If you’ve just bought a new phone , you’ll probably want to start “messing around” with it right away. Put the brakes on. Before that, you must first configure it and although nowadays all the customization layers offer a pretty decent initialization guide, there are a number of tips that you should follow before you start using your new mobile.
Every Android device is different, and every manufacturer gives their own phones little extras that make them stand out from a crowd of competitors. Luckily, deep down, Android devices are quite similar and when configuring them, they all have to go through the same 3 phases.
These are connectivity, security, and personalization.
Connectivity
To start using your new mobile you can ignore the connectivity options but if you do not connect your phone to a network, be it Wi-fi or data, you will be able to do little with the phone.
Connect to a Wi-Fi network
This step is not strictly necessary, but considering that getting the phone up and running is going to require downloading a good amount of MB (and even GB) of data, you better not waste your valuable mobile data. Instead, use a Wi-Fi connection, preferably the one in your home, entering the name of the Network and its password.
The Google account, the center of all your mobile
Once you are connected to Wi-Fi, your own phone should encourage you to enter your Google email. This will be the one used to create backups on the phone, download apps, make payments and everything you intend to do with the phone.
If you have started the phone using a backup, the device will already have your Google account information. However, you will still have to enter your password. Otherwise, enter your Gmail address first. After doing so, you will have access to the Android application store
Of course, you have the possibility to access the information of this account from the smartphone configuration, selecting the Accounts menu and working on the configured Gmail account.
Set the preferred data network
Is your new smartphone 5G? By default, if it is, the mobile phone will be configured to automatically select this type of network but, if your city does not yet have this connectivity standard, it is absurd that the mobile phone continues to search for this type of network and continues to use more battery.
Once you have started the mobile, access the Settings, select SIM / Mobile networks and in the Preferred network type option, select the one you prefer based on the use that you are going to give the mobile.
Security
Once we have connected to the Internet, either data or Wi-Fi, and we have the Google account configured on the phone, we can start using our new mobile . However, it is appropriate that we follow some security measures first, as a precaution more than anything.
Is there a pending update?
That your mobile is new does not mean that it works with the most recent operating system version- For example, you can buy a Samsung Galaxy s20, running Android 10, which you can now update to Android 11. This implies that, in addition to enjoying new functions, the latest security patches will be applied to the device.
Normally a message should appear on the screen if there is a pending update but you can also check it from the Settings menu, System, and locating an option similar to “Check for software updates”.
These updates can take a long time to download and install, which is why we previously recommended connecting to a Wi-Fi network due to the high data traffic with which it is going to work. In addition, it is appropriate that you check that the battery is charged at least 50%.
Import your data … or not
If you are configuring your new phone, you will always have the option of installing a previous backup with your data and apps previously downloaded in another terminal. On a personal basis, we recommend not doing it so as not to “drag” possible problems inherited from previous uses and we encourage you to install everything from scratch.
If you still want to install the previous backup, you can open the Settings panel, Settings, enter the menu About the phone or Backup and restore and choose the one you want.
Lock and fingerprint pattern
Like many other aspects of setup , how you protect your phone will vary considerably depending on the type of phone you have. If you have a mobile with a fingerprint, perfect. If not, you will have to resort to the classic password pattern or, on newer phones, to facial recognition.
Whatever you do, it is 100% recommended that you establish some kind of security measure to avoid potential problems if your phone falls into the wrong hands.
- Pattern or Pin: Create a numerical code or an unlock drawing that you must enter when you want to access the phone from Settings> Security> screen lock> Pattern / Pin
- Fingerprint: Register all the fingerprints you want to be able to unlock the mobile by placing your finger on the bihometric sensor. You can do it from Settings> Security> screen lock> Fingerprint
- Face recognition: If what you prefer is that the front camera of the mobile automatically recognizes when using the phone, just set the face unlock as the unlock method from Settings> Security> screen lock> Face unlock
Personalization
Adjust the text size to your liking
Something that many users complain about when they start using the new mobile is that they either see the text too large or too small. This happens especially if you come from a phone with a screen of more restrained dimensions and go to one with a larger display.
The latest versions of Android are prepared to adapt the text to our liking and we can do so by opening the Settings app and going down until we see the Screen and Brightness option. Once inside, we will have to click on Text and display size to test the different options that are given to us.
In the same way, from this same menu, we can alter the typeface and adjust it to the one that is most comfortable for us.
Set up Google Assistant
If your phone has the Google Assistant built in, it will present itself to you at one point in setup and ask you to help it recognize your voice. Just follow the on-screen instructions to use the Google tool in your day to day, setting reminders, performing voice searches, consulting information and a host of other things.
Depending on the phone model, you can also choose other support applications.
Download the apps you want
As we have said before, you can install all the apps you want using the backup, but we recommend that you not only install them from scratch but configure them from scratch.
Enter the Play Store and locate the ones you want or, if this Gmail account that you are using had already been configured on a previous Android, simply display the side menu and select My applications and games. There you will find all the apps that you have downloaded on another mobile ready to be installed on your new phone .
