Gestures
TAP - Short quick touch of the screen. Don't press or move, just tap quickly. Opens apps etc. Similar to an old school mouse click.
PRESS -Touch and hold the screen without moving. Use this to move, copy or get extra options like open link in a new window. Similar to old school mouse right-click.
SWIPE - Touch and move quickly. More of a flick than a drag. Basically a next and previous button. Swipe from the right to the left = next. And a swipe from the left to the right = previous. Some apps use up and down and even diagonal swipes.
DRAG - Touch and move slowly. Used to toggle switches and drag things like the status bar at the top of the screen. Press and drag the status bar towards the bottom of the screen to view more information and some handy quick toggle buttons. Green = on. Grey = off.
Questions and Answers
What is Android? In simple terms, it is the operating system of the phone. (A bit like Windows XP, Vista, or 7 & 8 might be on your desktop or laptop computer). In more technical terms, Android is a program written in the Java language which runs on the Linux operating system. (The real underlying operating system of the phone). Android actually hides the Linux operating system from the phone and installs each app as a separate Linux user thereby isolating each app into it's own separate area. This is done to prevent bad apps from accessing other parts of your device.
What is ROOTING your phone? Rooting your phone basically means gaining ROOT access to the phone. Or in other words, bypassing the Android program and accessing the underlying Linux operating system as a user with Root level privileges (ie: Administrator privileges). Doing so may make the phone less secure and in most cases for general use isn't needed at all.
What is a shortcut? A text or image link to a website, document or program.
What is an icon? An image link to a websIte, document or program. Same as a shortcut.
What is an app? A program. Usually represented on screen as an icon.
What is a widget? An interactive icon in various sizes. Usually displays live information such as the time or weather and can also contain many buttons (hotspots) & features. For example the music player's 4x1 widget. The 4x1 refers to the widget's size. ie: 4 icons wide by 1 icon high.
How do I get more apps & widgets? First look in your All Apps library to see what you already have. Widgets are available in there as well via the tab at the top of the screen. To open the apps simply tap the icon and it will open that app. To add the icon (app) or widget to one of your home screens press and hold the icon or widget you want until the screen changes, then drag and drop (let go of) the icon (or widget) and it will be added there. To place on a different home screen, before letting go, drag the icon to the edge of the screen until the edge lights up blue, hold there until the screen changes then drop where you want it.
How do I install new apps & widgets? From the store. There are many app & widget stores, here's just a few. Remember, a lot of apps & widgets are free however some do cost money and should state so clearly near the install button at the store.
You will need to join or sign up for each store's services, however, this is easy to do and may also come with additional benefits such as a gmail email account with Google Play. Reading the user reviews can be very helpful in determining if the app is suitable for you.
How do I move or delete apps & widgets from my home screens? Tap the menu button located at the bottom left of your phone just under the screen next to the main home button (see picture above). Then select EDIT and you will be able to move your things around by dragging. A trash can appears whilst you are dragging. Simply drop onto the trash can to remove from screen. (This does not uninstall the app or widget it simply removes it from your homescreen. Removed apps & widgets remain available from your All Apps library). Don't forget to press the SAVE button when you're done.
How do I fully uninstall an app or widget from my phone completely? The app store usually has an uninstall button for each installed app on the same page that you installed it from. It replaces the install button with an uninstall button. Another way is to go to your phone's SETTINGS page (available via the drop down status bar at the top of your screen) then scroll down with an up swipe and select APPLICATION MANAGER. From there select the app or widget you wish to uninstall or examine and the rest should be fairly obvious.
What does permissions mean? Every app or widget that you install requires your permission to access certain parts of your phone. For instance a compass app would require access to your magnetic field sensor and perhaps the GPS as well. However, a simple compass app shouldn't require access to your emails, sms or contact list. Beware of apps & widgets that ask for excessive or unrelated permissions. It would be better to look for another similar app with less intrusive access requirements.
One final tip before I go. Look in your All Apps library under the widgets tab for a widget called USER MANUAL and drag it to a home screen. It's actually just a shortcut to a website so you'll need to be connected for it to work. It's well laid out, easy to use and could potentially save you hours of frustration.
Hopefully these few tips should get you started and keep you busy for a while. If you found this information useful or if I've left out a vital first step please let me know via the comments section or simply drop me a note. Many thanks for reading and I hope this blog has helped to make your smartphone experience more enjoyable.
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