Android is the most popular one among all the operating systems for smartphones, which is 73% of the total market share alone. The reason for being such a popular operating system is its exciting and cool new features. Along with that, Google provides a major Android upgrade each year with new improved UI and features. This article includes the 15 best tips and tricks for Android 12 you don’t know yet.
Android 12 (Snow Cone) Tips and Tricks
1. Guest Mode
It’s a really useful feature of Android 12. It allows you to create a secondary virtual space and limits some features and functionalities as well. You can enable guest mode before giving your Android phone to your friends or family member. This way you can hide your personal information (i.e. photos, videos, other files, etc) and apps from other users. However, it allows guest mode users to play videos, use system apps, take selfies, download & install apps separate from primary space, etc. Android 12 has the ability to add multiple guest users at the same time.
Here’s how to use Guest Mode in Android 12:
- Swipe down the notification panel and tap on the Settings icon.
- Then, scroll down and tap on the Users and Accounts option.
- Now tap on the Users > Guest.
- Tap on the Add users option from the bottom.
- Lastly, tap on the newly added Guest user name, and voila! you’ll be switched to guest mode.
Note that the exact steps for guest mode might be a bit different in other device models. In this case, you can just type and search guest mode in your settings. To remove a guest user from your Android 12, open Settings > Users and accounts > Users > click the setting icon aside from the Guest option> Click on remove guest.
2. Access ‘Developer Options’
Android has a hidden ‘Developer Options’ from the settings. It includes a bunch of useful options and functionalities that allow you to tweak your Android, improve performance, fake GPS locations, root an Android, access USB debugging, and more. However, the developer is disabled from settings by default and can’t be accessed without enabling it. Follow the given instructions to enable Developer options in Android 12:
- Open Settings from the quick notification panel.
- Scroll down and go to the About Phone section.
- Then, find the Build Number option and tap on it 7-8 times until it says, “You’re now a developer”.
- Lastly, just check your smartphone settings again. There should be a Developer Options menu.
3. Install Kali Linux on your Android smartphone
Kali Linux, a very popular operating system for desktops, is now available on Android smartphones as well. You can enjoy all the features and tools of Kali Linux on any Android phone and also run scripts through the Kali Linux interface. Debian noroot is an open-source app that allows you to install Kali Linux distribution files on rooted or non-rooted Android smartphones. All you have to do is just open the play store then, download & install Debian noroot app. Once downloaded, simply open the app and enjoy Kali Linux.
4. Track Your Android Smartphone
If you’ve ever lost your smartphone you already know the feeling. We can’t always prevent it, but reduce the risk a little bit of losing your smartphone. To do so, just download and install Google Find My Device app from the play store and sign in with your Gmail account. Using Google Find My Device app, you can remotely track your current smartphone with GPS turned on, put your phone into speaker even in silent mode, remotely lock the device, and perform a clean factory reset as well. However, these things work only when your device is connected to the internet.
Related: Use Mi Find My Device To Track Lost Mi Phones | Mi Phone Tracking
5. Advanced Dark Mode
With the Android 12 upgrade, you also get an advanced dark mode feature. Nowadays, dark mode is kinda one of the most essential features. The dark mode reduces eye strain, reduces battery consumption, and looks good visually. To enable dark mode in Android 12, just go to Settings > Display > Dark Theme > Toggle to turn it on. You can also enable dark mode from the quick notification panel, just swipe down to access the notification area and tap on the dark mode icon to enable it.
Android 12 also features a scheduled dark mode option. Here you can set the start and end timer for dark mode.
6. Switch to New Android Launcher
An Android user can never have the feeling of getting less out of the smartphone customization options. Aside from changing the wallpaper, theme, widgets, etc, you can change your entire Android launcher. If you’re bored with your current boring launcher, you can use always switch to a new one. New launcher comes with tons of new features, such as custom app icon, gestures support, hidden app vault, customizable app drawer, etc. Here I have compiled a list of top Android launchers you should checkout now.
To change your default Android launcher, just open the play store and install any one launcher from the given list. Then, open the installed launcher and set it as a default. You can also do the same thing from Android settings, goto Settings > Apps > Choose default apps > Home App.
7. Monitor Your Heartbeats in Android 12
Do you know? you can monitor your heartbeat rate using your Android device. At first glance, it seems impossible but, it’s not. It is possible to monitor your heart pulse rate using your smartphone camera and flashlight. It is not 100% accurate but, gives a pretty close result. To test it out, open your Google play store and install & run the Instant Heart rate app, then put your finger on the LED flash and wait a few seconds for results.
8. Create Custom Widgets
Organizing the homescreen with beautiful widgets can improve the look of your Android phone. Unfortunately, not all apps have widgets options. There are only a few apps that actually offer widgets. Here’s Android 12 tricks come into play. You can use this ‘Beautiful Widgets‘ app and customize your Android homescreen with tons of cool widgets. It features widgets like multiple clock styles, weather indicators, apps, and more. It’s available on the play store and free to download.
9. Record Your Screen Using Screen Recorder
Many Android 12 users still don’t know that they can record their smartphone screen. You can either use the default Android 12 screen recorder or download one of these 10 best screen recording apps. In many smartphone brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, etc, you can access the default screen recorder from the quick panel. However, you can use any third-party screen recording app from the above link if your Android doesn’t have a default screen recorder.
10. Uninstall System Bloatware
Bloatwares are third-party non-removable apps that come pre-installed when you purchase a new smartphone. However, you can uninstall them with the Android 12 upgrade. But, you can also remove bloatware if you don’t have Android 12.
There are two methods to uninstall bloatware in Android, one requires root permission and another doesn’t. In the first method, you can simply root your Android and use any System app remover from the play store to uninstall bloatware. The second method is for non-root users that requires a computer and Android phone. All you have to do is just connect your Android phone with computer via USB cable and run some ADB commands. Here’s a full tutorial to uninstall system apps using ADB.
11. Improve Gaming Performance: Android 12 Tips and Tricks
Remembered Developer options? You can use this option to improve gaming performance in your Android 12 smartphone. Just open Settings from the quick panel, then go to Developer options > scroll down and enable these two options: Force 4X MSAA and Disable HW Overlays. You can also use third-party apps like GFX tool or GLT tools to adjust the performance of the game individually.
12. Turn off Background Data Usage
With this quick Android 12 tip, you can manually disable the background data usage of each or all apps. To do so, open Settings > Network and internet > Mobile Network > Data Usage > App data usage > Choose and app > Turn off background data. Repeat the same process again for another app. When you disable data usage, that particular app won’t be able to use the internet anymore.
Read more: 20 Best Internet tricks and Tips
13. Enable Gestures on Android phone
Gestures are a pretty common thing with the latest Android smartphone. This new navigation system allows you to navigate through the apps and task manager by swiping up left & right. To control and modify gestures, open Settings > System > Gestures > System Navigation > Gesture Navigation.
14. Focus Mode
Focus Mode is a feature in the Digital Wellbeing app that helps you to get out of the apps and focus on other things. When enabled, it stops notifications and prevents you from using the selected app. To use this useful tool, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Focus Mode > Choose Apps > Set a schedule or Turn On Now. Then, you can select take a break for 5 to 30 minutes after that you’ll not able to use the app.
15. Hard Reset your Android Phone
Hard Reset is another type of factory reset. It is performed when you forget your pattern lock or security key of your Android smartphone. Follow the given steps to perform hard reset:
- Make sure your Android is turned off.
- Press volume down + power button together for 10-15 seconds (This step may vary from brand to brand.)
- Now your Android will boot into recovery mode. Use your volume buttons for navigation through menus and power key to select a menu.
- Just select the Wipe data/factory reset option and select Yes again.
- It will hard reset your Android within 5-10 minutes
Conclusion: 15 tips and tricks for Android 12
I hope you like these new Android 12 features, tips, and tricks. If you want more tips and tricks, make sure you subscribe to techsettle.com.