Motorola Droid Tips, Tricks, and Easter Eggs

**Meinbeast19** · 11-09-2009, 06:33 PM

Thought this might be a useful thread for hidden or little known tips or tricks that you have discovered about your droid.

I noticed that the screen turns off during a phone call only if it is pressed to your ear ( light sensor?)

EDIT: This thread is for posting tips and tricks for you to share with other forum members, PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY QUESTIONS as they will simply be deleted.

Thanks.
__________________

**Snaz** · 11-09-2009, 07:25 PM

~~~The unit won't stay off during charging....

~~~it's a proximity sensor that turns the screen black (during call, etc.)

~~~When typing on the virtual keyboard you can swipe down to make the keyboard go away.

~~~from your home screen, press menu, then settings, then go to 'About phone'
--> Status: i like that it shows you how much battery life you have left in percentage
--> Battery use: Cool way to keep track of what is killing your battery

~~~Settings >> Applications >> Development >> Stay Awake (keeps screen on while charging)

~~~I like that the search/home buttons have separate "long press" functions.
long press on Home gives you a list of running (or recently running) apps, and long press on Search brings up your voice search.

~~~The Droid doesn't have a speed dial list. Instead it has a favorites list. To add a contact to the favorites list:
Go to contacts and touch the star in the upper right hand corner. When it is lit up, the contact is now part of your favorites list.

~~~If you want to add custom notification ringtones for your emails, sms/mms, ect., plug your Droid into your computer, access the SD card, create a new folder on the card called "notifications", and drop the ringtones you want to use into the folder. When the phone is unplugged from the computer, the Droid will be able to use the new tones.

~~~~To watch youtube videos in High Quality, start the video, press settings, and click on "watch in high quality

~~~~~you can also add the contact on your home screen by touching on the home screen and hold then a menu will pop up click shortcuts then pick a contact from there works great

~~~~Maybe a known step but took me a while to figure it out. While on the web, if you wanna save a picture (for wallpaper purposes or whatever). You have to hold your finger over the picture and the "save picture" message will come up.

~~~~On the virtual keyboards if you long press any button with "..." next to the letter or number it will bring up another list of options.

~~~~save album art images for music as folder.jpg to keep them from showing up in your gallery. also store mp3 ringtones in: /sdcard/media/ringtones to keep them from showing up in your music database.

~~~~Keyboard shortcuts:
go to Settings > Applications > Quick Launch to view and set keyboard shortcuts.

~~~~just discovered you can use the barcode app to share contacts, bookmarks, etc...
open Barcode, press menu button, select share

**droidowner92** · 11-09-2009, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Meinbeast

Thought this might be a useful thread for hidden or little known tips or tricks that you have discovered about your droid.

I noticed that the screen turns off during a phone call only if it is pressed to your ear ( light sensor?)

it does it either left or right ear. and yea im pretty sure its the sensor

**Adiliyo** · 11-09-2009, 07:28 PM

it's a proximity sensor that does it.

**peterr22** · 11-09-2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by droidowner92

it does it either left or right ear. and yea im pretty sure its the sensor

Originally Posted by Adiliyo

it's a proximity sensor that does it.

put your hand over it while on the phone, it does the same thing, pretty badass

**Mr.Miagi** · 11-10-2009, 01:40 AM

When typing on the virtual keyboard you can swipe down to make the keyboard go away.

**tdawgui** · 11-10-2009, 10:31 AM

from your home screen, press menu, then settings, then go to 'About phone'

--> Status: i like that it shows you how much battery life you have left in percentage

--> Battery use: Cool way to keep track of what is killing your battery

**thomascj** · 11-10-2009, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by mr.miagi

When typing on the virtual keyboard you can swipe down to make the keyboard go away.

gah! i knew that had to be an easier way than pressing the "back" button!!! THANK YOU!

**thomascj** · 11-10-2009, 10:50 AM

Settings >> Applications >> Development >> Stay Awake

i had been wondering how to keep the screen on while the phone was charging.. if you were too, there's your answer.

EDIT:

oh.. also.. probably obvious, but I like that the search/home buttons have separate "long press" functions.

long press on Home gives you a list of running (or recently running) apps, and long press on Search brings up your voice search.

**stingray389** · 11-10-2009, 12:23 PM

- The Droid doesn't have a speed dial list. Instead it has a favorites list. To add a contact to the favorites list:
Go to contacts and touch the star in the upper right hand corner. When it is lit up, the contact is now part of your favorites list.
- If you want to add custom notification ringtones for your emails, sms/mms, ect., plug your Droid into your computer, access the SD card, create a new folder on the card called "notifications", and drop the ringtones you want to use into the folder. When the phone is unplugged from the computer, the Droid will be able to use the new tones.
- To watch youtube videos in High Quality, start the video, press settings, and click on "watch in high quality

**Mr.Miagi** · 11-10-2009, 12:32 PM

Definite like the HQ youtube feature. Good to know about the ringtones, also can use ringdroid, i believe its called to create them on your phone.

Roy Aguilera · 11-10-2009, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by stingray389

- To watch youtube videos in High Quality, start the video, press settings, and click on "watch in high quality

Awesome. Thanks

**tdawgui** · 11-10-2009, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by stingray389

to watch youtube videos in high quality, start the video, press settings, and click on "watch in high quality

SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Thank you!!!!

edit: too bad you can't set it to automatically load the high quality video every time.

Roy Aguilera · 11-10-2009, 01:39 PM

Maybe a known step but took me a while to figure it out. While on the web, if you wanna save a picture (for wallpaper purposes or whatever). You have to hold your finger over the picture and the "save picture" message will come up.
I was so confused for like 3 minutes.

**Meinbeast19** · 11-10-2009, 01:56 PM

On the virtual keyboards if you long press any button with "..." next to the letter or number it will bring up another list of options.

for example a long press on the "1" key will bring up options for "1 , 1/2. 1/3, 1/4, 1/8" or a long press on the smiley face will bring up other face options, there are many of these "..." keys

**adam8ch** · 11-10-2009, 02:00 PM

save album art images for music as folder.jpg to keep them from showing up in your gallery. also store mp3 ringtones in: /sdcard/media/ringtones to keep them from showing up in your music database.

Keyboard shortcuts:
go to Settings > Applications > Quick Launch to view and set keyboard shortcuts.

Menu Shortcuts:
Add(home screen) - menu+a
Wallpaper(home screen) - menu+w
Notifications - menu+n
Settings - menu+p
Search - menu+s

**thomascj** · 11-10-2009, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Meinbeast

On the virtual keyboards if you long press any button with "..." next to the letter or number it will bring up another list of options.

for example a long press on the "1" key will bring up options for "1 , 1/2. 1/3, 1/4, 1/8" or a long press on the smiley face will bring up other face options, there are many of these "..." keys

nice -- i had wondered what those dots were for.

I also noticed that you can drag your finger around the keyboard and it wont select a letter until you stop (haven't figured out exactly how this works yet)

**dieselnut** · 11-10-2009, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by stingray389

- The Droid doesn't have a speed dial list. Instead it has a favorites list. To add a contact to the favorites list:
Go to contacts and touch the star in the upper right hand corner. When it is lit up, the contact is now part of your favorites list.
- If you want to add custom notification ringtones for your emails, sms/mms, ect., plug your Droid into your computer, access the SD card, create a new folder on the card called "notifications", and drop the ringtones you want to use into the folder. When the phone is unplugged from the computer, the Droid will be able to use the new tones.
- To watch youtube videos in High Quality, start the video, press settings, and click on "watch in high quality

you can also add the contact on your home screen by touching on the home screen and hold then a menu will pop up click shortcuts then pick a contact from there works great

**Richa13er** · 11-10-2009, 07:12 PM

If you want the screen to stay on while plugged go to setting > Application > Development and click stay awake

**thomascj** · 11-11-2009, 01:32 PM

just discovered you can use the barcode app to share contacts, bookmarks, etc...

open Barcode, press menu button, select share

**isleshocky77** · 11-11-2009, 08:11 PM

Double tapping the hope button will take you not only to your home screen, but the center home screen. I've found this quite useful.

**droidowner92** · 11-11-2009, 08:21 PM

holding home shows ur 6 last apps i believe

**mclarryjr** · 11-12-2009, 07:18 AM

To forward a text message press and hold the screen on the text message to bring up options lock message, forward, delete, copy, or call contact.

**meshp1318** · 11-12-2009, 11:58 AM

If your using Handcent than holding the search button will be allow you to use quick reply with voice if you have it enabled in your handcent in addition to google voice search. You can also choose it to be your default action when holding the search key if you like and your like me who finds the google search widget just as handy as holding search.

**scottsdalehokie#ac** · 11-12-2009, 04:33 PM

I'm sure most of you know this, but to the people that don't, when you're in your contacts list, if you click the person's picture, or where the picture should be, a menu pops up that lets you either call that person, send them a text or email, view their Facebook page, or just look at their full contact profile.