16/ How do I wipe my Android smartphone completely?
The best way is to use the Factory Data restore option in Settings / SD & phone storage. To be completely sure that everything has been removed, go through the process twice.17/ Why can I not use the Android Market on my tablet?
Some tablets come with their own cut-down app market or even none at all. It may be that the Android version installed is too old or the hardware is simply to slow to cope with many apps. Always do your research before you buy.18/ Some of my Kindle books look garbled on my Android tablet?
This can happen if you are using a custom ROM on your Android phone or tablet. The ROM provider may have a solution, but if not you will need to revert back to the standard ROM to read your books properly.19/ I dropped my phone in water!!!
This solution won’t help if it has already happened, but if it does in the future take the battery out as quickly as possible and dry as many parts of the phone as you can. Leave it for 72 hours in a dry room and try it again. It may just work.20/ Can I make the text on my Android smartphone bigger?
Yes. In apps like the browser you can go to the settings and use the ‘Set text size’ option to increase the size of the displayed text. There are some excellent accessibility options available in the Android Market as well which will help.21/ Can I update my apps automatically?
In the Market app, go to ‘My Apps’ via the menu and select an app. You will see an option half-way down the screen allowing it to auto-update. Only use this for apps you trust.22/ Where did my paid apps go?
If you change your phone and some apps do not appear in your Android Market account check to make sure they are compatible. If they are not showing after a system update, the Market may be seeing your phone as not tied to your account. This would be the time to contact Market support.
23/ How do I set the minimum age for apps?
Go the the Market app and press the menu key. Choose ‘Settings’ and then ‘ Content filtering’. You can now choose which apps are allowed on your phone.24/ My touchscreen isn’t accurate anymore?
Very few Android phones allow you to calibrate the screen which means that if you are having problems hitting the right spot on your screen, you will need to try a soft reset, a hard reset and then a support call (in that order) to fix it.25/ I want to hide my search history.
Go to www.google.com/history in your Android browser and login. You can now choose to remove your searches and not save future searches from this page.26/ How do I take screenshots?
Some Samsung phones let you press the back key and the home button twice to take screenshots, but for all other Android phones you will need to download and install the Android develop kit. It is a complicated process just to grab screenshots.27/ How do I download music directly to my phone or tablet?
Amazon MP3, from the Android Market, is a very good option and lets you purchase and install MP3 files directly to your phone without the need of a PC.28/ I cannot upgrade my Android phone to a new release!
Sadly not all phone manufacturers allow updates to the latest Android release on their phones, but custom ROMs often let users update to the newest features. A search on the internet will show what’s available, but you need to be confident of your knowledge when installing these ROMs.29/ My carrier won’t let me tether my phone.
This is true of most carriers, but there are solutions that can help. If you do a simple search in the Android Market for ‘tether’ you will be offered a variety of apps that allow tethering, and many also mask the fact you are tethering so your carrier should never know. We don’t advise masked tethering and cannot guarantee its success, but it may work for some.
30/ Some apps won’t install to my SD card?
You should still be able to move apps to an SD card using the Manage Application feature in Settings / Applications. We have seen apps fail to install on an expansion card despite the fact they can be moved afterwards so a little manual intervention may be required to do this for future installations.31/ How can I change the language on my phone?
Go to Settings / Language & keyboard and choose the language you require. Some apps are only set to work properly if US English is selected, but they are fortunately few and far between.32/ Can I remove apps that were pre-installed on my phone?
You can, but the process requires rooting the device and then downloading an app called Root Uninstaller. The amount of memory you will save is probably not worth the effort though because you run the danger of making your phone very unstable.33/ Can I speed up my Android phone?
Apps like SetCPU will let you speed up your phone by overclocking the processor. It will also let you slow down the processor to save memory, but be careful when doing this. Most processors are designed to run at a set maximum speed for a reason and you do run the risk of frying it if you push it too hard.34/ What’s the best way to backup my phone?
You can backup an Android phone using a multitude of different solutions, but Titanium Backup PRO is considered to be one of the best solutions available. Besides offering the ability to backup every part of your phone, you can also export the backups by email or sync them to Dropbox.35/ How can I stop viruses from attacking my phone?
Mobile security is becoming a bigger issue as smartphones become more popular and so installing an app to help keep you protected is a very good idea. Kaspersky Mobile Security is just one example that claims to offer real-time protection against a host of threats.36/ The volume on my phone is too quiet.
Some Android phones suffer from low volume, but help is at hand from AudioBoost which is available from the Android market. It can increase the volume on your phone by up to 30% and is also activated by a handy home screen widget.
