Android 7 (Nougat) Tips and Tricks
Predictive text is a great feature on modern smartphones, but sometimes you’ll prefer to correct your own mistakes.
To disable this feature, then go to Settings – General management – Language and input.
Then select the keyboard you are using and press the Settings icon again.
You should be able to find a predictive text option on this screen.
If you already have an Android phone, then simply ensure each of your old Contacts are stored on Google (rather than the Phone memory). This means your contacts are stored on Google’s servers under your Google/Gmail login. Then once you get the new phone, log in with your Gmail account and your Contacts will be automatically synced.
If you do not have an Android device, you need to find a way to Export your old contacts to a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file and save this to a 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 – Settings – Import/Export Contacts. Then import the CSV to your Gmail contacts.
Then on your phone, go to Settings – Cloud and accounts – Accounts – Google and then select Sync to pull the contacts from Gmail to your phone.
Looking for a replacement battery for your Operating System Android 7 Nougat? We explain the available options and list the best battery choices for your device.
IMPORTANT – We take no responsibility for batteries purchased which you cannot use in your phone. Please ensure the following:
1) Check that your phone does actually have a removable battery
2) Check product descriptions before you buy to ensure compatibility with your phone
Short of time? Jump straight to batteries
Battery types
When choosing a battery there are three main types:
1) Replacement Batteries (Genuine / OEM) – OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and is the battery that the manufacturer has specifically produced for your device. This is normally the best option in terms of quality, time between charges and overall battery lifetime, but these batteries can be a little more expensive, so it depends on your priorities.
2) Replacement Batteries (Non-OEM / Generic) – Another cheaper option is generic or non-OEM batteries which are often mass produced in order to reduce their price. They can also provide longer battery life by having a higher mAh (see information below), so these can be a good alternative to OEM batteries if you want to save money. The quality can vary however, so we recommend that you read the reviews before buying. Another problem with generics is that they may make your device run hot and they can also void your warranty if your phone develops a fault. In general we would always recommend you buy a Genuine/OEM battery if you can afford to do so.
3) External Batteries– These are ideal if you’re going to be away from mains power for a period of time, such as camping, festivals and so on. The idea is that you charge the external battery pack (from the mains) and then charge the phone off that. Often external batteries will only last for one or two full charges, however very large packs (with a high mAh rating) are available if you’re going to be away for a longer time.
Understanding mAh
Before you buy, you should also check the mAh rating. This stands for milliamps delivered per hour rating and essentially tells you how long the battery will last before it needs recharging. A high end phone with a large screen may have a battery above 2500 mAh, whereas a mid-range model (with a smaller screen and less bulk), may only use a 1800 mAh battery. As mentioned above, sometimes generic batteries can have a higher rating than the genuine battery. For example, if your phone comes with a 2200 mAh battery, you can buy a 2400 mAh generic battery which should mean it will last longer between charges. As above, be careful with generics however.
Having notifications come through on the lock screen can be handy because you don’t have to unlock your phone to see what the notification is about.
The problem with this is that someone may see the content of a notification (a text message for example) which you would like to keep private.
To change this setting to only display that the notification has arrived (rather than the actual content), then go to Settings – Lock screen and security.
Then select Notifications
From here you can enable or disable which apps you can show notifications from or at the top, select to Show or Hide notifications.
If you receive the following message:
Unable to save screenshot, USB storage may be in use.
Then follow these steps to fix the error:
1. Open File Manager. If that is unavailable, ES File manager can be downloaded instead via the Play Store.
2. Select Show Hidden Files/Folders. You should be able to see a folder named Pictures.
3. Then, in the same screen, locate the Screenshots folder. If you can’t find it, create a new folder with the name Screenshots
4. After making the folder, restart your device. You should be able to take screenshots now.
5. If your screenshot still doesn’t save, follow the same steps above (1-3) but use instead of doing this for the Pictures folder, try it for the DCIM folder.
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.
If you find that apps are slowing down your device or consuming unnecessary memory or batter life, then try downloading an App called DU Battery Saver or DU Speed Boost which are great for optimising the Apps that are running.
If you have decided to ditch your iPhone in favour of Android, then there is a simple way to take your iTunes music, playlists and album art with you.
Simply go the Android Marketplace and download a Free App called iSyncr.
You will also need the computer version of the software, so go to http://www.jrtstudio.com and download it from there.
Then, when that is done, turn your phone into a USB storage device (this will vary from device to device, but instructions are on the website).
Once your device is connected to your computer, open the computer version of the software and select your device from the Easy Phone Tunes list. Then follow the instructions to Sync your media.
To enable / disable your notification light, go to Settings – Display – LED indicator.
From here you can choose various options.
This may not be available on all models. An alternative however is to download NoLED from the Play Store, which has many options for incoming notifications.
A great new feature is dual shot which lets you take a picture of someone else with the rear camera, while simultaneously taking a picture of yourself with the front facing camera. The problem is this feature isn’t obvious to find as it isn’t included in the list of camera Modes.
To find it open your Camera App and you will see three icons in the top right corner. Dual shot is the middle icon of these. Press that and you both cameras will activate allowing you to shoot away.
With the recent versions of Android you can now take photos while recording video by simply pressing the screen.
This will save that particular frame to the gallery while continuing to record video.
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