A few essential Google Play tips and tricks to let you make the most of the biggest Android app store.
If you are an Android user, Google Play is probably the place where you spend a lot of your time searching for cool Android apps and games. This is, after all, the center and “homeland” of almost all Android apps out there.
That’s why I want you to discover a few great Google Play tips and tricks (for both the mobile and desktop version of the app). Turn your Android device on and let’s start!
The below Google Play tips and tricks refer to the mobile version of Google Play (the one you can access via your phone).
Remember that to be able to use Google Play, you need to at first add a Google account to your device. Without that, you won’t be able to use Google Play and many other Google apps and services on your phone. Adding a Google account should be one of the first configuration steps you take after buying your Android phone.
Keeping your device and all the apps installed on it up-to-date is one of the most important security measures. In Google Play you can easily check which apps need to be updated and update all of them at once.
To do that:
This Google Play tip is in fact part of the first above tip. You should make sure that apps are set to auto-update so that you don’t have to remember to manually check for updates and install them.
Here is what you need to do:
If you have had several different Android phones and used the same Google account with all of them, you will probably have lots of apps “associated” with your account. It’s a good idea to clean them and remove those you don’t actively use.
To do that:
If you have children or other people use your Android device sometimes, it’s a brilliant idea to make use of parental controls to protect your money and privacy.
Here’s what you need to do:
Now you can choose what apps to allow up to and restrict the music market.
If you added payment methods to your account (especially your credit card), it becomes very easy to make app purchases. If your phone has a fingerprint sensor, you can turn fingerprint authentication on upon purchases. To do that:
The Google Play Wishlist is a special list where you can add apps and other Google Play content you want to go back to later. It’s a great way of saving apps you are thinking about buying for later. To access and manage your Wishlist:
By default your phone will notify you if there are app updates available and after apps were auto-updated. You can easily turn this notification off:
Again, by default shortcuts to new apps are added to the home screen. If there isn’t any place on the home screen, a new panel will be created and the app shortcut will be placed there.
If you don’t want this to happen, you can easily turn that feature off.
There are millions of apps in Google Play right now so it’s sometimes really difficult to find the kind of app we are really looking for. Browsing apps by category may be very helpful in that situation!
To do that:
Of course in the desktop version of Google Play all of the above Google Play tips and tricks will work. But there are also a few extra ones I am about to show you!
In the desktop version of Google Play, you can manage all of the devices that you have ever used with your Google account. To do that click on the top right icon and choose Settings.
You will see the list of all the devices and some basic information about them (e.g. when it was registered). You can also choose whether you want a given device to be shown in menus or not.
If you ever lose your phone or forget where you left it, the Android Device Manager can literally save your life. It’s a shame that so few people know about this functionality and use it.
Here is what you need to do:
Once Android Device Manager contacts your device, you will be able to activate a very loud ring, lock your device, erase its memory or locate it.
Android Device Manager is one of the most useful and essential features of Google Play you should know about and make use of.
Finally there comes one of the most important but little-known Google Play tips and tricks, i.e. installing new apps to your phone from your desktop (wirelessly, of course).
To install a new app to your phone:
Now you know all the best Google Play tips and tricks. Did they work for you? Do you know any other tips or tricks? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below!
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