accessing quick settings The World of Apps Starting an app Quitting an app Finding an app in the Apps drawer Switching between running apps Common Android Icons Chapter 4 Text to Type, Text to Edit Onscreen Keyboard Mania The Ol’ Hunt-and-Peck Typing one character at a time Accessing special characters Using predictive text to type quickly Typing without lifting a finger Google Voice Typing Dictating text Uttering s**** words Text Editing Moving the cursor Selecting text Cutting, copying, and pasting text Dealing with speling errors Part 2 Reach Out and Touch Someone Chapter 5 It’s a Telephone Reach Out and Touch Someone Placing a phone call Dialing a contact Using speed dial Adding pauses when dialing a number It’s for You! Receiving a call Rejecting a call Rejecting a call with a text message Multiple Call Mania Putting someone on hold Receiving a new call when you’re on the phone Making a conference call Forward Calls Elsewhere Forwarding phone calls Sending a contact directly to voicemail Blocking calls Chapter 6 Missed Calls and Voicemail Who Called Who When? Dealing with a missed call Reviewing the call log Boring carrier voicemail Setting up carrier voicemail Retrieving your messages The Wonders of Google Voice Configuring Google Voice Using the Google Voice app Chapter 7 The Address Book The People You Know Accessing the address book Sorting the address book Searching contacts Make New Friends Creating a new contact from scratch Adding a contact from the call log Creating a contact from an email message Importing contacts from a computer Address Book Management Making basic changes Adding a contact picture Making a favorite Joining identical contacts Separating contacts Removing a contact Chapter 8 Text Messaging Mania Msg 4U Opening the texting app Texting a contact Composing a new text message Sending a text to multiple contacts Continuing a text message conversation Receiving a text message Forwarding a text message Multimedia Messages Creating a multimedia text message Receiving a multimedia message Text Message Management Removing messages Setting the text message ringtone Chapter 9 Email This-and-That Email on Your Android Phone Setting up the first email account Adding more email accounts Adding an account manually Adding a corporate email account You’ve Got Mail Getting a new message Checking the inbox Reading email Make Your Own Email Writing a new electronic message Sending email to a contact Message Attachments Dealing with an attachment Sharing an attachment Email Configuration Creating a signature Configuring the server delete option Setting the primary email account Chapter 10 Out On the Web The Phone’s Web Browser App Behold the Web Surfing the web on your phone Visiting a web page Browsing back and forth Working with favorites (bookmarks) Going incognito Managing multiple web pages in tabs Searching the web Finding text on a web page Sharing a web page The Joy of Downloading Grabbing an image from a web page Downloading a file Reviewing your downloads Web Controls and Settings Clearing your web browser history Changing the way the web looks Setting privacy and security options Chapter 11 Digitally Social Share Your Life on Facebook Using Facebook on your phone Setting your status Uploading a picture to Facebook Changing the Facebook ringtone A Virtual Hangout Using Hangouts Typing at your friends Talking and video chat Let’s All Tweet Skype the World Part 3 Amazing Phone Feats Chapter 12 There’s a Map for That Basic Map Using the Maps app Adding layers Saving an offline map It Knows Where You Are Finding a location Helping others find your location Find Things Looking for a specific address Finding a business, restaurant, or point of interest Searching for favorite or recent places Your Phone Is Your Copilot Setting your Home and Work locations Navigating to your destination Chapter 13 Pics and Vids The Phone’s Camera Using basic camera controls Snapping a still image Recording video Deleting immediately after you shoot Setting the flash Setting the resolution Shooting yourself Your Digital Photo Album Viewing your photos and videos Starting a slideshow Finding a picture’s location Sharing your images Posting a video to YouTube Image Management Backing up images and videos Editing an image Un-editing an image Cropping an image Rotating pictures Deleting photos and videos Chapter 14 O Sweet Music! The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ Browsing the music library Playing a tune Controlling the music Queuing up the next song Being the life of the party More Music for Your Phone Organize Your Tunes Reviewing your playlists Creating a playlist Adding songs to a playlist Creating a playlist from a song queue Deleting music Music from the Stream Chapter 15 Apps Various and Sundry The Alarm Clock The Calculator The Calendar Browsing dates and appointments Reviewing appointments Creating an event The eBook Reader The Game Machine Google Now The Video Player Watching YouTube Buying and renting movies Chapter 16 Shop at Google Play Welcome to the Store Browsing Google Play Obtaining an item Purchasing something from Google Play Renting or purchasing videos Google Play Tricks Using the wish list Sharing an item from Google Play Keeping stuff on the device Buying something remotely Part 4 Nuts and Bolts Chapter 17 No Wires, Ever! Wireless Networking Wizardry Using the mobile data network Understanding Wi-Fi Activating Wi-Fi Connecting to a Wi-Fi network Connecting to a hidden Wi-Fi network Connecting to a WPS router Setting a metered Wi-Fi connection Share the Connection Creating a mobile hotspot Tethering the Internet connection The Bluetooth Connection Understanding Bluetooth Activating Bluetooth on the phone Pairing with a Bluetooth peripheral Chapter 18 Share and Store From Here to There Sharing files on the cloud Using the USB cable to transfer files Adding a print service Printing Streaming your own media Phone Storage Mysteries Reviewing storage stats Managing files Unmounting the microSD card Formatting microSD storage Chapter 19 The Apps-and- Widgets Chapter Apps and Widgets on the Home Screen Adding launchers to the Home screen Putting a launcher on the favorites tray Slapping down widgets Resizing a widget Moving launchers and widgets Evicting items from the Home screen Building folders Manage Those Apps Reviewing your apps Updating apps Uninstalling apps Choosing a default app Clearing default apps Chapter 20 Customize and Configure It’s Your Home Screen Finding the Home screen menu Changing wallpaper Managing Home screen pages Lock Screen Settings Setting the lock screen wallpaper Display Settings Adjusting display brightness Controlling the screen lock timeout Configuring the always-on touchscreen Keyboard Settings Generating keyboard feedback Activating predictive text Turning on gesture typing Activating dictation Audio Adjustments Setting the volume Selecting the phone’s ringtone Setting a contact’s ringtone Chapter 21 Android Phone Security Lock Your Phone Finding the screen locks Removing a screen lock Setting a PIN Applying a password Creating an unlock pattern Using a fingerprint lock Setting unusual screen locks Other Phone Security Controlling lock screen notifications Adding owner info text Finding a lost phone Encrypting the phone Performing a factory data reset Chapter 22 On the Road Again Where the Phone Roams International Calling You Can Take It with You Preparing to leave Arriving at the airport Flying with your phone Getting to your destination The Android Phone Goes Abroad Using your Android phone overseas Charging the phone in another country Accessing Wi-Fi in foreign lands Chapter 23 Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Help Regular Phone Maintenance Keeping it clean Backing up your phone Updating the system Battery Care and Feeding Monitoring the battery Determining what is drawing power Extending battery life Help and Troubleshooting Fixing random and annoying problems Getting help and support Android Phone Q&A “The touchscreen doesn’t work!” “The screen is too dark!” “The battery doesn’t charge!” “The phone gets so hot that it turns itself off!” “The phone won’t do Landscape mode!” Part 5 The Part of Tens Chapter 24 Ten Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts Quickly Switch Apps Instant Flashlight The Camera App’s Panorama Mode Avoid Data Surcharges Make the Phone Dream Charge the Battery Without Wires Add Spice to Dictation Add a Word to the Dictionary Employ Some Useful Widgets Take a Screen Shot Chapter 25 Ten Things to Remember Lock the Phone on a Call Switch to Landscape Orientation Dictate Text Enjoy Predictive Text Avoid Battery Hogs Beware of Roaming Use the Plus (+) Symbol When Dialing Internationally Check Your Schedule Snap a Pic of That Contact Use the Search Icon Index EULA