Lenovo A7000 Tips and Tricks

Locking your phone is a great security feature, but when you’re at home it’s normally not necessary.

A featured called Trusted Places enables you to bypass the lock screen when you’re at specific geographic places.

To set it up go to Settings – Lock screen and security – Smart lock – Trusted places. You can also set up the bypass to work when your phone is connected to specific Bluetooth devices such as Smartwatches or Audio devices.

You can also override this (i.e. lock your screen when it is at the location). To override, just press and hold the padlock icon on the lockscreen.

This may not work on all phones, models or networks.

If you want to access certain features of your device that are only available to developers, then you want the Developer options setting.

On most devices, this feature is hidden so you will need to pull down your notifications screen go into Settings. Then scroll down to About device.

Then you should see Build Number. This needs to be pressed a total of seven times. You should get a message at the fourth press. On the seventh, you’ll get another message saying that Developer Options are unlocked.

The most recent version of Android now comes with a built in Flashlight / Torch App.

To find this, simply pull down to see your notifications. Then on the top bar (where you see your settings for WiFi, Bluetooth etc.), scroll across until you see Torch.

Here are the top 5 tips to make your phone run faster:

1) Use only essential widgets on your homescreen – each widget consumes memory and processing power which can slow your down your phone.

2) Uninstall apps that you don’t use – after awhile your phone can get cluttered as some Apps are designed to always run in the background. If you rarely use an App, then uninstall it to free up memory and CPU resource.

3) Install Apps to your phone memory – if you have an SDCard, always install Apps to the phone memory, which can be accessed faster. If you have Apps on the SDCard, then move them back to the phone memory with an App called Move2SD available from the Play Market.

4) Use Static rather than Live wallpapers – Live wallpapers consume processing power and memory. Unless you really must have them, uninstall them.

5) Kill tasks occasionally – Some Apps will run in the background indefinitely unless you kill them. Most of them won’t cause a problem, but it pays to check your running tasks from time to time. Hold down your Home key and check the Task Manager.

One last thing: Don’t use Task Killers. Android manages tasks very well and Task Killers just make your phone unstable and can slow it down further.

If you call someone regularly this can be useful as you will have a shortcut to them handily placed on your homescreen.

To bookmark a Contact on your Home Screen, then first go into your Contacts App.

Find the Contact you want to add to the Home Screen and press on them.

Then press More or the Menu key and select Add shortcut to home.

Then go to your Home Screens, find the Contact you’ve just added. Press, hold and drag to another position.

To copy photos to your computer, plug the device in via a USB cable. (you might have to install your device’s software or drivers first).

Then locate the new drive on your PC. Go to the /DCIM/Camera/ folder Your photos will be stored there.

This may vary slightly between devices, however once you have opened the device’s drive, you can do a quick search for .jpg files which will show you where your photos are located.

While the stock standard keyboard is fine, there are much better keyboards available. First, you need to go to the Play Store and download one. Try searching for the word ‘keyboard’ and you will see a number of options.

One of the best keyboards is a keyboard called Swiftkey, which is a top-rate App. This will literally change the way you feel about your phone as the standard keyboard can be quite a frustrating experience.

Download your chosen keyboard and go through any install steps that you are presented with.

If you see a warning saying the keyboard will collect all information (including credit cards) just ignore this. This is just a security feature that Android shows for every third-party keyboard that you install.

Then, go to the App you want to type in. You should now see a little Keyboard icon on the row at the bottom of your screen, towards the bottom-right corner. Press that icon and you can switch between all of the keyboards you have installed.

Looking for a great pair of headphones for your Lenovo A7000? We provide the best deals, brands and information to guide you through the process.

How to decide

When choosing headphones, the main factors to consider are: price, quality and headphone type. Taking a moment to consider these factors will not only ensure you get the best value headphones, but also the best sound quality to listen to your music or movies. Remember that the Lenovo A7000 comes with a standard 3.5mm stereo plug meaning all headphones will work on your device.

Price vs quality

As with most things, you get what you pay for and headphones are a very good example of this. A cheap pair of headphones may save you money in the short term, but may cost you when the cable snaps or your music sounds muffled or tinny. It is possible to get some great discounts, but we do recommend that you read the reviews and invest in a quality set of headphones. Beware of brands that you haven’t heard of, but be equally aware of big flashy brands that offer more style than substance.

Headphone types – Below we have listed the types of headphones to choose from:

Ear bud / earphones – These are the smallest type of headphones and are commonly included in the box when you buy phones and tablets. Our advice is to throw these away though, as they’re normally made very cheaply to increase the profit of the phone manufacturer. Invest in a quality pair from a reputable brand and you’ll be amazed at the difference in sound. Portability is the key advantage of ear bud style headphone as they can be stored almost anywhere; although it often means a few seconds of de-tangling before use. Ear buds are ideal for running, commuting or using in the office when you want to avoid distractions. Many people also buy two pairs in case one is temporarily missing down the side of the couch!

On ear headphones
– On ear headphones normally sit on top the ear, but don’t enclose the ear completely like the over ear or closed variety. These are handy if you want to store them in a jacket pocket or bag, but the sound can get a little lost out of the sides of the speaker so if you’re in a noisy environment, you may need turn them up in order to hear properly. If you’re moving around a lot they can also dislodge meaning you may need to frequently reposition them. Some people don’t like the bulk of the over ear style, so on ear headphones provide a good compromise between size and quality.

Over ear / closed headphones
– These are designed to completely cover the ear and are often used by DJs, for listening at home or for people who are a little more serious about their listening experience. Some models can fold up, but they are generally less portable than on ear headphones. Prices range from very cheap, up to the most expensive headphones on the market. Because all sound is directed into the ear, they provide the best quality sound and choosing a really top-end pair can be a truly pleasurable listening experience.

Noise cancelling headphones
– All of the above headphones also come in noise cancelling varieties. This works by filtering out background noises such as airplane engines or train noises. They are perfect for commuting and long distance train or plane travel, however they are often bulkier due to the need for some kind of battery pack. Some cheaper varieties might advertise passive noise cancelling which can simply means the plastic or foam casing naturally blocks out noises, so be careful of that. We recommend you choose active noise cancelling which employ a special technology to generate their own sound waves, which then cancels out the unwanted waves. Again, we recommend reading product reviews to choose the best value options.

Choose the best headphones below:

To help you choose, we’ve listed the best-selling headphones for the Lenovo A7000. Simply click on the categories below to find out more:

Shop for: Ear bud / earphones

Shop for: On ear headphones

Shop for: Over ear / closed headphones

Shop for: Noise cancelling headphones

 

If you want to resize your homescreen widgets, then press and hold on a widget for 2 seconds. If the widget is resizable, then an outline will appear around the widget. Simply drag the sides to resize the widget.

If the outline doesn’t appear or you can’t drag the lines, then the widget is a fixed sized widget.

Android manages Apps very well and some Apps do not have the option to close them specifically. Normally the App will stay running in the background and only close when many other Apps have been opened.

If you do want to close or terminate an App, then press and hold the Multitasking key on your phone. On some devices you may need to long press the Home key.

Then you can swipe the Apps off the screen to close them.