Android offers its users customizable options that give a more personalized smart experience. The distinctive feature of Android smartphones is that different manufacturers try to incorporate unique features that set the device apart from other Android phones in the market. These unique features account for a small difference between the phones. This guide however adequately covers all the custom features that are present in all Android phones.

Notifications, App Drawer, Dock, Home Screen and Search Bar Features  

The Home Screen interphase for androids comes with multiple functions you can take advantage of to offer you ease of access during navigation. This is the first interphase when you open your device before launching any application.

Android Buttons: All Android devices have either the virtual or actual buttons at the bottom of the screen. The triangle facing left is the back function, and it takes you back to the previous screen you had opened. The home function is centrally placed and very distinct from other buttons and is always configured to get you back to the Home screen. The box or several stacked boxes next to the home button is the task function. This gives you access to all the recently open applications which lets you readily switch between applications. The X function at the top right of each app in this section lets you close individual apps.

Other actual buttons are located at the sides of the device. At the very top is a single suspend button which serves as the power button when you want to manually reboot or shut down the device. This is achieved by long pressing on the button for a few seconds then choosing “Reboot” or the “Power off function” on the screen. The other two buttons are the volume function for lowering or increasing media or incoming call volume. To capture a screenshot manually, you may use these buttons by holding down the power and the volume down button.

Android Notification Center: This section is located at the very top of your home screen. Pulling the screen down by swiping your finger from the top of your screen displays the notification centre which reports on activities on your phone. The left section displays all the notifications while the right section shows you the strength of your Wi-Fi signal in bars, battery life, time and date details among other details. This section has other multiple shortcuts to regularly used applications.

Apps and Widgets: This run on the home screen interphase in the different pages available to accommodate individual widgets and applications. Swiping on your home screen from right to left you will access the different pages, and you can fit every page with individual widgets or shortcuts to applications such as the clock widget, Gmail and so much more. To access the different widget options for you to choose the ones you would prefer on your home screen, press on a space on your home screen. A wallpaper and widget option will be displayed at the bottom, press on the widget option.

The Dock: The dock is situated at the bottom of your screen and comes in handy holding for you the frequently used apps for quick access. This will always be on display even when navigating from page to page on your Home screen. Android docks can accommodate a folder which means you can have specific folders containing all of your shortcuts.

App Drawer: This is an icon centrally placed on the dock and gives you access to all your installed applications and lists them alphabetically.

Voice Command for Android

Android voice command function allows you to actively interact with your smart device. The google search bar located at the top of the home screen has a microphone situated at the left of the bar. This is where you activate the voice engine, and on tapping the icon, the screen will indicate that the device is on alert for voice commands. This is an effective way of searching the web without the need to type. The voice function can also be used to schedule your calendar, setting alarms, performing calculations and setting reminders.

Permanently Deleting an Application

When you want to free up some space on your Android device, navigate to the settings function and choose Apps in the list of options provided in the setting menu. This will get you to a comprehensive list of all the Apps installed in your device. Choose the app you want to get rid of, and on the top left side, the uninstall option will appear. Some apps, however, cannot be uninstalled if they were preinstalled in the purchase of your device. You can, however, disable them to make sure they do not run in the background.