Hot Android How-Tos
How To: PhotoMath for Android Lets You Solve Difficult Math Problems with Your Camera
I'm not a fan of this practice, but many developers release their wares on iOS before eventually porting their apps to Android. This was the case for PhotoMath, a popular and very useful app that can solve math problems with your smartphone's camera.
How To: Android Alternatives for Instagram’s New Collage-Making Layout App
Instagram recently rolled out their new Layout app that helps users build photo collages more easily, and it's quick and easy to use with great results. Unfortunately, only those with an iOS device can enjoy Layout at the moment, with the Android version slated for release "in the coming months." Luckily, there are a trove of alternatives that you can use right now, and here are the three we like best.
How To: Enhance Chrome's Incognito Mode with Search Functions on Android
For some odd reason, the Chrome Browser on Android doesn't allow you to search selected text when you're in Incognito Mode. This must have been an oversight on Google's part, because the feature is definitely present with the browser in its normal viewing mode, allowing you to highlight text and quickly perform a Google search.
How To: Lollipop's 'On-Body Detection' Smart Lock Keeps Your Android Unlocked While You’re Moving
Google recently rolled out a new Smart Lock option labeled "On-body detection" for Android Lollipop via an update to Google Play Services. As I'm sure you can gather from the name, this new function keeps your phone or tablet unlocked using the built-in accelerometer to determine whether or not your device is being carried on your body, allowing you to set it down and walk away carefree knowing that's it's locked again.
How To: Mimic the iPhone's Status Bar on Your Android
As an Android user, there aren't many elements of my friend's iPhone that I find myself envious of, because anything he can do on iOS, I can surely find a way to do on Android...often better.
How To: Theme Hangouts for Android with 23 Custom Colors
Hangouts is a great cross-platform messaging service from Google that works with almost any device, making it one of the few messengers that can be installed on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android gadgets alike. With its many useful features, one of the few debatable downsides is its not-so-attractive color scheme.
How To: This Live Wallpaper Uses Ocean Water Levels to Display Your Android's Battery Life
Live wallpapers, like the classic Mario-themed one we previously covered, is a great way to spruce up your device and get some simple amusement. Unfortunately, they also drain more battery than conventional wallpapers. Which brings me to ASUS LiveOcean.
How To: Get a Taste of the New Galaxy S6 with This Weather Widget for Any Android
With the release of various new and updated Samsung Galaxy S6 apps and features, like Smart Switch, Smart Remote, and wallpapers, something that's a home screen staple for most Android users was still missing.
How To: Get Sony's New Xperia Z3 Keyboard on Almost Any Android Device
Sony has a gorgeous line of smartphones using the moniker "Xperia," and the latest and greatest model is the Z3. The firmware for the Xperia Z3 was just updated to Android Lollipop, and many system apps of course got tweaked and refreshed with this latest version.
How To: Share Your Android's Music Library with All of Your Friends
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, music lies in the ear. Even within a group of friends who share enough common interests to sit around and socialize over, music tastes can vary dramatically.
How To: This Game Turns a Second Android Device into a Tennis Racket, Wiimote-Style
You can find a plethora of tennis games on the Google Play Store, but if you're a true tennis fan and gaming enthusiast, you should check out Tennis Racketeering by Core Aplikacije. The game lets you use an additional Android device as a racket, giving you Wii-like abilities without Nintendo. It's simple to set up and extremely fun to play, so follow along below to see how it works.
How To: Take Still Photos with Subtle Animations on Your Samsung Galaxy Device
When it comes to added features, no manufacturer out there can hold a candle to Samsung. Whether it's a remote control for all of your electronics, a heart rate and stress level monitor, or a seemingly-magical stylus, Galaxy devices always have as much functionality as possible packed in.
How To: Compete Against Your Friends with HTC's Fun Fit Health App
HTC's fitness-tracking application, Fun Fit, has made its way to the Google Play Store for all to enjoy. And while fitness apps are a dime a dozen, Fun Fit offers what its name implies—fun. Like plenty of other fitness apps, Fun Fit is able to track calories burned, steps, distance, active time, walking time, and running time. Where the app differs is in its presentation.
How To: Repurpose Android's Google Now Gesture to Lock Your Device
The Google Now gesture included in the Google Now Launcher and on Nexus devices isn't something I regularly utilize, and you might not either. There is a way to disable it, which is a good idea if you were executing it accidentally, but what's even better than disabling it? Repurposing it!
How To: Check for Out-of-Control App Permissions on Android
Android's permission system doles out access to certain system-level functions. Without it, our favorite apps wouldn't be able to perform their most basic operations. Picture a camera app that didn't have permission to access your camera sensor—now that wouldn't be much fun at all.
How To: Instantly Get Song Lyrics on Android with QuickLyric
With floating song lyrics displayed over the screen, apps like musiXmatch and Floating Lyrics are perfect for people who want to go beyond just the tunes and delve into a song's message and meaning. And while these floating windows can be convenient, they're not always necessary.
How To: Trim Down Android Lollipop's Overview Screen
As is the case with most software updates, Android 5.0 brought changes that were viewed by users as somewhat positive and somewhat negative. This generally happens because we're accustomed to the old way of doing things, and changes, no matter how useful, can slow us down.
How To: Get Rid of Emoji Suggestions in the New Version of Swype for Android
As the granddaddy of all gesture-based keyboards, Swype has seen quite a few updates in its day. A recent version bump, however, added a feature that has been universally panned by Swype users.
How To: Remove the Carrier Name from Your Lock Screen in Android Lollipop
I know where I bought my phone, and I definitely know who I'm paying money to every month for cellular service, so there's absolutely no need to see my carrier's name draped all over my device. Fortunately, with Android Lollipop, the carrier label is only present on the lock screen. Nevertheless, that label can keep your phone from feeling just right, so let's go ahead and show you how to get rid of it.
How To: Get Custom Lock Screen Shortcuts on Android Lollipop
Android's lock screen has evolved quite a bit over the years. From the Donut days of two tabs that launched the phone app and unlocked the device, to KitKat's clean and simple approach, shortcuts have come and gone.
How To: Install HTC's BlinkFeed Launcher on Any Android Device
HTC's Sense UI is generally regarded as one of the best manufacturer-skinned versions of Android. This is mainly due to the subtle and classy styling of the interface, as well as some unique features that are added in here and there.
How To: Use Your Back Button to Force-Close Any Android App on the Spot
If you've ever used a custom ROM on one of your devices, chances are it had a built-in feature that allowed you to kill any app by long-pressing the back button. This function comes in handy quite often, especially in situations where an app is acting up, since it stops all associated processes and clears the app from memory.
How To: Get the Samsung Galaxy S6's Newer Smart Switch App on Any Galaxy Device
With only a month left until Samsung's highly-anticipated Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are released to the general public, it's only natural that some of the devices' features slowly trickle out, like Edge notifications, the new Smart Remote app, and, of course, wallpapers.
How To: 9 Alternative Uses for Your Android's Volume Keys
As touchscreen phones continue to evolve, the need for physical buttons seems less and less pronounced. While hard keys may seem like an endangered component on mobile devices, save for the Samsung Galaxy line, it'd be difficult to fathom a world where volume keys are absent.
How To: TextStats Gives You Detailed Info of Your Text Messaging Habits on Android
With the advent of text messaging, our communication habits have changed drastically. Social niceties are still there, but we budget our words a little more since they have to be typed out rather than spoken. After all, SMS stands for "Short Message Service," so this is the nature of the beast.
How To: Get the Galaxy S5's Toolbox Feature on Any Android
Granting seamless access to your favorite or most utilized apps with just a tap, the Galaxy S5's "Toolbox" feature is one that plenty of other Android users wish they had. Instead of holding your breath for your manufacturer to implement something similar, or hoping that Samsung releases it on Google Play, you can mimic it on your device today with a few simple steps.
How To: Make Lollipop's Overview Screen a Lot More Colorful by Tinting App Headers
The Overview screen (aka Recent Apps) on Android got a huge upgrade when 5.0 Lollipop was released. Chrome tabs now hold separate entries in this multitasking list, which also got a nice new Material Design theme. One of the biggest changes, though, was a new API that allows apps to color the header on their entries in this list.
How To: Get the New 'Smart Remote' App from the Samsung Galaxy S6 on Any Galaxy Device
The Galaxy S6 won't hit shelves until later this spring, but that didn't stop the Android community from working its magic and pulling a handful of apps from the device's stock firmware. Several of these apps rely on framework elements that aren't present on current-generation Samsung Galaxy devices, but the new version of the Smart Remote app can be installed without much difficulty.
How To: Roll Back to the Old, Free Tinder App on Android
Tinder, the extremely popular dating app, has the wonderful tagline, "Any swipe can change your life." However, if you downloaded their most recent update, your next swipe could cost up to $19.99.
How To: TapDeck Is a Beautiful Live Wallpaper That Adapts to Your Taste in Photography
One of the many unique features that sets Android apart from other mobile operating systems is its live wallpaper system. Instead of the same old boring static image, this system lets developers create apps that provide dynamic home screen wallpapers.
How To: Bring Android's Command Prompt into the 21st Century with Material Terminal
Deep down, Android is a fork of Linux, which is a desktop operating system that started out as entirely command prompt-based. For that reason, many system-level tasks can still be executed within a terminal emulator app.
How To: Switch Apps Directly from the Keyboard on Any Android Device
With intelligent grammar check, accurate predictive text, swipe gestures, and plenty of themes, it makes sense that Ginger Keyboard has well over a million downloads on the Google Play Store, making it one of the more popular keyboards available for Android users.
How To: Get Back Lock Screen Customization in Android Lollipop
Beginning with KitKat, I've been used to customizing every aspect of my Android phone, but with the release of Lollipop, there is quite a bit of catching up that developers need to do. Most customization features, like quick settings rearrangement and theme support have already been ported over, but any type of lock screen customization has been noticeably absent.
How To: Theme Android Lollipop with Custom Colors
If you're an Android fan, you probably made your choice in mobile operating systems based on the insane level of customization options that Google's software offers. Don't like your home screen app? Simply replace it. Not a fan of a particular app's sharing system? No big deal, just share through a third-party app.
How To: Customize Your Android's “Share via” & “Open with” List for Less App Clutter
When opening a link or sharing a photo, your Android device will bring up a list of possible applications that you can complete the action with. However, some of the apps included you never use or didn't even know existed, and this leads to unnecessary clutter. Fortunately, if you're rooted, there's an easy way to remove apps from the "Open with" and "Share via" lists.
How To: Float Videos from Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, & Other Media Sites Anywhere on Android
We've previously covered an app called YouTube Floating Popup Player which let you watch YouTube videos anywhere on your Android device, but it has since been removed from the Google Play Store due to infringement of certain policies.
How To: Theme Instagram with Any Color You Want on Android
There aren't many complaints I can think of when it comes to the Instagram interface, and finding one would just be nitpicking. But like with most things in life, if given the opportunity, why not take advantage? "When in Rome," as they say.
How To: Color Your Status Bar to Match Any App in Android Lollipop
A new API in Android Lollipop allows apps to color the status bar to match their overall theme. Google billed this as a more immersive user experience that allows app developers to extend their color branding even further. It certainly seems like a win-win on the surface, but unfortunately, not many apps are using this feature yet.
How To: Get a True "Silent Mode" on Android Lollipop
The biggest complaint I hear about Android Lollipop is the fact that the new Priority Mode notification system has effectively killed off "Silent Mode." Sure, you can still put your phone on vibrate, but that's not truly silent. Selecting "None" as your notification mode isn't a perfect solution either, since no notification icons will be shown in your status bar and your alarm will not go off in the morning.
How To: Make Android System Menus Easier to Use on Lollipop
Lollipop brought a complete visual overhaul to Android, and while the vast majority of changes have been met with praise, some UI tweaks missed their mark.