How to Set up Android Device Manager to lock and wipe your phone

Google makes remotely managing and wiping your device easy and effective

Back at the beginning of August Google unveiled a new service called "Android Device Manager" that let you locate and remotely wipe your phones and tablets, and now the service is getting a some much-needed refinement. Today Google updated ADM to include options to apply and change lock screen PINs and passwords, adding to the nuclear option of remote wiping the device completely.

Just as we covered when the service launched, enabling ADM is extremely easy. To get started, go to google.com/android/devicemanager on your computer and go through your list of devices that are connected to your Google account. Once there, you can send a notification to the device you want to enable remote password application and wiping on, and you'll be just a few steps away from a much more secure phone.

Simply tap on the notification you receive or manually go to the Google Settings app on your phone, tap on "Android Device Manager" and select the box for "Allow remote lock and factory reset." You'll be given a permission screen (shown above) that lets you know Android Device Manager will now be a "Device Administrator" on your phone / this gives you the proper permissions to be able to manage your device from afar, which is a good thing.
One you've checked the boxes, head back to the ADM web interface and refresh the page, where you'll now see two more options light up under the status of that device. Next to "Ring" you'll now have the new option to "Lock" as well as the old option of "Erase." Clicking on Lock will bring up a dialogue box that lets you enable a PIN or password on your phone, even if you have no security on the phone before that point.

Enter either a (preferably long) numerical PIN or a alphanumeric password / which would have the highest security / in the box, confirm it, and then click the "Lock" button. You'll notice within seconds that the screen on the selected phone will turn off, and turning it on will reveal either a PIN or password box for you to authenticate to unlock. The lock screen security will remain on your phone until you personally go into the phone's settings and turn off security (again confirming the PIN or password), rather than just the first time you unlock.

If you have lost or suspect your phone was stolen, the quickest and best thing to do is immediately lock it with a strong password from the web interface. Once you've assessed the situation and have found that the phone has indeed been stolen, then you may want to consider a remote wipe. Remotely wiping the device happens just as quickly as the screen lock, and erases not only the phone but also any external SDcard storage it may have. Whenever a wipe occurs you will also receive an email notification indicating where and when the device was wiped.


In either case, the lock or wipe will occur almost instantly, and if the device is unreachable at the time of the request because it is powered off or without an internet connection the service will lock or wipe the moment it is reconnected. This is a fantastic service provided by Google that will hopefully encourage more people to be mindful of their phone security. Best of all it's painless to set up and easy to manage if the worst happens.

How to shrink the Galaxy Note 3 display into a tiny window

Can't reach across the Galaxy Note 3's enormous screen? Samsung's got a software trick to help you out.

We may live in a world of 6.3 to 6.4-inch smartphones, but the Samsung Galaxy Note 3's 5.7-incher is still pretty big. And getting around it using only your thumb can be a challenge. Samsung has always offered "one-handed mode" software tricks on the Note series / for example, letting you shrink and rearrange the keyboard, dialer, and other areas for easier thumbing.

On the Galaxy Note 3, though, it's taken this to an all-new level. The new "Use for all screens" option, found under "Settings >>  Controls >> One-handed operation," lets you shrink the entire display in to a moveable, resizable window a fraction of the screen's true size. Crazy!

Once enabled, you can activate this "windowed" mode by swiping in an arrow shape from the edge of the screen. Most apps work just fine in this shrunken-down view, though some, including the camera, bump you back to fullscreen mode. The window snaps in whichever side you perform the gesture, and you can move it around and resize if you want.


While it sounds ridiculous, there's an insane logic to Samsung's approach here. The gesture is easy to perform, letting you snap in and out of this shrunken view pretty quickly. Take a closer look in the video above; we've also got the gesture in animated GIF form for you down below.

Microsoft wants HTC Android phones to dual boot into Windows Phone

Software giant reportedly willing to cut licensing fees to get Windows Phone on HTC Android devices as a second OS

Microsoft is in talks with HTC to get its Windows Phone operating system loaded onto the manufacturer's Android phones as a second OS, according to reports from Bloomberg. Terry Myerson, head of the software giant's operating systems unit, is reported to have reached out to HTC over allowing its Android devices to dual-boot into Windows Phone, with the reduction or elimination of licensing fees purportedly being offered as an incentive. Myerson is planning a visit to Taiwan to meet with HTC execs over the proposal, the outlet's sources say.

Additionally, one Bloomberg source claims HTC has no current plans to release any more standalone Windows Phone handsets, which might explain Microsoft's apparent desire to shoehorn its OS onto future HTC phones through a dual-booting option.

We've heard from our own sources that HTC has indeed been looking at the engineering cost of making an Android/Windows Phone dual-booting handset a reality. It's unclear how far the project might have progressed, however, nor whether Google might attempt to throw a wrench in the works by blocking certification of such a device. Indeed, it's hard to see how Microsoft's piggy-backing on sales of HTC Android phones would directly benefit anyone besides Microsoft. Users, for instance, would be presented with two wildly divergent software experiences / and marketing this kind of handset could present its own problems.

Windows Phone commands just a 3.7 percent share of the smartphone market, which Microsoft will be looking to increase through its recent agreement to purchase partner Nokia's smartphone division. Similarly, HTC has been struggling to compete against Korean rival Samsung, which dominates the Android handset space, and today posted a $101 million quarterly operating loss. If the two were to co-operate on a phone that dual-boots between Android and Windows, it'd certainly be one of the most unusual smartphone software pairings we've seen in some time.


So would you buy a dual-booting Android and Windows Phone handset? Shout out in the comments and let us know!

Top Ten Android Tips

One thing to note here, your screen may not look like the screens you see below.  Android comes in many different flavors, and while they all are pretty darn good, they do often look and act different.  But that's OK! Chances are the instruction that go along with the pictures will work just fine, and if you get stuck somewhere, someone has likely already figured it out for your specific model of phone, and you'll find it in the forums.  Besides being generally awesome, Android users are also a pretty crafty bunch of folks.

Tip 1. Use Adobe Flash "on demand"

 You've probably heard that Adobe Flash is available for Android devices.  Maybe that's even a big part of the reason you've chosen an Android phone / you want the full web experience on your smartphone.  While Flash on a mobile device isn't the big resource-eating monster some make it out to be, it does make web browsing a little bit slower.  And let's face it / a lot of Flash content is punching monkeys to win a prize-style ads, and often we aren't interested in seeing those.
That's an easy fix.  Open your web browser, and tap the menu key.  Look through the menu until you find the settings.  In the browser settings you'll find an entry titled "Enable plug-ins."  Tap it, and choose On demand.  This way once a web page is loaded, you'll be able to tap any Flash content to view it, and ignore any you don't want to view.

Tip 2. Set your Wifi sleep policy to never

This one sounds counter-productive, but trust us here.  If you have access to Wifi throughout the day, and use it often, this will help save your battery.  Use this tip with a Wifi toggle widget (see the homescreen section below) and it's easy.
On your phone, tap the menu button and choose settings.  From the list, choose Wireless & networks, then "Wi-Fi settings".  this is where you can choose what Wifi access point to connect to, but there's also some options hidden.  To see them just tap the menu button again and choose advanced.  What we're interested in is "Wi-Fi sleep policy".  Tap it, and set it to "Never".  What this does is keep your phone from switching to the 3G or 4G radio when the screen shuts off.  Those radios need more power than the Wifi radio does, so any time we can keep Wifi alive we're saving energy.  Remember to put a shortcut or widget on your homescreen to quickly turn Wifi on and off for those times when you're not around an access point.  This will keep your phone from scanning for available networks.

 

 3. Set up your Homescreens

 

 You've got several of them, and with Android you can really put them to good use.  Besides choosing a picture or a live wallpaper app for your background, there's all sorts of ways to put information and tools right at your fingertips with widgets, shortcuts, and folders.
Widgets are a favorite of many, including yours truly.  You can find one for just about anything, ranging from instant weather information to rolling dice.  While many are important tools, a lot of them are just plain fun, too.  A good number of them will come on your phone, and the Android Market is full of many, many more.
Some apps will add items to the Shortcuts menu, and give you a one-click way to perform the associated tasks.  Same goes for folders; included with your phone are a few live folders for contacts and files, but apps like Facebook can give you new ones.  Of course, you can also create a regular folder to store app shortcuts in.
To have a look at what's included with your phone as well as anything you've downloaded, just long press on a blank area of your home screen.  Choose the option from the list, and drop it somewhere it fits.  If you change your mind, Just press and hold on the widget, shortcut, or folder and in a second or two you'll be able to drag it down to the trash can.  This doesn't delete the app from your phone, it just removes the content from your home screen.

4. Move apps to your SD card

Since version Android 2.2 (Froyo), Android has included the ability to move apps from your device's internal application storage to the microSD card you've placed in your phone.  Not all apps can be moved / the developer has to code them properly and things like widgets, live wallpapers and anything else that needs to run as soon as the phone boots up shouldn't be moved to the SD card at all.  But things like games and other big apps will usually move right over, leaving only a small bit of information behind.
Moving them is easy as pie.  From your homescreen, press the menu button, then choose settings.  From the settings menu, choose applications, then Manage applications.  Find the app you want to move in the list, and tap it's list entry.  If it can be moved, you'll see a button that says "Move to USB storage".  Press it, and go!

 

 

5. Enable "sideloading"

Sideloading simply means the installation of apps without going through the official Android Market.  That in and of itself is by no means nefarious, as there are several other marketplaces and app stores for Android.  There's no need to root or jailbreak your new Android phone to do it, it's a simple affair.  Smell that?  It's called open :)
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose Applications from the list.  At the top of the screen, you'll see an entry called Unknown sources.  Check the box, and read the warning.  The warning is real, so be mindful of what apps you download  -- there are some folks out there that get a kick out of hurting others.  But if you get your apps from somewhere reputable, you'll be just fine.
If you use an AT&T-branded Android phone, you won't have this option.  In their infinite wisdom they have decided that not allowing this somehow keeps you safe.  But that's easy to work around, just have a look at the Sideload Wonder Machine.

 

6. Uninstalling downloaded apps

With over 150,000 apps in the Android Market, and countless others from other app stores, you're bound to install something and decide you don't want it any longer.  You can uninstall an app tied to your Android Market account right from it's page in the Market, but for those sideloaded apps (and if you want to do it offline) there's an easier way.
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose Applications from the list.  In the next screen, choose Manage applications.  Find the app you no longer want in the list and press it's list entry.  After that, uninstalling is an easy affair -- just press the button.

 

 

 

7. Copying ringtones to the right place, so they appear in the ringtone menu

Customizing your Android phone with your favorite sounds is easy!  Download a few in either .mp3 or .ogg format and save them on your computer.  Connect your phone to your computer as described right here and look for a folder named media.  If you don't have one, that's not a problem -- just create it.  Inside the media folder, you can place your sounds in one of three places; notifications, ringtones, or alarms.  Again, if those aren't there just create them.  Decide what your sound would be best suited as, and place it in the correct folder.  That's all there is to it.  Unplug your phone following the direction in the link above, and you'll find your custom sounds bundled in the menu with the built-in sounds, ready to use.

8. Change your screen brightness level

We throw words like AMOLED, or Super-LCD around like candy, because Android phones usually come with the latest technology.  But no matter what type of screen you may have, there will be times you need to adjust the brightness, and it's quite easy to do.
From your homescreen, press the menu button, and choose settings.  From the list that appears, choose Display.  Tap the Brightness entry, and from there you can either have the screen change the brightness depending on the surroundings (Automatic brightness setting), or uncheck it and use the slider to set it to a level that's most comfortable for you.
Like we mentioned in the Wifi sleep policy section, this is another great candidate for a widget.  One may have been included with your phone, but if not, there are plenty of options in the Android Market.  One thing to keep in mind here is that the brighter you keep the screen, the more battery it will use.  Choose wisely.

 

 

 

 

9. Setting individual volume levels for different types of alerts

 

While there's a handy volume rocker on the side of your Android phone, there's also a settings menu that lets you adjust things with a bit more control.  It's a great way to make sure you're going to hear your morning alarm, even if you have lowered the ringer volume for class or an important meeting.
From your homescreen, press the menu button and choose settings.  In the window that opens, choose Sound, and you'll see a whole slew of options for control of the noises your phone makes.  Check them all out, but be sure to tap the Volume entry and you'll get a set of sliders for individual levels for Ringtones, Alarms, Media, and if you like you can set Notifications to their own level separate from the phone ringer.
There are a few other settings that are hidden, including a master volume level.  If you need to get to these, you can download apps from the Market that show all the volume levels for the ultimate in control.

10. Password-protect your phone

If you're like any of us, you have your phone with you 24/7.  That means there will be plenty of chances to lose it, or even worse to have it be stolen.  While the cost of replacing the phone is a big concern, often the chance that someone can get into your stuff is the biggest nightmare.
With Android 2.2 and higher, you have plenty of options for locking your phone. There's the tried and true pattern unlock (which will be the only choice on phones running 2.1 or lower), and we also have the ability to lock via a personal identification number (PIN), or by alpha-numeric password.
To get to the security options, from your homescreen press the menu button, then choose Settings.  From there your phone may say Location and Security, or it may just say Security.  Security is what we're looking for so choose what's appropriate. Once there, choose Set up screen lock and follow the instructions for whichever method you choose.  Once you set your security option, you can set how quickly you want the phone to lock itself. Could be immediately, could be after five or 10 minutes.  If you use your phone in a corporate Exchange environment, you may have other options or even set rules to follow, but for most of us this is the best way to keep things safe.

Avivo is releasing some Galaxy S4 cases that are just plain

A unique three-piece design and countless color combinations offer both protection and great looks

Avivo has been selling their very stylish and unique cases for a while now, and the good news is that they are about to release a line specifically for the Samsung Galaxy S4. The phon
e is a thundering success, and with so many of them out there it's only natural for some of the "designer" premium case manufacturers to offer their top-of-the-line gear for the Galaxy S4. And that's exactly what Avivo did with the new RAIL Carbonate cases.
Jump past the break, and let's have a good look at what Avivo is bringing to the table.

They offer everything you want from a case covering your S4. They protect the corners, they lift the screen if you place them face-down, all the cut-outs for ports and mechanisms for the buttons are flawless, and it will provide you with protection from every day scratches and bumps that always happen. But the RAIL Carbonate cases do it with extra style and function.
The case is a three-piece design. You have what they call the Jacket, which is a full cover for the rear that snaps into place / they sent us both a black and white model with a very nicely detailed weave pattern. You can choose to use just the Jacket if you prefer a slim design that's easy to get on and off. You can add the RAIL / which is a soft-touch frame that encircles the phone and snaps onto the Jacket for superior protection on the sides and some room to keep the glass off the table when laying face-down. The RAIL is also precision cut and has gold highlights for the button mechanisms to match the accents on the Jacket. While this combo isn't something you would want to use out in the field or on the jobsite, it's plenty tough enough to withstand normal everyday use for those of us who don't need that extra (protection and bulk) that something like an OtterBox offers.
There's also a third option. Included with the packaging is what Avivo calls the Frame. It's a thin and light piece that snaps around the edges of your S4, and provides a point of attachment for the RAIL. When used together, you have a bumper-style case that looks great and is pretty tough.

As mentioned, we've tried the Jackets in both black and white, but Avivo also sent some samples of their colored RAILS. In our base kit the black RAIL was included, but we also had pink, baby blue and purple to have a look at. These RAILS not only attach to the Frame for the bumper-look, they also incorporate with the Jacket the same way the bundled piece does. This gave us a ton of different looks to try, and we think they all look really great. I'm especially fond of what I call the "Tuxedo Look" / the white Jacket and the black RAIL, as pictured below.

The Avivo cases are scheduled to be officially announced this week, so expect availability and pricing information them. In the meantime, take it from me — and I'm not a big case guy / these are some of the nicest cases I've used, and the look is spectacular. You can check out the current line-up for the iPhone at Avivostyle.com, and I've put together a massive gallery (you'll need to view the full desktop version of the site to see it, be warned it's huge!) below with some pictures of the details and color combinations.

Whos buying an iPhone today Fess up

Here at Android Central it's just another Friday. But elsewhere it's iPhone day, with Apple releasing two new smartphones simultaneously for the first time ever. And we're sure some of you will be tempted to pick up the new iPhone 5s, with its optional gold exterior and 64-bit CPU. Or maybe the plastic fantastic iPhone 5c is your thing, with its numerous color options.
We're not here to judge, so feel free to fess up down in the comments. And if you're staying loyal to the Android army let us know which Android phone you're using / or thinking of picking up / instead of Apple's latest.
You'll find more iPhone launch day coverage from our friends over on iMore.

Moving apps to the SD card on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (GTI9500)

Apps-to-SD support is coming to the Galaxy S4 in a new software update - here's how to use it.

Samsung's answer to the controversy over storage space on the Galaxy S4 has been to resurrect an old Android feature / the ability to move apps to your SD card. By offloading heavier apps to your expandable storage the S4 supports microSDXC cards up to 64GB you're able to save precious internal storage for other stuff, like the many apps that can't be moved to the SD card. That's right, just like in the Froyo Android 2.2 days, developers have to specifically allow you to move apps to the SD card, and some popular apps don't support the feature.
Nevertheless, if you're big on gaming, the latest mobile titles can take several hundred megabytes each, and the ability to move these apps to the SD card is a great way to save space. The update to allow apps to be moved to the SD card is rolling out now to unlocked German Galaxy S4s, and other regions and carriers should follow in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, you can check past the break for our video walkthrough.