DON’T miss out on simple Android upgrades that instantly improve your life.
The Sun has pulled together three clever Android hacks to master today.
Google / AndroidGoogle Assistant is just one way to make your Android phone smarter[/caption]
Speak easy
Google has a live-translation skill that lets you talk to someone in a foreign language.
It means you can speak into your phone and output a foreign language of your choice.
And another person can speak in their language back to you – with Google Assistant translating in real time.
Simply say something like “Hey Google, be my Spanish interpreter”.
Google Assistant supports 44 different languages for this incredibly useful feature.
Look ma, one hand!
Maybe you’re hanging on to a subway pole, gripping a cup of coffee, or gobbling down a sandwich.
Whatever the case, it can be tricky to use an Android phone with just one hand.
That’s especially true in the modern age of giant smartphones.
That’s why Google built One-Handed Mode, solving the problem completely.
“One-handed mode is a feature that allows you to navigate your device more efficiently with one hand,” Google explained.
“When one-handed mode is on, you can use one hand to pull down the top half of your screen and easily reach notifications, app content, and more.”
All you need to do is go to the Settings app, search for One-Handed Mode, and then turn it on.
You can also add the feature to Quick Settings so you can activate it more easily.
To add it, swipe down twice from the top of your device then tap Edit.
Drag One-Handed Mode in to position and then you can find it just by swiping down from the top of your screen twice.
Hide it
Google has designed Android to let you hide apps.
Maybe you’re dating and you want to keep it a secret.
Or perhaps you’ve got a Candy Crush addiction that you’re not proud of.
Similarly, you might have a TV app that you don’t want children to see.
Hiding apps won’t delete them from your Android phone.
It just means they don’t appear in their normal place when you’re browsing.
And even if you search for the app using the launcher, it won’t be there.
Go into Settings and then look for your Home Screen section.
Tap that and then scroll down until you see Hide Apps.
Now taping Hide Apps and choose the apps that you want to hide.
You can also swipe up on the Home Screen to open the app launcher.
Then tap on the menu icon in the corner and go to Settings > Hide Apps.
After that, the process is the same.
You can unhide and re-hide apps at any time, and as often as you’d like.