Each Android user has probably experienced the Google Play Store suddenly crashing and burning. Whether you get an error message when downloading apps or the Play Store just doesn’t work when you launch, it’s all just really annoying. Here are some tips that will get the Google Play Store working on your phone, guaranteed. [Update: we've been hearing that users are having problems with the Google Play Store or WhatsApp not working. There has recently been a WhatsApp update forced upon us, so check point one in our article for a possible solution.]
1. Empty the cache
In most cases, you just need to empty the cache of the Play Store app. This is a storage area that will temporarily hold data which can then quickly be retrieved again without needing to be reloaded, meaning a page will load quicker. In order to empty this, you just need to open the settings and find the Apps section. Now choose ‘All’ and find the Google Play Store. Tap on it and press on the ‘Empty Cache’ button. Now when you open Google Play, it should run as before.
Update: On August 4th 2014 many users were forced to update WhatsApp and encountered issues in the Google Play Store. If you were one of those people, apply the same process to empty the Google Play cache (as above) but do it for WhatsApp instead. This should fix the problem for 99% of users, but if not, try some of the other tips below.
If the first tip didn’t work, then you can try deleting the data from the Play Store. This pretty much sets the app back to square one and gets rid of a lot of saved information. The option is again found by following the same route as above, but this time you tap on ‘Delete Data’.
3. Uninstall Play Store updates
Even this can help. Sometimes an update will get Google Play all out of whack, so it makes sense to uninstall an update, which you do by going into the settings, search for Google Play Store and press the button that says ‘Uninstall Updates’. This will revert Google Play back to the original version as it appeared when it was first installed on your device.
If you have deactivated the Download Manager, Google Play won’t work anymore. To get it back, go to Settings, then App Manager (or equivalent) and all apps. Search for Download Manager and tap on the activate button. However, if this button says deactivate, no worries, this means that the Download Manager is already active.
7. Perform a Factory Data Reset of your smartphone
If you’ve done everything written above and still to no avail, then you might need to resort to the ultimate step of performing a Factory Data Reset of your phone. This could be your only way out of Google Play misery. However, be forewarned that all of your data will be lost, so it is super important to perform a complete backup beforehand. To perform a Factory Data Reset you go to your Settings once again, then ‘Backup and Reset’ and select ‘Factory Data Reset’ at the bottom of the list. Your smartphone will start anew and revert back to how it was when you first got it. Once the process is complete, you can set it up again as before and restore the backup.
The Nexus 7 is Google’s most successful tablet and I’ve loved the transition from iOS to Android. At the core of it all, it is basically a larger versions of Google’s Nexus smartphones but at the same time fundamentally different. As such, I've compiled a list of some neat features and tips that you might find handy for the Nexus 7.
Read our Nexus 7 (2013) review to find out all you need to know about the Google device.
Avoid Face Unlock
The Nexus 7 2013 offers a bunch of screen unlocking methods to secure the data that it keeps aboard, from PIN, to a pattern, password, and lastly, and most interestingly, Face Unlock. Though this one may seem the most exciting, I would stay away from it. Why? Because, it doesn’t present the highest security level of all the methods, and after reading through various forums, could easily be hacked. The concept is you hold the device up to face level, and blink, so that the system recognizes that you are a real human and not just a picture. If you are willing to go with the risk on this, you can easily set it up by going into the settings of your device, then Security, and finally Screen lock. There you can choose Face Unlock. Right away, it will tell you that this method is the less secure than a pattern, PIN or password and that someone who looks the same could unlock your tablet - the technology just isn’t advanced enough. Many tech sites might tell you to use this, be say don't!
Sometimes it isn’t just enough to set up an unlocking method on your lock screen. Though many thieves are likely just to want to make a buck by selling your device, if they ever got their hands on it, there may just be a conniving thug out there who is wanting to commit identity theft. It is because of this that users should go a step further and encrypt the data on their device, which is then only accessible with a PIN. Go to the settings of your Nexus 7, then tap on Security followed by Encrypt tablet. Please be aware that encrypting your device will take over an hour, so it’s best to have a fully charged battery as well as keep it plugged in, because if the encryption is interrupted, this could result in a loss of data.
It may seem a bit counter intuitive, but the rotation of the display is not enabled by default on the Nexus 7. As such, you’re stuck with a fixed display when you get the device and it may seem cumbersome for a device with a much larger screen than just your standard smartphone. There is a very quick way to be able to fix this and be able to freely have your screen adjust to whatever orientation you want to hold your phone, landscape or portrait. Simply swipe down from the top right hand of the screen to bring up your Quick Settings (this might be a tip in itself as many users aren’t even aware of how to get to Quick Settings!) and just tap on the Auto Rotate square to enable or disable this feature. Voila!
There are situations where when you`re looking to pick up a particular piece of content from a website, such as viewing a photo, and you want to be able to pick out more detail or get a zoomed in look. Well, with the screen zoom feature you can have an “imaginary magnifying glass” that hovers around your screen. This can be enabled by heading to Universal Access in your settings and choosing the Magnification Gestures option. When turned on, every time you do a triple tap on the screen, you can enlarge it and then use a pinch-to-zoom gesture to enlarge the screen even further. To get back to a normal screen, just triple tap the screen again to return to normal.
It is not really intuitive to hold your tablet extremely close to your face, such as is the case with most smartphones. Since it makes more sense to hold this larger device further away from you for reading purposes, it is also common to find situations where the text size displayed is often too small to be read at a comfortable distance. You can increase the default text size through your settings to combat this annoyance and make it so default text, such as display by a web browser, is automatically enlarged. To do so, head to your settings and go to Display and Font Size, where you can choose from four sizes for your default font. Similarly, you can get the same results by going to Accessibility in your settings and and choosing the Large Text option.
This may seem extremely trivial, but this is a very important feature when it comes to using tablets that can easily be overlooked just due to not knowing exactly how to do it. To select a portion of text that you want to use, just hold your finger over it for about two seconds. This will then highlight the text and a bunch of options will pop up at the top of your screen, such as copy, paste, cut, and more. If you want to expand or constrict your highlighted portion of text, just use the two marking edges and drag them to the desired length that you want. It is hard to believe that there was a time on smartphones and tablets that this wasn’t even a standard feature.
Do you feel your Google tablet is getting slow? Here are ways to speed up your Nexus 7.
Disable WiFi during sleep mode
WiFi is a power hungry beast when it is being used, but did you know that by default that WiFi is still active, even when you’re not using your device or it is the middle of the night? Thankfully, your Nexus 7 has the option to disable using WiFi during these times that you can control. If you head to your WLAN settings and then tap in the top right corner and choose Advanced, you’ll see a slew of options to choose from. By clicking on Keep WiFi on during sleep, you can choose from either having it on all the time, only when the device is plugged in, or never. Keep in mind, this will limit the connectivity of the device so if you rely on WiFi to get messages or push notifications, you won’t receive them again until you physically wake the device up
Google automatically syncs all your Google accounts to your Nexus device, such as Google+, Gmail, and app data. This can be a bit cumbersome if you don’t necessarily want or need all that stuff on your device or just want to keep it separate, due to multiple accounts or whatnot. In your settings, you can head down to the Accounts area and click on whichever one you want to modify. In this case, we chose Google. From there, you can then unclick all the data that you don’t want synced on this device automatically, whether it be Google Calendar items or even Google Photos.
Do you have apps in which you constantly receive notifications from, but you really don’t want to see them anymore? If you head to the Apps portion of settings, you can select the offending app from the list of installed apps and then just uncheck the Show Notifications option just at the top of the opened page. That’s all it takes to remove the ability for that app to continue sending you notifications.
Performing a factory or hard reset of any device regularly will improve performance and clear up certain bugs that may have been lingering from dodgy apps, previous firmware update hiccups or just prolonged usage and lag. Considering just how many Galaxy S4 and even Galaxy S3 owners have said that they're happy to stay put with their device in the face of the underwhelming Galaxy S5, refreshing the Galaxy S3's performance seems pretty timely. Here's how to do it (it also works on the S4).
You have a couple of options when it comes to resetting your device. Firstly you can choose between a basic factory reset, which I consider to be done via the settings menu on the device and a hard reset which is done via a hardware button combination and the recovery menu – it gives you more options for wiping data, cache and partitions. The other thing you need to consider is whether you want your full system reinstalled after the reset or just your apps and personal data.
Always backup first
Before you even consider doing a factory reset or hard reset you really, really need to backup your system, apps and data to whatever level you need. When it comes to backing up data there's never too many backups. I always perform an app and data backup on my device with Titanium Backup, then I do a ClockworkMod ROM Manager backup and then I also copy over my backups along with pictures, music etc to my computer manually with a USB cable, just to be safe. Keep in mind there's a difference between simply backing up your apps and data and making a complete Nandroid system backup. All of this may seem overly cautious but once you've lost important data once you'll soon see multiple backups as a valuable investment of your time and energy.
This is the quick and easy reset option and will wipe your data from the device but not affect your SIM or SD card if you have either of them installed. No reset will affect your SIM contents but some people are a little paranoid regardless, so if you're one of them just take it out first (along with your SD card if you like). Then go to settings, ''backup and reset'' and hit ''factory data reset'', then ''reset device'' and ''delete all''. You can achieve the same result using the Android code *2767*3855# from the dialer.
Hard reset
This is basically the same as doing a factory reset, but when you use the hardware button combination you have additional options to manually wipe more of your device. Depending how often you are doing a reset and wipe or flashing custom ROMs this may be a natural or unnecessarily complicated way of doing it, but I like to be in control so this is how I do it. You can just do a factory reset and leave it at that but some people like to do a factory data reset, then wipe the cache partition and then the Dalvik cache separately, and sometimes both before a factory reset and then again afterwards, just to be sure. It's all up to personal preference but if you choose not to do these last two steps and have any issues after rebooting (like getting stuck in a bootloop), wiping the cache partition and Dalvik cache can quite often be all you need to get you back to where you want to be.
The Galaxy S5 is starting to spread out a bit now, challenging the HTC One (M8) for the favorite flagship title right now. The S5 may be outselling the M8, but the Xperia Z2 hasn't hit the market yet either, so here's a few tips and tricks for your Galaxy S5 to make sure you've got it running at peak performance in the face of some stiff competition.
The first time I saw the new TouchWiz settings menu I couldn't believe just how unwieldy and long it was, making it quite difficult to actually find what you want in the endless rows of irregularly color-coded round icons. The first thing to do is switch this icon view to the still-long but much better list view.
If this isn't one of the first things you do when you get a new Galaxy device, it should be. First though, you want to familiarize yourself with the two power saving modes the S5 comes with. Ultra Power Saving Mode is an extreme case, road-trip, long-day, no-power, emergency-situation option that will largely cripple your S5's functionality in order to drag out lots more battery life. But it is not ideal for everyday use. The regular power saving mode is more reasonable, but you might want to enable background data and perhaps turn off grayscale mode to get the recipe just right for your needs.
How to reset the Galaxy S5 for better performance.
3. Use Samsung's Toolbox
I'm a big fan of multitasking apps and hover features, as some of you will know, so it's probably no surprise that I think Samsung's clever little floating bubble, Toolbox, is great. Toolbox gives you quick access to your favorite apps from any screen and is a nifty little feature that everyone should be using. Just head into settings and turn Toolbox on, then drag the little triple dot bubble around to keep it out of your way, or tap it to open your favorite shortcuts.
Even though you might not have guessed it from my recent video on the S5's finger scanner, it actually does work relatively well if you just know how to set it up properly. What you want to do when you register your prints is hold the phone exactly as you would when you unlock it, so you swipe your thumb down sideways over the home button. This means the print the device registers is actually the one you'll be using to unlock it and not some awkward version that requires two-handed unlocking.
The Galaxy Note 4 also looks to come with a fingerprinte scanner: find out all you need to know about this new Samsung phablet.
5. Get your freebies
You may have forgotten that when the Galaxy S5 was about to ship, Samsung revealed the bonus that every S5 would include 500 USD worth of premium app subscriptions. Sure, more Samsung bloatware may not be your thing, but if you've got free access to some premium services why not take advantage of it while you can. If not permanently, just to have a look and see if you think it is worth the extra dough.
Hey guys apologize for not updating Smarttricks with Fresh Content Regularly in Recent times. But there is a Good News, because i am back with yet another Facebook Trick. Today we will see How to Recover deleted facebook messages,Photos and Videos and much more on facebook.
Basically its a Facebook Feature which not many people are aware of and hence i will be writing this tutorial to let you guys know about this amazing feature/Trick that Facebook Provides.
Many a times We Delete Messages,Photos or Vidoes from our profile which is not intentional but once we do , we can not undo it. and its gone forever.
But wait, There is a saying: Nothing is Lost, until MOM can’t find it, Likewise in this case even if you delete anything from your facebook account, you can get it back. Facebook have all your data in their archive which you can download too.
Retrieve Deleted Facebook Messages,Photos and Videos
Follow the Below simple steps to Know how you can get back and have access to your deleted messages, photos,Videos and all other data of your facebook profile.
Step 1: First of all,You will have to Click here to open Facebook General account Settings.
Step 2: Once you open your general settings, you will see Download a Copy of your Facebook Data, So click on it to.
Step 3: On the Next page you will see a Download Archive Button, Click on it and you will be prompt to enter your Password to Continue, This is a Security Step by Facebook.
Step 4: After entering your Facebook Password, Click on Submit, On the next screen you will be shown that the download link for your data will be sent to your email id which you used to create your facebook account.
Step 5: Wait for Few Minutes, check your mail. You will see a mail from facebook in your Inbox with Downloading link ready for you to download all your data.
Step 6: Now After downloading the file. Unzip it and open the folder where you will find your messages, photos, vidoes. Pokes, Friend list etc.
The Files will be in .html format so you will have to double click on the file and select your Favourite Browser to open the file, the File will open up in your browser where you will have access to all your data..
I Hope this guide will help someone or other who didn’t already know that you can actually Retrieve Deleted Facebook Messages,Photos and Videos. Don’t forget to Share it with your friends if you like it and you may even Subscribe for New post, to get directly in your mail inbox.
Movavi Was Established in 2004 and Since then They have Produced many Amazing Programs for Windows and MAC users. Recently i tried my hands on one of thier Program Called Movavi Video Converter.
Movavi Video Converter is a Video Conversion Software that can Convert any kind of Video at High Speed. The Good Guys at Movavi Claims that their Video Converter Converts video 79 Times faster. After Using The Software i was amazed to see the Conversion Speed that this magical tool Converted my video. No Doubt, the Conversion speed is Exceptional and they Provide the speed that they claim.
Movavi Supports almost all Video/Audo Formats. I personally checked AVI, MP4, 3GP, FLV, MPEG, MPEG-TS, MKV, WMV, SWF, ASF, WebM, OGV, RM, WTV and they all were supported by Movavi without any trouble. If this Wasn’t Enough, I even found that Movavi video converter can also Trim your video with great speed.
After Experiencing the Video Conversion Speed and Supportive file Formats, I was a Bit Skeptical about the Output Quality that this tool will Generate. i was in belief that the Quality of output video will not be Good. But hey, i was Wrong. The Output Quality of my Converted video was of Top Notch.
Many a times, Tools like this Tends to Crash while running, But Movavi Video Converter did not gave me a chance to critic on this topic.
Overall Conclusion is that this tool is amazing to Convert Videos in High Quality and amazingly Fast Speed. Almost All File Format Support, Speed and Very User friendly Interface will Grab your Attention.
Whether you are new to Android and eager to try out every available option you see on the screen, or familiar with the system, including the annoyances that plague you on a daily basis, tips and tricks to get around a system is always helpful. We are here to help you with that.
In this post, we are featuring 10 useful Android tips and tricks that may improve your experience while using your Android device. Do note that the steps may vary a little from one Android phone to another due to the differences in the build and the OS version, but if you play around with it, the next step isn’t too far off.
Bugged by annoying app notifications that just keep coming? If you don’t know already, these app notifications also drain your phone’s battery. If you want to turn them off, and you are on Jelly Bean 4.1 and above, here’s how:
On any of your unwanted notifications in your notification bar, long press on the notification for a message box to appear.
Tap on App Info > Untick Show Notifications > OK.
2. Disable Mobile Data
Whenever you don’t need to stay connected, disabling the Mobile Data can help keep your smartphone battery from draining too quickly. Turning off mobile data is as easy as:
Going to Settings > Data Usage.
Disable Mobile data by toggling the setting from ON to OFF.
Want to keep track of how far your usage is from your monthly mobile data limit? If you have ICS and above, there is a feature which lets you keep track of how much of the quota you have left.
Head over to Settings > Data Usage.
Set your data limit by dragging the orange line to reflect your monthly quota.
Set your data usage cycle based on when your "month" starts and ends, and you’re done.
You will be alerted once you hit the limit you have set. Note that the tracked data usage of your phone may vary slightly than your carrier’s tracking.
4. Add Multiple Google Accounts
You need a Google account to use an Android phone but did you know you can choose to run more than one Google account on your Android device. This is convenient if you use more than one account for several of your Google services. To add multiple Google accounts:
Go to Settings > Add account.
Select Google and setup your New or Existing Google account.
Once added, choose what you want to sync with the account.
Repeat all the steps above if you want to add more accounts.
5. Disable automatic App Updates
Prefer to read through app permissions and manually pick which app updates to adopt? You can, but first you need to disable your automatic app updates. Here are the steps:
Open Play Store and head over to Settings.
Tap on Auto-update apps.
Choose Do not auto-update apps.
If you want to enable the auto updates, follow the same path and choose Auto-update apps at any time or via Wi-Fi (available for certain Android devices only).
To update your apps manually, just open Play Store, and on the main page swipe in from the left and tap on My apps. You can tap on apps with pending updates and update them manually, or if you like to update them all at once, just tap on Update All.
6. How To Check For android System updates
For Android users that are using stock ROM, you may want to look for new updates to your system. To check for updates:
Go to Settings > About phone/tablet.
Tap on Systemupdates.
Tap Check now to look for system updates.
7. Changing Default Apps
If you have already set some default apps for particular tasks (e.g. using Chrome for opening web links) but wish to change this:
Go to Settings > Apps.
Swipe right and look for the All tab.
Select the app you want to remove as default.
Tap on Clear defaults.
8. Organize Homescreen Shortcuts With Folders
Once you have a lot of apps installed, your homescreen might be filled with app shortcuts. Unlike the app drawer, the apps on your home screen are not arranged alphabetically. So, you might want to create some folders for your homescreen shortcuts.
Assuming you have more than a handful of shortcuts already on your homescreen, long press on any of the shortcuts and drag it onto another shortcut.
A circle should now appear around the apps, indicating that a folder has been created.
By tapping on the newly created folder, a mini window will pop up with your apps in it.
You can drag and drop additional apps into the folder if you like. You can also rename the folder by tapping on the text area at the bottom of the mini window.
9. Disable Animations
Here’s a tip on how to make your Android device run a bit smoother: disable its animations. You will need to have access to Developer Options which can be found under Settings or About device.
Note: For some phones, you may need to go to Build number and tap on it repeatedly until you see "You are now a developer!". Developer options are now enabled.
Under enabled Developer options, look for Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Then, turn them off (disable) them one at a time.
10. How to Turn Off Auto-Correction
Hate the fact that your phone is going English teacher mode on you? Turn off auto-correction for peace of mind when texting.
Go to Settings > Language & input.
Tap on the settings icon next to the keyboard that you are using, e.g. Google Keyboard.
