Sony Xperia L Tips and Tricks

Android 4.1.1 (Jellybean)
Phone: Sony Xperia L
Factory OS: Android 4.1.1 (Jellybean)

Have you updated your Operating System?
Then view tips for the most recent OS version(s): Android 9 (Pie) & Android 8 (Oreo)
Or view tips for all Android versions

From your Homescreen press Menu – Settings – About phone.

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

If you are browsing and have zoomed in or out and the column you’re reading doesn’t fit the screen properly, you can pinch to zoom in. Then double tap on the column. The column will then be reformatted to fit the screen width.

If you have been browsing websites that you would prefer other people to not know about, then it’s relatively simply to clear your browsing history.

Open the default browser and press the Menu icon on the top-right corner. Then Settings – Privacy and security. Then select Clear history. You can also clear the Cache, but that will mean previously visited websites will have to load again, making your browsing slightly slower.

To take a screen shot, hold down the Volume Down and Power Buttons together and wait for the shutter sound. This will save the current screen to your phone’s memory card.

An alternative method is to go Menu – Settings – Motion. Then under Hand Motion, tick the Palm swipe to Capture box. Then you can simply swipe your palm across you phone’s screen to take a screenshot.

To locate the saved screenshot, go to Files on your Apps list. Then look for a folder called /Picutres/Screenshots or ScreenCapture. Your screenshot should be in there.

While typing emails or notes, you can simply tap the space key twice and the phone will insert a full stop / period

If you are not happy with your notification light, then you can change and tweak it. Go to the Android Market and download an App called Lightflow.

You might need to enable the notification light before the App works. Go to Settings – Display. Then check Pulse notification.

Warning: This will remove ALL data on the phone, but not the MicroSD card.

From the homescreen, press Menu – Settings – Privacy Factory data reset. Then press Reset phone and Erase everything.

Your phone will now be restored to its original factory settings.

This tip is relatively obvious, but some users overlook it.

At the top of your homescreen you should see a row of 5 dots. This indicates which of the 5 homescreens you are on. Rather than flick between each screen, you can simply press one of the dots and you will jump to that homescreen.

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.

Unlike older versions of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich does not go into USB mode automatically when you connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable.

To enable USB / Mass Storage mode, first go to Settings. Then under Wireless and network, press the More… button.

Then connect your phone to your PC using a USB cable and press USB utilities.

Then click the button that says Turn on USB Storage.

Your phone will now appear as another drive letter on your PC.