5 hidden Android options I want I knew about sooner

It is well-known that Android units supply a big selection of options and settings to discover. With Android 16 now accessible and Google frequently engaged on new options, it is easy to miss among the extra helpful and fascinating options which have been a part of Android for some time.

Though options like Live Updates and Adaptive Battery are spectacular, listed here are 5 helpful Android options that I consider are sometimes neglected and that I want I had found earlier.

I’ve examined all of those on each my Galaxy S25+ and Pixel 8a, so you may strive them on any Android machine you personal. You do not want any extra apps both, as all of those options are constructed instantly into Android’s settings menu.

1

Maintain your telephone unlocked at house

Prolong Lock retains your telephone unlocked in trusted locations

One in all my favourite options on Android is named Extend Lock (previously referred to as Sensible Lock). It has a quite simple premise, and what it does is preserve your telephone unlocked in trusted areas. For instance, you may set Prolong Lock to unlock your telephone whenever you’re at house. This makes it simple to shortly choose up and use your machine at house with out coming into a PIN or utilizing biometrics.

In fact, utilizing this characteristic requires trusting these you reside with, but when you do not have prying eyes at house, it is a useful instrument. As quickly as your telephone leaves the deal with or map space you set on Prolong Lock, it instantly requires a PIN or biometrics to unlock once more.

Prolong Lock additionally affords two extra choices: On-Physique Detection and Trusted Gadgets. On-Physique Detection retains your telephone unlocked when you’re strolling with it, and Trusted Gadgets unlocks it when related to a close-by trusted machine, like your smartwatch. Personally, I solely use the trusted location setting, as I discover it extra dependable and safer.

To check out Prolong Lock your self, comply with the steps beneath:

1. Go to Settings > Safety and Privateness > Extra Safety and Privateness.

2. Scroll down and faucet Prolong Unlock.

3. Enter your machine PIN.

4. Choose Trusted locations to arrange an space the place your telephone stays unlocked.

2

Always remember a notification

Notification historical past helps you recall notifications you have dismissed

I’ve completed this about 1,000,000 instances on my telephone: I get a notification, I have a look at it, swipe it away, after which utterly neglect about it. Fortunately, that is why Notification historical past exists. Because the title of the characteristic implies, it retains a historical past of all of the notifications you could have acquired. So, should you by chance delete a notification you need to learn, you may verify your Notification historical past to see what it was, slightly than being left at midnight.

The very best half is that enabling Notification historical past solely takes just a few seconds and saves you plenty of complications. This is the right way to allow it:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.

2. Choose Notification historical past.

3. Toggle on Use notification historical past.

4. Your notifications will now be saved to this menu.

3

Pin an app to your display screen to guard your privateness

Cease prying eyes from seeing an excessive amount of in your telephone

One other helpful Android safety characteristic that I consider is not talked about sufficient is App pinning. First launched with Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014, this useful characteristic permits you to pin a single app to your display screen so it will possibly’t be simply swiped away. So, should you’re handing your telephone over to a child, member of the family, or pal to take a look at, and you don’t need them to pry into something in your machine, this prevents that by locking one app to the display screen.

Once you pin an app to the display screen, you may solely exit it by swiping up and holding the house bar, or by holding down the triangle and sq. buttons for just a few seconds (relying on the kind of gesture navigation you could have enabled). You can too allow PIN safety, so if the individual taking a look at your telephone now is aware of the right way to exit App pinning, your PIN is required as an extra step to flee it.

To check out App pinning, comply with these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Safety and privateness > Extra safety and privateness.

2. Scroll down and choose App pinning.

3. Toggle on Use app pinning.

4. Moreover, on the identical display screen, you may allow or disable Ask for PIN earlier than unpinning.

5. To pin an app, go to Overview, faucet the app icon, and select Pin.

4

Share Wi-Fi by way of QR code

By no means fear about typing your lengthy Wi-Fi password once more

It is the query everybody hears when family and friends go to their house for a very long time: “What’s your Wi-Fi password?” In the event you’re bored with handing out your Wi-Fi password like sweet on Halloween, this Android characteristic makes it very simple to share it shortly with out the effort of typing your lengthy and presumably complicated password on their telephone by sharing your Wi-Fi by way of a QR code. So, if somebody is visiting, they’ll scan the code in your telephone, and voilà, they’ve entry to your Wi-Fi.

The very best half is, you do not even have to allow something for this setting to work. Simply comply with these steps, and you will be sharing your Wi-Fi by way of a QR code like a professional:

1. Go to Settings > Community and Web.

2. Choose your Wi-Fi connection, which brings up a Community particulars web page.

3. Beneath the title of your Wi-Fi, you will see three choices: Neglect, Disconnect, and Share.

4. Tapping Share will generate a QR code which you could share with others to connect with your Wi-Fi.

5

Open Google Pockets immediately

The facility button is extra helpful than you assume

Lastly, I discover this characteristic important on my Android machine: opening Google Wallet with a double-press of the ability button. Launched not too long ago in Android 16, it makes funds extra handy — no have to open your telephone and faucet Pockets in Fast Settings. Simply double-press the house button, and Google Pockets launches immediately for contactless funds after unlocking your telephone.

For Pixel customers, this can be a new characteristic with Android 16. At present, it is restricted to Google Pockets and the digicam app on Pixel units, however I hope Google will increase this performance to all apps sooner or later. For Samsung Galaxy customers, the choice to pick out any app to open with a double-press of the ability button has been accessible for some time. So, in case you have a Galaxy telephone, you may select Google Pockets or every other app you favor.

That stated, this is the right way to open Google Pockets in seconds in your Android machine:

1. Go to Settings > System > Gestures.

2. Choose Double-press the ability button.

3. Toggle on Use double press.

4. Choose Pockets.