8 Android Features You Wish You Knew Sooner

Even after a decade of using Android, there are still hidden features that make you wonder, "Why didn't I know about this sooner?" From Developer Options to overlooked settings, these small but useful tips will make your life easier.

Table of Contents

• 8. You can view dismissed notifications
• 7. Keep your phone unlocked with Extended Unlock 
• 6. Create text shortcut
• 5. Move the cursor by sliding the space bar
• 4. Share Wi-Fi using QR code
• 3. Unlock additional features using Developer Options
• 2. Reduce animations for instant transition to apps
• 1. Reverse power sharing

8. You can view dismissed notifications

It's easy to accidentally dismiss an important notification while clearing clutter, and it happens to even the best of us. Luckily, Android has a handy notification history feature that lets you see all the notifications you've recently dismissed, but you'll need to enable it first.

On a Samsung Galaxy (One UI 6), go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Notification history and turn it on. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn't provide a quick shortcut, so you'll need to open Settings every time to access Notification history.

7. Keep your phone unlocked with Extended Unlock

When at home, many people prefer to keep their phones unlocked so they can use their devices without having to unlock them repeatedly. However, they only want to do this at home and not anywhere else. Extended Unlock allows you to keep your device unlocked when your phone detects that it is in a trusted location, on your person (such as in your pocket), or connected to a trusted device such as a smartwatch .

To enable this feature on Samsung Galaxy:

• Open Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Extended Unlock and enter your PIN.
• Select the type of unlock you want to use. Select Trusted places and then toggle the switch to Use trusted Places for Extended Unlock .
• Then tap Trusted places , verify your PIN and tap Add trusted place .
• Enter an address or select an existing address saved in your Google account. Finally, tap Add .

6. Create text shortcut

People often type the same phrase and rely on aText to expand the text on their PC. Luckily, you don't need a third-party app on Android - both Google and Samsung keyboards let you create text shortcuts for commonly used phrases.

On Samsung phones:

• Open Settings > General Management > Samsung Keyboard .
• Tap Text shortcut , then tap the + icon .
• Enter the shortcut and the expanded phrase, then press Add to save.

You can set up shortcuts for your home and work addresses, bank details, invoice templates, and frequently used email responses.

5. Move the cursor by sliding the space bar

One of the oldest but least known features of Android is the ability to move the cursor by sliding the space bar.

Sure, you can drag the cursor by touching and holding it on your screen; however, this often blocks the view and moving it to a precise location isn't the ideal way to do things.

Instead, press and hold the spacebar and slide your finger in the direction you want to move the cursor. It's accurate and works perfectly every time.

4. Share Wi-Fi using QR code

People use QR codes to pay for things, view restaurant menus, or leave store reviews. But they're also a great way to share Wi-Fi without revealing your password . This is especially useful if your router doesn't support guest networking.

To share Wi-Fi using a QR code:

• Open Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi .
• Tap the Settings icon next to your Wi-Fi network.
• Select the QR code option in the bottom left corner and enter the PIN to authenticate.

Now your guests can scan the QR code and tap Connect to join your Wi-Fi network.

3. Unlock additional features using Developer Options

People often experiment with Developer Options to enable advanced features like USB Debugging , but you'll also find some surprisingly useful everyday tweaks.

To enable Developer Options:

• Open Settings > About Phone > Software Information .
• Tap Build number 7 times, then enter your PIN to unlock.
• Go back to Settings and you will see Developer Options at the bottom.

2. Reduce animations for instant transition to apps

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is already fast, but tweaking animation settings makes it even faster. Android 14 and above offers a Reduce animations option ( Settings > Accessibility > Vision enhancements > Reduce animations ), but it doesn't offer full visual smoothness.

Instead, you can change the animation speed in Developer Options to get a good balance between animation and responsiveness. To do this:

• Open Settings > Developer Options .
• Scroll to the Drawing section .
• Here, adjust the Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale , and Animation Duration Scale options . Set them to 0.5x for a faster feel, but you can experiment.

You can also turn animations off completely, but this may make the UI less visually smooth. Experiment with different settings to find what works best for you!

1. Reverse power sharing

Not all smartphones support reverse charging, but for those that do, it's a lifesaver. It allows you to wirelessly charge another device by placing it directly on top of your phone.

You can charge your Android phone, iPhone, or wireless headphones. This feature is also useful for smartwatches, allowing you to leave the charger at home and use your phone instead.

Reverse charging is available on flagship phones from Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and Xiaomi, as well as some devices like the OnePlus 13, Nothing Phone 2, and Sony Xperia 1 VI.

To use wireless power sharing on your Samsung phone, swipe down with two fingers to open Quick Settings, then swipe left to find more options.

Finally, tap Wireless power sharing to enable the feature. For this feature to work, your phone needs to have at least 30% battery and not be connected to a charger.

There are also more handy features, like setting a custom DNS to block ads system-wide, using split-screen view to multitask, and double-tapping the recents button to switch between apps. Android has a lot of useful tricks, and you can keep discovering more surprises!