Sony Xperia S Tips and Tricks

Android 2.3
Phone: Sony Xperia S
Factory OS: Android 2.3

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

Android has a feature allowing you to update Applications automatically. This is turned off by default, but you can turn it on.

Open the Android market, then Menu – My Apps.

Then you need to open up each installed App and tick Allow Automatic Updating at the bottom. Unfortunately you do need to do this for each App.

To display the most recently used apps, long press the Home key

To copy photos to your computer, plug the phone in via a USB cable. (you might have to install your phone 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 phones, however once you have opened the phone’s drive, you can do a quick search for .jpg files which will show you where your photos are located.

It is best to avoid task killers such as Advanced Task Killer. Android is designed to automatically pre-load certain applications, even if you don’t load them yourself. If it starts to run low on memory, it will smartly unload the oldest running apps automatically.

Manually killing tasks will only mean they get loaded in memory again. Task killers can make the phone slow, laggy, or drain battery life more quickly.

To disable the screen lock, go into Settings – Location and security.

Then under Screen unlock settings press Change screen lock. Then chose None.

If you want a different keyboard from the default one, go to the Android Marketplace and install one you would like to use.

Then open the Applications Launcher. Press Settings – Language and keyboard – Input method. Then select the keyboard you would like to use

It is important to regularly check for firmware updates to your operating system software. This will mean your phone is protected against bugs and security flaws, and may mean you will see extra features.

To manually check for the latest firmware update for your phone, go to Menu – Settings – About phone – Software update.

From here you can press Update to check for updates. Or you can turn on Auto update whereby the phone will tell you when a firmware update is available to download.

If you receive a call you cannot take (eg if you’re in a meeting) you can send a text reply rather than just reject the call. When you receive the call, scroll up from the bottom and select a reject message

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 Easy Phone Tunes. You will also need the computer version of the software, so go to http://easyphonetunes.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 phone 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.

WARNING: Making your volume or music louder can damage your hearing.

Most phones have their volumes limited by local laws to protect our hearing. There is a way to boost your volume however. Go to the Android Market and download an App called Volume+ (Sound Boost). There is also a free version called Volume+ Free.

You will need to root your phone for this App to work.