The best Android tips of 2023

Plus a more powerful Android browser  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Well, I'll be: We made it! We're officially at the end of 2023. And goodness gracious, what a year it's been. Over the past 12 months, we've seen an absolute explosion around AI and the expectations for what those two overused letters should represent. We've seen foldable phones creep closer to being actually advisable and ready for mainstream use. And we've seen our favorite smartphone platform progress and evolve in all sorts of interesting ways. Today, as we begin to wind down for the coming holiday break, we'll look back at some of the best Android-related advice and enhancements we've encountered over these past 12 months. And we'll look forward to some of the next generation of changes that'll soon be heading our way. On that note, this'll be the last newsletter you'll receive from me this year. I'll be attempting to disconnect a bit, annoy my wife and children with my physical presence, and possibly also hibernate a little in these quiet final days of 2023 — while the tech world is mostly shut down and most of us are trying our best to tune out and recharge. We'll pick back up with our regularly scheduled programming at the start of January. Hope you manage to enjoy some downtime of your own in the meantime — and a very merry Festivus to ye! [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Funsies: 30 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Your Android app experience is in for some changes ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: As part of a new legal settlement (yes, it's been a busy month for Google on the court front!), Google's gearing up to introduce some changes to how we interact with apps across Android. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The settlement revolves mostly around two main areas: installing apps from non-Play-Store sources and paying for stuff from within an app. - Lots of the promises in the settlement are things Android has already allowed for ages, anyway — like empowering device-makers to preload their own app stores (hiya, Samsung!) and letting users download apps from anywhere they want. - The settlement tweaks the terms around some of those areas in relatively subtle ways, but practically speaking, the most noticeable changes will be around in-app purchases — where app developers will soon be permitted to point you to their own external storefronts instead of completing such transactions solely through Google's Play-based billing system. - This is mostly a good thing for us as users, as it increases competition and could pave the way for lower pricing. But it may also increase complication and confusion, especially when it comes to managing subscriptions and restoring in-app purchases down the line — when they won't necessarily all be connected to a single centralized and Android-associated system. 📌 READ MORE: See [the high points of the ruling]() — and see what you think. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Android's screen-splitting system is learning new tricks ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: After years of stagnation, Google's almost ready to introduce an interesting new option to Android's screen-splitting feature — and it could go a long way in making the system more useful. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Splitting your screen to show two apps at the same time is an awesome power Android affords you. But it's also awkwardly buried in the operating system and all too easy to overlook. - As it stands now, you usually have to head into your phone's Overview area and then tap an app's icon at the top of that screen to find the screen-splitting option. - A new under-development feature would let you save simple one-tap icons for instantly opening specific app pairs in a screen-split — so, for instance, you could open up Gmail and Docs together or maybe Slack and Calendar. - This could make screen-splitting much more accessible and easy to use by letting you keep your own commonly used combos right on your home screen for almost-effortless access. Hey, we'll take it! 📌 READ MORE: Get [a sneak peek at the new feature in action](=) now and stay tuned for more news on when this might actually arrive. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Some big Android news is headed our way in early 2024 ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: The first couple months of the new year are shaping up to be busy ones here in the land o' Googley matters, with significant new launches expected from both Samsung and Google itself. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Samsung is scheduled to reveal its next-gen Galaxy S24 flagship phone, while Google will give us the first official developer preview of next year's Android 15 release. - The Galaxy S24 is expected to launch in mid-January, with a hefty focus on — what else?! — new AI features. - We know surprisingly little about Android 15 so far, meanwhile, but the first previews of new Android versions have been landing in early February in recent years, so there's a strong chance we'll learn more around then. - It's possible the screen-splitting enhancements we went over a second ago could be connected to Android 15, too, though we don't know for sure just yet. 📌 READ MORE: Catch up on [all the latest Galaxy S24 gossip](=) and see [what we do know (hint: very little) about Android 15]( so far. SPONSORED MESSAGE When you need caffeine, you drink espresso… ☕️ =​ But when you need the most important tech news in just 5 minutes, you [read Techpresso](=). The baristas of tech and AI, Techpresso culls through 60+ media sources daily to deliver you the top headlines from the last 24 hours. (Like a recent fun one about how an electric car completed the world's first-ever drive from the North to the South Pole.) Why Techpresso is the only tech email you’ll ever need: - Unlike espresso, it’s totally free - Written in short, hard-hitting bullet points for easy digestion - Read by 30,000 professionals from Google, OpenAI, Meta, and more ➜ [Get your daily tech news roundup and subscribe to Techpresso FREE with 1-click.]( [SUBSCRIBE WITH ONE CLICK​ ➜]( ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Treat yourself to my top Android tips of 2023 The year may be winding down, but that doesn't mean the phone-improving fun is over. ➜ I put together a collection of my absolute favorite bits of Android advice and experience-enhancing discoveries from the past year, and it is absolutely overflowing with awesome stuff — at least some of which you almost certainly missed or maybe just forgot about along the way. The gems within include everything from advanced Android clipboard tricks to out-of-sight Gboard shortcuts, handy hidden Android calendar commands, and one of my favorite finds of this past year — an exceptionally useful app that turns one of your phone's most pointless surfaces into an indispensable action center. ⌚ It'll take you a good 20 minutes to get through all the stuff in this list, but you can pick and choose what calls out the most to you and implement any individual tip in a mere one to three minutes. 📌 [Check out the complete collection for yourself]() and get ready to give yourself the gift of freshly optimized technology. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Peruse the best Pixel pointers from the past year Got one of Google's self-made Pixel products? ➜ This next practical tip roundup has the most helpful and memorable pieces of Pixel-specific knowledge I put together over these past dozen months. And it has some goodies that'll be applicable to anyone, too, like some unexpectedly powerful tricks for the Google Clock and Calculator apps (both of which come preinstalled on Pixels by default but can be installed on any Android device, no matter who made it). ⌚ Like the last collection, this one will take a solid 20 to 30 minutes to work your way through — but you can tackle any individual item in the list in as little as one to three minutes. 📌 [Head on over when you're ready](=) and let the improvements begin! --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Explore a more powerful Android browser Google's Chrome browser is a commendable choice for web wandering on Android, but part of what makes this platform so rich and interesting is the fact that you aren't limited to only one specific option in that (or any other!) area. And this week, one of the browser world's longest-standing scrappy underdogs has some great new tricks specific to the Android domain. ➜ Firefox just rolled out support for add-ons within its Android browser app, and some really promising possibilities are already out there and waiting to be discovered. For instance: - The [Midnight Lizard]() add-on makes it easy to apply custom color schemes to any and all websites you visit, whether you like a deep dark look or an eye-aiding blue-light-filter slice of simplicity. - ​[uBlock Origin]( blocks ads, trackers, and any other unwanted elements from the web to your specifications. - And [Simple Gesture]() adds a bunch of step-saving single-finger gestures into your Android web environment for extra-ergonomic adventuring. ⌚ You won't need more than a single minute to get any of these add-ons up and running. 📌 Just grab the free [Firefox Android app](), if you don't already have it, then tap the three-line menu icon in its upper-right corner and select "Add-ons" — or visit [the official Firefox Android add-ons page](=) — to start exploring. [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] Let's end the year with an upliftingly fun little internet treasure, shall we? I recently stumbled onto a spectacular site called [Eternal Sunset](. Any guesses what it does? If you said "turns you into a deranged vampire who's obsessed with dingos and dirigibles," sorry — you're incorrect. (Good guess, though!) What this site is actually all about is showing you a live view of the sunset somewhere in the world, no matter when you open it. It connects to a bunch of different live webcams around the globe and brings up a series of beautiful views from places where the sun is either in the midst of setting or about to do so. [A view of an airport in Greenland where the sun is 19 minutes away from setting] ​ How awesome is that?! The site is simple, free, and with no strings attached. It's — well, just for funsies, one might say. Which makes it a perfect fit for the final find in the final part of this last 2023 newsletter. 📌 [Check it out the next time you need a little lift]( or a glimpse of gorgeous light during a dark-feeling day. Happy New Year! Remember: No new newsletters next week. We'll pick back up in January, right after the start of the new year. Hey, in all sincerity, thanks for inviting me into your inbox each and every week and for allowing this kind of independent, direct-connection tech journalism to exist. I know I say it all the time, but I really do mean it: I'm lucky to be able to do this — and I wouldn't be doing it if it weren't for you. Here's to health, happiness, and all sorts of fun gadget geekery in 2024. I'll see ya on the other side. 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]() [Thumbs Down](=) Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Android Intelligence, Windows Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? 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