Android 4.1.1 (Jellybean) Tips and Tricks

To create a shortcut to a website on your homescreen, go to your browser bookmarks.

Then long press on a site and select Add shortcut to Home.

There is an Easter egg hidden in the Android operating system. To see it, go to your Homescreen, then press Menu – Settings – About phone.

Then tap on the Android version option 5 times and you will get a surprise.

Sometimes it doesn’t work, so try a couple of times. By the way don’t expect to see an actual Easter Egg. That is just the name given to things hidden inside software or operating systems.

If you have just purchased an Android device, then you may want to copy (or import) your contacts from your old phone. The easiest way to do this is to Export your old contacts to a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file and save this to your PC. You may need to install the correct software for your phone first in order to do the export.

Then, if you don’t have a Gmail account, sign up for one.

Once that’s done, open Gmail. Go to Contacts, then press More – Import. Then import the CSV to your Gmail contacts.

Then on your phone, open the Contacts App. Press Menu and then Sync Contacts. This will pull the contacts from Gmail to your phone.

We produce a great list of the best mobile phone accessories and if you have purchased a smartphone, one of the first things you will want to do is accessorise it. Our guide shows you the best accessories and the best places to buy them from.

Simply go to the menu at the top of this page and select: Phone Guides – Best Cell Phone Accessories (for US users) or Best Mobile Phone Accessories (for UK users).

To disable / enable vibrate (also called haptic feedback) when you type or press the screen, go to Settings – Language & input – Settings.

Then uncheck Vibrate on keypress.

To capture a still shot while recording a video, simply tap the screen while you are recording.

This will save a still image.

To bookmark a website on your homescreen, go into your browser and find the bookmark of the page you want to create a shortcut for.

Then long press on the bookmark and select Add Shortcut to Home.

If you regularly visit certain websites, this can be handy as you will have a shortcut to the site on your homescreen.

To check your firmware version, start from the Homescreen and press Menu – Settings – About Phone.

This should list your Android version, Build number and Model Number.

If you find yourself with too many Apps on the homescreen, then you can create folders to organise them.

To start, simply press and hold on an App and drag it over the top of another App. The App should change colour/shape. Then release your finger and the two Apps will be combined into a folder.

You can then drag more Apps into this folder using the same process.

To give your folder a label, simply long press on the folder and you will be able to enter a name.

If you find yourself regularly switching profiles when you get to work, get home, go to bed and so on, then there is a great way to have your phone do this automatically.

Simply go to the Google Play store and download an App called Profile Valet.

This will automatically switch profiles for you based on the time of day or your location.