How many times have you fixed a problem by going to your settings? How many annoyances have you put to rest by tweaking something in the settings? There’s a variety of settings that you need to tweak in order to fully customize your phone. It’s particularly easy to go to settings on Android devices, but there are also many different settings that you’ve probably never seen before. I put together a list of guides you can follow to go to settings. This guide can help you customize your Android phones and tablets. The best part is that there are apps you can download to make it easier. Note: This guide is beginner-friendly. Some of these suggestions also support older Android versions such as Android 4.0. See also: The Basics of Troubleshooting Android Phones How To Reset Network Settings On Android –– Full Easy Guide Hidden Settings of Samsung Galaxy S7 For More Gaming Features
Go to Settings on Android: 19 Different Settings You can Tweak
There are various ways on how to go to settings on Android, and how you can tweak your phone to get better customization. Tweaking these settings can benefit you greatly, and will provide you with a better experience. Here are 20 different settings you can tweak on your Android device!
General Settings
1. Go to Settings Through the Notification Bar
The quickest way to access the phone’s general settings is to swipe down the drop-down menu from the top of your device screen. For Android 4.0 and up, pull down the Notifications Bar from the top and then tap the Settings icon.
2. Go to Settings on Android Tablets.
To access go to settings on android tablet, tap the area next to the time on the lower-right portion of your screen. Doing this causes the notifications panel to pop up, which contains the icon for settings. Tapping the icon will take you to “Quick Settings”, and if you don’t find what you need there, tap on the Settings icon again for more options.
3. Go to Settings Through the App Drawer
Use the icon (white circle with six dots) in the bottom center of the quick launch bar to open the drawer.
4. Go to Brightness Settings
If you got a brand new Android smartphone, you can adjust the device’s settings to improve the battery life. To do this, go to Settings > Display & Wallpaper and use the Brightness slider to make your screen less bright. You probably won’t miss it that extra light, but you will appreciate the boost in battery life.
5. Set up Device With Android Device Manager
I also recommend setting up your Device Manager by going to Google Settings (see below) > Android Device Manager. The Android Device Manager helps you setup your phone. This feature will also help you locate your Android device if it gets lost or stolen.
6. Access the Google Settings
In your Android’s Settings app, tap “Google.” Look for “Google Settings.” Here you can change your account settings (home, personal info, security, etc…), and your services settings (ads, connected apps, device phone number, etc…) You can also clear the app data through the Google settings.
7. Change Privacy Settings
From within the Google Settings, as mentioned above, there are settings (depending upon your device) for Sign-in & security, Personal info & Privacy, and Account Preferences. Be sure to check these out. This part is also where you can opt-out of ad personalization, manage apps connected to your Google account, and manage location settings.
Apps
8. Change Keyboard Settings
If you don’t like your current keyboard, change it! You will need to install an alternate keyboard of your choice. To implement it, go to Settings > Language & input > Keyboard & Input Methods. If you see your new keyboard there, go back to Language & input > Default and select the keyboard you want to use.
9. Get Quick Settings From Your Lock Screen
There can be some privacy issues with having this feature, but some users feel that the convenience outweighs the risks involved. For you to have this on your phone, you need to ensure that your device is/has:
Rooted.Downloads from “Unknown Sources” enabled.Xposed Framework installed.
You will then need to install the Notification Mod by Anees Mohamed. From within the Xposed Installer, choose Download and search for the mod. With this app, you can go to settings on your lock screen. Download: Xposed Installer from Xposed Website (Note the separate link for Lollipop & Marshmallow)
10. Use a Settings App
This settings app is different from the one above. This app allows you to customize settings for each of your apps by creating profiles. These settings can include orientation, volume, Bluetooth, network conditions, brightness, and screen timeout. Settings App is a convenient and personalized way to get to settings on Android phones.
Miscellaneous Settings
11. Enable Developer Options
If you intend to do more advanced operations like rooting your phone, Developer Options is a must. Regardless of what you use it for, it opens up more settings, and it’s easy to do. Go to Settings > About Device. Navigate to “Build Number“, typically located towards the bottom. Tap on Build Number seven or eight times until you see an announcement proclaiming you as a developer. Now when you revisit Settings, you’ll have a new tab to tap on and explore called “Developer Options.”
12. Hidden Nougat Night Mode Setting
The Night Mode feature cancels out the blue light emitted by your Android’s screen to allow you to get better sleep, even if you use your device right before bed. To get the feature, you must first enable UI Tuner. Although do take note that a lot of Android phones have this feature pre-installed in their system features. Pull down the notification bar and long-press the Settings gear icon. You should see an announcement after adding UI Tuner, and you’ll find it towards the bottom of your Settings menu. To get Night Mode, you also have to install an app called Night Mode Enabler and enable the app itself.
13. Go to Settings to Improve Performance
If you don’t need to sync accounts regularly, you can delete them or increase the amount of time between subsequent syncs. To view all of the accounts that are automatically syncing, go to Settings > Accounts. Additionally, if you followed the steps above to enable Developer Options, you can also change your Animation Settings by finding the tab in the Drawing category, and selecting the Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. If you change each of these to .5x or turn them off, you will speed up your animations and, therefore, your Android. Some users find that turning them off altogether makes animations choppy.
14. Change Default App Settings
If you don’t like the launcher that comes with your Android that everyone else uses. You can change it to something else. To change your default apps, go to Settings > Apps and tap three dots in the upper right corner. Select “Default Apps.” Here you can change the default apps that your phone uses for a specific function. You can choose your alternative from the list of apps you have installed. To clear a default app, go to Settings > Apps and select the app you want to clear. Choose the app and access it through Default > Clear Defaults.
15. Changing MMS/Internet Settings
To set up a new mobile Internet or MMS, go to Settings > Mobile Data or Mobile Networks > Access Point Names. Now you can add the APN provided by your carrier.
16. Reduce Data Usage/Change Download Settings
In case you don’t have the luxury of unlimited data, you might want to prevent your Android from downloading updates or other big files until your device has access to Wi-Fi. To do so, go to Settings > Battery & Data Manager > Data Saver and check its corresponding box. Go back to the previous screen, and choose “Data Delivery.” Disable “Background Data Delivery” and check out the other options while you’re here. By making this change in your settings on your Android phone, you will reduce your data usage dramatically.
17. Change Language/TTS Settings
Navigate to Settings > Language & input (A icon) > Select Language (typically the first item on the list) and choose your language preference. To use text-to-speech, go to Settings > Language & input > Speech > Text-to-Speech output.
18. Disable Tracking Settings
Google probably knows where you live and work. Google (and Apple, too) uses this information to better advertise to you, but that doesn’t make it any less creepy. To disable these features on Android, go to Settings > Location access and uncheck “Google Wi-Fi & mobile network location” or “Use Wireless Networks.” Suggested reads: Use These Hidden Settings of Samsung Galaxy S6 to Claim All of Its Power How To Change Default App Settings On Android 9 Best File Manager for Android to Go Deep
Final Thoughts on Methods to go to Settings on Android
Learning how to navigate Android settings can turn a novice user into a knowledgeable user. Just as they say: “There’s an app for that,” there’s also usually a setting to suit your needs. Once you have your go to the settings on android just the way you want them, you can create a backup just in case. One of the upsides of syncing is the backup of your data, so to make sure you have everything accessible for the backup, keep your apps enabled if you need them. Do you have other tips you would like to share? There are many Android devices out there, and each phone setting may differ. Let me know what worked for you in the comments section below!
