New Tricks Daily

Introduction If your Android phone barely lasts till evening, you probably do not need a new battery — you need to find what is draining it. In most cases, one or two apps running in the background eat more power than everything else combined. Android gives you free tools to find them and stop them, and it only takes a few minutes. A few settings can add hours to your battery life. Step 1: Find Which Apps Use the Most Battery Before changing anything, look at the real data: Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap "Battery" (on some phones, "Battery" is under "Device care"). Tap "Battery usage" to see a list of apps and how much battery each one used. If one app you rarely open sits at the top of the list, that is your main suspect. Social media, video, and shopping apps are common battery hogs because they keep refreshing in the background. Check usage first — one app is often the culprit. Step 2: Turn On Battery Saver Battery Saver is Android...

Introduction When you tap a link, a message, or a phone number on your Android phone, one app always opens automatically. That app is called the default app. For example, links may open in one browser, messages in one SMS app, and calls in one phone app. The good news is that you are not stuck with the apps that came with your phone. Android lets you choose your own default apps in a few taps. In this guide, we will show you how to change the default browser, SMS app, and phone app — and how to undo a choice if you change your mind later. Choose which app opens your links, messages and calls by default. What Is a Default App? A default app is the app Android uses first for a particular job: Browser app: opens web links. SMS app: sends and receives text messages. Phone app: makes and receives calls and shows recent calls. Digital assistant app: responds when you use the voice assistant. You can have many browsers or messaging apps installed on one phone, but only one of them can be the ...

‘Your Google storage is full.’ That message usually appears at the worst moment — when an important email cannot arrive or a photo will not back up. The good news: free Google accounts get 15 GB shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, and most of that space is usually taken up by a few large files you no longer need. Here is how to find them and free up space without paying for extra storage. First: See What Is Using Your Space 1. On your phone or computer, open one.google.com/storage (or open the Google One app, if installed). 2. You will see a breakdown of how much space Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos each use. 3. Start with the biggest one — that is where you will free the most space fastest. Clean Up Google Drive - Open Drive, sort files by size, and delete large videos and old files you no longer need. - Then open Trash in Drive and empty it — deleted files still count toward your storage until the trash is emptied. (Drive trash normally clears itself after 3...

Want to show someone how to change a setting, record your gameplay, or save a video call moment? Most modern Android phones already have a built-in screen recorder. You do not need to download any extra app, and you do not need to pay for anything. Where Is Screen Recording on Android? On Android 11 and newer, screen recording is part of Quick Settings — the panel you see when you swipe down from the top of your screen. Some brands give it a slightly different name, but the idea is the same. If your phone is very old and does not show this option, it may not have a built-in recorder, and that is the one honest exception to this guide. How to Record Your Screen Step by Step 1. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full Quick Settings panel. 2. Look for the Screen Record tile. If you cannot see it, tap the edit (pencil) icon and add it to your Quick Settings. 3. Tap Screen Record. You will see options for audio: record no sound, record your phone's media sound, or ...

Does your phone buzz at midnight, during an important meeting, or right in the middle of study time? Android has a built-in feature called Do Not Disturb (DND) that silences calls, messages, and app notifications for the hours you choose — automatically, every day. You do not need any extra app for it. What Is Do Not Disturb on Android? Do Not Disturb is a quiet mode for your phone. When it is on, your phone stops ringing, vibrating, and lighting up for notifications. Your phone still works normally — alarms still ring, and you can still make calls. The difference is that unwanted interruptions are held back until you are ready for them. It is different from simply switching your phone to silent. With Do Not Disturb, you can decide exactly who is allowed to reach you, and you can set it to switch on and off on a schedule, so you never have to remember to do it manually. How to Turn On Do Not Disturb 1. Open Settings on your Android phone. 2. Tap Sound and vibration (on some phones it i...

In an emergency, nobody wants to search through settings. That is why Android phones have an Emergency SOS feature. Once you set it up, you can call for help quickly, even when you are stressed or in a hurry. Setting it up takes only a few minutes. Do it today, when you are calm, so it is ready if you ever need it. Set up Emergency SOS on your Android phone in a few minutes. What Is Emergency SOS? Emergency SOS is a safety feature built into most Android phones. When you trigger it, your phone can call your local emergency number and, on many phones, also alert your emergency contacts and share your location with them. The exact name and options can differ a little between brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, and Google Pixel, but the idea is the same: fast help with fewer taps. How to Set Up Emergency SOS on Android: Follow these steps. The menu names may look slightly different on your phone, but the path is very similar on most Android phones. 1. Open Settings on your phone. 2. Tap Safety a...

Do you pick up your phone "for one minute" and look up half an hour later? You are not alone. Social apps, videos, and games are designed to keep you scrolling. The good news is that your Android phone already has a free built-in tool to fight back: Digital Wellbeing. Digital Wellbeing shows you how much time you spend on each app, lets you set daily limits for the apps that eat your time, and helps you wind down at night with Bedtime mode. You do not need to install anything new.   Digital Wellbeing shows your real screen time — and helps you set limits that actually stick. First, See Your Real Screen Time Before setting any limit, look at the numbers. They are often surprising. 1. Open Settings on your Android phone. 2. Tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls. 3. At the top you will see today's screen time, how many times you unlocked your phone, and how many notifications you received. 4. Tap the chart to see time spent on each app. This step alone helps many peopl...

Does your phone buzz every few minutes? A shopping offer here, a game reminder there, a "we miss you" message from an app you barely use. The good news is that you do not need to delete these apps or switch your phone off. Android gives you full control over which apps can disturb you and which ones stay quiet. In this guide, you will learn how to silence notifications app by app, use notification categories to keep only the useful alerts, and set up Do Not Disturb for quiet hours — without missing anything important. Too many notifications? You can quiet the noisy apps and keep only the alerts that matter. Why Your Phone Feels So Noisy Most apps ask for notification permission when you first open them, and many of us tap "Allow" without thinking. Soon, dozens of apps compete for your attention — social apps, shopping offers, game reminders. The fix is not to turn off everything, but to decide app by app what deserves your attention. A message from family deserves a...

That "Storage almost full" message always appears at the worst moment — right when you're trying to take a photo or install an update. The panic move is deleting photos and memories you'll miss later. You don't need to. Most of a full phone is junk you can clear safely, not your pictures. Here are 6 real ways to win back space. 1. Clear cached app data — free space without losing anything Apps store temporary files (cache) that pile up over weeks and months. Deleting them is completely safe. Go to Settings → Storage and tap Cached data to clear it in one go, or do it per app: Settings → Apps → pick an app → Storage → Clear cache . One important warning: on that same screen you'll also see Clear data . Do NOT tap that one — it logs you out of the app and deletes your saved files, downloads, and settings inside it. Clear cache only, and repeat it for your biggest apps (browsers, social media, and streaming apps are usually the worst). 2. Remove or offload...

Your phone was at 100% in the morning and it's begging for a charger by evening. Before you blame the battery itself, know this: in most cases the battery is fine — it's the settings quietly draining it. These 7 settings are built into your Android phone, they cost nothing, and they genuinely make a difference. No "battery booster" apps needed (those usually make things worse — more on that below). A few real settings can add hours to your phone's battery life. 1. Turn on Battery Saver — the one switch that matters most Battery Saver limits background activity, slows down visual effects, and stretches your remaining charge. Here's how to turn it on: Open Settings Tap Battery Turn on Battery Saver That's it. Your phone will now sip power instead of gulping it. On most phones you can also schedule it to turn on automatically below 20% — look for "Schedule" or "Turn on automatically" on the same screen. 2. Lower your screen brigh...