Android is one of the most dominant operating systems in the world. It powers many of the world’s smartphones and tablets. But what exactly is Android? How does it work? And how can you use it to your advantage? Here’s everything you need to know about Android.
Table of Contents
Making phone calls
To make a phone call, tap on the Phone icon from your home screen or app drawer. You’ll see a list of recent and favorite contacts as well as your dial pad at the bottom of the screen. If there are multiple numbers for someone saved in your contacts, you will be able to select which one to call by tapping on it first before entering their name into the search bar or hitting “Call”.
Answering an incoming call
You might also hear ringtones play briefly while this happens; this is normal behavior since Android needs some time after pressing these buttons before it goes off into standby mode again–you won’t actually be able to hear anything else until then! At least now we know why those icons are there… 😉
Navigation and maps
Navigation and maps are one of the most important features of an Android phone. Google Maps is your best option for navigating around, but you should also consider third-party apps that offer more robust features or a different interface.
If you plan to use the GPS in your phone to navigate while you’re out and about, it’s a good idea to download maps so they’re available even if there’s no data connection or Wi-Fi access. Just go into Settings > Data usage and tap “Download over Wi-Fi only,” then choose which map areas you want to save on your device. This can take some time depending on how large those regions are, so plan ahead when downloading them over a slow connection!
If you have multiple apps installed that allow turn-by-turn directions (such as Waze), be sure not to use them at once—the result may be confusing directions from two different programs trying simultaneously! The same goes for music apps: don’t play music through another app while using navigation software because it might mess up your system; this could potentially cause delays between inputting commands in each program, which will make things harder on users who aren’t familiar with smartphones yet.”
Texting and instant messaging
You can send texts and instant messages by using the built-in Messages app. The app is available on all Android devices, but you’ll need to download a texting or instant messaging app if you want to use it on a different device.
To type, tap on the text field at the bottom of your screen where you want your text to go. Your keyboard will appear, along with predictive text suggestions above it (you can turn this off if you don’t like it). Tap on any word from this list to insert it into your message; once inserted, swipe up or down for more words in that category (such as nouns or verbs). You can also tap and hold down over a suggestion until more options appear at which point simply drag down until one appears that suits your needs.
Internet browsing
The browser is one of the most useful apps on your phone. You can use it to search for information, access social media and entertainment content, and even make purchases online.
To start using the browser, tap on its icon in the app drawer or home screen. Once opened, you’ll see a number of options on the bottom toolbar:
- Search bar: Type in text here to search Google or other websites (like Amazon). Tap Enter to go directly to that website rather than opening up a new tab with all your favorite bookmarks inside it—you can also just click anywhere outside of this box.
- Bookmarks button: Tap this button if you want to add a bookmark from within your current page’s URL address bar; otherwise skip over it entirely as we’ll cover later how they work separately from web pages themselves once opened again after closing them out first time around!
Entertainment
There’s a lot of entertainment available on Android, and you can choose among music players, video players, video streaming services, games, podcasts and audiobooks.
- Music players: The default app for playing media files on your device is Music Player. You can use it to play locally stored music files or stream music from Google Play Music (which requires a subscription). If you have a large library of CDs that you want to rip into digital form for easy listening on your phone or tablet — like I do! — check out the free open-source application FreeRIP MP3 Converter. It does an excellent job at ripping audio CDs into MP3 format with minimal fuss.
- Video players: When it comes time to watch videos on the go, there are plenty of options available through Google Play Movies & TV (with or without subscription), YouTube and Netflix — just make sure they’re ones that work on mobile devices rather than only being available when using WiFi!
Social media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp are all available on Android phones. If you’re already a social media user and want to continue using these services with your new phone then you can download their official apps from the Play Store.
For example: if your friends use Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp then it might be easier for everyone if they got hold of the same app (as opposed to each person downloading separate messaging apps).
If you’re not already a social media user, then it’s probably worth taking some time to consider whether or not you’d like to start using these services. If so, then downloading the apps is an easy way to get started.
Taking photos and recording video
Taking a photo is as simple as pressing the volume down button and either the power or home button. You’ll see a preview of your photo in real time, so you can adjust its framing if necessary. Recording video requires only that you press and hold the power button until it starts filming. To stop recording, either hit stop or let go of the button.
Taking screenshots is a function built into every Android device—simply press and hold both volume buttons at once (the power key does not work for this). The image will be saved to your gallery for later use if needed; you can also edit it right away with an app like Snapseed before sharing it with friends or family members by hitting share in any application that supports it.
Conclusion
Android is a powerful operating system that is easy to learn. It has many features and apps to help you communicate with others, navigate your surroundings, and even entertain yourself when you need some downtime from your busy day. With so many options available on the Google Play Store, there’s no reason why anyone should be left out of today’s technological advances!