Android Guides

Default SIM cards (aka preferred SIM cards) for calls, SMS messages and mobile data will be set up automatically to SIM card 1 by default in dual SIM Android phones. You may want to change the default SIM card for each task individually.

This Android guide explains how default SIM card works, and how to assign and use default SIM cards in dual SIM Android phones.

What is the default SIM card for calls, messages and mobile data in dual SIM Android phones?

When you insert two SIM cards into a dual standby Android phone, by default, the phone will use SIM card 1 as default SIM card for calls, texts and mobile data.

So, the default SIM card, or  preferred SIM card, will be used for calls and messages, unless you specify a SIM card explicitly for a call or for a message.

For mobile data, you can use one and only one SIM card for it. But you need to specify the SIM card to be used for mobile data.

The default SIM card for calls can be different from that for messages or for mobile data.

The three default SIM card settings are independent to each other. In other words, the default SIM card for calls can be different from that for text messages.

Some Android vendors (e.g., Samsung) offer two SIM card buttons in phone app and messages app. So, you can use them before placing the call. This would overwrite the default SIM card settings.

But in stock Android, the Phone app does not have such buttons for you to choose SIM card. You have to set up the default one.

If you want to make both SIM cards always available at all times in a dual SIM dual standby Android phone, please check this guide.

How to assign default SIM card for calls, messages and mobile data in dual SIM Android phones?

As mentioned earlier, by default, the dual SIM Android phone will assign the SIM card in SIM card slot 1 as the default SIM card for all: calls, text messages and mobile data.

This may be not what you want.

For example, a lot of dual SIM phone owners use one SIM card for mobile data and the other for calls and messages.

To set up default SIM card for calls, messages and mobile data in a dual standby phone, you may open Settings app first.… Read the rest

The post How to set and use default SIM card for calls, messages and mobile data in dual SIM Android phones? appeared first on Android Guides.

In a dual SIM dual standby Android phone, you can make two SIM cards always available at all times so that you will not miss any calls to any of the SIM cards.

To make both SIM cards always available at all times, you need to set up call forwarding and enable call waiting on both SIM cards.

This Android guide shows you how to make two SIM cards always reachable at all times on dual standby phones even when you are engaged in a call in one SIM card.

How to solve the problem of missed calls in dual SIM dual standby Android phones?

As explained in Dual standby vs dual active page,  when you are engaged in a call in one SIM card, you may miss calls to the other SIM card.

To make it worse,  you may not be aware of that you have missed some important calls.

You can solve the missed calls problem by:

1. Using voicemail box.
2. Making two SIM cards always available at all times.

Most carriers offer free voicemail box for their subscribers. But usually they do not divert unreachable calls to your voicemail box by default. You need to set it up.

In addition, if the caller is not patient enough, he may be just hang up and you have no way to track the call.

So, the second solution is more reliable.

It is possible to change some settings to make two SIM cards always available in dual standby phones.

The mobile network requirements for making two SIM cards always available in dual SIM dual standby phones

To make two SM cards always available at all times  in a dual standby phone, you need to meet at least two mobile network requirements:

1. You can set call forwarding (some carriers may call it call diversion) on both SIM cards.
2. You can set call waiting on both SIM cards.

Most mobile carriers support both features nowadays.

And most carriers do not charge additional fees for these two features.

But using call forwarding may be charged as normal outgoing air time.

Make two SIM cards always available in dual SIM dual standby Samsung and Sony phones

In Samsung branded dual SIM dual standby Android phones, for example, dual SIM version of Galaxy S8 and dual SIM version of Galaxy S7, you can find the feature of “dual SIM always on” in Settings — Connections —SIM card manager —Dual SIM always on.… Read the rest

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Android Nougat allows you set different wallpapers for home screen and lock screen.

This guide explains how to set up Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper (different from home screen wallpaper).

What’s new in Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper?

One of the overdue features in stock Android is the lack of separated lock screen wallpaper, which is always identical to the home screen wallpaper up to Android Marshmallow.

Many Android vendors changed this stock option and let users choose wallpapers for the lock screen and home screen individually.

Google finally listened to the requests.

You can now finally set Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper independently from the wallpaper for the home screen.

It seems it may be just a cosmetic change for the lock screen.

But for some users, this is a long anticipated feature.

For example, some users like to use family or personal photos as the wallpaper. But for privacy concerns, they may not want to show such photos on lock screen, which can be seen by anyone holding the phone, including thieves.

How to set up Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper (different from home screen wallpaper)?

You may follow these steps to set up Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper.

Step 1: Enter Home screen edit mode

Tap and hold any blank area in the home screen to enter edit mode as shown below.

Please note, pinch to enter home screen edit mode is NOT a standard Android gesture. It is a gesture used by a few Android vendors including Samsung and LG.

Step 2: Tap Wallpapers 

This would enter wallpaper settings.

In some Android phones that support themes, it may be named as wallpapers and themes (e.g,, as in Galaxy S7).

In addition, some Android vendors may add other options in the home screen edit mode (you may refer to this page on Galaxy S8 home screen edit mode).

The screenshots shown were taken from stock Android (Pixel or Nexus phones). So you may see more options if you are not using stock Android.

In Wallpapers page, you can preview current wallpapers as shown below.

In this case, the wallpapers for home screen and lock screen are identical.

Step 3: Select a picture

You can use any pictures in the phone as a wallpaper.

In all Android phones, there are always a few sets of wallpapers pre-installed.

For example, you can select a picture in the phone.… Read the rest

The post How to set up Android Nougat lock screen wallpaper? appeared first on Android Guides.

Android Nougat introduced bundled notifications, directly reply and notification control in the notification panel.

This Android Nougat guide shows you how to use these three new features in Android Nougat notification panel.

New features of Android Nougat notification panel

Android Nougat improved a lot in notification handling.

In notification panel (notification shade), there are at least four noteworthy new features:

• New quick settings bar in the top of notification shade.
• Bundled notifications.
• Direct reply.
• Notification control in notification shade

Please refer to this page on the new quick settings bar in top of notifications, and this page on customizing quick settings panel.

This guide will explain the other 3 new features in Android Nougat notification panel, and how to use them.

What is bundled notifications in Android Nougat notification panel?

Android Nougat will automatically group all notifications from the same app and you see the bundled notifications in the notification shade.

For example, as shown below, there are two new messages.

Instead of showing as two notifications, Android Nougat group them as one bundled notification.

You can tap the down arrow button to expand the bundled notification as shown below to see details of these two notifications.

What is notification control in Android Nougat notification panel?

In addition to check the notification contents, you can even control the notification of the corresponding app without navigating away from the notification panel in Android Nougat.

In other words, you can access notification control directly in the notification shade.

For example, as shown below, there is an notification about Google Play store.

You can tap and hold the notification to get notification control as shown below.

Just in the Android Nougat notification panel, you can set notification from Play store as:

• Show notifications silently.
• Block all notifications.
• Don’t silence or block.

The notification control will compliment with the detailed notification settings for this app, which can be accessed by tapping More settings as shown below.

What is direct reply in Android Nougat notification panel?

Android Nougat also allows you to directly respond to the notifications without navigating away from the notification shade.

Of course, this feature depends on the app. You can use direct reply in Android Nougat notification panel for most messaging and  email apps.

For example, as shown below, when you expand the text message in the notification panel, you can find the reply button below the notification details.… Read the rest

The post How to use new features of Android Nougat notification panel: bundled notifications, directly reply and notification control? appeared first on Android Guides.

You can get Android Nougat update for your device through OTA or PC.

This guide explains how to get Android Nougat update and why some owners cannot get the udpate.

How to get Android Nougat update for my device?

Android has a built-in over-the-air (OTA) update system which can check update automatically.

This means you can get Android Nougat update for my device directly from the vendor’s server as long as you have a network connection.

Because Android Nougat udpate are prepared and released  by individual Android vendors, the update will be available only if the vendor releases the update for the specific device.

It has nothing to do with Google.

it has nothing to do with other devices.

Another way to get update is through your PC. Some Android vendors also offer PC software that can check and download software update for their phones.

This method requires:

• PC software provided by the phone manufacturer.
• Your phone is connected to the PC through a USB cable.
• The PC has an active internet connection.

For example, Samsung uses its Smart Switch for PC (Kies 3 for old devices,  or Kies 2 for even older devices) to manage backup and firmware update.

These two methods of getting Android Nougat update for your device give you identical update.

Of course, for some advanced users, factory image or OTA image can be used to flash the phone. But this is beyond this guide.

Most phones with Android Marshmallow should check for update automatically when the phone is connected to WiFi.

When Android Nougat udpate for your device is available, you may receive the notification about new update.

Tap the notification to see the details of the Android Nougat udpate as shown below.

Tap Yes I’m in as shown below to download Android Nougat update in background.

Once the udpate is fully downloaded, you can choose when to install it.

Install Android Nougat update may take at least 30-60 mins. You cannot use the phone during this period.

Some phones also requires at least 50% battery to install the update.

If you are ready, tap Install as shown below.

Your phone will then reboot automatically to install the Android Nougat update.

Some Android vendors offer the option to disable auto-checking.

Anyway, you can manually check Android Nougat update for your phone.

Open Settings in the phone as shown below.

Tap About phone.

Tap System updates as shown below.… Read the rest

The post How to get Android Nougat update for my device? and when? appeared first on Android Guides.

Android Nougat migrated some system UI tuner features into quick settings panel and allows you to customize the quick settings panel in Android Nougat.

This Android Nougat guide shows you how to access, use and customize quick settings panel in Android Nougat.

What is new in quick settings panel in Android Nougat?

As explained in this guide, Google revamped quick settings panel in Android Lollipop.

In Android Marshmallow, system UI tuner was introduced (and hidden by default).  It allows you to customize some aspects of user interface, including quick settings panel and status bar.

But system UI tuner is hidden and most Android vendors choose to disable it.  This results in very limited exposure of system UI tuner in Marshmallow phones.

In Android Nougat, feature of customizing quick settings panel was baked into quick settings panel directly. In other words, you can customize quick settings panel in Android Nougat directly without through system UI tuner.

The second new feature related to quick settings panel in Android Nougat is the quick settings bar in notification shade. As explained in this guide, you can use the first 6 buttons in quick settings panel in the top of notifications in the notification panel.

The third new feature of Android Nougat quick settings panel is the support for third-party apps. App developers can choose to show their app settings in the quick settings panel.

Before you jump to customize quick settings panel in Android Nougat, you need to know how to access Android Nougat quick settings panel if you are new to this feature.

How to access and use quick settings panel in Android Nougat?

There are no changes in accessing and using quick settings panel in Android Nougat.

You can access quick settings panel in two different ways:

• Swipe down from the status bar (or top of the screen if status bar is hidden in full-screen mode) twice. When you swipe down first time, you should get the notification panel (notification shade) with quick settings bar in the top. You can swipe downwards again to access quick settings panel as shown below.
• Swipe down from the status bar (or top of the screen if status bar is hidden in full-screen mode) with two fingers. This gesture should bring you to the quick settings panel directly without going through notification shade.

The results are identical.

As explained in this guide, you can tap some buttons to toggle on/off the corresponding features.… Read the rest

The post How to customize quick settings panel in Android Nougat? appeared first on Android Guides.

You can use the built-in Android Nougat call blocking allows you to block unwanted calls and messages in all Android Nougat phones.  You do not need any third-party apps.

This Android Nougat guide shows you how to block calls and messages with Android Nougat call blocking and how to add a number to the list of blocked numbers in different ways.

What is Android Nougat call blocking?

Sometimes, you simply want to to block calls and messages from certain callers, for example, ex-es, spammers.

But in Android, there is no built-in call blocking prior to Android Nougat.

Of course, some Android vendors, e.g., Samsung, baked their own call blocking features into Android phones.

There are also many third-party call blocking apps. For example, as explained in this guide, in the past, we recommended the app named Mr. Number-Block calls & spam.

Another option of blocking calls in Android is to divert calls from certain calls to the voicemail.

Besides, your carrier can block calls more effectively if you ask them to do it for you. But some carriers may be not so responsive.

Finally, Google introduced Android Nougat call blocking in latest Android Nougat 7.0.

Android Nougat call blocking can block incoming calls and discard messages from certain numbers (blocked numbers).

It is simple and effective.

Please note, in Nexus and Pixel phones, Google offers additional feature of caller ID & spam protection. But this is not standard Android Nougat feature.

So, in this guide, we only focus on the stock Android Nougat feature: call blocking.

How to use Android Nougat call blocking to block unwanted calls and SMS?

By default, no numbers are blocked by Android Nougat.

If you want to block certain numbers, you need to add them to the list of blocked numbers.

There are a few different ways to access Android Nougat call blocking in your phone:

• from phone app settings;
• from call log (call history);
• from messages app settings.

In this part, we will try to access Android Nougat call blocking from dialer app settings.

Step 1: Start Phone app

Start the dialer (Phone) app in your Android Nougat phone.

Step 2: tap menu key 

As shown in the screenshot below, tap the menu key (3 vertical dots near top right).

Step 3: tap Settings

In the phone app  menu, tap Settings as shown below.

Step 4: Tap call blocking

In Phone app settings page, tap Call blocking as shown above.… Read the rest

The post Use Android Nougat call blocking to block unwanted calls and SMS without using any apps appeared first on Android Guides.

Android Nougat data saver can help you save mobile data and reduce battery usage without compromising user experience.

This Android guide explains to you what is data saver in Android Nougat and how to use this new feature in Android Nougat.

What is data saver in Android Nougat?

In most regions, mobile data are still quite expensive.  Most carriers exploit customers on mobile data usage.

Many users have to consider to save mobile data.

In addition, using mobile data in background consumes considerable battery and may shorten battery life noticeably.

Prior to Android Nougat, Android has an option to restrict background data.

In Android Marshmallow, doze mode was also introduced to curb background activities.

Now, in Android Nougat 7.0/7.1, Google moved a step further and updated the background data restriction to a more robust data saver.

Essentially, data saver in Android Nougat is an updated and evolved version of “restrict background data“.

Android Nougat data saver helps you reduce mobile data usage. When the data saver in Android Nougat is activated:

• apps running in the background won’t be able to access mobile data, by default.
• the app that you’re currently using can access mobile data, but may do so less frequently.
• you can white-list apps which may have unrestricted mobile data access.

You will see the data saver icon (cross in a circle as shown earlier) in in the status bar.

Some Android vendors turn on data saver in Android Nougat update by default. For example, Samsung activates data saver in all Galaxy phones with Android Nougat.

Anyway, if you see this new icon after updating to Android Nougat, it means data saver is activated.

How to enable or disable data saver in Android Nougat?

You can enable or disable Android Nougat data saver by following these steps.

Step 1: Go to Settings — Data usage

Different Android vendors may organize phone setting in different ways.

In most Android Nougat phones, you can find data usage under connections in the Settings.

Step 2: Tap Data saver

In data usage page, as shown below, tap Data saver.

In this example, it shows data saver is currently off.

Step 3: Turn on or turn off data saver in Android Nougat

As shown in the screenshot above, you can tap the switch to turn on data saver.

There is a short description of this feature as well (in green box).… Read the rest

The post How to use data saver in Android Nougat? appeared first on Android Guides.

Android Nougat display size allows you to adjust all display elements including text,  app icon size, button size, notifications, images and others.

This Android Nougat guide show you why and when you need to use display size in Android Nougat and how to change  display size in Android Nougat.

What is display size in Android Nougat?

As you already know, you can set font size to make the text smaller or bigger.

In some Android phones, you can also set font style.

But font size settings are NOT honored in several locations, for example,

• Notifications. In some phones the notification text is too small. But you cannot make it bigger when you increase font size.
• Lock screen keypad. In some phones, the keypad only use middle part of the lock screen. It is hard to tap fast when you want to unlock the phone quickly.
• Some menu or navigation items.

In addition, you cannot change the app icon size in most Android phones prior to Android Nougat.

Of course, some Android vendors may offer different screen grid sizes for home screen. But the size of app icon only changes very slightly.

Now, you can use display size in Android Nougat to change the size of all display elements including, text, icons, buttons and images.

Sometimes, display size in Android Nougat is referred as display scaling.  Samsung called it screen zoom.

Anyway, Android Nougat display size scales (or zoom in/out) all display elements, not just text.

Why and when you need to change display size in Android Nougat?

You may want to change display size in Android Nougat if you want to make app icons larger or smaller in home screen or apps screen.

For example, as shown below, the size of app icon differs significantly when you change the Android Nougat display size from default to large.

In addition, the number of app icons in a home screen panel will also be adjusted automatically.

You need to change display size in Android Nougat if you want to make notification text larger.

In most phones, the default notification text size is too small and it is not comfortable to read.

You can make them bigger as shown below by adjusting display size in Android Nougat.

Another example of changing Android Nougat display size is for lock screen keypad.

You can make the lock screen keypad larger so that you can type your PIN quickly as shown below.… Read the rest

The post How to change display size in Android Nougat? appeared first on Android Guides.

Android Nougat introduced a new quick settings bar in the notification shade to let you access quick settings when reading notifications.

You can customize the buttons in Android Nougat quick settings bar so that frequently used quick setting buttons are put in the bar.

This Android Nougat guide explains what is the Android Nougat quick settings bar, how to access, use and customize it.

What is Android Nougat quick settings bar?

Prior to Android Nougat, when you want to toggle on/off WiFi or other settings, you have to access quick setting buttons.

This means you have to swipe down from the status bar twice, or swipe down with two fingers from the status bar, then tap the WiFi button.

Now, you can change such settings in notification panel (notification shade) directly with the new Android Nougat quick settings bar, which was added above notifications as shown below.

This will save you one swipe and you can conveniently access your quick settings when reading notifications in the notification shade.

Please note, Android Nougat quick settings bar is not replacing quick settings shade.

The quick settings bar shows the first  5 or 6 (depending on phones) buttons in the quick setting panel.

How to access and use Android Nougat quick settings bar?

As shown above, Android Nougat quick settings bar is placed on top of notifications.

So, you can access this quick settings bar when accessing notification shade. In other words, you can access Android Nougat quick settings bar by swiping down from status bar, or swiping down from the top of of screen if status bar is hidden (in full screen immersive mode).

You can use the buttons in Android Nougat quick settings bar just like using buttons in quick settings panel.

For most buttons, you can tap them to toggle on/off the corresponding features.

For a few other buttons, you can tap them to open a dialogue box to select or change corresponding settings.

How to customize Android Nougat quick settings bar?

You may want to put most frequently used buttons into the quick settings bar in your Android Nougat device.

You should do it because quick settings bar is designed to help you improvement your productivity.

Then how to customize the quick settings bar?

As discussed and shown earlier, Android Nougat quick settings bar actually shows the first 5 or 6 buttons in quick settings panel.

So, you can customize the buttons in the quick settings bar by changing the order of buttons in quick settings panel.… Read the rest

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