Sony Xperia Z2 Tips and Tricks

Android 4.4 (Kit Kat)
Phone: Sony Xperia Z2
Factory OS: Android 4.4 (Kit Kat)

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Then view tips for the most recent OS version(s): Android 9 (Pie) & Android 8 (Oreo)
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To adjust your screen brightness, there are two options:

1) Simply drag your finger from the top of the phone down to pull down your quick settings screen. Then at the top there will be a brightness bar. Drag this left or right or press Auto.

2) From the Homescreen press Menu – Settings – My Device – Display – Brightness. Then choose the desired brightness setting. You can also select Automatic brightness to let the phone decide for you.

If you want to check how much RAM you have available, go to Settings – More – Application Manager. Then swipe from right to left so you see the Running Apps. At the bottom it should say how much is used and how much is free.

If you don’t want to have to unlock your screen every time you take your device out of standby then go to Settings – My device – Lock screen – Screen lock and change the settings there.

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.

To see notifications on your Lock screen, the best option is to download an App called NoLed from the Play Store. This will show notifications such as text messages, emails and missed calls as bright icons on your homescreen.

You can choose between very small squares or small icons and these can assigned by coloured.

If you would prefer to correct your own mistakes, then go to Settings – My device – 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 want to remove an entire text message thread, go into Messages and look for the thread. Then long press on it and select Delete thread

Normally you can simply insert a SIM card and you will be able to browse the internet using 3G. Sometimes, this must be setup manually however. Before you start, you will need to ask your carrier or Telco for your APN settings.

Once you have those, go to Settings – Connections – More networks – Mobile networks – Access Point Names.

From here press the Plus sign at the top right and select New APN. Then fill in the details your carrier gave you. Then press the menu button and press Save.

To change your default font, go to Settings – My Device – Display – Font style. You can also change the font size here also.

Another option is to install the popular Go Launcher EX App. Then once this is installed, download their GoLauncher Fonts App.

If you want to receive calls during the night, but don’t want to be woken up by notifications like text messages, then you can turn notifications to silent.

Go to Settings – Sounds. Then change notifications to silent.

Another great option is to download an App called Profile Valet. This will help you switch profiles automatically based on the time of day or location. Perfect for when you have a regular work routine and don’t want to have to worry about switching profiles several times a day.