LG-G6-tricks (21)

40+ LG G6 Tips & Tricks

We’ve already talked about the first things you should do with the LG G6. Now, it’s time to get down and dirty. LG likes to pack a lot of features into their devices. The G6 is no different. A lot of these features can be incredibly useful if you know how to use them (and where to look). We’ll help you get the most out of your LG G6 with these handy tips and tricks.

Read also: What’s in the box?, Battery life first 24 hours, and Sample Photos

How to take a screenshot on the LG G6

Taking a screenshot is one of the most basic functions of a smartphone. It’s a great tool for showing people what you’re looking at. The G6 has a couple of different methods to perform this task.

Method 1:

Method 2:

For more, discuss screenshots at the LG G6 forum

Set up the fingerprint scanner

The power button on the back of the G6 is also used as the fingerprint scanner. It can be used for a few things, such as Android Pay and Google Play Store purchases, but the most common use is unlocking the phone. The G6 has one of the fastest and most reliable sensors I’ve used. You definitely should give it a shot.

  1. Go to Settings > Fingerprints & security
  2. Tap on Fingerprints (confirm your password)
  3. Select Add fingerprint
  4. Scan your fingerprint

Use the unique Knock Code to unlock

If you don’t like the idea of using your fingerprint, LG has another unique lock screen method. KnockCode allows you to set up a pattern of taps to unlock your phone (and it can still work as a back-up to fingerprints). You can even use the Knock Code when the display is off. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Go to Settings > Lock screen > Select screen lock
  2. Tap on KnockCode
  3. Tap the square 3-8 times in a pattern you can remember
  4. Tap Continue and then confirm the pattern again

Skip the lock screen in safe places with Smart Lock

LG has a couple convenient lock screen methods, but they can still feel like a hassle sometimes. A feature called “Smart Lock” lets you tell your phone when it’s safe to disable lock screen security. This allows you to lock your phone when you need it, but it won’t be locked when you’re in trusted situations.

  1. Go to Settings > Lock screen
  2. Select Smart Lock
  3. Choose one of the Smart Lock methods

Currently, there are 5 types of Smart Lock, and you can use more than one at a time. Each one will explain how it works when you select it. Trusted places is a good place to start.

Make sure you can find your lost or stolen phone

The worst thing that can happen to a new phone is for it to be lost or stolen. Thankfully, you have some options for retrieving the device. The G6 comes with something called “Android Device Manager” pre-installed. If your phone is lost or stolen you can simply go to this website, log in with your Google account, and locate your phone. You can also remotely ring, lock, and erase the device. The best thing about this is there’s no set-up required. It just works.

For even more ways to find a lost or stolen phone, read our full guide.

Get quick info with the Always-On Display

One of the newest features on LG phones is the “Always-on display.” This feature works a lot like the Always-on display on the Samsung phones. You can see the time, date, and notifications while the display is turned off. It’s pretty handy to see the time or whether you need to read a notification.

  1. Go to Settings > Display
  2. Tap Always-on display
  3. Toggle the switch to ON
  4. Select Set what to show to choose how it looks

Wake the phone with a double-tap

If you haven’t used an LG phone in a while, you’re about to discover something you won’t be able to live without. Since the power button is on the back, sometimes it’s hard to quickly wake up the phone. You can simply double-tap anywhere on the screen and the display will light up.

Putting the phone to sleep works the same way. If you’re using the stock LG launcher you can double-tap on any blank space, but if you’re using a 3rd-party launcher you have to double-tap the status bar. Give it a try.

Put the Settings in list mode

On most G6 models, the Settings is organized with a tabbed layout. We’ve found that the tabs usually make it more difficult to find what you’re looking for. To go back to the more traditional list view, simply tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the Settings and select List view.

Delete useless carrier bloatware

Some carrier models of the LG G6 will come with a lot of apps pre-installed. There could be over 20 apps already on your device that you have no intention of ever using. The good news is we can uninstall, or at least disable, most of the bloatware. There are two methods to remove apps.

  1. Go to Settings > Apps
  2. Locate the appropriate app
    1. Note: For system apps, tap the Menu icon > Show system
  3. Tap UNINSTALL
  4. Tap OK to confirm

OR

  1. Open the app drawer
  2. Tap the Menu icon
  3. Select Edit/Uninstall apps
  4. Tap the (X) icon on an app to remove

For more, discuss deleting apps at the LG G6 forum

How to draw on the screen

You can draw on pretty much anything with a tap of a button on the LG G6 by using the “Capture+” feature. It’s a button that you’ll find in the Quick Settings. When you tap the button, it takes a screenshot at lets you draw on it. Not only is it great for doodling, but it’s great for taking notes.

  1. Pull down the Quick Settings
  2. Tap the Capture+ icon
  3. A toolbar will appear with tools
  4. Edit the image and tap the check mark to save it

For more, discuss drawing on pics at the LG G6 forum

Bring back the App Drawer

When you turn on the LG G6 for the first time you will probably notice the Home Screen does not have an app drawer. All of your apps will be on the home screen just like how it is on the iPhone. If you use a 3rd-party launcher, this isn’t a problem, but if you use the stock launcher you might want the app drawer. Thankfully, LG has a way to get the drawer back.

  1. Go to Settings > Home screen
  2. Tap Select Home
  3. Choose Home & app drawer
  4. That’s it!

For more, discuss App Drawer Settings & Options at the LG G6 forum

Hide apps in the launcher

Now that we have the app drawer back, there may be some apps you don’t want to see in it. Sometimes these are apps you need to have installed, but you don’t want them cluttering up your app drawer. Thankfully, it’s easy to hide apps.

  1. Open the app drawer
  2. Tap the menu icon
  3. Select Hide/Show apps
  4. Check the box for the apps you want to hide
  5. Tap the check mark in the right corner when you’re done

For more, discuss hiding apps at the LG G6 forum

Change up the look with a Theme

By default, the G6 comes with a bright white theme with teal accents. It’s not an ugly theme, but you may prefer something darker or just plain different. The good news is you can choose from a few pre-installed themes and even download themes directly from the Play Store. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Go to Settings > Theme
  2. Select one of the preloaded themes
  3. Tap APPLY

Themes installed from the Play Store will show up in the same place. Here’s an example of a theme you can download from the Play Store.

For more, discuss Themes at the LG G6 forum

Get a new keyboard

Changing the keyboard is an essential part of what makes Android unique. The default keyboard on the LG G6 isn’t too bad, but you can change it to a different one if you’d like.

  1. Go to Settings > Language & keyboard
  2. Under ‘KEYBOARD & INPUT METHODS,’ tap Current keyboard
  3. Tap SELECT MORE
  4. Tap to select the desired keyboard

To find Settings for your keyboard

  1. Go to Settings > Language & keyboard
  2. Tap the name of your keyboard
  3. You’ll see all the settings

For more, discuss keyboards at the LG G6 forum

Turn off the “Rounded Square” icons

For everything that LG does well, software design is not on the list. One of the things you’ll notice right away is the “rounded square” icon shape on the default LG home screen. It’s kinda ugly, but the good news is you can turn it off and go back to the stock icons. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Go to Settings > Home screen
  2. Select Icon shape
  3. Choose Original
  4. Tap OK

Adjust how apps scale to the 18:9 display

You’ve probably noticed the G6’s display is taller than most phones. It has an 18:9 aspect ration, whereas most devices have 16:9 displays. All that means is you get some extra vertical space for apps. By default, most apps run completely fine on the tall display. Where you may run into some issues is with fullscreen apps, such as games. You can adjust the scale.

  1. In a fullscreen app, swipe up from the bottom to reveal the nav buttons
  2. Tap the App Scaling button
  3. You’ll have three options:
    1. Compatibility (16:9)
    2. Standard (16.7:9) (default)
    3. Fullscreen (18:9)
  4. If the app is misbehaving, put it in compatibility mode.

You can also adjust App Scaling in the Settings.

  1. Go to Settings > Display
  2. Select App scaling
  3. Tap the app you want to adjust
  4. Choose one of the options

For more, discuss App Scaling at the LG G6 forum

Change the display size

LG allows you to adjust the display size on the G6. Whether you have good eyes and want to take advantage of that extra screen real estate to show more of everything, or you want to further enlarge text, icons, everything, it’s all possible thanks to Android 7.0 DPI scaling. Here’s where you’ll find it:

  1. Go to Settings > Display
  2. Scroll down and select Display size
  3. Move the slider to the left or right to either shrink, or blow up the entire UI

Change the wallpaper

Changing the wallpaper is one of the easiest ways to instantly personalize your phone. It’s super easy to do. Simply press and hold on any empty space on the home screen. Select the Wallpapers tab in the bottom right of the screen. You’ll be able to choose from installed apps and pre-loaded wallpapers. You can also change the lock screen wallpaper. Go to Settings > Lock screen > Wallpaper.

Add or reorder home screen pages

If you want more space for widgets and app icons, you can add extra home screens. LG doesn’t allow you to simply drag an app or widget to a blank screen to create a new home screen. You have to follow these steps.

  1. Pinch to zoom out on the home screen
  2. Tap the (+) on the blank home screen
  3. Now you have a blank screen

For more, discuss Home Screen pages at the LG G6 forum

Reorganize the Quick Toggles

The notification shade is home to more than just notifications from apps. The toggles across the top allow you to quickly adjust settings and other things. Pull down once to see a few toggles, pull down again to see a bunch more. You can customize the order of these toggles and add or remove certain ones from the list.

  1. Swipe down to show the notification shade
  2. Swipe down again to expand the Quick Settings
  3. Tap the EDIT button
  4. Drag and drop icons in the notification panel
  5. Tap the menu icon to add/remove brightness, volume, etc.

Customize the Navigation Bar

Like many Android phones these days, the G6 has software navigation buttons across the bottom of the display. Unlike physical buttons, they can disappear to make room for fullscreen apps, or in this case, be customized to show more buttons. You can rearrange the existing buttons, change the color, and add up to two extra buttons.

Add shortcuts to the lock screen

By default, you’ll probably see shortcuts for phone and camera on the lock screen. While these are handy for most people, they might not be your first choices. LG allows you to add up to five shortcuts to the lock screen.

  1. Go to Settings > Lock screen
  2. Select Shortcuts
  3. Simply tap on a shortcut and choose the desired app from the list
  4. Tap SAVE when you’re done

Take advantage of ALL the megapixels

The G6 features a great camera. With a dual lens system, users can switch between the regular 13MP camera or a super wide angle camera on the fly. The weird part is when you first open the camera app, that primary camera is cropped to a measly 8.7MP to fill the 18:9 display. While it’s nice to see the viewfinder filling up the entire display, it’s basically chopping off the top and bottom. You should fix it.

  1. Open the Camera app
  2. Tap the Settings icon
  3. Select Photo size
  4. Choose 4:3 (13MP)

For more, discuss the Camera at the LG G6 forum

Use the wide-angle camera to get everything in frame

One of the most noteworthy features of the G6 is the dual 13MP cameras on the back. The second camera is the star of the show. It has a wide-angle lens that allows you to get much more in the frame of a photo or video. You can switch between the cameras on the fly, even in the middle of a video.

  1. Open the Camera
  2. You’ll see two icons on the top or side of the app (depending on orientation)
    1. The single tree icon is for the standard camera
    2. The icon with three trees is for the wide-angle camera
  3. Tap whichever one you’d like to use

Get Instagram pics with Square mode

LG has added a new “Square” mode to take advantage of the 18:9 display. Square mode uses the top half of the display, a 1:1 square, as the viewfinder. When you snap a pic it moves to the bottom half of the display for review. It stays there until you snap another pic. This mode is perfect for Instagram.

  1. Open the Camera
  2. Tap the mode icon (probably Auto)
  3. Select Square

Switch to Manual mode for more control

LG has one of the best camera interfaces around. It can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like. “Simple” removes all buttons from the screen so you can just tap to focus and take a photo. “Auto” adds a few quick settings for flash, HDR, timer, and more. “Manual” is only for advanced users. It has settings and sliders for things like focus, ISO, shutter speed, and more.

  1. Open the Camera
  2. Tap the three-dot menu icon
  3. Choose Simple, Auto, or Manual

Try all the unique camera shooting modes

The camera is also packed with several nifty “modes” that are fun to play around with. In the Auto interface, you’ll see an icon labeled “MODE”, tap it to see a list of different shooting modes. These modes will allow you to do some interesting things with your photos and videos.

Take selfies with a gesture

Another cool trick is called Gesture shot. You can take a selfie by holding your open hand up to the camera and then closing it into a fist. The feature actually works really well, and it can come in handy quite often. Gesture shot is enabled by default, so all you have to do is use it.

  1. Hold up your open hand to the camera until brackets appear around it
  2. Make a fist once to take one photo (a 3-second timer will count down to the shot)
  3. Make two consecutive fists to take 4 burst shots

Use your voice to snap a photo

You can also use your voice to snap a selfie (or any photo). With “Cheese shutter” enabled you can say “cheese, smile, whiskey, kimchi, or LG” to snap a photo with your voice. It’s that easy.

  1. Open the Camera
  2. Tap the Settings icon
  3. Switch the toggle on for Cheese shutter

Automate tasks with LG Smart Settings

The G6 comes with a feature called Smart Settings. It allows your phone to automatically adjust settings based on your location or connected devices. For example, your favorite music app can open when your plug in headphones or WiFi can be disabled when you leave your house.

There are four different things that can trigger the Smart Settings: arriving at home, leaving home, plugging in earphones, and connecting a Bluetooth device. Each one has several options available.

  1. Go to Settings > Smart Settings
    1. (you may need to turn on My Place in Settings >  Location first)
  2. Select one of the Smart Settings
  3. Toggle it on and adjust the settings

Get every last drop of battery life

Battery life is always a big concern with new devices. The G6 doesn’t have a particularly large battery, so you might end the day with not much life left. There are built-in settings for getting every last drop of juice when your battery is low. Battery Saver mode turns off all non-essential features when your phone reaches a certain low battery percentage. It works great and only requires a short set up.

  1. Go to Settings > Battery & power saving
  2. Tap on Battery saver
  3. Toggle the switch ON and select Turn Battery saver on
  4. Select when you want Battery saver to automatically turn on

Show battery percentage in status bar

Want to keep a close eye on battery life? You can put the actual battery percentage in the status bar. You’ll see the number for battery percentage next to the battery icon.

  1. Go to Settings > Battery & power saving
  2. Toggle the switch for Battery percentage on status bar

For more, discuss Battery Life at the LG G6 forum

Pin apps and safely hand off your phone

If you’re like most people, your phone is full of personal information and sensitive content. Handing off your phone to someone else can be a little nerve-racking. Screen pin is a feature that lets you lock your phone to one app. You can “pin” a specific app so the user can’t do anything else.

  1. Go to Settings > Fingerprints & security > Screen pin
  2. Toggle the switch on
  3. Also, toggle Pin with screen lock on

To use Screen pin open the app you would like to pin, press the Recents button in the nav bar, scroll up and tap the thumbtack icon in the bottom right corner of the most recent app (not the pin in the title bar). To unpin an app simply long-press the back and Recents buttons simultaneously.

Take advantage of the SD card slot

MicroSD cards in phones have really made a comeback in the last couple of years. A few manufacturers dropped them for a while, but LG never wavered.  They’ve been sticking with MicroSD cards the whole time. You can easily upgrade your storage capacity without buying any cloud storage subscriptions and relying on a data connection. Check out these great cards.

Launch shortcuts with the volume buttons

The volume buttons on the G6 are not only for adjusting the volume. You can also use the volume buttons to quickly launch the camera or take notes when the display is off. All you have to do is double-tap the volume up or down buttons.

  1. Go to Settings > Shortcut keys
  2. Switch the toggle to ON

Double tapping Volume Up will launch the Capture+ app for taking notes. Double tapping Volume Down will quickly launch the camera.

Silence your phone automatically with Do Not Disturb

Everyone has certain times of day when they don’t want to be bothered by notifications. Do Not Disturb allows you to choose those certain times and days for your phone to automatically go into silent mode. It can be incredibly useful, and you should definitely use it.

  1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Do not disturb
  2. Select Schedule > (+) button
  3. Choose the days of the week you’d like it to be enabled
  4. Choose the start and end time
  5. Choose if you’d like Priority interruptions or total silence during this time

Crank up animations for faster performance

The G6 is by no means a slow phone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be faster. To speed things up and make the UI feel more snappy, you can increase the speed of the animations. But you’ll first need to activate the hidden Developer Options by following these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > About phone
  2. Select Software info
  3. Tap Build Number 7 times until you see “You are now a developer” message
  4. Go back to the main settings and you’ll see Developer options

To speed up animations:

  1. Go to Settings > Developer options
  2. Scroll down select Window animation and choose .5x
  3. Select Transition animation and choose .5x
  4. Select Animator duration scale and choose .5x

How to factory reset the LG G6

If you ever want to start fresh or sell your phone, you need to do a factory reset. This will wipe the device clean, so make sure none of your personal information is left. It will be like you turned the phone on for the first time again.

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Scroll down and select Backup & reset
  3. Tap Factory data reset
  4. Tap RESET PHONE (confirm password)

For more, discuss factory reset at the LG G6 forum

Find the best Android apps & games

An awesome phone is nothing without some equally awesome apps. We’ve compiled tons of helpful guides for finding the best apps and games in the Play Store. Before you dive in and rummage around, you’ll want to check out these lists first.

Download the Forums for Android app!

This list is just the tip of the iceberg for what the G6 can do. For even more content, we’ve got the LG G6 forum at AndroidForums.com! All you have to do is download the Forums app and you’ll automatically join the G6 forum. You’ll find more helpful tips and other users like you. It’s easy to ask for help and get answers. Here are a few threads to get you started:

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