My Android Phone

Craig James Johnston has been involved with technology since his high school days at Glenwood High in Durban, South Africa, when his school was given some Apple ][ Europluses. From that moment, technology captivated him, and he has owned, supported, evangelized, and written about it. Craig has been involved in designing and supporting large-scale enterprise networks with integrated email and directory services since 1989. He has held many different IT-related positions in his career ranging from sales support engineer to mobile architect for a 40,000-smartphone infrastructure at a large bank. You can see Craig’s previously published work in his books Professional BlackBerry, and many books in the My series, covering devices from Apple, BlackBerry, HTC, Google, Motorola, and Samsung. Craig also enjoys high-horsepower, high-speed vehicles and tries very hard to keep to the speed limit while driving them. Originally from Durban, South Africa, Craig has lived in the United Kingdom, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New Jersey, where he now lives with his wife, Karen, and a couple of cats. Craig would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact Craig about your experiences with My Android Phone at http://www.CraigsBooks.info.

Prologue  Getting to Know Your Android Phone   3
Your Android Phone’s External Features   3
Front   4
Back   6
First-Time Setup   8
Fundamentals of Android 5.0 (Lollipop)   12
The Lock Screen   12
The Home Screen   16
The System Bar   20
Using Your Touchscreen   21
Using Your Keyboard   22
Edit Text   29
Menus   30
Switch Between Apps   31
Run Multiple Apps on the Screen at the Same Time (Samsung Only)   32
Setting Up Multiple Users on Your Phone   38
Add a New Phone User   39
Add a Phone Guest User   40
Installing Synchronization Software   43
Install Android File Transfer (Apple Mac OS X)   43
Install Google Music Manager (Apple Mac)   44
Install Google Music Manager (Windows)   45
Configure Music Manager (Windows and Apple Mac)   46
Freeing Up Memory   50
Move Apps   50
Chapter 1  Phone, SMS, and MMS   53
Using the Phone App   53
Make a Call   54
Receive a Call   62
Handle a Missed Call   65
Make a Conference Call   66
Configure the Phone App   68
Using SMS and MMS   71
Get to Know the Messenger App   72
Manage Settings for the Messenger App   73
Compose a Message   75
Attach a File to a Message   77
Receive a Message   79
Chapter 2  Contacts   83
Adding Accounts   83
Add a Work Email Account   85
Navigating Contacts   90
Navigate Contacts   90
Adding and Managing Contacts   91
Add Contacts from an Email   92
Add a Contact Manually   93
Add a Contact from a vCard   94
Edit a Contact   96
Add a Contact Photo   97
Customize Contacts Settings   99
Manage Contact Groups   100
Choose Contacts to Display   101
Join and Separate Contacts   103
Adding a Contact to Your Home Screen   105
Chapter 3  Audio, Video, and Movies   109
Using Google Play Music   109
Find Music   110
Purchase Music   111
Add Your Existing Music to Google Play Music   112
Use the Google Play Music App   115
Work with Instant Mixes   121
Control Playback   123
Work and Listen to Music   125
Listen to Music with No Wireless Coverage   126
Change Google Play Music Settings   127
Recording Videos with the Camera Application   131
Record Video   131
Change Video Settings   133
Play Videos   134
Share Videos   137
Delete Videos   139
Change Photos App Settings   140
Managing Movies and TV Shows   143
Buy and Rent Movies 143
Buy TV Shows   146
Use the Play Movies & TV App   148
Copy Videos from Your Computer   151
Watching Videos with YouTube   154
Navigate the YouTube Main Screen   155
Navigate the YouTube App   156
Play a Video   158
Upload a Video   159
Change YouTube Settings   162
Chapter 4  Connecting to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and VPNs   167
Connecting to Bluetooth Devices 167
Pair with a New Bluetooth Device   168
Manage Extra Bluetooth Options   170
Change Bluetooth Device Options   171
Working with Wi-Fi   172
Connect to Wi-Fi 172
Adjust Wi-Fi Network Options   175
Set Advanced Wi-Fi Options   176
Managing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)   178
Add a VPN   179
Connect to a VPN   181
Managing Near Field Communications (NFCs)   184
Enable NFC and Android Beam   185
Use Android Beam to Send Links to Content   187
Use Android Beam to Send Real Files   188
Managing Cellular Network Settings 189
Change Mobile Settings   189
Using Your Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot   191
Set Up and Start Your Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot   191
Chapter 5  Email   195
Adding Accounts to Gmail   196
Start Setting Up Accounts   196
Add a Google Account   197
Add a New POP3 or IMAP Account   198
Add a Work Email Account   202
Using the Gmail App   205
Navigate the Gmail App   206
Compose an Email   208
Read an Email   211
Customize Gmail App Settings   215
Chapter 6  Browsing the Web with Chrome   225
Navigating with Chrome   225
Get Started with Chrome   226
Use Web Page and Chrome Options   228
Master Chrome Browser Tricks   230
Managing Bookmarks and History   233
Manage Bookmarks   233
Manage Browsing History   235
Customizing Browser Settings   236
Chapter 7  Google Now and Navigation   245
Using Google Now   245
Use Google Now   247
Set Up Google Now   248
Navigating with Google Maps   252
Get Directions   254
Configure Google Maps Settings   256
Use Offline Google Maps   258
Chapter 8  Working with Date, Time, and Calendar   261
Setting the Date and Time 261
Using the Clock App   263
Navigate the Clock App   263
Manage Alarms   264
Adjust Clock Settings   266
Using the Calendar App   268
Get to Know the Calendar Main Screen   268
Adjust Calendar Settings   270
Use Quick Responses   273
Add a New Event   274
Respond to an Event Invitation   277
Chapter 9  Working with Android Apps   281
Configuring Google Wallet   281
Finding and Installing Apps   282
Navigate Google Play   282
Install Free Apps   284
Buy Apps   286
Manage Apps   287
Adjust Google Play Store Settings   289
Chapter 10  Customizing Your Android Phone   295
Changing Your Wallpaper   295
Select Wallpaper from Pictures in the Photos App   296
Use Live Wallpaper   297
Choose Wallpaper   299
Changing Your Keyboard   300
Choose a New Keyboard 300
Adding Widgets to Your Home Screens   303
Add a Widget   303
Remove and Move a Widget   305
Customizing Language   306
Choose a Different Language   306
Adjusting Accessibility Settings   307
Manage Accessibility Settings   307
Modifying Sound and Notification Settings   310
Modify Sound and Notification Settings   310
Changing Display Settings   313
Changing Security Settings 315
Chapter 11  Google Wallet   323
Setting Up Google Wallet   324
Adding Methods of Payment   324
Add a Credit Card or Checking Account   325
Using Loyalty and Gift Cards   326
Add an Existing Gift Card   326
Add an Existing Loyalty Card   328
Using Google Wallet   331
Changing Google Wallet Settings   331
Sending and Receiving Money   333
Send Money   333
Request Money   334
Chapter 12  Books and Magazines   337
Purchasing Books   337
Navigate the Play Books App   338
Buy Books   339
Reading Books   340
Purchasing Magazines and Newspapers   345
Purchase or Subscribe to Publications   346
Read a Publication   348
Chapter 13  Maintaining Your Android Phone and Solving Problems   351
Updating Android   351
Optimizing Battery Life   353
Look After the Battery   353
Determine What Is Using the Battery   354
Controlling Apps and Memory   355
Checking and Controlling Data Usage 358
Set a Data Usage Warning   360
Set a Data Usage Limit   361
Caring for the Android Phone’s Exterior   362
Getting Help with Your Android Phone   362
Chapter 14  Taking and Managing Pictures   365
Using the Camera   365
Adjust Camera Settings   368
Take Regular Pictures   371
Take Panoramic Pictures   372
Take Photo Sphere (360 Panoramic) Pictures   375
Take Lens Blur Pictures   377
Viewing and Managing Your Photos   383
Navigate Photos   383
Delete Photo Albums   385
Review and Share Pictures   386
Edit Pictures   387
Modify Photos App Settings   402
Managing Photos with Your Computer   403
Manually Manage Pictures   404
Automatically Manage Pictures on a Mac   407
Synchronizing Pictures Using Your Google Cloud   408
Chapter 15  Using Your Android Phone with an Android Wear Smartwatch   413
Setting Up Your Android Wear Watch   413
Choosing Settings for Your Android Wear Watch   416
Navigate the Android Wear App   417
Using Your Android Wear Watch   427
Navigate Your Watch   428
Use Your Watch and Run Watch Apps   433
Use Watch Functions and Watch Apps   434
Index   443