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With a pure stock Android 4.4, pin-sharp 1080P High Definition screen and a speedy 2.26GHz quad core Snapdragon 800 processor chip at a very low price, the Nexus 5 is a game changing phone. Check out our handy nexus 5 tips and tricks and familiarize yourself with your favorite phone.
Let us have a look at Nexus 5 tips and tricks
Secure your smartphone
Anti-Theft made easy by your stock android feature: What if your nexus device is lost? Don’t worry, we will help you and there is no need to make use of any third party Anti-Theft application which involves tedious process to setup and takes much of your time to configure the settings. Instead you can locate your Nexus 5 using Google’s own Android device manager. By using this you can locate your nexus device if you lose it. Before going further into details of Android device manager, we have a question for you.Do you know anything about Android device manager?Check it here if you do not know (https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager).
Login with your Google account to access the facilities such as tracking device location, remote locking etc,. By using the Android device manager you can find your Nexus 5’s location if it’s stolen or lost and even remotely lock your phone with a password. You can even make a call to your Nexus 5 and the phone will ring even if the device is in silent mode and also if the SIM card is replaced by a new one. You can even wipe the data that is present in the phone and you can lock your device remotely. To enable Android device manager features in your Nexus 5, head over to Settings > Security > Device administrators.
Switch on developer mode in your Nexus 5
If you want to unleash the real power of your Nexus 5, enable developer mode on your device. Google has hidden the developer options from Android 4.1 to prevent first time smartphone users from playing around with critical and important features.But don’t be upset, it’s very easy to turn on the developer options in your device. You can switch it on by tapping on build number in the “about phone” option in “settings” menu for 7 times.
For enabling developer mode head over to Settings > About phone > Build number and tap build number continuously for 7 times. You will see a message that you have enabled Developer options on your nexus phone after tapping on build number and on the settings menu you can see the developer options, allowing you to access a whole number of new features like changing runtime, debug mode and so on.
Improve your Nexus 5 performance with ART runtime
Once you enable developer options in your device, you can see that Android uses Dalvik runtime by default. This runtime is described as a “just in time” compiler, which means it does all the application processing when it’s required for the running process, which is actually a slow process. Google is now looking to employ ART runtime in it’s latest Android version, which is a “ahead of time” compiler and faster when compared to Dalvik runtime. Good news is that you have ART runtime option in your Nexus 5, which is featured in KitKat but it is not enabled in Android 4.4 (KitKat) by default. To enable ART runtime you have to enter the Developers menu by the procedure stated above. Now head over to settings, select Developer options, Select runtime option there, and here you will get two options which are use Dalvik and use ART, here Dalvik is selected as default. Choose ART and once you select ART runtime, your device will reboot immediately. After selecting the ART runtime, you will see a message that applications are being optimized for the new runtime. This whole process will take a few minutes to complete and once the whole process is completed you can notice a considerable performance boost on your device. We must warn you that very few applications may be incompatible with the ART runtime, as few developers haven’t changed things accordingly in their apps. If you are having any problem with one of the installed applications you use heavily on daily basis which include crashing of the app, force closure and others, the only solution for you is to simply switch back to the Dalvik mode using the same procedure mentioned above.
Take screenshot on your Nexus 5
Want to capture screens in your nexus phone? It’s very simple. To take a screenshot, simply press volume down button and power button together. The resultant screenshots will be deposited in your gallery.To access the screenshots being taken, go to file manager and select pictures folder in it. You can find your screenshots in that folder.For more detailed procedure and to know the benefits of capturing screenshots, read- How to take screenshot in Nexus 5.
Enable lock screen widgets on your Nexus 5
Widgets are one of the outstanding features of the Android operating system, which are not present in some of its rival operating systems. This feature keeps Android one step ahead of rival operating systems. However lock screen widgets are one of the Android’s latest innovation which are available in your nexus phone. To enable widgets on lock screen in your device, head over to Settings menu, select Security option and check enable widgets option. The path for this is Settings > Security > enable widgets. Once you follow the above procedure, you can enable widgets on your lock screen simply by following these steps. On your lock screen simply swipe from left to right and tap the “plus” icon that is present on your nexus device. You can choose from the options like Google Now, Hangouts, Digital Clock etc., on the screen.
If you want decent photos on your Nexus 5, use HDR mode
Nexus 5 has a very good rear camera. If you want to have some good photos on your smartphone, you can use the HDR mode on your nexus device where HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The only disadvantage of using the HDR mode on your nexus phone is that while shooting at night time you have to turn off this mode for enabling flash.The other thing is that camera is pretty slow when you enable this mode. To enable HDR mode on your device just swipe from left to right on the edge of the screen in the camera application, where you can find that option.
Update all your Software’s for better performance and security
It is needless to say that each firmware update from Google brings new features and fixes that improve the performance of the device. Each and every update provided by the manufacturer helps you in better management of power resources on your device. If you haven’t updated softwares on your device, head over to settings > About Telephone > System Updates and check over there for an available update. You will get a message that your device has an update, download it and install it. Once the installation process begins, your nexus device will shutdown and the process continues and you will get a message that apps are being processed. Once the whole process is completed, you will see that your nexus device is updated to KitKat 4.4.4 or any new version being provided.
Selective Mobile Network to increase battery life on your Nexus 5
If you are not using the mobile data on your nexus device, why do you let it consume the battery? You can change your Nexus 5 settings so that you can use only 2G networks for messages and calls. If you want to browse or surf in world wide web, then switch to 3G network for better experience. You can increase battery life by changing these settings on your nexus. You can toggle between 2G network and 3G network by heading over to, Settings > More > Mobile Networks > Network Mode where you can select the mobile network.
Gain an easy speed boost on your Nexus 5 by disabling animations
The animations that occur as you move between applications and screens look awesome and pretty for you, but they bring down your Nexus 5 performance and can slowdown your smartphone. In most cases they essentially force you to wait for a period of time. Though this time is less in many cases, it is a considerable factor. You should be thankful to Google because, it’s possible to disable them completely and also reduce the time they run for by using settings on your nexus device. Both of these options will make your handset respond faster than before and you can see considerable difference in your device’s performance. To enable this option go to settings, select Developer options there and scroll down to select the animation scale (Transition, Animator, and Window) and toggle all to “Animation off” or change the animation scale. By doing this your User Interface on the device might not be good but by doing this your nexus device would definitely become fast.
Switch launchers on your Nexus 5
The biggest advantage of Android Operating System is the kind of customization it offers and this let it gain an upper hand over its rival Operating systems. The ability to change launcher on your nexus device stands out when compared to rival operating systems. By changing launchers on your smartphone you can change the look and feel of your smartphone. Switching between launchers is a bit painful in the previous versions of Android, but in the latest versions of Android, Google has added a quick and easy toggle in the settings menu which saves a lot of time for you. There are a lot of launchers you could try out on your device in the Google Play Store, which are Next, Nova, Apex, Apus, MIUI etc.., When you install a new launcher on your nexus device you can switch between the launchers by heading over to settings, select home and there you can select from the launchers you have installed.
Get detailed information about your Nexus 5
You can get the detailed stats and information related to your Nexus 5 such as usage statistics, battery information, phone information, and WiFi information by simply dialing *#*#4636#*#*. This one is handy to get the details about your Nexus 5 in quick time.
Android animation on your Nexus device
Do you want to get the Android animation on your Nexus 5? Head over to settings, select About phone and tap on the Android version for 3 three times quickly, then you can see the Android version your are using on your Nexus 5. You can access it by heading over to Settings > About phone > Android version and there you can see the Android animation.
See your notifications even after clearing them on your Nexus 5
Do you clear all the notifications without seeing them on your nexus device? Are you busy all the day and have no time to see them? Google has provided an awesome solution for all such folks who have cleared their notifications intentionally or accidentally. Follow these simple steps and you can easily get back all your notifications that are organized according to date on your Nexus 5. From your home screen, go to widgets, grab “settings shortcut” over there and move it on to your home screen and select notifications over there on your nexus device. There you can see all the notifications you have cleared on your nexus device. For this head over to Widgets > Settings shortcut > Notifications and follow the steps mentioned above.
Control your Nexus phone with your voice
Google Now, Android’s answer to Siri and Cortana, can be invoked or fired up with your simple voice command. It is possible to activate Google Now, simply by saying “OK Google.”, on your device.
When you are on the home screen or even in lock screen, simply say “OK Google” and you will be prompted to give your next command, which can be anything from asking Google to navigate to a place or to set an alarm or call someone or even play song on your nexus device and so on, The things you can do with Google Now are ask for time and date, get flight information, know sports information, setting an alarm, play music, searching web, know about weather, getting directions, get conversions, setting a reminder and notes, call and messaging someone, try these Easter Eggs( Do a barrel roll, tilt, what does the fox say, what’s the loneliest number, make me a sandwich, who are you, what is your favorite color ), and the newest feature is that you can control your nexus phone from lock screen. Just be wary of your friends shouting the same phrase when you are trying these commands on your Nexus 5.
Usage of various options to determine your location effects battery life on your Nexus 5
In the previous versions of Android like Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Honey Comb, and so on , determining your location was solely based on usage of GPS. Even though GPS gives precise location, it consumes fair amount of your device battery life and leave you with empty battery. Android’s latest version KitKat (4.4.4) now comes with three modes for location determination. The three modes are Device only, High accuracy, and Battery saving. High accuracy uses mobile networks, GPS, and Wi-Fi to determine your location. Battery saving uses Wi-Fi and mobile networks to determine your location. Device only uses GPS to determine location from your Nexus 5. The Battery saving method is precise and it doesn’t consume much battery on your Nexus 5. To select from the above three options, go to Settings > Location > Mode. Select the Battery saving mode so that you can get better battery backup on your Nexus 5.
Immersive mode on your Nexus 5
The “immersive” mode is the one of the newest features of Android KitKat which gives you an unimpeded view on your current application by removing all of the on-screen interface on your nexus device. Apps that support immersive mode will automatically remove UI elements on your nexus device screen. If you want options for that app, just swipe down from the display so that you can see the UI elements. MX player, Asphalt 8, Play Books are some of the applications where you can see and feel the better experience.
Print wirelessly from your Nexus 5
We mostly rely on paperless documents today, but sometimes we need a hard copy where digitally signed PDF isn’t enough for the need. In the latest versions of Android, Google has provided the solution for this issue by wireless printing with HP’s Cloud Printing application. But the only backdrop is that only certain applications support this feature at present. But this feature is wonderful as we can print documents directly from our device.
Monitor your data usage
Your smartphones consumes a lot of data as it is loaded with many apps which update regularly. Most of the carriers enforce data limits and charge heavily once the data limit is crossed, which leaves you with low balance. With Android’s built-in data usage monitor, you can see exactly how much data you use on your nexus device. You could even disable data usage and regulate by setting limits and also setting warnings for data usage and prevent excess data usage. When the limit is reached you will get warning and data will be disabled.
Dismiss an alarm before it disturbs your peace
If your alarm fires when you’re in traffic or during a meeting, think how awkward and frustrating it would be. In the Android’s latest version, you can dismiss an alarm before it bothers you and disturbs you. You will get a pop-up notification an hour before the alarm is due to fire in the notification bar on your device.
Know Process Stats on your Nexus 5
In the latest version of Android, Google has provided Process Stats section which contains all kinds of information about the apps that are running on your nexus device. It’s ideal for those people who want to fine-tune their device’s performance and explore more. To know process stats head over to Settings, select Developer Options and select Process Stats. The path is Settings > Developer Options > Process Stats.
Encrypt data on your Nexus 5
This powerful option will let you encrypt your downloaded apps, accounts, settings, and their data, media and other files, so that you can protect your data. Once you encrypt your Nexus 5, you need to type a numeric PIN or password to decrypt it each time you power on your nexus device. Remember that forgetting the PIN will cost you, you cannot decrypt your nexus device except by performing a factory data reset which erases all your data. This process of encryption of your nexus phone takes an hour or more. So you must keep your nexus device plugged in until encryption is complete or else there is a chance of losing your valuable data. To encrypt your Nexus 5 follow this path: Settings > Security > Encrypt and select encrypt phone.
Reboot your Nexus 5 in safe mode
As you could reboot your computer, you can also reboot your Nexus 5 in safe mode. Once you switch on your nexus phone in safe mode, all the third party applications will be disabled on your nexus device. In the latest Android versions, Google has provided this useful feature. If something goes wrong on your nexus phone you can try enabling safe mode. By enabling safe mode you can troubleshoot your Nexus 5. By following these instructions you can switch your nexus phone in safe mode.
* Long press the power button on your Nexus 5
* Long press the power off option on the screen and your get the option as “Reboot to safe mode” and select it get above functionality.
To know more about safe mode, read – What is safe mode and how to turn on safe mode in your android device.
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