Newbie to Android phones

[norma11]

Ok, So I finally gave in and got an Android phone but now I am completely lost, lol. Is there anywhere I can go that will give me step by step guides on how to navigate around my phone. Couple of quick questions...why do you need 3 home screens, do you just customize each screen depending of what apps you use the most? Also, do I need to leave WI-Fi on or off?

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer......

 

[GandalfTehGray]

Ok, So I finally gave in and got an Android phone but now I am completely lost, lol. Is there anywhere I can go that will give me step by step guides on how to navigate around my phone. Couple of quick questions...why do you need 3 home screens, do you just customize each screen depending of what apps you use the most? Also, do I need to leave WI-Fi on or off?

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer......

Seeing as how you are in the Galaxy Nexus section is that the phone you got? What was your previous phone? You don't need 3 homescreens, but having that many or more allows for more widgets that you can place on the screen. Leave wifi off unless you are using it.

 

[MSUgEEk]

Ok, So I finally gave in and got an Android phone but now I am completely lost, lol. Is there anywhere I can go that will give me step by step guides on how to navigate around my phone. Couple of quick questions...why do you need 3 home screens, do you just customize each screen depending of what apps you use the most? Also, do I need to leave WI-Fi on or off?

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance you can offer......

First off, welcome to Android Forums! I think you'll find a lot of very useful information here as well as good-hearted souls who love to chat it up and just have a good time.

Secondly, it would help if we knew exactly what device you have (I assume a Galaxy Nexus since this is where you posted. You can add the devices you own in your user profile so it shows up under your name on the left. That way people immediately know what you're asking about.

As for the three home screens, you basically customize those the way you want. There are tons of widgets that come with the phone and available for download in the Play Store. These can range from anything such as weather, clocks, battery status, Facebook and Twitter feeds, etc. You can fill up those three screens with as much or as little as you like. If you do indeed have a Galaxy Nexus, you can group the apps you use most on the home screens into folders to keep it clean or spread them out individually over those 3 screens.

You can also download aftermarket launchers that will allow you to add more than 3 home screens or delete them all the way down to just one. Personally that's what I do. I have one home screen with about 30 apps grouped into about 6 folders on the single home screen. That way every thing is organized and clean.

As for wifi, I suggest leaving it on. Phones seem to get better battery life with it on, and much better life if you are connected to a wireless network.

If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. You will also find the search button in the upper right helpful Welcome again and enjoy the forums!

 

[norma11]

Yes, I do have the Galazy Nexus...previously I had the Samsung Rogue so this is a big change for me. But between this forum and google, I hope to learn a lot...so far, I am liking my phone, looking forward to learning more about it.

 

[zebug]

Best advice I can give us just start playing around with your phone, it may seem daunting at first but you'll become an expert in no time.

 

[Tim K]

If you are usually around Wifi it is best to keep it on as it uses much less power than 3g or 4g. If you are spending 10 hours at work with no wifi then you can save a little battery by turning it off.

As for the appearance of your phone, I suggest perusing the thread "show us your homescreens" and taking a look at what others have done. It will give you an idea of all the possibilities that Android has to offer.

Most people tend to go with a clock / weather widget and either their most used apps or a couple of folders with common apps. There are widgets for just about everything from music players, to weather, to email, to twitter, to stock quotes, to calendars, to you name it.

Some people are minimalists and like to keep their screens free of clutter and some people pack as many icons onto their homescreen as possible.

One suggestion I do have for a widget is some kind of power control widget (there is one included). This gives you toggle switches for adjusting brightness, turning wifi and GPS on and off, and silencing the phone. I always have one on my phone and keep it off on one of the side screens for quick and easy access.

Just start trying things until you get everything you want, where you want it.

 

[CharlzO]

One thing I'll add, is you'll probably want to keep tabs on your data, especially at first. Wi-Fi definitely helps with that, and there are ways to alert yourself to data caps and such like that. If you're on unlimited (coming from a Rogue, I would say probably not, if you're still with VZW?), then it wouldn't matter, but otherwise, it's never a bad idea to keep an eye out.

 

[GandalfTehGray]

I have a few suggested apps that you should enjoy as well. Beautiful Widgets, which offers a very wide selection of clocks/weather widgets that you can place on the home screen.
Glass Widgets, you can set these up to inform you about different news articles in subjects of your choosing.
Simple Calendar Widget, very nice calender app that you can set to be transparent so that you can see your wallpaper through all your appointments.
Widget Locker: allows you to customize your lock screen so that you can enter more apps faster or have permanent music controls from the lock screen.

 

[norma11]

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Yes, I am still with Verizon, have the 2GB data plan, so I will be looking to install an app to help me keep up with that.

I am also looking at getting a case for protection, have looked at the otterbox and while it does seem to best, it is very bulky. Any suggestions on other cases that you like and do you recommend a screen protector, if so, any top picks on that?

 

[CharlzO]

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Yes, I am still with Verizon, have the 2GB data plan, so I will be looking to install an app to help me keep up with that.

I am also looking at getting a case for protection, have looked at the otterbox and while it does seem to best, it is very bulky. Any suggestions on other cases that you like and do you recommend a screen protector, if so, any top picks on that?

Lots of threads about screen protectors and cases in the forum. I use a simple TPU case and a basic screen protector myself, but only til I get my Seidio holster.

As for the data, you can go into your Settings, then Data Usage, and set a limit that will then warn you when you are getting close. You can also set it to reset on your bill cycle date to align with your billing month. Set it to like, 1.5 GB and that'll give you plenty of warning before you hit your 2GBs. To be honest, between that and dialing #data (or using the My Verizon widget to check data usage), I've never looked for other data managing apps.

But definitely use WiFi when you can. Saves battery life, and data. Plus, you can also set to update apps on Wi-Fi only, so that they don't eat into it. Some can get quite large.

 

[kyrsteeZ]

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Yes, I am still with Verizon, have the 2GB data plan, so I will be looking to install an app to help me keep up with that.

I am also looking at getting a case for protection, have looked at the otterbox and while it does seem to best, it is very bulky. Any suggestions on other cases that you like and do you recommend a screen protector, if so, any top picks on that?

I really like Incipio cases, you get the protection you need like with otter box but not the bulk. If you're looking for full screen/phone protection, Ghost Armor is really awesome, they're usually kiosks in malls.

One thing I did to my phone when I first got it, I forced GPU rendering, it's great if you play games on your phone. It also speeds up menus and screen transitioning, it basically just makes everything smoother. You can find it in settings under developer options, then just check off the box that says "force gpu rendering". I'm sure you can find info about it on google, android forums, etc.

Why Android > iPhone for me? The customization! Definitely play around with your phone, try things like GO SMS or GO Launcher, they're really great with plenty different themes. I hope you <3 your GNex, I know I definitely do.

 

[GandalfTehGray]

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Yes, I am still with Verizon, have the 2GB data plan, so I will be looking to install an app to help me keep up with that.

I am also looking at getting a case for protection, have looked at the otterbox and while it does seem to best, it is very bulky. Any suggestions on other cases that you like and do you recommend a screen protector, if so, any top picks on that?

I really like the otterbox I have, it does add some bulk and its not pretty, but it works Im not sure what screen protector I have, but i need to find a new one as well.