15+ Useful Google Now Tips

Cortana, Siri, Google Now are personal assistants developed by Microsoft, Apple and Google respectively to help us do some stuff. In today's post, I will take you through 15+ useful things you can do with Google Now.

Google Now does more than just looking up things from the world's largest search engine. You can make it remind you of stuffs, do Arithmetic for you, launch apps or even show you directions.

For Google Now to work, the "Google" app needs to be installed on the device. If it isn't installed already, visit the Google Playstore on your device and install it from there. With that being done, let's get started with what we can do with Google Now on our Android devices.

• Define Words: Not sure of what that word you're thinking about really means or how to really use it? Well, let it bother you no more. Ask Google Now, it will define it for you and show you how to really use it in a sentence.
  
• Call and Text People: "Call Michael", "Text Julian". Want to call or text someone while driving or you just don't want to go through your contacts searching for the individual "Ok Google, text(or call) [contact]" will do the trick.
  
• Send Emails: "Ok Google, send an email to [recipient]". Just say that. There is no need opening you emailing app talk less of typing.
• Navigate: You can ask Google Now to navigate to that place you want to go. Just say the Address to it and it will navigate there and using your speed, tell you how long it will take you to reach that particular distance.
• Check Out Interesting Facts: "Ok Google, which animal is the fastest on earth?" just ask and you'll have the answer. With Google Now, you can check out interesting facts and expand your knowledge. The good part is you don't need to be typing any long sentence - all you need to do is speak it out.
  
• Set Reminders: Never forget anything again. All you need is to tell Ok Google to set a reminder for you based on the time, date, location and many other factors. Just tell it to remind you do "this or that" and it'll be done.
  
• Open Applications: Don't wanna spend valuable time looking through your apps just to open one of them, Google Now will make it easier for you. Just say, "Open Maps" when the Google app is opened and it will open it for you. If you don't have the app, it will open the PlayStore in order  for you to download the app.
  
• Create Notes: You can use Google Now to keep notes. Unlike reminders, notes are meant to last longer. All you need is to install at least one note-keeping app and you can make Google Now to keep notes whenever you want it to. In case you have more than one note-keeping app, you will be prompted to choose one.
• You can also play and control music from Google play music.
• Control Your Device: You can use Google Now to take total control of your device. You can switch on and off Bluetooth, data, WiFi, mute your device and many others. You make it turn on Flashlight, ask it to take a picture or even shoot a video.
• Perform Conversions as well as Calculations: "Ok Google, 46814*46456+48454-8545" or "Ok Google, convert 632kg to lb" just ask and you'll get the answer ASAP.
  
• Check Stock: To see how your stock or a recognized company's stock is doing or has done over a period, just ask Google Now to check it out for you.
  
• You can ask for sport scores and match schedules.
• Search For Images Online: Since Google Now works with the world's leading search engine, just ask it to search for images regarding a particular subject and it'll dutifully do it for you. For example, "Ok Google, search for images of "Albert Einstein".
  
• Check the Weather: The weather is one of the biggest contributing factors to our daily life. If you want to know how the weather will be like in your location or your destination, just ask Google Now to do it for you. You can just ask "Okay Google, will I need an umbrella tomorrow" and voila! there your answer goes.
• Perform Translations: Want to translate from English to another language or vice versa? Just ask Google Now. No need downloading Google Translator or Microsoft Translator (may become handy if you want to learn a language) just to do that one translation.
  
• Check Places Nearby: Wanna know where the nearest post office is? No problem, ask Google Now.
• Display your flight information provided you have the message in your email.

How To Flash Custom ROMs Onto Any Android Device

Android is fun - you can do anything you want with your Android device provided you have the needed knowledge. Flashing custom ROMs is one of the fun things you can do with your Android device. Whiles this gives you the opportunity to upgrade to a newer version of Android, it allows you to add more power to your device; improving speed, battery life, using custom fonts, using a custom bootloader, increasing the device processor speed just to mention but a few. In this post, I will be taking you through the general steps in flashing customs ROMs onto any Android device. First thing you have to do is get a custom ROM ready and you're good to go. Check out Android Custom ROMs; What They Are, Their Advantages, Disadvantages and Where One Can Find Good Ones.

1.   Flashing A Custom Recovery: All Android devices come with a preinstalled recovery which you'll need to change to a custom one. The recovery is similar to BIOS found on a computer where you perform Administrative tasks. This is the most difficult step when it comes to flashing ROMs - once done, its easy to flash the ROM from here.

There are many ways of doing this depending on your device. Samsung users have Odin and Heimdall while others may use a tool called fastboot to load recovery onto their device. There are two main types of custom recoveries you can use to do the flashing; CWM (ClockWorkMod) recovery and TWRP (TeamWin Recovery Project). It is very important to follow the instructions of the ROM provider when flashing any ROM to save your device for getting bricked.

2.    Flashing The ROM: The final stage is flashing the ROM. Once you've downloaded the ROM in the .zip format from the internet and have saved it in the root of your Android device, you'll then need to boot into recovery in order to install the ROM. Booting into recovery depends on the device you're using - it requires the use of different key combinations that is Power button + Volume down + Home button(if it's a physical home button). Once you're in recovery, wipe data, wipe dalvik cache, factory reset and flash the ROM from your device storage.

Once, done flashing ROM, it is advisable to flash Google Apps Package (Gapps) onto your device. For legal reasons, this is kept separate from the ROM. Once done with this, reboot your device and enjoy your new ROM.

Hope this has given you the general idea on How To Flash Custom ROMs onto Any Android Device? If you have any problem, don't forget to put it in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe via email for free tips and gist.

Android Custom ROMs; What They Are, Their Advantages, Disadvantages and Where One Can Find Good Ones

Android is undeniably the most used mobile operating system in the world and also the most customizable OS as well. OEMs (particularly Samsung) don't like rolling out updates - they want you to change device every year unless you're a Nexus user. This is the main cause of the rise of customized ROMs by third parties - to give users who don't want to buy a new device but want the latest version of Android to install it without much hustle. In this post, I will take you through What custom ROMs are, their advantages, disadvantages and where one can get them.

What are custom ROMs?

Custom ROMs are developed by individuals or companies (Oxygen OS, Cyanogen OS) independent of the official device manufacturers (though they sometimes customize the OS for OEMs like One Plus) (third parties). Since Android is highly customizable, it makes it easier for anyone to customize the OS and make it run on supported Android devices.

What are the advantages of custom ROMs?

Flashing customs ROMs have numerous advantages that come with it. Let me take you through some of them.

• Update to a newer version of Android that OEMs may not offer.
• Get a faster device since custom ROMs are lighter than stock ROMs.
• Improve battery life
• Get rid of annoying bloatware forever.

What are the disadvantages of custom ROMs?

Every good thing has its own downside and custom ROMs are no different. Though customs ROMs do help a lot, there are prices that one is likely to pay especially if they are not from good sources or the process goes wrong.

• You may end up bricking your device if you don't go about the flashing process correctly.
• Lack of hardware support; camera, microphone and some other things MAY not work.
• Your warranty will be invalidated.
• You may experience battery drain if there are some few problems with hardware support.

Where Can You Get One For Your Device?

There are many places that you can get custom ROMs for your device. They are not something that you'll need to search for your whole life. The first place I recommend you check is Cyanogenmod - they've been in the business for quite long and you'll be able to get very stable ROMs from there. In case you don't find one for your phone, you can head over to XDA developers forum and get the latest AOSP-Based ROMs which are well tweaked for devices. Other places you can  check are MIUI (pronounced mee-yoo-eye). Slim ROM and many others.

Hope this post has enlightened you on Custom ROMs? If you have any problem, please drop it in the comment box. Don't forget to subscribe for free updates.

How To Record Screen On Any Android Device

There are so many things we love to do on our Android devices; from playing games to streaming videos and so much more. Sometimes we'd love to keep those things that we do for memory sake but ...we get stuck... . Well this should be no issue anymore. In this article, I will be taking you through how to record your screen on any Android device.

NB: This applies to devices running 4.4 (KitKat) and above.

There are so many apps in the PlayStore with apps that do the Screen Recording but today, we will be using and app outside the PlayStore called, SCR Screen Recorder. Click on the link to download. KitKat Rom(rooted devices only) [link] Lollipop Rom [link]

1. Install app from any of the links above.
2. Tap on the app icon and then tap the app icon on the pop up(KitKat users) or tap START NOW (lollipop users).
   
3. When done with your recording and you want to stop and save it, swipe down from the notification panel and tap on the SCR  notification.
   
4. To find your recorded video, go to your file manager and find ScreenRecorder folder.
   

Now that we're done with how to record your screen on an Android device, let's have a look at other features of this app.

1. You can increase the speed of the recording from x2 to x10 by going to Settings>Time-lapse then select your preferred speed.
   
2. You can set the Screen Orientation (land scape or portrait) by going to Settings>Orientation (this feature is only available for lollipop and above users).
   
3. You can also change the video resolution by going to Settings>Resolution.
   

Hope this tutorial has helped you with  how to record your screen on an Android device? Share and please don't forget to subscribe to the site via email. We don't spam.

How To Unroot Your Android Device

Rooting an Android device is very beneficial. You can do all the great stuff - you get the best out of the device (check out 9 reasons why you should root your Android device) but the real problem arrives when you want to update your device Over The Air(OTA) - in this case, you'll need to unroot your device first. In this post, I will be taking you through how to unroot your Android device safely.

If you used SuperSU to root your phone, then open the SuperSU app head to Settings scroll down and tap Full unroot. When this is done, the phone will reboot and you'll be done with the unrooting process.

If you used Kingo root, tap the Settings button in the app, then tap Remove Root and confirm to Remove Root. When this is done, the phone will reboot and you'll be done with the unrooting process.

If you used any other method aside the two above, it doesn't mean you've lost hope. You can install an app called Universal Unroot to remove root from some devices. Note: The Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy MEGA, Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Note 3 will not work with this app because of KNOX.

Hope this has helped you unroot your device? You can check out how to root your Android device here.

How To Save And Use Google Maps Offline

Need to visit the Cinema? Trying to find your way back to your house or hotel in an unfamiliar neighborhood? Well, that's why we have Google maps. But as we know, Google maps actually uses data connection to give direction. What if you aren't connected to the Internet when you need Google maps most? Well, this has been sorted out finally. You can now save your data offline and use it later on. So how do you save and use Google maps offline?

To save maps offline, navigate on the map to the location that you want to save for offline use. Touch the Search bar, scroll to the bottom of the interface and tap Save map to use offline. In case you searched for a location rather than manually finding the area, tap the bar at the bottom, then the menu button in the top right corner and tap Save offline map. In either case you'll then be taken back to the area of the map you were previously on, with a new interface.

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Note: You can only save a city or two and not the whole map. 

Saving Google maps offline does not only help you view your map while without Internet connection but it also helps you use the map when you have poor connection by saving you the hustle of it (Google maps) loading for a very long period.

How To Remove System Apps From Android Phones and Tablets

There are mainly two types of apps on every android device. These are pre-installed (system) apps and post installed apps. Mostly, pre-installed apps just take up space on Android devices in the sense that we don't really use them. Many people wish to remove these apps but when they navigate to Setting>Applications manager, click on the app, ouch, Uninstall is greyed out. But that is never the end, guess that's the reason why you searched for the topic How To Uninstall System Apps. Today, I'll take you through a very simple process in order to remove these "bloat wares".

In order to Uninstall System Apps, you will need to root your Android device. To know how to root, follow this link.

Important: there are very important apps on you device that you shouldn't uninstall. Uninstalling them will make you device malfunction and you will need to flash a new ROM to fix it. 

1. Head over to Playstore and download Titanium backup. 

2. Launch the app and grant root access.

3. Tap the Backup/Restore button on the main screen.

4. Choose the app you want to Uninstall.

-In this tutorial, I will Uninstall the stock browser. 

5. Tap the Uninstall button to remove the application.

6. Tap Yes when the prompt below pops up.

7. When the uinstallation is done, the Uninstalled app will be greyed out with a line drawn through it.

Hope the tutorial on how to clear pre-installed apps helped you remove those annoying bloatwares that do nothing but take up space, drain battery and slow the device down? You can also check out how to make your Android device faster.

Do subscribe in order to get the latest updates very as soon as posted and please leave your questions, suggestions and corrections in the comment session. 

How To Boot Any Samsung Tablet or Phone Into Download Mode (Odin mode)

Booting into download mode is very essential for every Samsung device. Not only does it allow you to root your device but it also allows you update your stock firmware using Odin, flash a custom or stock firmware as well as many other relevant things. This tutorial will help you boot into download mode on any Samsung phone or tablet including S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, Tab 4, Tab S, Tab pro, Tab 2, S3, S2, Ace 1, Ace 4, J7, A5, and any other.

• Check also (How To Root Your Android droid Device Easily and Safely) 

TTo boot into download mode,

1. Switch off your phone, remove the battery and insert it after 3 seconds. 
2. Press the (Power Button + Volume Down + Home Button) almost Simultaneously. If your device does not have a physical home button, then just hold down the (Power Button + Home Button) simultaneously. 
3. This Screen will show after some few seconds. 
   
4. Press the Volume Up button to go into download mode. 
   

I'm pretty sure everything worked perfectly. Please do subscribe in order to be one of the first to receive updates. Leave your questions and suggestions in the comment box.  

Cortana Will Be Built Into The Next Version Of Cyanogen OS: Cyanogen CEO Says

Cyanogen OS, the largest Android mod, has grown so much over the years. The OS is said to be used by more than 50 million users so far and more to come. The company said earlier in the year that there will be a partnership between the company and True caller in other to embed the true caller app into the OS as well as partnerships with other companies and the news of a partnership with Microsoft being the latest.

In an interview with International Business Times, Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster said his company is working with Microsoft to integrate Cortana into the future versions Cyanogen OS. He said, "In order to truly make a successful digital assistant, it needs to be embedded into the framework of an OS, which is why Cyanogen OS won’t simply offer a Cortana app, which is what Android does". This simply shows Cortana will now be in Windows 10 PC, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1, Android, iOS and soon an integration into Cyanogen OS. He also did throw light on the importance of Cortana’s natural language understanding, and how Microsoft’s technology is superior to services like Siri and Google Now.

Throwing some more light on what Cortana is, Cortana is Microsoft's personal assistant that was first introduced into Windows 8.1 mobile device and now on both Windows 10 PC and the Beta of Windows 10 mobile,  currently in the Beta stage for Android and there's also news of it being introduced into iOS soon. This personal assistant's been rated by many as better that both Google's Google Now and Apple's Siri. In recent months, Microsoft's been developing Android Apps and also pushing more of it's services to Android as well. 

Do you think this step by Microsoft is a good one? What's Microsoft up to by trying to develop more apps for Android? Only time will tell. 

How To Transfer Files Between Two Android Devices At A Super Speedy Rate

We use so many methods to transfer files between Android devices. So many people use Bluetooth or NFC to transfer smaller sized files like pictures and music between these devices without having to spend so much time or even lose patience. But one can agree with me that transferring large files of let's say 100MB and above using the above mentioned methods can be really hurting considering the time factor.

 Today, I will take you through a much faster process of doing this without downloading a single app. But in order to do this, you will need both phones to be connected to the same WiFi network.

1. Navigate through Settings to WiFi and connect both devices to the same WiFi network. 
   
2. Tap the Menu button on both devices and select WiFi Direct. 
   
3. Connect both devices. 
   
4. Navigate to the file you'd want to transfer and select it. Tap Share. 
   
5. In the pop up, select WiFi direct. 
   
   
   
6. Select the device you want send the file to and tap Done. 
   
7. When done transferring, go to ShareViaWiFi folder in your file manager to view the file. 
   

If for any reason you encounter any problem, do well to leave it in the comments. 

How To Protect Your Android Device Against Malwares.

Android devices have occupied the mobile phone market or better still I should say flooded the mobile phone market; there are just too many of them. They hold more than 50% of the market's share. In fact, research firm Strategy Analytics found that 81.3%, or 204.4 million, of smartphones shipped in the third quarter of 2013 were powered by Android. For this reason, though there aren't much mobile hackers as compared to PCs, there will be more attacks soon; more than we'd ever expect as more people are beginning to use mobile devices for their daily works. In this post, I will be taking you through some few steps on how to protect your device almost to 100% against malwares (malwares are mostly used by hackers to attack devices).

1. Antivirus: This is the first thing any android user should install. Most anti virus softwares detect malwares and even security flaws in the Settings of android devices. Getting an anti virus won't hurt in anyway; you can choose to get it free if you just use your device for normal use but you should be thinking of dropping a few dollars in if you use your device for commercial purposes ( this is to say you would need to upgrade to pro for more features). Some anti virus apps for android are; Avast, AVG, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, McAfee, Norton and so on.
   
2. Download apps from trusted sources: This I don't really need to say. It is very obvious that downloading from untrusted sources can cause so many problems in the long run. If you want to download apps but you can't or do not want to download them from the playstore, then you can go to Amazon, Samsung's store, or another major manufacturer or carrier. These sources always scan all apps placed there though some apps bypass the checks.
   
3. Never leave "Unknown sources" enabled: Unknown sources should only be enabled when you need to installs apps manually outside the Playstore and mostly we do this when we trust the alternate source. Unfortunately, some websites can capitalize on this feature and install some malware infested apps on your device without your knowledge. To prevent this, go to Settings > Security > Unknown sources.
   
4. Avoid pirated apps: This is quite obvious. Why would someone buy an app and wanna give it out for free? Well, some do it with a free heart but some also embed some codes in them before giving them out. This helps them get an easier asses to your device. To put in simpler terms, you're actually giving them the key to your phone instead of you giving them tough time breaking into your phone.
   
5. Update your phone's software regularly: Recently, google and other major Android device manufacturers have decided to roll out security updates regularly to Android devices. This is to minimize the security flaws already encountered in Android. For you to be able to keep receiving updates, set your updates to automatic and this will help to secure your device more. In order to do this, go to Settings > About device > Software update and check the Auto update box.
   
6. Security settings: Android comes with its own security features in the operating system that can prevent malicious attacks. Devices running Android 2.2 or higher have access to Google's malware scanner. Prior to installing an application you downloaded outside of the Play store, Google will scan the app and warn you of any potential threats.
   This feature is factory enabled and can be accessed in the Google Settings app in your device's app drawer. Alternatively, devices running Android 4.2 or higher can access the feature by going to Settings > Security > Verify apps.
   
7. Read your apps' permission: Before you install any app be it from the Playstore or any other source, make sure you do what more than 90% of all Android users fail to do; read the permissions the app is asking. Sometimes apps can ask for very weird permissions. An example is a camera app asking for your location. Whoa! all you want to do is take a picture and not put yourself on google map. Some of the permissions they take aid some developers get easy access to your device and do anything they want with it.
   

These are the few ways you can protect your Android device against external attacks. 

Hope these will help you protect your Android device better. If you have any questions or suggestion, don't forget to drop it in the comment box.