Have you recently purchased a brand new Android phone? Or did you receive one as a present this holiday season? You might need some assistance getting used to the interface or a few pointers on how to get the most out of your new purchase. That’s just what you’ll discover in this essay! We’ll tell you the first 10 things you should do with a new Android phone to guarantee you have the best experience, whether you’ve switched from the dark side and are new to Android or are simply upgrading from an older model. So grab your phone, sit back, and follow these simple steps to fully customize your smartphone.

1. Use your Google Account to log in.

Because Android is owned by Google, many of the services available on an Android phone require a Google account. To install apps, access Google services like Gmail and YouTube, and sync your data to the cloud, you’ll need a Google account. When you turn on your brand new Android phone for the first time, the setup procedure will begin. After you’ve filled in the basics, such as your Wi-Fi password.

On the device, you’ll be asked to log in with your Google Account. It’s ideal to utilize sign-in with the same ID if you already have one and were using it on an older device. You’ll be able to sync your data from your old smartphone to your new one, as well as restore a cloud backup.

If you don’t already have a Google Account, you’ll be prompted to create one throughout the setup process. While you can skip this step and establish one later, it’s highly suggested that you do it right away because almost everything you do on your phone after this requires a Google account. If you have separate IDs for personal and work use, you can sign into numerous accounts. You can also login in to your other email accounts, such as Yahoo or Microsoft, during the setup procedure.

Your Gmail ID will be used to sync your data across all of your devices, which may be very convenient. When you save a contact on your Android phone, for example, it is automatically synchronized to your Google Account, which you can access from any device. If you have a wristwatch or an Android TV, you can sign in with your Google ID on all of them for a consistent experience.

2. Transfer Data or Restore a Backup from an Older Phone

If you’re upgrading from an older smartphone, whether Android or iPhone, you’ll have the option of transferring all of your existing data to your new Android phone. All of your apps, images, videos, files, contacts, and messages are included. This is a terrific way to ensure that all of your data is preserved even when you switch phones, and you won’t lose any crucial images or contacts.

If you don’t have access to your old phone, Google offers the option of restoring a backup from the cloud. If you had auto-backup enabled on your old phone, Google will automatically back up and transfer data from your phone, including pre-installed apps, call logs, device settings, and more. By checking in with the same Google Account as your old phone and selecting the device from which you wish to restore the backup on your new Android phone, you can restore the backup.

Several OEMs that offer their own bespoke user interfaces on phones also offer proprietary data transfer software that you can use to move your data from your old phone to your new one. The instructions vary each phone, but they are straightforward to follow and will be displayed on the screen during the setup process.

3. Add Launchers, Icon Packs, Widgets, and Wallpapers to your Home screen

Because Android is famed for its customization capabilities, it’s only right that you take advantage of them to their greatest potential. Customizing your home screen is a great place to start if you want to change the way your phone’s software looks to match your personal style. As soon as you unlock your device, you’ll get this screen. It’s the first screen you see when you open an app, so it has to be attractive.

Using a great wallpaper to change the look of your home screen is the simplest way to do it. You may download stunning wallpapers for your home screen using many wallpaper apps available on the Play Store. Pro tip: If your phone has an OLED display, use a wallpaper with a black backdrop because it will look fantastic and save you some battery life.

You might wish to get a matching icon set once you’ve changed the background. The key to a good-looking home screen is a great wallpaper paired with a complementary icon collection. A white icon set will create a lot of contrast and give you a monochrome effect if you have a dark wallpaper.

You may utilize a custom launcher to alter more minute features of your home screen, such as the app grid and the app drawer, if you want to take it a step further. You may customize the background for folders, add swipe motions to accomplish specific operations, and even tweak the transition effects between home screens. The easiest approach to become familiar with all of the features is to download these applications and test them out for yourself before deciding which one is best for you. On your home screen, you have an almost limitless number of permutations and combinations to experiment, so have fun.

4. Remove any bloatware installed by your carrier or OEM

Your new Android phone may come with certain pre-installed apps that aren’t useful to you, depending on which phone you choose and where you buy it. Bloatware is the term for these kind of programs. This is due to the fact that they remain on your phone and use storage space while using resources that could otherwise be given to apps that you actually use. As a result, uninstalling all of the apps you don’t use on your phone is a good idea.

Some pre-installed apps have the ability to be uninstalled by default, while others that are carrier or OEM-specific may not. Following our guide on how to uninstall carrier and OEM bloatware, you can remove those apps as well. Installing and keeping only the apps you need and use on your phone is generally suggested. You should uninstall any apps you don’t use.

5. Change the navigational style

To go back, home, and access recent apps, Android used a three-button navigation bar until Android 9 Pie. The default navigation technique on most Android phones currently is gestures, thanks to developing phone designs and an emphasis on edge-to-edge displays. While gestures are convenient, some users may still prefer the traditional bottom-of-the-screen navigation bar with buttons. You might prefer gestures over buttons if you’re coming from an iPhone. In either case, you can try both and then choose which one to keep.

Go to your phone’s Settings app and tap on the search bar at the top. Now type navigation into the search box and you should see results like System navigation and Gestures or something similar. The name of the setting may differ depending on the Android skin you’re running, but it should be comparable on all devices. From here, you may experiment with both the navigation bar and gestures to determine which one works best for you.

6. Make Quick Toggles your own

When you drag down the notification bar on Android, you’ll notice a few toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, and other features at the top of the screen. Quick toggles are what they’re known for. Dragging down again should enlarge this area and provide other toggles for many other settings and functionality. This is the section that may be readily accessible whenever you need to modify a setting, regardless of the programme you’re using. As a result, changing it to display the toggles you use the most will improve your experience.

To do so, first swipe down on the notification bar, then swipe down again to show all of the quick toggles. Multiple toggles are arranged in a random order here. You’ll find an Edit option next to the Settings button, or a group of three dots that you may press to access the Edit Buttons/Layout option, in the top right corner of this screen.

You can rearrange your toggles in the order you wish by tapping on it. When you slide the notification bar down once, the first few toggles display on the first row. Ideally, these should be the toggles you utilize the most. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Flashlight, Auto-rotate, and Battery Saver are among the first few toggles you can configure. I prefer putting these at the top because they are the ones I use the most.

In the fast settings panel, you can also swipe through many pages and add more toggles. I’ve included a toggle to activate Shazam, which can determine what song is playing in the background, as well as a button to switch on and off all of my smart lights. You can add whichever toggles you find handy to the fast settings panel from the list of available toggles.

7. Increase the animation speed by 0.5 times

Smartphone CPUs have recently become extremely fast, so no matter which phone you choose, you should be able to receive decent performance from it at least when performing basic tasks. This, combined with a high-refresh-rate display, such as a 90Hz or 120Hz panel, ensures a seamless experience when using the phone. However, there is an easy trick that might make your Android smartphone experience even smoother. It’s a simple trick that has been around for a long time, yet it still works.

Animated elements can be seen across the user interface on every phone. There are animations in between every action, whether you’re opening an app or toggling between different programmes. Those animations, on the other hand, can make your phone feel a little sluggish. This method will allow you to speed up the animations, giving you a more responsive experience.

All you have to do is go to Settings > About Phone and touch Build Number seven times. On your Android phone, this will activate Developer Options. Now go to Developer Options and scroll down until you see the following three options: Scales for window animation, transition animation, and Animator duration

Change the Animation scale to 0.5X by tapping on all of these choices. After rebooting your device, you should notice that animations are now faster and your phone is more snappy and responsive. Note that this does not truly speed up your phone; nevertheless, because the animations now end faster, your brain is tricked into thinking it is.

8. Turn on Dark Mode

OLED panels are currently seen on a large number of smart phones. When viewing information on an OLED panel, one of the benefits is the deep blacks and outstanding contrast levels. It accomplishes this by turning off all pixels in the area where anything black is presented. As a result, because the pixels are switched off and no power is required to run that area of the display, it saves battery life. This is also why, if you have a phone with an OLED display, we recommend having a dark wallpaper.

This is also why you should set your Android phone to Dark Mode. There are two major benefits to doing so. You will gain a little more battery life if your phone has an OLED display. Even if it isn’t big, a 10% increase should be beneficial. Second, dark mode is more comfortable for your eyes, particularly at night. A bright, white background can be distracting, especially if you use your phone frequently in the dark.

Go to Settings > Display > Theme > Dark on your Android phone to enable Dark Mode. The specific setting will vary depending on whatever device you have, but it should be found in the Settings app’s Display section.

9. Create a Digital Wellbeing Plan

Setting time restrictions for certain applications and keeping track of how many times you’ve used your phone and for what is a smart approach to manage your phone usage with Digital Wellbeing. This is a terrific technique to stay away from your phone and establish limits if you’re addicted to social networking apps or games on your device.

Scroll down to Digital Wellbeing in the Settings app on your phone. You should be able to get precise information on how and for how long you’ve used your phone here. You may establish a screen time goal, create app timers after which an app can no longer be opened, and even add focus modes and a bedtime mode to keep yourself away from your phone before bed. From time to time, a digital detox is necessary, and Digital Wellbeing allows you to do just that.

10. Connect your Android phone to a PC running Windows

One of the most appealing aspects of using an iPhone with a Mac is how well everything works together. You can take calls on your iPhone from your Mac, react to iMessages from your Mac, and even copy and paste from your iPhone to your Mac. You’d be shocked to learn that you can accomplish something similar on your Android phone and on a Windows PC by utilizing the Your Phone software.

To link your handset with your Windows PC, just download the Your Phone Companion app from the Play Store and follow the on-screen instructions. After that, you’ll be able to receive notifications from your phone on your PC, copy files quickly, share a clipboard, and so on. If you have a Samsung phone, the computer integration is much better because you get more features.

So, what do you have to lose? Get to work with your shiny new Android phone! Make the device your own by customizing it and using all of the basic tips to get the most out of it. Which of these ideas appealed to you the most? Please let us know in the comments section below.