Android Magazine UK - Issue No. 49

hide them from your Google account

(removal isn’t possible), including any

that you might have signed into in your

local electronics retailer or borrowed.

To delete your older Android devices

from your account head toplay.google.

com/settingsand deselect unwanted

devices in the Visibility column.

Manage new

device apps

After signing into a new Android device,

you may want to prevent it from

installing apps you have already

purchased. For instance, an office app

might be useless on your new

smartphone but you may use it

regularly on your tablet. Android will

attempt to automatically install all

ownedappsifAndroidBackupis

activated on your account.

To prevent this from slowing down

your enjoyment on your new Android

device, it is worth deleting the backup

data before you sign into the newer

phoneortabletforthefirsttime.Do

this by openingwww.google.com/

settings/dashboardand clicking on the

Android section. Here you’ll find a list of

all devices and Android ROMs you’ve

had associated with your Google

account. At the bottom click the button

labelled ‘Delete back up data’, then

proceed with signing into your new

device. Backup can be re-enabled on

any of your Android devices later in

Settings>Backup & reset.

Disable bad

vibrations

Vibrations can be beneficial. Having

the vibrate mode enabled will let you

know when your phone is ringing in

yourpocketorbaganditwillalso

make a noise all of its own if your

Android device has been placed on

ahardsurface.

Unfortunately though, it’s also a bit

of a battery killer. Disabling vibrate

mode can increase your battery life,

so if you don’t really need it enabled

Which devices are best for

the hacking s?

Tips&Tricks

Delete backup data to stop apps being

auto-installedonanewAndroiddevice

q hacks

Having too many open apps may

not slow down your phone but it

will delay your ability to switch

between them. Unlike desktop

computers, it’s easy to quickly

close unwanted apps on Android.

Close

unneeded

apps quickly

Using the built-in app switcher

tool is the obvious solution and is

quickest when only a few apps are

open. Hold down the Home button

(HTC) or tap the app switcher button

(Samsung) and swipe apps away.

(^1) Another built-in tool is the App
Manager. Found in Settings, you can
find apps you want to close one-by
-one by selecting the Force Stop
button. Information on storage and
cache is here. Both can be emptied.
2
Other than restarting Android to
close open apps quickly (which
disables your phone momentarily),
use a third party app killer to close
all open apps with a single tap.
3
LG G Watch
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQHigh
Android Wear is easy
to hack and Gohma is
our recommended
custom watch ROM.
Sony Xperia Z2
Rooted? Yes
Active Development:
QQQMedium
Rooting the Z2 just got
easier with XDA Forum
user ‘rafealbelo’
successfully hacking a
locked Z2 with no
custom recovery.
Nexus 6
Rooted?Yes
Active Developmen
QQQHigh
Google’s first phable
is easy to root, with
hackers eager to
exploit Android
Lollipop’s features.
Use the App Switcher Force stop apps Use a third party
app killer
Receive a new Android tablet or phone
for Christmas? Still puzzled by the fact
that you have too many devices
attached to your account each time
you go to install an app?
Although it is potentially useful for
Google to retain details of your devices

• particularly so you can track them in
  lost or stolen scenarios – the job of
  installing a new app on your latest
  device can be tricky if you have
  multiple Android handsets registered
  on the same Google account. If you’re
  no longer using older devices, you can

Deselect older devices to make app

installation smoother

OnePlus One

Rooted? Yes

Active Development:

QQQHigh

This popular Chinese

phone runs

Cyanogenmod as

standard, so is highly

customisable.

Hacker Zøne

status update

Too many

devices?