When you download a program or application to your computer, you must install it through its operating system. The same is true for your Android smartphone, but the file names are a bit different, and the process is a little more convoluted… and for good reason. Today, we want to walk you through how APK files work and why it might not be a good idea to install them on your device in the traditional sense.
In April 2023, Google made a statement claiming that the Android platform would be able to archive unused applications with the intention of preserving storage space on the device. This came with a caveat: it would only do so if the device was almost out of available space. This auto-archiving feature, however, was released to a pleasant little surprise; it is available to all users, regardless of how much storage space is left on the device.
Android users, you might have noticed that your applications drawer can get cluttered pretty quickly. If you find it difficult to navigate or find the apps you are looking for, then you’ll be relieved to know that you have a couple simple options available to help your navigation be more manageable. You can even go to specific screens within your applications.
It’s natural for your mobile device’s battery to drain over time, especially as it gets a bit on the older side, but there are also applications that are notorious for causing faster battery drainage than you might prefer. Today, we’re going to help you identify the problem apps on your devices and provide opportunities to address them.
Managing storage space on your Android device can be a bit of a challenge, but you can make it easier through the use of automatic app archiving. If you download apps frequently, then you might encounter situations where you have too little storage on your device, but this situation can be fixed with a quick auto-archive feature that will be available eventually for Android users.
How organized are your contacts stored in your Android smartphone? Chances are that, as a business professional, you might have several duplicate contacts in your phone, some from just asking for peoples’ contact information, some imported from your email application, and others from who knows where. Let’s discuss how you can merge duplicate contacts into one entry in your contact application, making for a much more organized list.
Sometimes you just want to look at your phone without squinting at the screen to read small text. In cases like this, you can change the display size of your Android’s screen. To get started, simply follow the directions in this blog article. Before you know it, you’ll be browsing your phone without having to strain your eyes.
While you’re using your device, it will store data in a temporary location called the cache. In order for your device to operate as well as it can, you might find yourself in need of a good ol’ cache-clearing. You can do this on the device level and on the application level. Let’s take a look at how you can do this for your Android device.
While you’ll probably hear us recommend that you update as soon as possible at every opportunity, the source of these updates is important to consider. This is especially the case now that mobile security firm Zimperium has discovered a new mobile spyware that pretends to update your mobile device… but actually steals data and monitors the user’s search history and location.
With a global market share of 71.9 percent, the Android operating system that Google provides is well and away the most utilized there is today. Despite the fact that different phone manufacturers will fiddle with the OS to fit into the devices they create, Android tends to be pretty stable—which is part of the reason why many users were surprised around March 22nd, 2021. This is when these users discovered that their applications were crashing incessantly.
For many people, their mobile device contains a mixture of sensitive information and personal details. In some cases, some of the data isn’t even theirs—instead, it belongs to their workplace. Naturally, this makes many people less inclined to share the use of their device, but most people also want to avoid being rude.
In our last blog we gave you some advice on what to do if your phone has gone missing, but if it has been stolen or lost for good, there are more pressing issues than the anger and loss you feel; you need to ensure that you and the people you do business with are protected. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to make that happen.
Imagine for a second you are out to a socially distant dinner date with the friends that you barely get to see. You wrap up dinner and say your goodbyes and when you get to your car you realize that you don’t have your phone. COMPLETE PANIC! Your whole life is on your phone. Now imagine that when you went back to the restaurant to get your phone, it wasn't anywhere to be found. We’ll talk you through how to proceed.
Smartphones now come with a variety of ways that users can elect to unlock their device, from biometrics to tactile patterns to good, relatively old-fashioned personal identification numbers. Of course, not all these authentication measures secure your phone equally well. Let’s consider some of these measures to determine which one is best for your device’s security.