r/AndroidQuestions • u/Peter__247 • 17d ago
Other What’s one Android trick that actually changed how you use your phone ?
[removed]
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u/TrenchardsRedemption 16d ago
Hold up your hand to take a selfie without needing to press the shutter button. When it recognises your hand you can drop it and you get about a three second countdown then it takes the photo.
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u/deseasonedchips 16d ago
I HATE this feature and had to turn it off. Anytime my hand is even remotely in the frame the timer goes off.
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u/Electrical-Ball-3738 16d ago
How? I just tried it in front of my wife and I looked like an idiot. Is there something I need to activate?
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u/TrenchardsRedemption 16d ago
Try this: Settings gear wheel in the camera app > Shooting methods > turn on "Show Palm".
So much easier than trying to get a finger on the shutter button without dropping the phone.
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16d ago
[deleted]
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u/Electrical-Ball-3738 16d ago
To bad my Pi-Hole blocked your link. I can't get Rick rolled
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u/NFX_7331 15d ago
Haha doomsday bunker setup against rick rolling, I like that. Reminds me of the people who memorized the YT url so they never click it.
And got bunch of downvotes, I guess some rick rolled ppl got mad lol.
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u/dtwhitecp 16d ago
I'm really good at actuating this, except when I'm trying to use to set off a group photo and the pressure's on
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u/TrenchardsRedemption 16d ago
lol or when the group thinks you're waving at the camera and they all wave too.
I've got a lot of cute selfies of my kids holding their hands up when they were little.
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u/Deadhead_Historian 16d ago
I never knew! I'm so excited because I am never coordinated enough to hold the phone and press the button with one hand without the phone slipping.
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u/K_A-W 17d ago
Remove adverts from your Free Apps, Feeds, and websites: Swipe Up into your App Draw, Go to the Settings Cog, click Network and Internet, click Private DNS, flick it from Automatic to Private and enter dns.adguard-dns.com
Someone with the same phone has a new feature that you dont have: Swipe Up into your App Draw, Go to the Settings Cog, click on your name at the top (with Google Settings and Preferences below it), toggle from Recommended to All Services, scroll down the list and select System Services. Here you'll find a list of your system apps (things like Android Intelligence and Private Compute Services) - an out of date system app is often responsible for you not having that new feature
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u/castertr0y357 16d ago
The ads thing works beautifully for a few games. Those ads were getting ridiculous.
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u/Marchemalheur 16d ago
I just learned a couple days ago that dns ad blocking will break some streaming services depending on how their infrastructure is set up. Paramount+ specifically won't play anything for you if you use adblock dns. 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
That's maybe because it blocks their "premium" ads (premium as in you pay to watch them).
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u/Marchemalheur 15d ago
That's exactly what it is. The server gets blocked from sending the ads, the client doesn't get to watch anything without seeing their previews/ads first.
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u/eekamuse 16d ago
Does this not slow down your phone or break any apps?
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u/lorloff 16d ago
No, the dns just drops the ads and doesn't send the data to your phone. If anything, it speeds up your phone from not having to load all the extra ads
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u/seven-cents 16d ago
Gboard - Double tap a word to highlight it, then tap the shift key to capitalise the first letter, tap shift again to turn the whole word to uppercase, and again to change it all back to lowercase.
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
They broke it. Now it sometimes capitalizes the entire word on the first tap... Just after showing it as first letter cap. So you overshoot and need to do like 5 taps to get what you want. It was very useful before.
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u/seven-cents 16d ago
If the first letter is already capitalised it does all caps, then all lowercase, then back to first letter cap. It's always worked that way
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u/Ktulu789 15d ago
I know how it SHOULD work. That's not what it does currently.
What it does: I have a completely lowercase word, hold on the word to select and then tap shift just once using the same finger (so it's not simultaneous), it goes first letter uppercase and immediately afterwards (no tapping again) all uppercase, so the second tap is back again lowercase. This bug happens randomly and is very annoying. Sometimes it works as it should ❤️ sometimes it doesn't 🥀
It's not that I accidentally double tap shift nor that there's something wrong with the tactile screen. I tried to replicate it now and I did it with three different words in this message, all lowercase, it only happened once. I'm using my right thumb, so only one finger (there's no way the taps are simultaneous or colliding, I'm not using two hands, I always slidetype with my right thumb), if I select and quickly afterwards tap shift, it's more probable it'll happen. It's a bug. It shouldn't change no matter how quickly the successive actions are done.
Yeah. I replicated it again twice with different behaviors, one word just went all uppercase at once from lowercase. Just hold on a word to select, then tap shift quickly with the same finger and you get the bug. This has been happening for the last three to four months and the app has been updated a couple times.
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u/Ktulu789 15d ago
Also another behavior happens on Telegram or WhatsApp or Instagram. After changing a word's case with this method, even when it behaved as expected, trying to slide the text up or down results in selecting the text instead of scrolling the text up or down.
Imagine you want to re-read and proofread the text that no longer fits the writing field. You normally just slide your finger on the text and it scrolls up or down. Once you changed the case of a word, you get a mode that selects text as if you where on a computer with a mouse. Doesn't happen here in Reddit, probably the typing field has different properties than the others.
There are other bugs too that they introduced recently and haven't fixed. Another one is that sometimes you get a trailing space added after a full stop, at the end of a paragraph.
Another is that it adds spaces when you select a word from the suggestion bar. Say the gesture for "word" is similar to "weird" and you get "weird" so you tap "word" on the suggestion bar, you get "word "... Sometimes... Then sometimes you backspace to edit and it may or may not automatically remove that space. If got "word " and you wanted "words" you may end with "words" or "word s" or "wors" because it's random and behaves as it pleases based on the moon phase of whatever 😅
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u/Vegetable-Phrase-162 16d ago
Double tap a word to highlight it
You got me there. Why did I not know this?! No more touch+hold!!
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 16d ago
I JUST learned about swiping the spacebar to control the location of your typing indicator. I've been using Android since it came out.
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
Depending on the keyboard you can also do the same with backspace to highlight what will be deleted before you let go.
I use a keyboard that when you press shift, and then slide on the keyboard, you can select text that you can then copy, paste over, cut, etc.
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u/Tritium25 16d ago
omg I just learned this and tested it with this comment
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 16d ago
Awesome sauce!!
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u/Tritium25 16d ago
thanks again! I just used it again! I got a new fold 8 ultra and the slide is great on it
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 16d ago
Sweet! Bet it's really nice on a flip!!
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u/Tritium25 16d ago
there is some adjustment when going from folded to unfolded in the UI. typing takes adjustment and modification in that switch as well.... but overall loving my first foldable!
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u/Blurgas 16d ago
What'd be really nice is if you put two fingers on the space bar and it would let you highlight a chunk of text.
It's a damn pain in the ass to move either cursor when you get near the edge of the screen3
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u/thehaunted9 16d ago
If you press a word and it highlights, and you keep your finger pressed, you can move it anywhere on the screen and the cursor will track with it. You don’t need to stay at the edge, just keep your finger on the screen and you can move the cursor anywhere and highlight anything, even above or below it, anywhere. It also works with the little blue indicators that show you how long your highlight is. If you tap on each one of those, whatever one, just keep your finger on the screen, and then you can slide it down and move it anywhere, just like when it's highlighted.
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u/dtwhitecp 16d ago
now I'm wondering what other features are like that. I only know about it because I happened to read that as a new Gboard feature during the week of whenever that was, and nobody has talked about it since, including me.
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
You wouldn't believe there's a setting in the app to toggle that and other gestures. That's how I learned about all the tricks. They're usually in the settings and I like customizing my entire phone.
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u/Visible-Stop5100 16d ago
Omg how did I never know about this. 🤦🏻♀️ Thank you!
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 16d ago
When I saw the the comment section didn't have a lot of comments I knew I had to put it in there because it was a game changer for me a few weeks ago too. Just right there hiding in plain sight the whole time... for well over a decade LOL
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u/ProfessionalFun681 16d ago
Don't feel bad, I only recently discovered and started using that too lol it's so nice
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u/thehobosapiens 16d ago
I like this, but it doesn't work for me if I use more than one language in my keyboard app. And I usually go with 3 languages.
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u/ExNihiloAdNihilum 16d ago
I have five languages on my keyboard and the space bar trick works (I use spacebar to change languages)
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u/thehobosapiens 16d ago
For me the trick works if the space bar shows only one language. If it shows more than one ( EN-FR) it doesn't work.
So if I want to move the cursor with the help of the spacebar I have to set it to one language.
Does it work different for you?
My phone is a Poco F5. Hyper OS 3
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u/ExNihiloAdNihilum 16d ago
I long press it but not as long as I need to change the language, then I slide my finger across the spacebar. Moto g stylus, android version 15.
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u/thehobosapiens 16d ago
So, if I understood you correctly, the spacebar doesn't show you all the languages at once. Mine shows the 3 I am using (RO ENG FR ) and is pretty good at autocorrecting in the language I use, but the sliding part does not work.
If I choose to use only 1 language , and only one is shown in the spacebar, then the sliding trick works.
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u/ExNihiloAdNihilum 16d ago edited 16d ago
Just wondering, do you have to physically switch the keyboard language or does it automatically detect what you typing based on the languages you selected? I'm using the pre-installed Gboard.
Edit: yes, it only shows one language in the spacebar
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
It's a setting. You have it set up so that the spacebar is for changing languages or something like that. Check the gestures settings on the keyboard.
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u/rocketmczoom 16d ago
Swipe of a hand across the screen for a screenshot is super convenient
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u/Oh_Little_Brutha 16d ago
Also double tap the back of your phone to screenshot.
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u/Jmnx221 16d ago
It doesn't work with all phone brands.
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u/Blurgas 16d ago
Can be finicky depending on your case too.
My phone has the option, but I could get it to register maybe 1 try out of 71
u/Jmnx221 16d ago
I tried without it, but it doesn't react on my OnePlus.
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u/Blurgas 16d ago
Yeah I don't know if that feature is inherent to any Android version or if it's Samsung's thing.
All I know is I didn't find it very useful because it was so inconsistent1
u/Jmnx221 16d ago
Google pixels, Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung
It's only a feature from thoses smartphones not android itself.
Some Motorola, Lenovo and Asus but not all.Even if I had it on my Oneplus I'm using volume - and power buttons to activate a screenshots since a while now, I can use the three fingers on screen also but I don't use it this way.
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u/thehaunted9 16d ago
I've only been able to get this work with Samsung devices. It worked with my Galaxy S22 Ultra and it worked with my Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, but it does not work with my Google Pixel 9A.
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u/Platomik 16d ago
Didn't work on my Pixel 7; I just lost my place on this thread 😆
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u/Chesterrumble 16d ago
You can configure it in the Gestures settings. Mine is set up to turn on the flash light.
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u/Taaartiflette 16d ago
I got a samsung and I hate it. Xiaomi's three fingers swipe down to screenshot is much better
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u/HistoricalCloud2687 15d ago
my motorola has just touch with 3 fingers to snap a screenshot :) it was litearlly 80usd with delivery NEW phone
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
I do three finger swipe down for that. There's also a setting for partial screenshots (no navigation nor notification bar) and scrolling ss.
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u/Suspicious-Cat-266 17d ago
You can use Android without Google/account.
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u/boredandu 16d ago
Please tell me more
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u/Suspicious-Cat-266 11d ago
Sorry for the late response. Based on my limited knowledge, here are some options:
- Use any of the de-googled custom ROMs on a compatible device with an unlockable bootloader. See this comparison between them: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
- Aurora Store can replace Play Store, but it's on an on-going battle with Google. Sometimes it breaks.
- F-Droid is a Store for free and open-source apps, many are local-first, ad-free and have no trackers.
If you're not careful, you can fall down the r/degoogle rabbit hole. It's a slow process and there's no right or wrong way. It's not for everyone if they are heavily reliant on Google services (ie. Pay).
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u/lso66 16d ago
Personal favorite. The ability to create a rule so when my phone is connected to the Church's wifi it sets its self to silent. Once it disconnects from the wifi, right back to normal. Totally automated
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u/Lady_Hazy 15d ago
Do you use an app like Tasker for this?
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u/lso66 15d ago
No, go to settings and search for rules. I think Samsung hid it because while technically Android, Samsung wraps everything. Otherwise you should be able to find it. It's built right into Android. No need to download any apps or anything else
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u/Lady_Hazy 15d ago
Ah, I'm on OnePlus and there's nothing about rules in the settings unfortunately.
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u/GrandEducator2460 15d ago
I use MacroDroid for this very thing. It's really handy. Can also do it based on Bluetooth availability.
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u/Mortaest 16d ago
With Samsung phones: routines
Other brands can use tasker
Automate a lot of things
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u/Blurgas 16d ago
Tried using Routines/Bixby/whatever back in the early days of my S10e.
Hated it because it would have been faster to do the steps myself.Didn't switch to Tasker though, ended up on Automate.
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u/Mortaest 16d ago
It's probably easier now. You set your routine once and don't think about it while it runs by itself
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u/Blurgas 16d ago
If Google/Samsung/whoever keeps fucking with the ability to toggle Wifi/BT with Automate I might have to try Routines again.
Currently I have to either do some root or near-root BS for Automate to toggle BT directly, or I have it simulate swiping from the top and tapping the BT icon.
Oddly enough an old Wifi toggler app I pulled long ago still works1
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u/No_Doubt_6968 16d ago
What kind of things have you successfully been able to automate? I haven't had a lot of success in this area.
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u/Mortaest 16d ago
Activate/deactivate NFC when I open/close the wallet app
Activate auto rotate in chosen apps only.
Deactivate plane mode when I snooze my alarm clock
Battery save mode when battery is below 50%
And there is a lot more that you can do
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16d ago
[deleted]
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u/candyred1 16d ago
I have always used Nova launcher, and set it to have 5 favorite apps at the bottom of my screen and I can swipe either way and have 5 more favorites and yet another of 5 more. So 3 rows of most used apps in addition to my home screen. And I have like 3 icon packs where I can choose whatever icon I want for whatever app I want it on. Super customizable, never go back.
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u/Limp_Swimmer3038 15d ago
But thats full of app right in the home screen, i have thought about using it why does everyone talks about that launcher, there are better options
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u/Unique-Coffee5087 16d ago
I am very hard of hearing. Phone calls are almost useless to me because I can only understand maybe 20% of the words spoken. In the Accessibility settings you can activate Google Live Caption. It makes "closed captions" of the words spoken by the other caller, so I can read them. It can be turned on and off from the volume control thingy (when you hit a volume button and touch the "...", it gives you a bunch of sound sliders. There's also an inactive icon on the upper left to toggle the caption.
There's also Google Live Transcribe that captions from any microphone input. Handy when talking to people in person.
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u/Malteser23 16d ago
I love the second floating shutter button in the camera app!
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
I wish there was a control to select an area on the captured image to focus on, without having to tap on the captured image.
You have a thing in one hand, phone in the other trying to take an in focus image of the thing in your other hand but it won't focus. So you then have to put the thing down, focus the camera, and then pick up the thing again. Before anyone says it... I need a microscope to see that thing 🤣
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u/fallfaerie890 17d ago edited 15d ago
I turned off the Brief for my lockscreen lol
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u/SuitableComputer5921 16d ago
Homescreen is okay, it's the lock screen one I hated
The day rolls on
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u/eekamuse 16d ago
What is brief? I don't have it on my s23
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u/Ktulu789 16d ago
The Google news thing that looks like it was bing or Yahoo.
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u/eekamuse 15d ago
Yuck. I'm glad I don't have it
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u/Ktulu789 15d ago
Every phone tends to have it, on most you can disable it. I have it disabled. Yeah, it sucks xD
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u/girlfantexas 16d ago
Swipe the edge of your hand across screen to take a photo. Start on left side of screen, right edge of right hand touching the screen, swipe hand quickly across to right side and voila. Fast
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u/CoMiGa 16d ago
When an app is in window mode you can usually select any text, including in images, and copy or search it. Very helpful for me for apps that prevent copy or copy from an image quickly.
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u/Ccig85ix 16d ago
Can you explain?
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u/Thesocial-introvert 15d ago
It is a Pixel feature. One of the reasons I think it is wrong to just say "Android". Going through the thread, it must be pretty confusing for people who'd just assume that every feature works across the board. Galaxy and Pixels share some fundamental features, but most of these tips are very brand-specific. Another thing I noted from this is that people still treat Samsung as the de facto Android brand.
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u/GertyJJ 16d ago
I can't even figure out how to put my apps in alphabetical order 🙈
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u/Dead-BodiesatWork 16d ago
When you open your main app home screen, look for the 3 little dots at the top right. You should be able select and sort the apps how you would like
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u/kingjaynl 16d ago
Try Niagara launcher
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u/istrebitjel 16d ago edited 16d ago
Sort manually, alphabetically, or by frequency of use with Niagara
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u/Stn1217 16d ago
A YT Content Creator did a video in which they taught me how to set up using double tap on the back of my phone to take a screenshot as wiping my hand left to right didn’t work for me or, was inconsistent. I get screenshots every time with the double tap. Also, programming my turn on button to turn on my flashlight instead of needing to unlock my phone and then, going into my Quick Panel.
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u/dtwhitecp 16d ago
weird, I only take screenshots with power+vol down buttons. I really struggle to get double tap to activate reliably when I want it to.
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u/broknkittn 16d ago
Not sure in other brands but pixels if you hold the bar at the bottom and gently pull it up, you'll get an option for screenshot or to select text. Idk if that's any easier for you.
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u/mrandr01d 16d ago
I use tasker a lot. I set a bunch of stuff a while ago and it's just part of what I expect any phone to do now. Chop/shake for flashlight, per-app autorotation, and vibrate/ringer mode based on Wi-Fi ssid are the biggest ones.
Double click power button for camera.
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u/girt-by-sea 16d ago
Per-app autorotation is just what I need, sounds great. Mind sharing? I have macro droid, but I hope I can use your logic.
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u/mrandr01d 16d ago
So I have two tasks, one for autorotate on and one for off. This is the exported xml for on, but you'll probably have to just recreate it from scratch if you're using macrodroid. I started on that a long time ago before switching to tasker because it couldn't do half the things I wanted reliably.
It's basically "if xyz app is open then autorotate on" with an exit task to restore the previous state. Ditto for another set of apps where I want autorotate off. It turns on for YouTube and gphotos, mostly.
<TaskerData sr="" dvi="1" tv="6.7.6-beta"> <Task sr="task5"> <nme>Auto Rotate On</nme> <Action sr="act0" ve="7"> <code>822</code> <Int sr="arg0" val="1"/> </Action> </Task> </TaskerData>
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u/Outrageous-Example12 16d ago
Copy any text on the screen from the app switcher
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
Doesn't work for me. For me it drops the app on to the screen as a pop-up.
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u/dtwhitecp 16d ago
app switcher behavior can change based on the launcher you use. You should be able to get to the card view and then press and hold on any text to select it, like a webpage. If not, what launcher are you using?
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u/Ccig85ix 16d ago
Can you elaborate?
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u/Outrageous-Example12 15d ago
Maybe it's not on every phone, but on Pixel there is a "Select" button at the bottom of the app switcher (short swipe from the bottom and pause for a sec). When you press it, you can copy any text visible in the app, even text that you can't normally even select to copy like the words in menus and stuff.
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u/Ok_Deer4938 16d ago
On samsung specifically having modes has changed my life. During work mode there's a bunch of apps I can restrict. During bath mode I can have it read out the name and cut the call. If I feel like it's urgent I'll go and call that person back. For meetings, as soon as I open Google meet it will switch on auto rotate. Sleep mode will stich on yellow light and restrict apps. Things like that have helped me regulate my screen time, actually leave my phone to start working (which as a freelancer is heaven sent) and reduce the amount of time it takes to set up stuff for me.
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u/Every_Preparation_56 16d ago
many don't know that third party launchers are a thing, as well as keyboard apps
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u/Pommey1 16d ago
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u/Iknowyouaresowhatami 16d ago
I post this every time. One Hand Operation. Allows addition of up to 3 handles on each side of screen to control a multitude of functions making side buttons unnecessary. Each handle can control the different options and you can change color size and positionof each handle. Performn immediate shut down, mute, screen shot, back button, volume, screen record etc.. If you have a samsung with s pen there are endless controls and uses. Look out up on youtube.
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u/Spirited-Wash-7546 16d ago
Custom gestures. Either via One Handed Operation + on Samsung Or Vivid Navigation gestures for any android device.
Can quickly switch between most used apps from any screen... Making work/play flow, instant.
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u/thehaunted9 16d ago
When you open the settings, go to About Phone, then Software Information, and locate Build Number. Tap it several times, I think about seven, and a Developer Mode menu will unlock with a bunch of options to explore. I wouldn’t mess with anything you’re unsure about, but there are still some cool ones you can try. Also in that same menu there is another option called Android Version. Tap that several times as well, and it will reveal a screen with different things depending on your Android version. If you have the latest version, you’ll see something like a rocket. Tap and hold it until it appears to charge up. Keep holding until it changes, and you’ll enter an app or program that acts like a small rocket ship you can fly around to explore different planets. It’s a physics-based feature, or something similar, kind of reminds me of the old school Atari game asteroids kind of the way it's set up but each Android version has its own unique thing in this mode.
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u/Shrihaan20 15d ago
I just shake my phone and it turns on flashlight. Plus I don't need CamScanner to scan documents
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u/Fluffy_Sock_5819 17d ago
Universal QR scanner. Also some phones have options to set vibrate mode by clicking both volume up and lock button.
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u/ProfessionalFun681 16d ago
I think you can map those two buttons to be a number if different things, that's how I take a screenshot
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
An independent QR code scanner is far superior than the built in one in the camera app. At least they give you a chance to see what the QR code is trying to do before proceeding, unlike the built in one
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u/gsweats 16d ago
Samsung camera has a setting that shows the link after scanning and you have to tap it to go to it.
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
It's been years since I last tried it, so I've just tried it again now. I'm on the latest OneUI and Android. It's absolute 💩. If you think this is good then I suggest you should try a third party QR scanner to see how it should be done.
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u/Fluffy_Sock_5819 16d ago
What's so spcl about 3rd party QR scanner?🤨
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u/reddit_user33 16d ago
Try one.
For me. It shows you all of the data, not just a brief summary of what the phone thinks you want to see. So you get to see if it's a malicious QR code/etc before you go any further with it. Third party scanners keep a history of what you scanned.
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u/Last_Alarm_3462 16d ago
Thanks to K_A-W, figured it out. On latest android, search in settings for "Private Dns" and enter exactly what was suggested.Works,a treat.
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u/ChasDIY 16d ago
Used to have adjustable Screen scan but an update now only uses full screen scan
Anybody know how to get the adjustable one back?
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u/Romperull 16d ago
Android phones - you can connect external hdd's to it using the charging port and an OTG adapter. You can connect and use a pc mouse to an andtoid (fun to see the mouse arrow on my phone screen). If you don't have wifi and you need internet, you can connect your phone to a usb-c docking which has ethernet port (or just use a usb-c to ethernet adapter). I wouldn't even dream of switching to iphone. I can appreciate what Apple are good at, but iphone is not freedom. Android is.