Judging by the letters coming to our website, many Android beginners users often encounter such an unpleasant situation when, for example, they would like to view the contents of a zip file or unpack it, but instead it opens in the book reading application Cool Reader.
Or when photos open not in the gallery, but in Facebook Messenger. This state of affairs confuses many inexperienced users, despite the fact that it is actually very simple to correct the situation. Today I will tell you how to change the default application in Android in just a few clicks.
In general, the ability to select an application with which to open one or another type of file by default is one of the advantages of the Android operating system. Moreover, if the need arises, you can reset the defaults - make sure that every time you have the opportunity to select an application when opening a file (screenshot above) or set a new application that will open the file by default.
To do this, we first need to reset the defaults. To do this, go to the settings menu of your tablet or phone, to the “Applications” section, select a program from the list that opens files of the type we need automatically, and click on it.
After this, a window with the properties of this application “About the application” will open:
Scroll down the contents of the window until you see the "STARTUP AS DEFAULT" option. To reset the defaults, click on the " Remove default settings».
That's it, now after clicking on zip archive from the example at the beginning of the article, you will see the treasured dialog for selecting a program with which you can open this file. Now you can either set a new default program or select the appropriate application from the list each time.
Tip: When you see a dialog like this, to quickly select the right application, without then pressing the “Only now” button, double-tap on its icon:
The appearance of pop-up menus and application settings menus may look different depending on the device and version of Android, but the general idea of changing the default program remains the same - at any time you can clear the defaults in the application settings menu, and then set them again.
Well, now you know how you can cancel or set the default program in Android. Is it really not difficult at all?
In four years, Android has transformed from a small but ambitious project into perhaps the most complex and feature-packed mobile OS of our time. Android supports a huge number of technologies and functions, many of which are hidden from the user or hidden in places you wouldn't even think to look at. This article is a collection of tips and tricks that can be applied to any Android device without the need to root.
01. DISABLE THE AUTOMATIC CREATION OF ICONS ON THE DESKTOP
I think I’m not the only one who is annoyed by the way the market behaves when installing an application. For some reason he thinks that for any more or less software or the next game I definitely need an icon on the desktop, and he successfully creates it. And I have to delete it. And then another one. And so every time.
Fortunately, this behavior is easy to disable - just open Google settings Play (in the left panel) and uncheck the “Add icons” option. There you can also disable the forced password request every 30 minutes when purchasing applications, as well as the hated auto-update of applications.
02. DISABLE GOOGLE SEARCH AND OTHER USELESS SOFTWARE
The standard firmware of Android smartphones includes a huge amount of useless software, ranging from a bunch of Google applications (do you know that Google requires manufacturing companies to include almost all the software it develops in the firmware of their devices?) and ending with all sorts of junk from the smartphone manufacturer . All of this (or at least most) can be disabled.
Go to “Settings → Applications → All”, tap on the desired software and click “Disable” (of course, you will be warned how “dangerous” this is). By the way, when disconnecting Google search will disappear and Google Now, as well as the search bar from the desktop (after reboot), which will be replaced by an empty area.
03. RESET TO SAFE MODE
Few people know, but Android, like many other operating systems, has a so-called Safe mode. This is a mode in which the operating system boots with disabled third party applications. Not very skillfully written malware (one that is not registered in system partition) in this case it falls off, like any software that interferes with the normal operation of the system. Safe mode can be used to bypass screen blockers, applications that cause the smartphone to freeze, or, alternatively, to identify who is actually eating up the battery - the next firmware or software update.
The mode is turned on in a rather simple, but not at all obvious way: by holding down the power button and then holding your finger on the “Turn off power” item. After rebooting, the culprit of the problem can be removed through “Settings → Applications”.
04. GET RID OF INSTRUCTIVE NOTIFICATIONS
“The construction of the castle is finished!” - how did you get these notifications? Everyone who is not too lazy is trying to notify me about all possible and impossible events: “Vasya Dzhubga replied to you on Twitter,” “You have 100,500 new messages,” “You won surgery to enlarge your right leg.” You swipe away one notification, and three new ones appear in its place.
How to get rid of all this slag: hold your finger on the notification for a long time and uncheck the “Stop” button. This is the recipe for KitKat. In Lollipop, everything is a little different, but the essence is the same: hold down, then the i button, in the window that opens, put a checkmark on “Block”. There you can also force the notification to be a priority so that it is always at the very top.
05. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SERVICE MENU
Another not at all obvious function is the service menu. It can be opened by dialing *#*#4636#*#*. Basically there are different Technical information like IMEI numbers, signal strength, current location, or network type. But there is also a very useful function for some situations to force the smartphone to switch to the desired type of network (2G, 3G, LTE).
In conditions of poor 3G/LTE signal levels, the device tends to reset to 2G in order to save battery power and ensure subscriber availability. This behavior can be disabled. Open the service menu and in the “Set up preferred network type” item, select WCDMA only or LTE only. In the same way, you can switch your smartphone to 2G - GSM only. It will help if you need to save battery power and the Internet is rarely used. By the way, you can also disable the radio module there altogether (until the next reboot, of course). 
Smartphones based on Chinese MTK chips have their own and much more sophisticated service menu. His number is *#*#3646633#*#*. There is various system information and a huge number of tests, among which you can find several useful settings, such as adjusting the call volume or, for example, changing GPS/AGPS settings. The menu itself is terribly illogical and contains so much varied information that I don’t even dare to describe it, but will simply send the reader to three letters - XDA.
06. USE A STANDARD BROWSER
I don't know why users don't like the built-in one so much Android browser. In my opinion, he is wonderful. Lightweight, fast, based on the Chromium engine, can synchronize with Google account(that is, it immediately includes all bookmarks and passwords from Chrome), but most importantly, it has a very convenient and almost ingenious navigation method. This is the so-called radial menu, which can be activated in the settings (only in Android 4.0–4.4).
07. MANAGE CONTACTS FROM YOUR COMPUTER
Google has web services not only for remotely installing software, blocking and searching for a smartphone, but also for managing contacts. All people's contacts ever saved and synchronized when connecting a new smartphone can always be found on the page google.com/contacts. They can be viewed, edited, added and deleted. Moreover, oddly enough, it is essentially part of Gmail.
08. MONITOR YOUR PROCESSOR LOAD
Android has a built-in function to show the current CPU load and active this moment processes on top of the screen. In theory, it is intended for application and firmware developers and is hidden from ordinary users, but no one is stopping us from activating it. But first you will have to reach the “For Developers” settings section, which by default does not exist at all.
Go to settings, then “About phone”, find the line “Build number” and tap on it seven times in a row. The message “You have become a developer!” should appear on the screen. This means that the “For Developers” item is now open, and we go to it. We rewind almost to the very bottom of the screen and in the “Monitoring” section we find the “Show CPU load” switch.
Turn it on and see a list in the upper right part of the screen. The first line is the so-called loadavg, which shows the number of processes that had to run or wait their turn to run in the last minute, five and ten minutes. To put it very roughly: if these values, divided by the number of processor cores, are above one, this means 100% processor load in the last minute, five or ten minutes, respectively. Below is a list of the most power-hungry processes (essentially, an analogue of the top command from Linux).
09. USE ADB TO BACKUP SOFTWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER
We have already written more than once about a wonderful tool called ADB, which can significantly simplify managing a device from a computer for a person who is familiar with the console (here we are mainly talking about Linux, of course). In addition to the ability to install software, transfer files to a smartphone, view logs and other useful things, ADB has recently made it possible to backup all smartphone settings and applications.
To use this functionality, install the universal ADB driver (goo.gl/AzZrjR), then download ADB itself (goo.gl/3P7klM), install the driver, then expand the archive with ADB, connect the smartphone to the computer with a USB cable, launch command line and execute the command
A message will appear on the smartphone screen asking you to specify the encryption password for the backup - you can safely press “Next”. The application backup process will begin, which will affect both the APK packages themselves (the -apk flag in the command) and their settings. All applications from the memory card will also be included in the backup. You can restore a backup using the following command:
$ adb restore backup . ab |
10. DISABLE BACKGROUND DATA TRANSFER IN APPLICATIONS
Working in the background, applications can actively use the Internet for a variety of purposes, from updating their content to leaking information about your location. In addition, such activity in any case leads to increased battery consumption. 
Android has the ability to selectively restrict applications from transferring data in the background, but it is located in a place where most users would hardly ever look. To prevent any application from using the Internet in the background, you need to go to settings, then “Data transfer”, scroll down the screen to the list of applications actively using the network (for some it will be a surprise that it is there at all) and tap on the desired software. At the bottom there will be an option “Limit background mode" It is worth keeping in mind that the option will disable data transfer only via mobile network, so data will continue to flow over Wi-Fi.
11. USE THE SEARCH BAR
Often, smartphone owners Android based neglected search bar at the top of the main screen. This is really logical, given the ability to search by typing a request into the address bar of any mobile browser.
Meanwhile, the desktop search bar does much more than just redirect your request to google.com. It allows you to search contacts, applications, calendar events, bookmarks and web browser history in automatic mode. For normal smartphone use, it may not be as useful, but when connecting an external keyboard, it is an indispensable tool. Just click
12. USE SMART LOCK
Smart Lock is one of those features that you don’t think about, but once you try it, you can’t live without it. This is one of the most notable new Android Lollipop products and one of the most useful functions added to Android in Lately. The idea of Smart Lock is extremely simple - it disables the PIN code or other lock screen protection if there is a specific Bluetooth device or map location nearby.
By default, Smart Lock is “sort of” disabled. That is, it does not light up anywhere, but after pairing with a new Bluetooth device (of any type), it will definitely offer to add it to its white list. After this you will forget about her again. But only until you enable lock screen protection in the “Security” section of the settings. Now it will work as it should.
The Smart Lock settings themselves are in the same section, and, in addition to adding new Bluetooth devices, you can specify “safe places” there, along with a list of options based on Google Now “observations.” By the way, if you disable it, as described in the first tip, then this functionality will also be lost.
13. SAVE ENERGY RIGHT
Another notable innovation from Lollipop is its power saving mode. IN standard Android it migrated from the firmware of smartphone manufacturers, who previously sold it independently. Now the function is in pure Android- you use your smartphone to the fullest, and when you reach 15% of the battery charge, the system suggests turning on the power saving mode, which turns off background data transfer, reduces the brightness to a minimum, turns off some sensors and reduces the screen rendering FPS to a couple of tens of frames per second. For clarity, the status bar and on-screen buttons at the bottom of the screen turn red - so you don’t forget.
To save battery life on a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, you can set black wallpapers and use apps with black backgrounds.
The energy saving mode is customizable. Go to “Settings → Battery → menu → Power saving mode.” Here you can specify the condition for automatically turning on the mode (though the choice is meager: 5%, 15% or never) and, most importantly, turn on the mode right now. Very convenient if you have a long trip ahead without the possibility of recharging.
14. MONITOR TRAFFIC
Most likely, smartphone manufacturers, as usual, will shovel the standard Android interface 5.0 and everything will change ( hi Samsung- the biggest fan of breaking interfaces), but in a standard Lollipop curtain, or rather, in a “second curtain” with a 
flasks quick settings There is one highlight. The data transfer button in the center does not switch data transfer at all, but expands into an interface that allows you not only to view the current traffic consumption, but also to disable data transfer using the switch on top.
15. SHARE NOT YOUR PHONE, BUT THE APPLICATION
Especially for those who like to give their phone to other people, Lollipop has a Screen pinning feature that allows you to lock your smartphone on one application without the ability to close it or switch to another. Like many other useful features, it is completely invisible and hidden quite deep in the settings. To activate, go to “Settings → Security”, scroll almost to the very end and turn on the “Block in application” option.
Now if you click the view button running applications(“Browse”), an pushbutton will appear at the bottom of the current application’s thumbnail. Once you tap the icon, the screen will be locked on the selected app and you will need to hold the Back and Overview buttons simultaneously to go back. In this case, you will have to enter a PIN code if it is set for the lock screen.
XX. USE ACITIVITY LAUNCHER
Any graphical Android application includes one or more so-called “activities”. Each of them is an application window (screen), for example main screen or a settings screen, maybe even a file selection window. By default, you can open directly (from the desktop) only those activities that the application developer marks as main; the rest are accessible only through the application itself and only if the developer himself allows this.
However, having at hand the right tool, you can reach any other activity of any application and even create a shortcut for it on the desktop. Activity Launcher does just that. Just install the application, select “All actions” in the menu at the top and find the software you need. All of her activities will appear on the screen, and any of them can be opened with a simple tap or placed on the desktop by holding your finger for a long time.
An example of useful “internal” activities is the Chrome bookmarks window (Chrome →Bookmark), access to the hidden AppOps mechanism in Android< 4.4.2 (Настройки → AppOps), запуск поиска в TuneIn Radio (tunein.ui.activities.TuneInSearchActivity). Очень много активностей имеет в себе ES Проводник, включая редактор, музыкальный плеер, просмотрщик изображений и многое другое. Любую из них можно запустить напрямую с рабочего стола. Таким же образом можно открыть любой раздел настроек и получить доступ к некоторым функциям ОС, достучаться до которых проблематично. Это абсолютно легальная функцио нальность, и она не требует root.
Android has a large set of hotkeys for connected keyboards. You can use Arrow, Tab, and Enter to navigate the desktop and various menus. In addition, the following key combinations are available:
Esc - “Back” button;
Win + Esc - Home button;
Ctrl + Esc - “Menu” button;
Alt + Tab - switch between applications;
Ctrl + Space - switch layout;
Ctrl + P - open settings;
Ctrl + M - manage installed applications;
Ctrl + W - change wallpaper;
Win + E - write a letter;
Win + P - music player;
Win + A - calculator;
Win + S - write SMS;
Win + L - calendar;
Win + C - contacts;
Win + B - browser;
Win + M - google maps;
Win + Space - search;To find out your MAC and IP address, go to “Settings → Wi-Fi → menu → Advanced
new functions.” MAC and IP will be at the very bottom.Lollipop has a built-in style game Flappy Bird. Go to “Settings → About phone”,
tap several times on the item “ Android version“, then hold your finger on the “lollipop” that appears. Let's play.Google Now supports a large number of Russian-language voice commands. All of them can be divided into two groups: voice search and the voice commands themselves. Voice search allows you to perform an intelligent search on Google, when the system displays a specific answer on the screen instead of a list of links, and voice commands allow you to perform certain actions, for example, send an SMS or set an alarm. The list of commands is shown in the Google Now Voice Commands image. Voice search includes more than a dozen various types questions:
Weather. What will the weather be like tomorrow morning?
Addresses. Where is the nearest pharmacy?
Flight information. When does Aeroflot flight number 2336 depart?
Time. What time is it in London?
Events. When is sunset today?
Computing. What is the square root of 2209?
Translation. How do you say "cucumber" in Spanish?
Sport. When does Spartak play?
Finance. What is the S&P 500 index today?
Data. What is the height of the tallest building in the world?
Exchange Rates. Convert 2600 rupees to US dollars.
Images. Show photos of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Interestingly, Google Now understands a large number of much less obvious questions in English. As an example we can give:
Should I wear a jacket today?
How much tip for 420 rubles?
Where is my parcel?
This, of course, is not all that could be talked about, but it will not be possible to lengthen the article, and many of the other possibilities are already known. Don't forget about these tricks, and your smartphone will become
a little more convenient.
at January 26, 2017. Google has done a pretty good job with the functionality of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as appearance
both systems and programs. However, this does not prevent manufacturers of smartphones and tablets from “finishing” the system with manic persistence, quite seriously changing its various aspects. If we talk about customization by the user, then Android seems to be one of the most flexible (if not the most flexible) mobile systems. The material below will be of interest to those who have recently become acquainted with Android, in particular version 4.0. We will consider the methods using the example of the Highscreen Alpha GT, which has features uncharacteristic for dual-SIM devices good characteristics And current version Google systems. For those who have been using the system for a long time, let us remind you that the process of installing and managing programs by default has remained unchanged since 2.3.
Android times So, we have read tips on choosing a powerful video player, PDF viewer, SMS manager and any other program. Next we went to Google Play or downloaded the installation APK file from a site like 4PDA. How can we make our program default to a specific action? Let's take a PDF viewer application as an example. So we already have Adobe Reader , but I would like, without deleting this development, to open files only using the program.
PDF Reader. Launch the file manager and tap on the desired log. Since Adobe Reader now has a “competitor,” we will see a pop-up window labeled “What should I use?” (or something similar, there may be options here) and a selection of programs available for opening the file.
If we wish to permanently link to PDF format, you must first check the box next to “Default for this action” and specify PDF Reader. Everything, with minimal effort new program PDF viewing is set by default.
Method two, retribution for inattention. Let's say the program selection window appeared, we checked the box, but accidentally specified not PDF Reader, but Adobe Reader. It’s too early to get upset, we will correct the mistake. Calling system point“Settings” (I hope there is no need to explain how to find it), “Applications” and click on Adobe Reader to call up the settings for this program. Scroll down the list to the “Run as default” heading. Here we see the item “Delete default settings”.
Click and thereby reset the binding to PDF files. Now, when we try to open a PDF magazine, we will again be offered a list of programs, where we will select PDF Reader. Profit.
Particulars. I note that in the list of installed Android applications leads full list system programs, so there should be no problems either when choosing a PDF viewer or when replacing a gallery, dialer or launcher. The first particular point is the dialing and contact management program. In it, the default setting means automatic startup instead of standard application at incoming call. However, forgive the banality, if you need to dial a number, then you need to manually tap on the icon alternative application. So just drag its shortcut to your desktop or replace the icon with it standard program on the bottom panel of the desktop.
Another particular– replacement of the standard keyboard. After installation new keyboard go to “Settings”, “Language and input”, activate it with a checkmark opposite and at the top click on the button to select the default keyboard.
Another way is to call up the “Select input method” item while entering text at the very top of the screen with a sliding motion from top to bottom. As you can see, nothing complicated.
Finally I will say that Google Play naturally has special program management managers by default. As an example, I’ll point to the free Default App Manager Lite. This program provides a list of popular tasks such as browser, camera, music and others, and the currently selected application is immediately shown. By tapping the item, we get a list of programs available for action, then a) easily/casually click “Clear Defaults” b) in the window that appears, uncheck the familiar “Delete default settings” item c) press the return to previous screen key d) click “Set” Defaults" e) check "Default for this action" and select the desired program.
We have studied the basics, if you have any questions, write in the comments, we will sort it out.
Any user wants to make their device better and installs third-party launchers, music and video players, browsers and file managers. And in order not to select your favorite application every time to perform the next action, you can install it as default.
Other useful instructions:
In this article, I will talk about two ways on how you can select and remove the default application.
Method 1: Standard Android Feature
So, I recently installed a new launcher, so that will serve as an example. To make the application default, you need to perform some action. For example, in the case of a launcher, just press the home button. The system will prompt you to select an application to perform this action. Select the launcher you want and click “Always” at the bottom.
I think you understand the principle. So, for example, if you want to set Google browser Chrome by default, follow any link from Vkontakte, Twitter, Google Plus, your mail, etc., select Google Chrome and click "Always".
So, we figured out the choice of the default application, but how to remove it? To do this, go to settings, open “Applications”, find the one you need, select it and click “Remove default settings”.
After this, you can make the application default according to the instructions above.
Method 2: Through Default App Manager
Above, I described how you can select and delete a default application, and if deletion in Android is well thought out, then to select an application you need to perform unnecessary steps.
But fortunately, there is a wonderful application that makes it easy to select the default program you want. It's called Default App Manager and you can download it for free on Google Play.
The application is really very cool. Once you open it, you will see two sections: “Category Wise” and “All Defaults” (default applications). To make your favorite application the default, open its category, after which a window will appear with all available programs. Click "Set Default", select an application and click "Always".
To remove the default application, click "Clear Default". You will be taken to the app settings where you need to click on “Remove default settings”. The “All Defaults” section contains all default applications. You can remove any of them by clicking "Clear".
That's all, I hope today's article was useful to you.
It is no secret that to perform the same function in the operating room Android system several applications may be present - this is justified by the huge range of applications in Google Play Store. How many calendar apps or PDF readers are there? Today I will tell you how to set up a program that will be used by default for certain actions.
Let's assume you have just installed Google app Calendar from Google Play. In OS Android There is already a built-in calendar, so when you try to open a calendar note, the system will display a dialog box like this:
Of course, you can manually select the desired program each time, but this is not necessary! Android gives you the ability to automatically open exactly the application you need. So, to do this in the dialog box you need to check the box " Use as default", and then open the desired program. operating system will “remember” your choice and you won’t need to do it manually later.
But it also happens that you inadvertently selected the wrong application in the dialog box. And this can be fixed. Go to "Menu" -> "Settings" -> "Applications".
Then find the "wrongly" selected application and click on it. The window that appears needs to be scrolled a little, reaching the point " Launch by default". After that, click on the "Remove default settings" button.
This way you will reset all settings the next time you start the OS. Android will again give you the familiar dialog box asking you to select the desired application. You can't go wrong here anymore. As you can see, the process of installing the application by default is absolutely not complicated and does not require any specific knowledge. I hope everything works out for you!