5 Android Settings You Should Change Right Now

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world but many users are still unaware of some hidden settings which should be tweaked for better performance, security and user satisfaction.

Here are 5 Android Settings You Should Change Right Now... 

1. Hide Sensitive Content From Lock Screen

Since Android 5.0 Lollipop, you can interact with the notifications directly from the lock screen. While this is convenient, it also means that anybody can go through your notifications — even when your phone is locked.

Fortunately, there’s an option to hide sensitive notifications on the lock screen. First, you need to secure your Android phone with a password, pattern, or a PIN. Once you do, here’s how to hide sensitive notification content.

OPEN SETTINGS > NOTIFICATIONS.
TAP THE COG ICON ON THE UPPER-RIGHT OF THE SCREEN.
TAP ON THE LOCK SCREEN.
SELECT HIDE SENSITIVE NOTIFICATION CONTENT.

2. Opt Out of Personalized Ads

There’s a shocking number of things that Google knows about you. Its huge tracking system is the reason why you see such precisely tailored ads. For instance, if you search on your desktop about noise-canceling earphones, you might quickly start seeing ads for them around the web. If you’re paranoid about your privacy, there’s an easy way to turn it off.

OPEN SETTINGS.
NAVIGATE TO GOOGLE > ADS.
ENABLE OPT OUT OF ADS PERSONALIZATION.

3. Enable Auto-Lock and Power Button Instant Lock

By default, your Android phone’s screen turns off automatically after a set period of inactivity to save battery. But the lock screen only kicks-in a few seconds later. Mischievous people can potentially access your unlocked device if you leave it unattended during this period.
It’s recommended to lower your screen timeout.

TO DO SO, HEAD OVER TO SETTINGS > DISPLAY > SLEEP. SELECT THE LOWEST ACCEPTABLE NUMBER OF SECONDS AFTER WHICH YOUR SCREEN WOULD TURN OFF.

Once you’ve lowered the screen timeout, it’s time to force the lock screen to kick in as soon as the screen is turned off.

TO DO SO, NAVIGATE TO SETTINGS > SECURITY > AUTOMATICALLY LOCK.
SELECT IMMEDIATELY.
ON THE SAME PAGE, ENABLE POWER BUTTON INSTANTLY LOCKS.

4. Enable Instant Apps

Instant Apps are a pretty innovative idea: you can check out Android apps without having to install them, thus saving time and data. It started out as an Android Oreo-exclusive feature, but Google started rolling it out to devices running Lollipop or later a couple of months ago. Instant Apps are disabled by default, but enabling them is just a flip away.

OPEN SETTINGS > GOOGLE.
ENABLE INSTANT APPS.
TAP YES, I’M IN TO CONFIRM.

5. Move Chrome’s Address Bar to the Bottom

Reaching the top of the screen, especially with just one hand, can be quite a pain. Chrome’s address bar is placed at the upper-half of the screen, making it harder to reach on larger-sized phones. Thankfully, there’s a quick way to move Chrome’s address bar to the bottom for easier access.

TYPE CHROME://FLAGS IN CHROME’S ADDRESS BAR AND HIT ENTER.
FIND CHROME HOME AND ENABLE IT.
TAP RELAUNCH CHROME.
TAP THE RECENT BUTTON TO OPEN UP THE MULTITASKING SCREEN. SWIPE AWAY CHROME TO FORCE CLOSE IT.
RE-OPEN CHROME.

I hope you learnt a new trick today from this article.