Dan Gookin - Android For Dummies

Some apps, such as Facebook and Twitter, don’t display notifications unless you’re signed in to the service.

New notifications are heralded by a notification ringtone. Chapter 21provides information on changing the sound.

Notifications may also appear on the Android’s lock screen. Controlling which types of notifications appear (for security purposes) is covered in Chapter 22.

The quick settings appear as large buttons or icons atop the notifications drawer. These buttons let you access popular features or turn options on or off, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Airplane mode, Auto Rotate, and more.

To access the quick settings, use two fingers to swipe the touchscreen from the top downward. The quick settings drawer appears as illustrated in Figure 3-5, though many devices have variations on the quantity and presentation icons. Swipe the quick settings drawer left and right to see additional items.

To use a quick setting, tap its icon. Some icons represent on–off features, such as Flashlight mode and Airplane mode, shown in Figure 3-5. Other buttons feature menus that let you select options, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Tap the menu to peruse additional options.

To dismiss the quick settings drawer, swipe up the screen, use either the Back or Home navigation gesture, or tap either the Back or Home navigation icon.

Tap the Settings icon on the quick settings drawer to quickly open the useful Settings app.

The Edit (pencil) icon, shown in Figure 3-5, lets you add or remove items from the quick settings drawer.

The features accessed from the quick settings drawer are covered in detail elsewhere in this book.

FIGURE 3-5:The quick settings drawer

The Android operating system can pack thrill-a-minute excitement, but it’s probably not the only reason you purchased the device. No, Android’s success lies with its apps. Knowing how to deal with apps is vital to becoming a successful, happy phone or tablet user.

To start an app, tap its launcher icon. The app starts.

Apps are started from the Home screen: Tap a launcher icon to start its associated app. You can also start an app from the apps drawer, as described in the later section “ Finding an app in the apps drawer.”

To start an app found in a Home screen folder, tap to open the folder and then tap a launcher to start its app.

Many app launchers feature a shortcut menu that lets you quickly access popular app features, as illustrated for the Contacts app in Figure 3-6. To access the shortcut menu, long-press the launcher. Choose a shortcut item to instantly access the named feature.

FIGURE 3-6:App launcher shortcut menu

Unlike on a computer, you need not quit apps on your Android. To leave an app, use the Home gesture or tap the Home icon to return to the Home screen. You can also use the Back gesture, or keep tapping the Back navigation icon, to back out of an app. Or you can access the Overview to switch to another running app, as described in the later section “ Switching between running apps.”

Some apps feature either a Quit or Exit command, but for the most part, you don’t quit an app like you quit a program on a computer.

If necessary, the Android operating system shuts down apps you haven’t used in a while. You can halt apps run amok, as described in Chapter 20.

Like apps, widgets appear on the Home screen. Some widgets are look-only, but for most of them you tap the widget to use it. What happens next depends on the widget and what it does.

For example, the YouTube widget lets you peruse videos. The Calendar widget shows a preview of your upcoming schedule. A Twitter widget displays recent tweets. Other widgets do interesting things, display useful information, or give you access to the device’s settings or features.

New widgets are obtained from Google Play, just like apps. See Chapter 17for information on Google Play; Chapter 21covers working with widgets on the Home screen.

The launchers you see on the Home screen don't represent all apps on the device. To view all installed apps, visit the apps drawer: Swipe the Home screen from the bottom upward. For devices that show the Apps icon on the favorites tray, tap that icon, similar to what’s illustrated in the margin.

The apps drawer lists all installed apps on your phone or tablet. You may see a long list, or the apps may be presented on pages you swipe left and right. Atop the list you might find a row of apps you use most frequently.

To launch an app, tap its icon. The app starts, taking over the screen and doing whatever magical thing that app does.

See Chapter 17for information on adding apps to the Home screen.

The apps drawer features a search bar, which helps you quickly locate a specific app: Tap the search box and type the app’s name. This tool is handy for locating a specific app in a highly populated apps drawer.

Like the Home screen, the apps drawer may also feature folders. These folders contain multiple apps, which helps keep things organized. To access apps in a folder, tap the Folder icon.

The stock Android apps drawer displays apps alphabetically. Some devices let you change the order and edit the apps drawer. Look for an Edit (pencil) or Action Overflow icon on the apps drawer to edit the pages.

The apps you run on your phone or tablet don’t quit when you dismiss them from the screen. For the most part, they stay running. To switch between running apps, or to access any app you’ve recently opened, use the Recent navigation gesture or tap the Recent navigation icon, shown in the margin. You see the Overview, similar to what’s shown in Figure 3-7.

FIGURE 3-7:The Overview shows recently opened apps

Swipe the list left and right to view all the apps, though the presentation differs on some devices. For example, you may see a grid of thumbnails on an Android tablet. Tap an app’s card to switch to that app.

To switch to an app, tap its thumbnail or swipe the thumbnail downward. Swipe an app thumbnail upward to dismiss it. Some devices, such the Samsung phone shown on the right in Figure 3-7, feature the Close All button to dismiss all open apps.

To exit from the Overview, use the Back gesture or tap the Back navigation icon.

To quickly switch back and forth between two apps, tap the Recent navigation icon twice. This trick works only when you use the navigation icons, not gesture navigation.

Removing an app from the Overview is as close as you’ll get to quitting an app.