GoKawiilRobert Triggs / Android Authority
I’ve been writing about Android smartphones for years, so I know a lot of the tricks and hidden features that can improve a user’s experience. At the same time, I’m constantly finding out about features that went unnoticed by me thanks to complicated menus and differing Android skins.
Once I discover these features, though, I become akin to a street preacher sharing the good news of Android optimization. And today I’m here to share some of the most useful buried features I wish more people knew about.
Which buried Android feature do you find the most useful? 500 votes The privacy dashboard. 37 % QR codes for Wi-Fi sharing. 14 % Setting a hotspot connection as metered. 11 % Using Quick Settings icons as shortcuts. 11 % Changing what your power button does. 18 % Adding additional shortcuts to your Quick Settings. 6 % Something else (let us know in the comments). 2 %
1. Android’s built-in privacy dashboard
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
You can see the permissions each app has access to in your app settings, but Android also has a built-in privacy dashboard that makes this information easier to digest at a glance. It highlights the permissions that apps have accessed in the past 24 hours in a useful chart. You can also see a summary of specific permissions and which apps have accessed them over the past day.
This dashboard has helped me revoke permissions that I have accidentally granted in the past. For example, I realized that X (Twitter) had a contacts permission that I didn’t remember granting. It also flagged several other apps that were accessing my contacts unnecessarily.
To access the privacy dashboard, you can go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy dashboard. On Samsung’s One UI, the steps differ slightly. You will need to go to Settings > Security and privacy > Permissions used in last 24 hours. However, Samsung’s version doesn’t include the handy chart.
2. QR codes for sharing Wi-Fi connections
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