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Extra Dim in Android 12: The Definite Guide

How does Extra Dim in Android 12 work? How to customize and use Extra Dim?

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Extra Dim in Android 12: The Definite GuideExtra Dim is a less-known yet very useful new feature in Android 12.

It is not included in our top 12 new features in Android 12 because Extra Dim is a “niche” feature for very specific scenarios (if you often use the phone in a dark environment), not because it is not important.

Extra Dim is often misunderstood by even many professionals. Therefore, many users are confused the Extra Dim with the brightness control.

This Android 12 guide explains what the Extra Dim in Android 12 is, how it works, how to use it in Android 12, and corrects some common misunderstandings about Extra Dim in Android 12.

What is Extra Dim in Android 12?

Sometimes, you may feel the phone screen is too bright in a dark environment (e.g., in a theatre). However, the brightness level is already set to the minimum level or auto-brightness (adaptive brightness) is already on.

Basically, you are stuck on that uncomfortable brightness level.

Extra Dim, which was introduced in Android 12,  is designed to solve this issue for you. It can further reduce up to 50% of the brightness of the screen for you.

In Android 12, Google implemented Extra Dim as an accessibility feature to further reduce the “brightness” of the screen below the minimum level specified by the hardware vendor.

This may sound ridiculous. How can the brightness be lower than the minimum level specified by the hardware vendor?

So, here is the catch. When Extra Dim is activated,  the colour range will be reduced.

In other words, you get a dimmer screen at the price of the accuracy of the colours. Read on.

As this is a built-in accessibility feature in Android 12, none of the Android vendors has changed this feature.

In addition to the entry in the accessibility settings,  a quick setting button for Extra Dim can be found in most Android 12 phones (e.g., in Galaxy S22).

How does Extra Dim in Android 12 work?

To understand how Extra Dim works, we need to know a bit (just a bit) about the colour and brightness.

Each colour on the screen has a value. For example, if the screen can only display 256 colours (8bit; most smartphone screens actually can display 16,777,216 colours or 24bit), the black colour will have a value of 0, and the white 255. The colour range is then 0-255.… Read the rest

How to update to Android 12?

Everything you need to know on getting the Android 12 update

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How to update to Android 12?Android 12 was officially released on October 4, 2021. But many Android device owners are still waiting for the update and want to know how to update to Android 12.

This Android 12 guide explains why some Android devices got the Android 12 update already, some are still waiting for it, and some will never get it. The guide also shows how to check the Android 12 update for your device and how to update your phone (or tablet) to Android 12.

Why am I still waiting for the Android 12 update?

When Android 12 (Snow Cone) was released to the public on October 4, 2021, these were only the “core” of the new Android OS.

Unlike Windows, Android releases the source code, not the executable. The drivers for the components of your Android device, e.g., the touchscreen, the sensors, the modem, are usually not included.

So, before the new Android OS code is compiled with the drivers for the components, the source code of Android 12 is actually useless for your phone.

To make it worse, you have to wait for the manufacturer of your Android device to build the executable because most of these drivers are proprietary. You cannot do it by yourself.

So, it will take the manufacturer some time to test and build the new “firmware” for your phone. In fact, Google released the Android 12 build for Pixel phones on October 19, 2021. These are the first Android phones with Android 12 updates.

Some big manufacturers, like Samsung, are deeply involved in beta testing and usually have more resources to put everything together to roll out the Android 12 update. So, you will get the Android 12 update for your device within 2-3 months. Older devices may also get the Android 12 update, although the update usually comes later than newer devices.

Some middle-tier Android vendors, like Motorola (or its parent company Lenovo), are reluctant to invest resources on sold devices. They care more about getting quick money (sell new devices). They may roll out the Android update on a few latest models.

Smaller Android vendors may not have enough resources to build a new OS for older devices, and therefore, these devices will NEVER get the Android 12 update.

How about the unofficial Android 12 update?

Building the latest Android OS for older devices normally requires even more resources than for newer devices due to some compatibility (with some new features) issues of “a few” old components used in the older devices.… Read the rest

How to quickly snooze notifications in Android 12?

You can use the snooze button to quickly snooze any notifications.

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quickly snooze notifications in Android 12In Android 12, you can quickly snooze notifications and customize the snoozing period for individual notifications.

This Android 12 guide explains the new functions and features of quickly snoozing notifications and customizing the snoozing period for individual notifications. It shows you step-by-step how to use it to quickly snooze notifications in Android 12.

Please note this guide applies to stock Android 12 (including Android One) or near-stock Android 12 (e.g.,  on Moto phones). However, Android vendors may customize and alter this feature. For example, the notification snoozing works differently on Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 12 (One UI 4).

What’s new on snoozing notifications in Android 12?

Android introduced notification snooze in Android Oreo. The feature was gradually improved and polished in Android Pie, Android 10, and Android 11.

Now, in Android 12, some new features/functions were added:

  • A snooze button for each notification was added so that you can tap to snooze the notification for a while.
  • A dropdown menu that allows you to customize snoozing period for individual notifications.

So, you will find these two minor updates extremely if you use the notification snooze frequently.

How to quickly snooze notifications in Android 12?

By default, when you expand notifications in the notification panel in Android 12, you will see the additional snoozing button, as shown in the screenshot below.

Each notification has its own snoozing button. And it is not necessary to use any gestures to access the button.

Android 12 notification panel snooze button for each notifications

So, you can quickly snooze notifications in Android 12.

For example, as shown in the screenshot above, you can just tap the snooze button to snooze the notification for 1 hour, which is the default snooze duration in Android 12.

You can undo the snooze operation by tapping the Undo button, as shown in the screenshot below. This would cancel the snooze.

The snooze button, by default, also works in the lock screen. In other words, if you choose to show notification contents on the lock screen, you will also have the option to snooze the notifications on the lock screen directly without unlocking the phone to access the notification panel.

quickly snooze notifications in Android 12 customize snoozing duration for individual notifications

How to customize snoozing period for individual notifications in Android 12?

As mentioned, by default, notifications will be snoozed for 1 hour in Android 12 after you tap the snooze button.

You can customize the snooze duration shorter (up to 15 mins) or longer (up to 2 hours) without leaving the notification panel.… Read the rest

Top 12 new features of Android 12 you should know

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Top 12 new features of Android 12 Android 12, as the successor of Android 11,  was publicly released on October 4, 2021, with many new features and improvements, as expected.

This guide summarizes the top 12 new features of Android 12 that most users will like (or need) to know. A concise explanation of each of these new features is provided to help users, especially those upgraded from Android 11, quickly start to use these new features.

Detailed step-by-step guides for some of these new features of Android 12 will be covered in other posts separately (and listed on the Android 12 Guides page).

Please note, a few big Android vendors (e.g., Samsung)  may implement a few of these features differently in their Android 12 releases. So, if your phone is not running the stock (or near-stock) Android 12, you may find the settings are in different locations or have different options.

If you have questions about getting the Android 12 update for your device, you may check this guide.

Here is our list of the top 12 new features of Android 12.

1. Redesigned UI: one of the most eye-catching new features of Android 12

After you update to Android 12, you will very likely be surprised by the huge digital clock on the lock screen.

This is just an example of dramatic changes in the redesigned UI (user interface).

Based on Google, the redesigned UI in Android 12 lets users feel more comfortable. For example, you will see more space in the notification panel. The quick settings panel is no longer just icons: the name and current status (if applicable) are also shown.

The redesigned UI in Android 12 actually changed the entire user interface, from shapes, light and motion, to customizable system colours.

It is also a lot easier to customize the Android 12 UI.

2. Camera and microphone access indicator: the most practical new features of Android 12

Android 12 now lets you know whenever the camera or microphone is accessed by an app. So, this is an addition to the location access control introduced in Android 10 to protect your privacy.

In the status bar, you will see the camera and microphone icons when they are being accessed.

And if you don’t want any apps to access your microphone or camera, you can completely disable camera and microphone access globally in the quick settings panel in Android 12. By default, these two quick setting buttons are hidden.… Read the rest

How to use native screen recorder in Android 11?

You can record whatever on the phone screen and share it as a video.

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Android 11 screen recorderAndroid 11 has finally included a native screen recorder.

Although some Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy s10 already have a native screen recorder, it was only available to Samsung phones. With the Android 11 native screen recorder, Android devices are now able to take screen recordings without the use of third-party apps.

Read on to learn more about this feature, how to use it and some questions you may have about it.

What is native screen record in Android 11?

As seen by its name, this feature allows users to take a recording of their device screens without using an application.

Although there are many third-party apps which offer decent screen recorders for Android, the new native screen recorder in Android 11 reduces the hassle for users when they want to take a screen recording.

Since it is a native screen recorder, the recordings can be saved and directly backed-up to the Google Photos app. This allows users to be able to view and edit their recordings through the Google Photos app on different devices.

However, do note that as the screen recorder takes a video of what is displayed on the screen when it’s turned on, sensitive information such as passwords and usernames will be captured in the recording. These can be edited out or censored after the recording is saved using video editing apps or through the Google Photos app.

Anyway, now you are not limited by the static screenshots when you want to share the screen. You can share it as a live video with sounds.

How to use native screen record in Android 11?

To allow for easy access to the Android 11 screen recorder, users are able to access and use the feature through the quick settings menu. The following steps will show you how to use native screen record in Android 11.

Step 1: Access the quick setting menu

To access the quick settings menu, pull down twice from the top of the screen (or status bar if not in the immersive mode).

Scroll through the quick settings menu until you see the screen record icon. Tap on it to begin recording.

If you cannot find the button, you can tap the Pencil icon to add it.

Android 11 quick settings

Step 2: Begin recording

After tapping on the screen record icon, a pop-up for screen recorder settings will appear where you can adjust the settings for the screen recorder.… Read the rest

How to use dark theme scheduling in Android 11?

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Android 11 Dark themeDark theme has been a well-received feature in Android phones since it was first introduced Android Pie (Android 9) and improved greatly in Android 10. In Android 11, new features have been added to optimize and improve the user experience of Android dark theme.

This guide explains the new features in the Android 11 dark theme, how to use it, how to customize it, and how to schedule so that dark theme is turned on and turned off automatically.

What’s new in Android 11 dark theme?

In Android 10, Dark theme was introduced to be applied system-wide on both the Android system UI and apps running on the device.

Now in Android 11, scheduling has been added to Dark theme.

With scheduling, the phone will automatically switch to dark theme mode according to the user’s schedule settings. This reduces the hassle for users to switch between light mode and dark mode on their phones during the day.

There are 3 types of schedules users can apply to their phones Dark theme and will be explained later on in the post:

  1. None.
  2. Turns on at a custom time.
  3. Turns on from sunset to sunrise.

How to access Android 11 Dark theme settings?

There are 2 ways to access the settings for the Android 11 Dark theme:

  1. Through Settings
  2. Through the quick settings panel

Method 1: Through Settings

The first way to access the settings for Dark theme is through Settings.

Access Settings either through the quick settings menu or by tapping on the Settings icon in the apps menu.

Quick Settings Panel Android Apps menu

In Setting, tap on Display to enter the display settings.

Android 11 Settings

In the Display settings, tap on the Dark theme to enter the settings for it.

Do not tap on the switch as it only turns on/off Dark theme on the device.

Android 11 Display Settings

Method 2: Through the quick Settings menu

Another way to access the settings for the dark theme in Android 11 is through the quick settings panel.

To access the quick menu panel, pull down the status bar twice.

Once in the quick settings panel, hold down on the icon named dark theme as shown below.

Quick Settings Panel

By default, the icon is not found in the quick settings menu; you can add the icon to the quick settings by tapping on the edit icon and dragging the needed icon to the quick settings panel.

How to use dark theme scheduling in Android 11?

… Read the rest

How to play Android 11 Easter Egg game (Android Neko Cat game)?

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Android 11 Easter Egg game: Neko catAndroid 11 has returned with an Android Easter Egg game. For each major version of Android from Android Gingerbread, an Easter Egg has always been included as a mini-game in the Android System with Android 10 being an exception.

In previous Android systems, such as In Android Lollipop and Marshmallow, the Easter egg game is usually an entirely new game. However, the Android 11 Easter Egg has brought back the beloved Android Neko game that was initially introduced in Android Nougat.

This guide will explain what the Android 11 Easter Egg game is, how to access it and how to play the game (Android Neko Cat game).

What is the Android 11 Easter Egg game?

For Android 11, its Easter Egg is called the Android Neko game. The game works in a similar way as it does in Android Nougat, with the main objective of the game being having users collect cats by providing them with food, water and toys.

Unlike the previous Easter Egg games, the Android 11 Easter Egg is not played in the Quick Settings but rather in the Device Controls under Power menu.

How to access the Android 11 Easter Egg?

Like the previous Easter Egg games, the Android 11 Easter Egg game need to be enabled through the phone Settings.

The following steps will show how you can enable (and disable) the Android 11 Easter Egg game via Settings.

Step 1: Access Settings

Enter Settings either through the quick settings panel or by tapping on the Settings icon in the apps menu, as shown in the two following screenshots.

Quick Settings Panel Android Apps menu

Step 2: Access Android Version

In Settings, scroll to the bottom of the Settings menu and tap on About phone as shown below.

Android 11 Settings

In the About phone page, scroll down until you see Android version and tap on it.

Make sure that it says 11 under Android version, if not you will be unable to access the Android 11 Easter Egg game. (Please refer to this guide on how to update your android version)

Android 11 About phone

Step 3: Access the Easter egg

After tapping on Android version you’ll be brought to a page which allows users to view the information about the Android system.

Tap on Android version 11 rapidly to access the Android 11 easter egg. A green dial should appear as shown below.

Now, you are ready to enable and play the Easter Egg game.… Read the rest

How To Use Live Caption in Android 10 and Android 11

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Android Live Caption

Android 10 introduced the Live Caption feature, initially for selected Pixel phones, to automatically caption any audio being played.  Later, most Android vendors implemented it in Android 10 phones (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20).  Google further improved this feature in Android 11.

This Android 11 guide explains what Live Caption is, when you need to use it, how to use it, and how to customise it in Android 11 and Android 10 phones.

What is Live Caption?

Live Caption is a new feature that has been added to phones with Android 10 and up.

When the feature is enabled, the phone automatically detects audio being played and captions them on the phone in real-time. You can use the Live Caption even if the phones audio is being muted.

Live Caption generates real-time caption according to the audio that’s being played. The feature is supported by most Andriod apps but may be unavailable for some media and calling apps.

When to use Live Caption?

Live Caption in Android 10 and Android 11 can be used to caption the audio from the following such as:

  • Audio messages
  • Phone calls
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Recordings

Anyway, you can use this feature to caption most audios on Android 10 and Android 11.

How to turn on Live captions?

By default, Live Caption is not enabled in most Android phones.  You can turn on (and turn off)  it at any time. The captions will only show when speech is detected.

Live Captions in Android 10 and Android 11 can be turned on through 2 ways:

  1. Using Android Settings;
  2. Using the volume button.

Through Settings

You may follow the following steps to turn on Live Caption (or turn off) on your phone via Settings.

Step 1: Open Settings

Enter Settings either through the quick settings panel or by tapping on the Settings icon in the apps menu, as shown in the two screenshots below.

Quick Settings Panel Android Apps menu

Step 2: Open sound panel

In the Settings page, tap on Sound as shown.

Settings

Step 3: Tap on Live Caption

In the Sound settings, scroll down to the Live Caption tab and tap on it to enter Live Caption page.

Sound setting page

Step 4: Enable Live Caption

In the Live Caption page, you can turn on/off this feature and change the captions’ settings.

Tap on the switch as shown below to turn Live Caption on.

Tap again to turn it off.

Live caption settings Live caption settings

In this page, you can also access the Live Caption settings, as shown above.… Read the rest

How to use navigation gestures in Android 10?

A definite guide for Android 10 navigation gestures

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How to use navigation gestures in Android 10?Android 10 brings a new (and improved) set of navigation gestures for you to use the phone more effectively and intuitively.

In addition to using the traditional 3 navigation buttons, and the 2-button navigation gestures as in Android Pie, you can now use gestures only without using any buttons in Android 10.

This Android 10 guide explains the new features of the Android 10 navigation gestures, how to enable them and how to use them.

What’s new in Android 10 navigation gestures?

Previously in Android Pie (Android 9), navigation buttons (3 or 2) are found at the bottom of the screen. Now in Android 10, navigation gestures can fully replace the navigation buttons.

This means that if navigation gestures are enabled, the Home, Back, and Recents (Overview) buttons located at the bottom of the screen, seen below, will be gone.

Android 10 Home screen

How to enable navigation gesture in Android 10?

If you upgraded the phone to Android 10, very likely, the original navigation buttons will likely be used by default.

In this case, you need to follow the following steps to enable the Android 10 navigation gestures.

Step 1: Open Settings

To access Settings, as shown below, tap on the Settings icon in the Apps screen (App drawer), or Home screen, or through the quick settings panel.

Accessing Settings through application Android 10 Quick Settings Panel

Step 2: Access System settings

In Settings, scroll down and tap on System, as shown below.

Android 10 Settings

Step 3: Access Gestures settings

In the System settings page, tap on Gestures, as seen below.

Android 10 System settings page

Step 4: Access System navigation page

In the System settings page, tap on System navigation, as shown below.

Android 10 Gesture settings

Step 5: Enable Gesture navigation

In the System navigation page, there will be the option to change the phone’s system navigation. Tap on Gesture navigation to enable it.

Android 10 System Navigation page

Additionally, you can change the sensitivity of the back gesture by tapping on the settings icon as seen below.

This adjusts how sensitive the phone will respond to gestures along the screen edge and hence prevent any accidental gestures along the screen edge.

Android 10 Gesture navigation Android 10 navigation gesture

How to use Navigation Gestures in Android 10?

Here are the 10 operations you need to master when switching to the new navigation gestures.

1. Returning to Home Screen (Home Screen) — Swipe upwards

To exit from an application and return to the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, as shown below.

This has the same function as tapping the Home button in the previous version of Android (0r if you switch back to navigation buttons).… Read the rest

How to Use Location Access Control in Android 10?

You can easily control your privacy through Android 10 location access control

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Use Location Access Control in Android 10Location access control is a new Android 10 feature that protects your privacy.

This Android 10 guide explains how the location access control in Android 10 protects your data, how to enter location access settings from location settings of from permission manager, and how to use location control on Android 10.

What does location access control in Android 10 do?

The location access control in Android 10 is an extension of the privacy controls in Android 10.

Previously in Android Pie (Android 9), app location access can only be changed from the application setting.  Users have to change the location access permission of each application one by one.

In Android 10, the Location Access control allows users to check, assign, and revoke location access for all apps in one centralised location.

This makes it easier for users to customise which apps can have access to the phone location.

Additionally, with the Android 10 location access control, it ensures external apps cannot easily view information about the phone’s location, and therefore enhances the privacy of the users.

How to enter the location access control page?

Firstly, you need to access Settings, as shown below, by tapping on the Settings icon in the Apps screen (App drawer), or Home screen.

Alternatively, you can access settings through the quick settings panel.

Accessing Settings through application Android 10 Quick Settings Panel

There are 2 ways to go to the location access settings page from the Settings page:

  • From the Location settings page
  • Through the Permission Manager

Method 1: Location settings page

In Settings, scroll down and tap on Location, as seen below, to access the location settings page.

Android 10 Settings

In the Location settings page, tap on App permissions, as shown below.

This will bring you to the location permissions page.

Android 10 Location settings Android 10 Location Access page

As shown above, in the location access control page, you can manage the location access (read on).

Method 2:  through Permission manager

In Settings, tap on Apps & notification.

Android 10 Settings

In the Apps & notification settings page, tap on Advanced to expand the list, as shown below.

Android 10 Apps manager Android 10 Apps manager

As shown above, tap on the Permission Manager to access permission managers of Android 10.

In Permission Manager page, tap on Location, as shown below.

This will bring you to the same location access control page.

Android 10 Permission manager Android 10 Location Access page

How to use location access control?

The location access age allows users to see which apps can view the phone’s location as well as apps that may require permission to use the phone location.… Read the rest