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Hi all - basic android knowledge needed

B

Bankoletti

Lurker
Hi all,

long time windows phone user here. Never owned android save a couple of days here and there as a temporary device.

Finally cursed the Win10 and parted with my beloved Lumia - and got myself a brand new OnePlus 6 with Android 8.1.

Spent a couple of days gasping at the speed of the device and stability and smoothness of the OS, so now I'm trying to find my way about this operating system. It appears to be not only fundamentally different but also light years more customizable compared to Windows. So, lacking basic knowledge and experience about android OS, could any good soul around here point me into a right direcetion where to start the ropes?

I'm not an IT expert, but I'm not IT caveman either, so bring it on! Thanks! :)
 
Welcome to Android Forums!

Um ... I think the single most useful piece of advice I can give is in your apps and settings, find where the menu is and understand what a long-press does. The long-press, while not unique to Android, has been the way to access higher or accessory options since the beginning. Sometimes a long-press (touch and hold) is the only way to get to certain settings/features. And the menu ... whether there's a dedicated menu key, three dots or the "hamburger" (three horizontal lines) it often goes unnoticed.

Other than that, it's up to you. You are correct, there are sooooooo many options and choices it boggles the mind, and my mind is easily boggled these days. :) Is there anything SPECIFIC you want or can't figure out?
 
lunatic59 said:
Welcome to Android Forums!

Um ... I think the single most useful piece of advice I can give is in your apps and settings, find where the menu is and understand what a long-press does. The long-press, while not unique to Android, has been the way to access higher or accessory options since the beginning. Sometimes a long-press (touch and hold) is the only way to get to certain settings/features. And the menu ... whether there's a dedicated menu key, three dots or the "hamburger" (three horizontal lines) it often goes unnoticed.

Other than that, it's up to you. You are correct, there are sooooooo many options and choices it boggles the mind, and my mind is easily boggled these days. :) Is there anything SPECIFIC you want or can't figure out?
Click to expand...

Thanks for prompt reply! Yeah, I'm trying to explore all the possibilities of taps, double taps, press&holds etc. which might seem nonintuitive to me. No, there is nothing specific which I couldn't handle either by trying, luck or googling, it's just that there is sooo much material online and so many options in the OS itself that perhaps I feel a bit overwhelmed without some "user manual" :P. Guess it's basically "use it
and learn and customize it along the way".
 
Trial, error, correction. Android is so customizable. That is why I love it. My phone is unique to me, there probably isn't another set up quite like it on the planet.
 
You could start with the manual of the phone and the help menu in settings. You have no idea how much of the questions on forums could be solved with that.
 
Unfortunately, there's no generic Android user manual. Mostly because there are so few "pure Android" devices out there. Every manufacturer customizes Android, even just a little, so the screens look a little different, the options may or may not match and the terminology varies. You've heard of plug-n-play, well Android is more "play-n-plug" ;)

Explore the menus. Install some apps (but only from SAFE sources like the play store), read some top 10 Android feature blogs. You might even consider making a phone call or two. :D Then come back with some specific questions about how Android needs to work best for your needs.

I would also point out that while Android is from Google, it is not Google itself and some people don't like how intrusive Google seems to be at times. Some of the search 'features' get a little creepy when they seem to be able to make recommendations about where you are going to be before you get there. Still, some people do their best to disconnect all that, while others turn it all on. There are plenty of discussions about privacy and mobile devices.
 
This Arstechnica pre-release review of Oreo is a good read if you want to get some deep insight on the underpinnings of the OS running on your OnePlus. Quite lengthy but as the article's title states, it is very thorough.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/android-8-0-oreo-thoroughly-reviewed/

The phone manufacturers and carriers often modify things with their own branded alterations or additions so when it comes to your own particular phone a good way to learn its features and capabilities is to just sit down and go through each option in your Settings menu. Note that a lot of settings often have their own layered options buried in a sub-menu, and as it's been pointed out in previous replies, be very conscious of the settings you change. Getting familiar with your Settings menu will let you customize and optimize your phone to suit your own needs, but it's also an easy way to disable a necessary or wanted feature.
Also, most apps they have their own Settings menu that is relevant only to the app so it's a good idea to check the option settings in your apps to customize things -- some are user interface stuff, some features you might want to enable/disable. ... and a minor, quirky, Android user interface weakness to look out for -- settings/options/preferences may be accessible via a hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) icon, or a three vertical dots icon, or a gear icon. It would be nice if one of them was actually the default for uniformity's sake but at the same time, settings menus aren't something most of us access on a frequent basis.
 
Not to be a wise guy but use google and use the phone name and question in the search

For example, "One Plus 6 text issue"

A whole bunch of results and you may see other forums or Youtube videos and tutorials. Visit different forums. Or Articles.

This is a great forum but not every issue is brought up here or solved here. Look around.

If you have a question, you should be able to find it. I learned about Android in 2010 just by searching and joining different forums for my phone at the time. I still visit those same forums and learn something new all the time.
 
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