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19 Android Settings You May Not

Know About
David Nield

8-10 minutes

If you're a typical smartphone user, you average almost five hours

a day on your phone now. But beyond video and social media
apps, you might not know the tweaks and settings that can might
make those hours easier, or even shorter.

The Android Settings screen is packed with more options than you
probably realize, options that can make your phone more
convenient to use, keep your data safer, and enable quicker
connections to other devices. These all appear in the Settings app
on the latest version of Android 13 in so-called “pure Android,”
which you get on Google Pixel devices and other lightly touched
models, but other handsets, like those from Samsung or Motorola,
should have similar options in similar places.

Turn Wi-Fi on Automatically

You might have Wi-Fi switched off when you're away from home or
the office. If so, Android can turn it back on for you when you get
back within range of a network that you've previously logged on to.
Head to Network and Internet, then Internet, and Network
Preferences to find the Turn on Wi-Fi automatically switch.
Use Less Data

If you're in a foreign country, on a limited data plan, or in an area

with spotty cellular coverage, you can get your phone to use less
data by tapping Network and Internet and Data Saver. This
works in a number of different ways: Certain apps may check for
updates less often, for example, while images on the web might
not load until you tap on them.

Add Extra Security for Contactless Payments

Apps like Google Pay let you pay with your phone through the
magic of NFC, which means anyone who picks up your handset
could potentially make a payment with it. You can prevent that by
making sure NFC payments require a screen unlock. Head to
Connected Devices, Connection Preferences, NFC, and turn on
Require device unlock for NFC.

Start Driving Mode Automatically

Android now comes with a special mode for when you're driving,
which makes it easier to perform certain actions with voice
commands, and suppresses other notifications. You can have this
mode start up automatically when your phone connects to your
car's Bluetooth stereo: To set this feature up, choose Connected
Devices, Connection Preferences, and Driving Mode.

Set Default Apps on Your Phone

Certain actions, like opening links or answering calls, need default

apps associated with them. To control which apps are associated
with which jobs, choose Apps and then Default Apps—you're
then able to pick a type of app (like a web browser) and choose
which one is used first. All the available apps matching that type
will be listed on screen.

Manage What Apps Can Do on Your Phone

Apps often request permission to access certain data or parts of

your device, like your contacts and your phone's location. To
view—and if necessary edit—these permissions or limit access to
only when you're using the app, open Apps and then select See
all apps to choose a particular app. Then tap on Permissions to
check the settings and make changes. You'll also be shown the
last time a particular set of permissions was used.

You're in control of the permissions that apps have.

Google via David Nield

Pause Permissions on Unused Apps

You don't want old apps you no longer use keeping hold of their
permissions, which is why by default Android now pauses
permissions on apps you haven't used in a while. To control this for
individual apps, choose Apps, then See all apps, then pick an
app and select Permissions and Pause app activity if unused.
(Now's a good time to remove any apps you really don't use
anymore, by the way.)

Check Your Notification History

Android keeps a record of your notifications, in case you swiped

them away too quickly and need to get them back. You can turn on
the feature and see recent notifications from your apps by
selecting Notifications and then Notification History. Note that
currently snoozed notifications appear in this list as well as
notifications that you've dismissed.

Hide Sensitive Notifications on the Lock Screen

You don't necessarily want sensitive or personal notifications

popping up on your lock screen where anyone can read them. You
can stop this from happening by choosing Notifications and
disabling the Sensitive Notifications toggle switch. The sensitivity
of a notification is actually controlled by the developer of the app
that sends it, but direct messages will typically be included.

Hide Silent Notifications

You probably get enough notifications without all the silent ones.
These are ones that maybe tell you the weather, or that there's
traffic in your area, or that a podcast is downloading in the
background. If you'd rather not have these appear on your phone
and distract you, choose Notifications and enable Hide silent
notifications in status bar.

Show the Battery Percentage in the Status Bar

It can be tricky to tell just how much battery life you've got left on
your phone by looking at the small icon in the status bar. To get a
percentage reading up next to it, choose Battery and then turn on
the Battery Percentage toggle switch. All the other icons on the
status bar will shift to the left accordingly, and the usual battery life
icon remains in place.

See Which Apps Use the Most Storage

If you're running out of room on your phone, see which apps are
taking up the most space by going to Storage and then Apps. The
biggest apps in terms of storage space are shown at the top of the
list. The figures shown include all of an app's files—so downloaded
Spotify playlists and Netflix shows count as well as the actual
Spotify and Netflix apps, for example.

Some Android phones have the ability to caption videos in real

time.

Google via David Nield

Add Live Captions to Videos

The ability to caption speech in videos—in real time—is available

on a growing number of Android phones, and it's useful even if
you're not hearing impaired. You can find the option by tapping
Sound and Vibration and then Live Caption. Captions generated
by Google's AI processing will then appear automatically whenever
speech is detected, whether it's in a video on social media or on a
video call.

Get the Screen to Lock Sooner

Your lock screen protects your phone from unwelcome users, so

ideally you want it to activate as quickly as possible once you set it
down. You can alter this duration by opening up the Display and
then choosing Screen Timeout from the list—you'll typically be
able to select durations from a few seconds to a few minutes.

Make Everything Onscreen Bigger

If you're struggling to read text onscreen, head to Display and

Display Size and Text in Settings. You'll see two sliders, one for
Font Size (which makes the text bigger or smaller) and one for
Display Size (which makes everything bigger or smaller, including
icons and menus). Tap the Reset settings to return to the
standard settings.

Unlock Your Device in Trusted Places

If there are certain places that you're sure no one untrustworthy

will get at your phone—at home, for example—you can have the
screen automatically unlock itself in these locations for extra
convenience. Head to Security, then Advanced Settings, then
Smart Lock, and finally Trusted Places. Add a location and
you're good to go.

Add Your Medical Information

Suppose you're unfortunate enough to be involved in an

emergency medical situation. In that case, you might not be able
to tell first responders about your blood type, medications,
allergies, and other important information. You can, however, tell
your phone—via Safety and Emergency and Medical
Information—and these details will then be accessible from the
lock screen.

Set Limits on App Use

If you're concerned you spend too much time on TikTok or Twitter,

Android can help you out here. If you tap Digital Wellbeing and
Parental Controls, and then choose Dashboard, you can see
how much time you've spent in particular apps during the day—
and if necessary set up limits for how much time you can use them
in the future.

Enable Guest Mode

Guest mode is an excellent way of allowing other people to use

your phone without them being able to access your social media
accounts, your banking apps, or your gaming high scores. It works
just like a user account on macOS or Windows, and you can set it
up on Android by selecting System, Multiple Users, and then
enabling Allow multiple users.