13 Android Tips and Tricks You Must Know

Unless you're a geek, there's probably a lot of stuff you don't yet know about Android smartphones. And even if you are one, there might still be a thing or two to learn about the world's most popular mobile OS – things like how to make Google Maps available offline, how to manage an Android smartphone remotely, and how to track the whereabouts of a missing or lost handset, to name a few. Regardless of how knowledgeable you are about Android and its peculiarities, checking out our list of Android tips and tricks would be a good idea. Let us know in case you've learned something new and don't hesitate to share some of your Android experience with us all down in the comments!

1. Monitor what's using your data

Chances are that your smartphone is almost always connected to the internet, be it over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G. Do you know what apps consume most of that data? If not, then try Android's built-in data usage monitor, available from the Settings menu, or just get an app for the job – Onavo Count or Traffic Monitor Plus. Keep an eye out for data-hogging apps.

5 great apps to customize your Android home screen experience

Of all the great features that come with Android, I think perhaps my favorite is endless customization. If you don't want to root the device to go deep into modifying, there's still so much you can do with just apps. For example, you can give yourself a fancy home screen.

I've gathered a small handful of my favorite home screen apps here, but nothing that requires root access. Rather, these are the sorts of apps you can install and play around with on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Come next weekend, you just might have a completely different-looking Android experience.