For those who might think that Stock Android reduces the charm of Android, think again! The Nokia 6 (2018) is powered by a Snapdragon 630 processor and can do a lot. Not to mention that the phone has zero bloatware and more storage options. If you have bought the new Nokia 6 (2018) but haven’t explored it owing to the Stock Android interface, the following tips and tricks will change your view forever and will help you unleash its full potential. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Tweak the Ambient Display
The Ambient display is a cool new feature and it surely rocks the display. A scaled-down version of Samsung’s Always On Display feature, this one lights up the screen and displays the notifications when the phone is raised. To enable the Ambient display, head over to Settings > Battery > Ambient display and toggle the Lift to check phone switch to On. This will let you see the icons on the lock screen as soon as you receive a new notification. Other than that, you can choose to display the battery percentage on the Ambient display. Since it’s not a built-in feature, you’d have to borrow it from a third-party app. One of the best apps to help you out in this matter is Battery Active Display. This app is a tad old, however, it works like a charm. Download Battery Active Display All you have to do is enable the app and the battery percentage would be displayed as soon as you lock your phone.
2. Use the Fingerprint Sensor for Navigation
How about you get the back button actually at the back of the phone? No, this isn’t a gimmick, but is in fact, an actual feature of the Nokia 6. Given that this phone is wider than most of the recent phones, reaching the far end of the screen can be difficult at times, especially for people like me (small hands, you see). An option named as Navigation key of fingerprint (yeah, that’s the name) lets you enable this feature. All you have to do is search for the term ‘Navigation’ in Settings and tap on the option. Once in, toggle on the switch. From now on, a single tap on the sensor will double up as the Back button. For the Home button, long-tap on the sensor, whereas a right/left swipe on the sensor will open up the recent app. Nifty, right?
3. Let the Lifting do the Talking
The Nokia 6 2018 supports a number of additional gestures such as rejecting a call when you turn the phone over or launching the camera app when the power button is pressed twice. However, the one I found most useful was the gesture for notification, which brings down the notification drawer when you swipe down on the fingerprint sensor. Swipe one more time and the Quick Settings menu will be accessible right away. To enable these gestures, go to Settings > System > Gestures and enable the options as per your preference.
4. Make the Phone Smarter
Time is the new currency and it’s imperative that we save it when and where we can. So when repetitive things like unlocking the phone in specific places can be automated, it helps. One of the best options is to enable Smart Lock. This feature lets you choose from a plethora of options like location, voice, and face. All you have to do is enable the trusted location option, add the location and that’s it. What I love about this feature is that you can add a number of trusted locations. So whether it’s your home, office or your best friend’s house (or even your favorite pub), don’t worry about doing repetitive things, as long as you keep the phone within arm’s length.
5. Customize App Notifications
Android Oreo on your Nokia 6 means that you’ll be able to take advantage of the app notifications and customize them as per the need of the hour. You can choose to block an app fully if it spams too much (eg. shopping apps, news apps). Just slide the notification banner slightly to the left, tap on the Cog icon and toggle the Notification switch off. Interestingly, Android O also gives you the option to snooze them. All you need to do is slide the notification banner and tap on the clock icon. For more detailed customization, head over to Settings > Apps and Notification, choose an app and hit the App notifications option. From notification dots to sound categories — you can tweak all the settings here.
6. Use the Storage Manager to Free up Space
Storage is an effective new tool to keep your storage space in check. It lets you see which items are taking up the most space and lets you delete them in bulk. If you have used Google’s Files Go app, you’ll find some similarities between these two apps. Also, if you’re someone like me who takes a lot of photos and backs them up regularly, the Storage Manager option will be your new BFF. This feature will delete files older than 90 days from your device, thus relieving you of all the clutter. To enable it, navigate to Storage in Settings and toggle the first option on. To uninstall apps and games in a single tap, tap on the Free up Space option. As I said, one click takes care of the whole uninstallation process, regardless of the number of apps.
7. Schedule Night Light
Next is the handy Night Light option (another name for blue light filter) of the Nokia 6. This tiny but super helpful feature gives a yellowish hue to the screen and is the perfect companion if you use your phone at night. Though you can set up a custom time for it, you can also choose the sunset time, a feature which is available in most of the third-party apps. Given that blue light is the perfect recipe for stressed eyes, don’t forget to turn this feature on as soon as possible.
8. Customize the Status Bar
If you have been using an Android phone, you know by now that there’s much more to it than meets the eye. We are talking about the Developer options and the System UI. One of the most useful things that the System UI Tuner houses is the Status bar option. This one lets you choose the icons that you want to see on the phone’s status bar. To enable System UI Tuner, long-press on the Settings cog in the Notification drawer until you see the message that System UI Tuner has been enabled. Once done, head over to Settings > System > System UI Tuner.
Get the Most Out of Your Nokia 6
With the powerful Android Oreo and Snapdragon 630 at its core, the Nokia 6 is an amazing device for the price. And hey, while you are trying out the above tips and tricks, don’t forget to experiment with the icon shapes (long-press on the home screen > Home Settings). If you ask me, I found the Cylinder option to be a bit funny! So, are there any hidden tricks that we missed including? We’d love to know what you’ve found. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
