ios guy now on Android: i have questions

[RavenSword]

RavenSword48 min ago
So my nexus 4 arrived yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with it so far.i updated to the current OS and am ready to go.



However, as someone coming from iOS to Android, I had some questions:



Where do I set push email setting? I want to set it to manual, but can't find the option or menu to do it.



Can I use any kind of internet hotspot use the phone with my ipad like I could my iPhone? If so, where do I do that?



Is flash disabled automatically now? I can't find the menu or setting to disable or limit it.



Is their any recommended utility apps. Like keyboards, power consumption managers, or etc.



I need a good podcast app for the phone so I can listen to my podcasts.



Is their any recommended tips for improving battery life? Should I even use auto brightness?



Thanks for the help, guys I'm a little confused by all this newness.

 

[Paul627g]

So my nexus 4 arrived yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with it so far.i updated to the current OS and am ready to go.

Awesome!

Is flash disabled automatically now? I can't find the menu or setting to disable or limit it.

Yes flash is now disabled on Jelly Bean OS. (Android 4.1.x) and above. Although if you check the forums there should be some sideloading options but again, its quickly becoming a thing of the past and many sites have updated to support no flash.

Is their any recommended utility apps. Like keyboards, power consumption managers, or etc.

Keyboards is your choice. Most popular are Swype and Swiftkey. Both are awesome and have their pros and cons, mainly comes down to user preference more than anything. Power management, I'm not a believer in any of these type of apps. Android does a good job of power management combined with learning how to properly manage your device on your own. This includes things like setting how often to poll for new email, social media. Keeping your device screen brightness to a minimum instead of on AUTO helps alot too... Also watch the amount of widgets you may use on your homescreens.. If they are polling for updates which most do, they are tearing up your battery life. The same can be said for task killers (auto shutdown of unused apps). These normally turn into more headaches than they are worth in my opinion.

Is their any recommended tips for improving battery life? Should I even use auto brightness?

See above.

Thanks for the help, guys I'm a little confused by all this newness.

No problem. Sorry I couldn't answer every question but I got quite a few of them.

Welcome to Android and enjoy the forums !

 

[anon5664829]

RavenSword48 min ago
So my nexus 4 arrived yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with it so far.i updated to the current OS and am ready to go.



However, as someone coming from iOS to Android, I had some questions:



Where do I set push email setting? I want to set it to manual, but can't find the option or menu to do it.
Get Mail droid its much better then stock, press the menu button(3 dots) and it should give options after you put your account in.



Can I use any kind of internet hotspot use the phone with my ipad like I could my iPhone? If so, where do I do that?

Yup just head over to Settings-under wireless and Networks press more and an option called tethering and portable hotspot should be there

Is flash disabled automatically now? I can't find the menu or setting to disable or limit it.
Yup it's gone but you don't need it


Is their any recommended utility apps. Like keyboards, power consumption managers, or etc.

I think Google has done a great job with 4.2.2 stock, although I recommend smart status bar so that you can open the notifacation center from with in an app, and light flow.

I need a good podcast app for the phone so I can listen to my podcasts.

Sorry no help here

Is their any recommended tips for improving battery life? Should I even use auto brightness?

Just keep it on medium in the day, low at night and it works for me perfectly fine

Thanks for the help, guys I'm a little confused by all this newness.

All answers in bold and I recently switched from an iPhone to, best decision ever!

 

[RavenSword]

What advantages does swift key give me over the stock keyboard?

 

[anon5664829]

What advantages does swift key give me over the stock keyboard?

Nothing i think stock is the best

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to Android! Hope you like your new device. In Android there are general settings and then app specific settings. General settings can be found in the app drawer, while app specific are found under the menu key. As for me, I disable all sync settings and manually sync once in a while. That is a big battery saver as opposed to all your accounts accessing the net who knows how many times a day....skip auto brightness, I set mine to about 40% and leave it. I can go about 12 hours using 70% of my battery. I do play games on my hour lunch break so I would say my consumption is average.
As for power management, if you have toggles in the pull down menu, I use those. They are nice. Otherwise there are power management widgets out there that work quite well.

Your podcasts....did you want to stream them, or save them to your phone to listen to them later? If you want to listen later, I would plug your phone into your PC, transfer the podcast as an mp3 file to your phone and then access it through the file manager. As for streaming...I am not sure...I am not much for podcasts myself.

 

[Rizz1-2]

What advantages does swift key give me over the stock keyboard?

I think there are a few advantages. Swiftkey seems to me to learn quicker and becomes better at auto corrects. Also, suggesting the next word you may want to use based off your personal typing style and history. Aside from helping you type faster, you can customize the appearance of your keyboard too, if that's your thing. I do like to change the theme from time to time and I'm happy I have the options. Welcome to android and enjoy!

 

[sting7k]

What advantages does swift key give me over the stock keyboard?

Swiftkey has much better predictions and you can customize how it gives you predictions as well. It also has much better shortcuts on the keyboard. Such as, hold down a key for a few milli-seconds and you can type a number instead of needing to bring up a secondary keyboard with numbers. Same can be done for most things. There is a trial version. I wish I could get swiftkey on iOS.

 

[Manchurian_C]

RavenSword48 min ago

Is their any recommended utility apps. Like keyboards, power consumption managers, or etc.

Is their any recommended tips for improving battery life? Should I even use auto brightness?

I came from iPhone aswell, and i must say i really love Android. I got the Nexus 4 about a month ago and i was a little dissapointed in the battery life at first (i came from razr MAXX, thats a wake up call anyways). I found a reference to a app that saves my battery life called clever connectivity. Its a genuine app and available in the Playstore. The app disables data connectivity at a given interval. I set it at a ten minute interval, after two minutes the app kills the data connectivity and after ten minutes it briefly enables connectivity. The phone and text options are still available when the app kills data. I figured if someone sends me a mail or Whatsapp they can wait for ten minutes (or text me). I really like the app and i would recommend it to anyone. I just found one reference on the interwebs and i guess its up to me to promote it!

Gl getting used to Android, i know you will love it!

 

[BlueAce127]

...Such as, hold down a key for a few milli-seconds and you can type a number instead of needing to bring up a secondary keyboard with numbers...

You can already do that on the stock Android keyboard, couldn't you? If you hold one of the top row letter keys, the number which occupies the same spot in the secondary keyboard will pop up.