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New Users Guide To Android

This document provides a guide for new Android users, covering topics like setting up a Google account, importing contacts, synchronization, the audio system, home screen customization, file system navigation, installing and managing apps/games, USB debugging, developer options, and customizing ringtones/notifications. It aims to explain these essential Android functions and how to perform common tasks to help new users get acquainted with the Android operating system.

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84 views10 pages

New Users Guide To Android

This document provides a guide for new Android users, covering topics like setting up a Google account, importing contacts, synchronization, the audio system, home screen customization, file system navigation, installing and managing apps/games, USB debugging, developer options, and customizing ringtones/notifications. It aims to explain these essential Android functions and how to perform common tasks to help new users get acquainted with the Android operating system.

Uploaded by

Exterminaterr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NEW USER'S GUIDE TO ANDROID

xiprox @ xda-developers.com | http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=4526435


RECENTLY MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE MIGRATING TO THE ANDROID WORLD. WELL, IN THE
PAST FEW WEEKS 3 OF MY FRIENDS GOT ANDROID PHONES. SINCE THEN I WAS BEING ASKED
LOTS OF THINGS. FROM APPS TO CUSTOM ROMS. SO I DECIDED TO WRITE UP SOME SORT OF
A GUIDE FOR THE NEWCOMERS. ILL TRY TO IMPROVE IT BY TIME AS MUCH AS I CAN.
INDEX

-Google Accounts
-Importing Contacts
-Synchronisation
-Audio System
-Launcher(Homescreen)
-File System
-Apps & Games (sd data of some games, app data, etc.)
-USB Debugging
-Developer Options
-Ringtones, Notifcations and Alarms (how to add your own to be displayed in Settings->Sound)
// -Root coming soon!
// -Custom ROMs coming soon!
// -Backup/Restore Apps, their data coming soon!

GOOGLE ACCOUNT
When you get your android phone and turn it on for the frst time its most likely going to make you go through a bunch of steps
in order to set your phone up. The very frst thing it will ask you will be your Google Account (Gmail). This obviously shows that G Ac-
counts are important. Well, you'll ask why.
Everything of yours in that phone will be saved in your G Account. Your contacts, list of the apps you have installed, your Google
Calendar events, Browser data, Photos, Music, etc, etc.. Once you create a contact in the Phone app it will save it in the google account
and synchronise it as connects to the internet. Next time you get a new phone or have to reset your phone to factory settings you'll au-
tomatically get your contacts restored, your apps visible in Play Store, your calendar entries restored, etc...
IMPORTING CONTACTS
There are several ways of restoring contacts these are:
1. Setting up your Google Account which has your contacts pre-synchronised.
2. Manually Uploading your .vcf fle to Gmail's Contacts section.
2. Copying your .vcf fle to your sdcard and importing using People app
3. Copying your contacts in your old phone to your SIM card and vise-versa on your Android phone.
1. Setting up your Google Account which has your contacts pre-synchronised.

This is the easiest way but unless you have your contacts already synchronised to your Gmail this wont do the trick. What I
mean is if youre not coming from another android phone than you most probably wont have them in your Gmail. You can try the next
options.
Restoring this way is very simple. All you need to do is to go to Settings app -> Accounts -> Add Account -> Google. And set your
account up. Then make your you enable synchronisation of Contacts. Your Contacts should be displayed in the contacts app.
2. Manually Uploading your .vcf fle to Gmals Contacts section.

On your computers browser go to http://www.gmail.com. Find the dropdown menu that has the Gmail text, click and select
Contacts.
There go to More and select Import Simply chose the .vcf fle and click Import.
Now, switch to your phone and add your Google Account that you just imported the contacts in. You can fnd
information on this in the frst method above.
3. Copying your .vcf fle to your sdcard and importing using Phone App.
Connect your phone to your PC and transfer to your sdcard. I suggest you name the fle something unique so that it's easy to
identify while importing. If you are sure you have no more than one vcf fle than it's all right.
Now switch to your phone and open up the phone app. There touch the menu button ( , , )
select "Import/Export".
Then "Import from storage"
It is going to search for a Vcard fle. When it comes up with the one you want just select and import.
4. Copying your contacts in your old phone to your SIM card and vise-versa on your Android
phone.
After you get your contacts copied to your SIM card insert it to your Android phone and open up Phone app. Go to menu and
touch Import/Export there select Import from SIM card. Let it search for a while...
SYNCHRONISATION
According to Wikipedia; Data synchronization refers to the idea of
keeping multiple copies of a dataset in coherence with one another, or to main-
tain data integrity.
Simply synchronisation means to keep a clone of the curent data by passing
changes on one side to the other.
There are many areas where synchronisation comes in in Android. First of
them is Contacts, then Apps, then Calendar, then Pictures, and so on. While these
are stuff maintained by the system in other to prevent you from loosing your
data, other apps might be able to synchronise data too. Evernote for instance, is
a note app which synchronises your notes with its cloud storage...

AUDIO SYSTEM
You most probably remember the old phones and Operating systems where there was only one sound volume for ringtones, mu-
sic, sms altogether... In android this is different. You have many different sound volumes for different things. These sound volumes are:
-Media Volume (music, video, games, etc.)
-Ringtone Volume
-Notifcation Volume (sms, e-mail, alerts, app notifcations, etc.)
-Alarm Volume
NOTE: In some cases Ringtone and Notifcation Volumes might be linked.
LAUNCHER (HOME SCREEN)

In Android the Home Screen is called The Launcher. Its said that most customizable part of Android is the Launcher. You can
put lots of different widgets including different types of clocks. Some people use text widgets for various designs, etc.

The Launcher can be replaced with third-party ones. There are many alternative launchers out there such as Apex Launcher,
Nova Launcher, Holo Launcher, Go Launcher, Next Launcher, SPB Shell, ADW Launcher and many many more. Each of them bring more
features and customization...

FILE SYSTEM
Androids fle system can be accessed easily. However some part of it cannot be viewed unless superuser (root) rights. For fur-
ther information about root please check its page.

When you install a File Explorer app itll most likely start at /sdcard directory (your sd card). When you touch the up button (In
my case, using Solid Explorer I had to click Jump->Device->System root) youll see that there are many more directories...
Here is what I have:
/data
contains apps installed in the phone memory, their data (your proggress in a game for instance), system set-
tings, etc. Basically your data since the time you got the phone or reset it to factory settings (except the ones
you deleted of course). You cannot see them without root permissions.
/sdcard
is obviously your sd card. This can be thought like a shortcut to your real sd card. The sd card for me (Galaxy
Nexus) is actually at /storage/emulated/0.
/system
all system fles are stored there. You can see them but cant edit.
APPS AND GAMES
APK FILES
.apk fles are the application packages. They contain the code, icon, ui elements, etc. of the app. Think of them as executables
(.exe) in windows. They are simple .zip pakages. They can be opened with any archive viewer.
SD FILES
There are millions of games and apps out there. In Android youll mostly be able to install apps from the Play Store. However
sometimes there might be apps that need some specifc sd fles.
A while ago my friend came to me with such questions like: Whats that .apk fle I saw when I was looking for ffa 2012 on goo-
gle? And also something called sd fles, whats that? Which one should I download? One is 20mb the other 1.3Gb? They are the actual
game. In Modern Combat 4 for instance these sd data could be maps, sound effects, models, textures, etc.. It is more convenient to
have these fles put on the sdcard separately than having to download a game of 2GB directly from play store. And what if it fails down-
loading at 99.9%? Would you want to download 2GB fle once again? Of course not. In the case of Modern Combat 4 the apk fle has the
code in it which then loads the fles in the sd card, the sd fles and shows them to you...
LOCATION OF THE APK AND DATA OF AN APP
Sometimes you will want to pull out an apk fle of an app. To share a game with friends perhaps. Or to modify something in it. Or
to pull a wallpaper from a launcher for instance. To be able to do these you obviously need the location of the apk fle.
System apps can be found at /system/app
Apps in the internal storage at /data/app [root required]
Apps data at /data/data [root required]
Apps on the sd card /mnt/asec
Apps data on the sdcard /mnt/asec
USB DEBUGGING
USB Debugging is used by developers mostly for debugging purposes at it can be understood from its name. It could be used
for various other functions such as taking a screenshot using your computer, usb tethering, fle pushing/pulling using adb, cracking the
lock pattern/pin, changing phone settings remotely from your computer with root access... Its not needed for daily use but its good to
know what it is. There are times we all need USB Debugging...
DEVELOPER OPTIONS
Developer Options are obviously mostly for developers. There is nothing too dangerous but if you dont know what they are you
better dont mess around. However, some of those options are for everyone. Pointer location, USB debugging, Show touches, Show lay-
out bounds, Animation scales...
RINGTONES, NOTIFICATIONS AND ALARMS
There are two places where ringtones are stored. In the system and in the sd card.
Ringtones in system /system/media/audio/ringtones
Notifcations in system /system/media/audio/notifcations
Alarms in system /system/media/audio/alarms
Remember: You can only pull from system unless you have root permissions
Ringtones in sd card /sdcard/media/ringtones
Notifcations in sdcard /sdcard/media/notifcations
Alarms in sd card /sdcard/media/alarms
NOTE: These folders might not exist you might have to create them yourself.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN RINGTONE AVAILABLE IN SETTINGS
Simply copy the audio fle to /sdcard/media/ringtone. Or if it is a notifcation then to /
sdcard/media/notifcations.

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