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7. Enable Screen Pinning
Sometimes you want to let someone use your phone to watch a video, look at photos, or play a game. You don’t want them to go snooping throughout all your apps and personal information. Screen Pinning allows you to lock your phone to one specific app so a guest can’t go snooping around.
To enable this feature go to Settings > Security > Screen pinning. To use screen pinning open the app you would like to pin, then press the square Overview (formerly multitasking) button, scroll up so you can see the blue thumb tack icon in the bottom right corner of the most recent app. To unpin an app simply long-press the back and overview buttons simultaneously.
8. Backup Photos & Videos
The best camera most people own is the one attached to their smartphone. This means pretty much all of the photos and videos you take are stored in your pocket. It’s very convenient to have a camera on you at all times, but it also makes it very easy to lose all of your precious photos and videos. The easiest way to prevent this from happening is using cloud backup apps.
There are three cloud backup apps that we like: Google+, OneDrive, and Dropbox. All three of these apps have some sort of automatic backup feature. When the feature is enabled it automatically adds photos and videos to your cloud storage right from the camera roll. You don’t even have to think about it.
When you open the Google+ app for the first time it will ask you if you want to enable Auto Backup. You can set it to only back up photos and videos when you’re connected to a WiFi network. In the OneDrive app you’ll find similar settings under Camera backup. In Dropbox it’s called Camera Upload, but it works exactly like the others.
9. Customize Your Home Screen
Now that we’ve got all the important stuff taken care of we can finally set up the home screen. The Android home screen is one of the most iconic things in smartphones. Nothing else comes close to the level of customization. You can change the wallpaper, fill it up with app icons, create folders, and add widgets. The only limit is your imagination.
Long pressing any blank area on the home screen will show you a zoomed out view of your home screen pages, as well as options to change the wallpaper, add widgets, or customize your Google Now settings. With all the extra screen real estate of the Nexus 6, you should have no problem fitting all the apps and widgets you want.
Don’t forget that most widgets can be resized by long-pressing after they’ve been placed. If you find you need more than single paged home screen, you can add more by dragging an icon from the app drawer over to the right of the screen where another page will then be added.
10. Accessorize your Nexus
You’re Nexus 6 is all set up and ready to go. Now you can start thinking about what accessories you might want. There is a sea of cases, charges, screen protectors, headphones, mounts, and more to go with your Nexus 6. Finding the best accessories, and the ones that don’t cost as much as your phone, can be a challenge. Luckily we’ve already compiled a list of our favorites.
Head on over to our list of the best Nexus 6 accessories. We’ve got picks for cases that are thin, durable, with holsters and kickstands, and wallet cases. There is also best wireless chargers, screen protectors, car mount, and headphones. It’s a great place to start for decking out your Nexus in the best gear.
11. Explore the Nexus 6 Forums
These steps are just the beginning of what you can do with the Nexus 6. Now you can graduate to our 13 Tips & Tricks for the Nexus 6. Another excellent resource is our Nexus 6 forum. There you will find conversations from other Nexus 6 users. It’s a great place to ask questions and learn how to do things with our How-To guides. Here are a few that you might be interested in right now:
- How to take a screenshot
- How to change keyboard
- How to edit contacts (and add and delete)
- How to uninstall apps
- How to use NFC
- How to use Wireless Charging
- How to Turbo Charge
You should also download the official Android app for Android Forums, and while you’re at it download the Phandroid app too.
Bonus: Play the Secret Lollipop Game
With every major Android release Google has “hidden” a fun little Easter Egg inside the Android version number. For Android 5.0 Lollipop Google went all out, including a full on Flappy Bird clone mini game.
All you have to do to get it up and running is press the version number 5 times (Settings > About phone > Android version) to activate the first part of the Easter Egg: an image of a Lollipop. Tapping on the lollipop will change its colors, but long press and it fires up the new mini game.
Everything is Android and Lollipop themed, but don’t be fooled, this version is just as excruciatingly difficult as the real thing. Play at your own risk.
the battery saving mode on this phone is actually quite incredible. went to Disney 2 days in a row. left the saving mode OFF the first day and my phone died at around 8pm after taking MULTIPLE pics and videos of the kids. I missed the fireworks =(….the next day? turned it on, took more pics and vids than the day before, as well as called/texted the wife since we got separated a couple of times, battery life by 11 pm? 26%. YES!
There are things that don’t work when battery saver is on. (Of course, it’s not magic, so there has to be something!) I started playing with the fit app (or whatever it’s called), and started counting steps while on vacation. Battery saver kept the phone from dying while away from a charger — walking — for a very long day, but didn’t track any of my steps.
It makes sense that using the accelerometer all day long would be a drain on the battery that is easily turned off to save battery. While I was somewhat disappointed that I didn’t have some numerical evidence to back up my extremely sore feet and legs, at least I do have hundreds of pics that I took using the phone that day. Even with all of those pics (including a few photospheres and panoramics), I will had decent battery life left when we made it back to the hotel. The battery was in much better shape than me at that point.
i’m going to try it out when I go back to Disney here this next month and try it out! that is a good experiment.
Hope you don’t get measles:
http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_27418073/measles-outbreak-disney-park-origins-grows-95-cases
I was hoping that you would have pointed out something that I missed during my set up… but great start for most. Love my Nexus 6 and this shows many reasons to love the phone during setup. The 13 Nexus Tips is also a great read for any new Nexus owners… good stuff
#12 trade it for an HTC One M8
M9… why mess with an M8 when the M9 is a month or 2 away.
Because… That’s why.
Ahhh.. I see…makes sense now.
boooooooo! dont leave us in suspense ;) haha
Why buy a Nexus 6 instead of an M8 or M9? Because f%&k you, that’s why.
The One M8 is a nice phone and so will the M9 I am sure… but they are still not a Nexus 6. Although the 6 is not for everyone (those with small hands) it is a monstrously great phone.
So trade it for a phone that has a completely different demographic than drove you to the Nexus 6 to begin with?
Never. I had M8 and sold it. Endless security and update errors. And factory unlocked Dev Edition is only available in the USA. Thanks, but no more HTC.
Do me a favor… don’t reply to me until you buy back an HTC One M8. You’re smarter than this P F
Do me a favor, don’t post anything if you don’t have something smart to say.
12. Root that beotch and profit!!!!!
I think you mean: 13: ? 14. Profit
No, I meant 12. If there are 11 things, the 12th is root.
But in actuality, really, #1 should be root and push the above 1-11 down to 2-12.
my brain just exploded
I was just kidding, in any event (and I realise I failed at counting just now, my bad). That wasn’t sarcasm, just to be clear.
I agree with moving root up to #1. I’ve actually thought about going from CM on my Nexus 5 to stock and rooting it, followed by using Gravitybox. I don’t really know if there’ll be noticeable improvements to wifi connectivity, battery life etc., though.
You don’t watch South Park do you?
Root but there is nothing noticeable to flash yet
Great article Joe
hey serious question here….lets say I have 3 pages of apps (and google now on the far far left). Now lets say out of the 3 pages, I want page 2 to be my MAIN page, so when i hit the home button, it goes to that page? instead, it ALWAYS goes to page 1. anyone?? I can install Apex/Nova, but its the only gripe I have with Google Now Launcher.
Nothing you can do with the stock launcher about that. At least not without root, and the GEL extenders which might be able to accomplish that. But Google wants your home screen one swipe away from Now.
that sucks….i get it, but it really sucks and takes after apple with them forcing your direction on things =
Not really. Otherwise you could say the same about you not being allowed to change the entire layout and functionality of each individual Google app. As long as they allow custom launchers, they’re nothing like Apple.
woah woah woah, hey theres no need for proving people wrong here! haha jk, yeah thats a strong point. You are completely right.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, there’s no need for admitting that! This is the Internet. You’re supposed to dig in your heels and call me a bunch of slurs!
haha listen here you awesome funny intellegent son of a great mother. I can admit when I’m wrong all flippin day!
You’re a diamond in the rough.
someone in this world has to stop taking things personal and not be an internet tough guy ;)
Wow two people agreed about something on the internet….HEAD TO THE BUNKERS IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!
hahahaha I love agreeing with people on the internet, I feel I breathe a different breath of life on these forums! I mean, dont u tell me what to do you mother f@$*%#! haha jk jk
Nova rocks
You can rearrange the pages on the Google Now launcher.
1. Long press on a blank space on the page
2. Long press on the screen that you want to move
3. Drag that screen to whatever position that you want
thanks for the help, but i did know you can do that. but try it out and hit the home button (circle button at the bottom). it still goes to the screen right after the google now page, no matter what. as someone stated below, this is by design. Guess i’ll go back to Nova.
Love my nexus 6, but seriously the best thing you could probably do is root it and enable double tap to wake for it.
Last,but not least:
https://yt3.ggpht.com/-zZDWwzlwMCw/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/dEf-4HqmW8A/s100-c-k-no/photo.jpg
How is this “Nexus 6” or even “should do”? Asside from commenter @KOLIO’s number 12 and the Nexus6 forums, these are all features of Android 5.0 and android devices in general. This applies to my Nexus 4, and my HTC One (M8). I almost didn’t read the article except the click-bait title drew me in.
Quit whining.
You should not use Smart Lock. if someone steals your phone, they could use it within 20ft, or take your watch for unlimited access. It’s not a security feature.
Obviously its a convenience feature! And if you are that paranoid about it, you could just press the lock button on your Lollipop phone homescreen and temporarily disable Smart Lock while you are a few feet away and not paying attention. Once you unlock it, boom back to Smart Lock mode.
I have all that on my S4 5.0.1 lollipop Google edition ha ha :) waiting to update my Note4 too
There is absolutely nothing useful new in lollipop. Waste of space since it takes away alot of KitKat and jellybean goodies and it is still full of bugs. The writer of this article is android sheep
1. Unlock your bootloader
2. Root
3. Flash custom kernel
4. Disable forced encryption
5. Adjust screen density to 460
6. Adjust RGB to cool the color screen down (R:230 G:230 B:250)
7. Enable swipe to wake within your kernel
8. Buy lightflow pro and mess with your notification LED
9. Connect to an AC router and drool over your connection speed
10. Watch something that takes advantage of your front facing speakers (they are awesome)
11. Enjoy the best device on the market right now
All u dongles that are talking about rooting this device, is that even sensible……Doesn’t rooting VOID the warranty?????
Rooting Nexus device does not VOID warranty!