5 obscure Android features I use every day

Google packs each new Android replace with an enormous variety of helpful options, a lot of which fly below the radar whereas the highlight stays on the massive stuff. As we transfer in the direction of the seventeenth main Android launch cycle this 12 months, it’s simpler than ever to lose observe of simply how a lot has been added over time.

Past the headline options you’re seemingly already conscious of, there’s an extended listing of lesser-known options and instruments in Android, together with much more enhancements layered in by producers. A variety of them can genuinely enhance on a regular basis use, but most individuals aren’t even conscious they exist. So listed here are a couple of of these obscure options I take advantage of on a regular basis—and also you may need to begin utilizing too.

I by no means fear about dismissing notifications by mistake anymore, due to notification historical past

Android retains a hidden report of notifications you’ve got cleared

Let’s be sincere, everybody swipes away a notification or two throughout the day with out actually desirous about it. The motion has virtually grow to be second nature. You swipe down, clear the muddle, and transfer on—particularly while you’ve simply woken up from a day nap and haven’t even had a sip of espresso but.

The issue is that a couple of minutes or hours later, you’re left making an attempt to recollect what you truly dismissed.

Typically it’s nothing. Different instances, it’s not. A follow-up electronic mail out of your boss lands in your inbox the subsequent day, asking why you missed the quarterly assembly. A pal will get somewhat passive-aggressive since you by no means replied to their invitation to exit. Or, in the event you’re notably unfortunate like me, you miss a dentist appointment and find yourself having to beg them to reschedule you.

The excellent news is that Android has a notification history feature that allows you to test each single notification you’ve swiped away. The unhealthy information is that it’s a must to understand it exists, as a result of it isn’t available within the notification shade; as an alternative, it’s tucked away in your telephone’s settings.

You possibly can allow and entry Notification Historical past by going to Settings > Notifications & Fast Settings > Extra settings > Notification historical past. Alternatively, you may simply use the search bar and kind “Notification historical past.” As soon as enabled, you’ll be capable to see a log of your lately cleared notifications.

Once you need to view notifications you’ve dismissed, you may head again to the identical menu. Should you personal a Pixel telephone, it’s also possible to faucet the No notifications textual content while you pull down the notification shade to open notification historical past immediately. Sadly, that shortcut doesn’t work on my OnePlus 15.

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Show

6.78-inch 2772*1272 (FHD+)

The OnePlus 15 options the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC that allows gaming options by no means earlier than seen on a smartphone. The 165Hz show is ideal for cell gaming, and when not gaming, it runs at 120Hz, making it superb for on a regular basis utilization. The triple digicam array is fairly nice, and the 7,300mAh battery lasts a number of days on a single cost.

The hidden “Alt-Tab” gesture helps me multitask a lot quicker

A fast swipe can take you to your lately used app

Probably the most frequent actions I do a whole bunch of instances a day is open and shut apps. I’ve discovered that the quickest method to do it isn’t citing the latest apps display, however merely swiping throughout the very backside fringe of the display from left to proper.

You may as well do it in reverse, from proper to left, to leap again to the app you used final, and there isn’t any restrict to what number of swipes you are able to do. It’s just about the cell equal of the Alt-Tab shortcut on Home windows PCs.

You do want gesture navigation enabled for this to work, however in the event you’re utilizing 3-button navigation, don’t fear—there’s an alternate.

You possibly can shortly swap between your two most lately opened apps by double-tapping the Current apps button on the backside of the display. Should you faucet it quickly, it’s also possible to scroll by means of latest apps, though it’s not fairly as intuitive as swiping with gesture navigation.

After all, you’ll nonetheless must open the app drawer for apps you don’t use usually, however for something you’ve lately had open, this shortcut is well the quickest method to swap.

Drag and drop lets me transfer content material between apps in seconds

Share textual content and pictures with out utilizing screenshots or copy-paste

Probably the most frequent on a regular basis actions I do on my telephone is taking a screenshot or copying and pasting textual content or a picture from one app after which sending it as a chat message to somebody.

Android 14 launched a characteristic that considerably improved this, but I hardly ever see folks use it within the wild: you may drag and drop content between apps.

Merely choose a bit of textual content, a picture, or a hyperlink, then faucet and maintain for a second and drag it towards the underside of your display to share it within the app of your selecting. Higher but, maintain the merchandise with one hand and use your different hand to swipe throughout the underside of your display (the characteristic I lined earlier) to change to the app you need to drop it into, then launch.

You possibly can even drag and drop in multi-window mode. It’s extremely intuitive when you understand that, identical to with a pc mouse, you may drag and drop virtually something anyplace.

Some apps even take it a step additional. As an example, my OnePlus 15’s gallery app robotically isolates the precise factor in a picture I’m holding, permitting me to ship cutout pictures in seconds. It is like magic!

Word that help varies closely relying on the app. I haven’t been in a position to get this characteristic to work in some apps, like Messenger, the place tapping and holding textual content brings up the reactions menu as an alternative.

App pinning stops folks from wandering by means of my telephone

Lock your gadget to a single app earlier than handing it over

App pinning lets you lock your display to a single app whereas blocking entry to the remainder of the telephone. That is good when you have to hand somebody your telephone and don’t need them to snoop round. Should you give your telephone to youngsters to allow them to watch YouTube or play video games, that is the precise characteristic you by no means knew you wanted.

Earlier than you should utilize app pinning, you have to allow it. Go to Settings > Safety & privateness > Extra safety & privateness > App pinning.

The wording in your gadget might range barely, so it’s usually simpler to make use of the search bar as an alternative. Additionally, some telephones received’t allow you to use app pinning with gesture navigation, so chances are you’ll want to change to 3-button navigation earlier than enabling it.

As soon as app pinning is enabled, open the app you need to pin, carry up the latest apps display, faucet the three-dot icon subsequent to the app, and faucet Pin. To unpin the app, you’ll often be requested to unlock your telephone.

Pinned shortcuts take me precisely the place I must go with out opening apps

Sticking to the theme of pinning issues, do you know which you can pin varied actions in particular apps to your own home display? That is an extremely handy characteristic, particularly in the event you all the time head to the identical part of an app on a regular basis. As an example, you may pin shortcuts to your Amazon orders or cart as an alternative of simply the principle Amazon app shortcut.

Pinning a shortcut may be very simple. Merely faucet and maintain the app you need to create a shortcut for, and when the app shortcuts menu seems, maintain and drag the precise shortcut to an empty spot on your own home display. That’s it.

The most effective half is that there’s virtually no restrict to the sorts of actions and menus you may pin. For instance, I’ve arrange shortcuts for beginning a working exercise in my health tracker, opening chats with vital contacts, launching ChatGPT voice mode, creating a brand new alarm in my alarm app, opening the selfie digicam, looking out on Spotify, and so forth. The sky (or, extra exactly, what the developer has enabled) is the restrict!

There is a good likelihood your favourite Android characteristic is one you have not discovered but

I’ve solely lined a small variety of my favourite Android options right here. I’d guess there was at the very least one you didn’t know existed, and hopefully it’s one thing you’ll find yourself utilizing every single day now that you simply’ve come throughout it. There are many different helpful options in your Android telephone simply ready to be found. So get exploring!