New to Android. Question on a few things

[HiMynameisMattyK]

1. How do I enable a pin so that it has to be input in order to unlock the phone? I went to device in settings then screen lock and submitted a pin then confirmed and it's still unlocking without asking for a pin code.

2. What is the quickest way to put the phone on vibrate? Do you need to go to settings or can you do it from pulling down on the top of the screen by turning off sound?

3. I've heard from others about a task manager or something like that that kills apps and helps you manage your phone. Is this app necessary? If so, what is it called and what are its benefits?

Sorry if these are dumb questions but it will take me time to get use to the Android OS. Thanks in advance for your help!

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[Paul627g]

Hello,

These seem like some general questions that I might be able to help with, even not having the device..

1. How do I enable a pin so that it has to be input in order to unlock the phone? I went to device in settings then screen lock and submitted a pin then confirmed and it's still unlocking without asking for a pin code.

Have you rebooted the phone since enabling the pin lock?

2. What is the quickest way to put the phone on vibrate? Do you need to go to settings or can you do it from pulling down on the top of the screen by turning off sound?

Your pulldown quick settings should work or possibly just holding down on the volume key until it goes into vibrate.

3. I've heard from others about a task manager or something like that that kills apps and helps you manage your phone. Is this app necessary? If so, what is it called and what are its benefits?

Android itself manages applications just fine. Some people still swear by using 3rd party apps to maintain their device but I've seen more evidence of these creating more headaches than they resolve.

 

[HiMynameisMattyK]

I restarted the phone. Once it turned back on, it prompted me to enter the pin. I locked the screen then turned it on again just to make sure it was working and it did it did not prompt me again. I want to make it permanent.

Also, I figured out how to put it on vibrate. You have to hold the power but and it will ask you if you want to put it on vibrate or silent. Thanks.

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[Dronak]

The PIN lock problem seems unusual. If you've set one in Settings, Device, Lock Screen, it ought to work whenever you turn off the screen. Do you happen to be using any third-part apps that could be interfering or conflicting with the way the lock screen handles security?

There should be a few ways to get the phone into vibrate mode. Holding the power button is one way. Using the pull-down notification options is another. Using the volume buttons to turn it down all the way is another, though this is probably not the fastest. I think I usually use the notification menu to do it manually, but whatever you find most convenient or fastest for you is how you should do it.

My understanding is that third-party task managers aren't really necessary. Android should do a pretty good job of managing itself. Using the built-in options should be fine though if you need/want a little bit of a boost. For example, holding the home key down will bring up a list of recently used apps. I think these are also still in memory, so you can swipe them left/right individually if you want to close them, or use the bottom right on-screen button to clear them all. Also on this screen is an on-screen button at the lower left that looks like a pie chart -- tap that, and it will take you to a screen where you can reduce RAM usage by clearing out inactive and background processes. Some of these may (or will) come back after you clear then, but this might be helpful sometimes. I think that's about all I usually do.

Others might have more info, but I hope this helps.

 

[HiMynameisMattyK]

The PIN lock problem seems unusual. If you've set one in Settings, Device, Lock Screen, it ought to work whenever you turn off the screen. Do you happen to be using any third-part apps that could be interfering or conflicting with the way the lock screen handles security?

There should be a few ways to get the phone into vibrate mode. Holding the power button is one way. Using the pull-down notification options is another. Using the volume buttons to turn it down all the way is another, though this is probably not the fastest. I think I usually use the notification menu to do it manually, but whatever you find most convenient or fastest for you is how you should do it.

My understanding is that third-party task managers aren't really necessary. Android should do a pretty good job of managing itself. Using the built-in options should be fine though if you need/want a little bit of a boost. For example, holding the home key down will bring up a list of recently used apps. I think these are also still in memory, so you can swipe them left/right individually if you want to close them, or use the bottom right on-screen button to clear them all. Also on this screen is an on-screen button at the lower left that looks like a pie chart -- tap that, and it will take you to a screen where you can reduce RAM usage by clearing out inactive and background processes. Some of these may (or will) come back after you clear then, but this might be helpful sometimes. I think that's about all I usually do.

Others might have more info, but I hope this helps.

I've only downloaded a few apps so far. Facebook, Facebook messenger, foursquare, and twitter. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I don't get it at all.

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[HiMynameisMattyK]

Never mind. I figured it out. It was under lock screen in settings. It was set to every 10 minutes.

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[Dronak]

Yeah, I didn't really think it was another app, because chances are you'd know it if it was. Checking in the settings, I see the "lock automatically" which is probably what you meant. There's also "Lock instantly with power key". If you like a longer setting for the auto-lock, it may be a good idea to turn on the power key option. However you decide to configure it, I'm glad you were able to figure things out.