There are plenty of times where you want to block calls from certain numbers. It could be an insurance company trying to make you claim compensation for an accident you never had, or a possessive ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. Whatever your reasons, we can show you how to block calls on your Android phone, whether it's an HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony or stock Android device.
Samsung (Galaxy S4, S5, S6, Note 4)
To block all calls from an individual on your Samsung Lollipop device:
Tap the Phone app, Call Log, then the number you want to block.
Next, tap More at the top right, then Add to auto reject list.
That's it! To reverse this, just go through the same process again but tap Remove from auto reject list at the end.
Oddly, neither stock Android Lollipop nor Marshmallow has an integrated call-blocking feature. Instead, whether or not you have call blocking will depend on your carrier. To check if you have it, open the Phone app, tap the number you want to block, then tap Details, and then the Menu button at the top right. If your carrier's included phone blocking, it will appear here as Add to blacklist or Reject call.
There is a workaround for Lollipop or Marshmallow users though, albeit not an ideal one (this process is essentially the same for KitKat too).
First, save the number you want to block as a contact.
Next, go to your Phone app, tap Contacts, then tap their name.
Tap the pencil icon next to the menu icon, then on the next screen tap the menu icon at the top right and All calls to voicemail.
Alternatively, you could install an app that lets you block calls and manage them. Calls Blacklist is a call-blocker with a good reputation, and will do the job stock Marshmallow can't.
HTC (One M7, One M8, One M9)
Like Samsung, HTC has made it super-easy to block calls, and easily manage your blocked numbers. To block calls from a specific number on your HTC phone:
Go to your Phone app, then go to Call History or tap the search icon to find the number you want to block.
Long-tap the number you want to block, then tap Block caller.
To manage your blocked contacts, tap the menu icon at the top right of your Phone app, then Blocked contacts.Here you can add or remove blocked contacts, and even see when your phone blocked messages and calls from this contact.
The Xperia Z series doesn't feature in-built call blocking, so you'll have to use the Lollipop solution to block numbers; either download Calls Blacklist or send unwanted numbers straight to voicemail. To do this:
Tap All apps > Contactsthen the name of the contact you want to block (if the number you want to block isn't already a contact, you'll have to make it one).
Once you've tapped the name of the contact, tap the Edit icon, then Menu, then All calls to voicemail.
LG phones have some nifty tools for blocking numbers – a little too nifty perhaps. If your LG is running on Lollipop and you receive a call from a number you want to block, rather than sliding your finger from the center towards the red phone icon, drag the red phone icon into the center instead. This will add the caller to your 'Call reject list'. To manage this list:
Go to Settings > Wireless and networks > Call.
Next, tap Call reject > Reject calls fromto see your list of blocked numbers. You can add numbers to this list by tapping the '+'icon at the top right, or remove them from this list. You can also reject all calls from unknown ('private') numbers here.
There are many reasons why people love Nexus devices, but chief among them is how perfect for customization and modding they are. If you want to delve into these features, get faster updates or flash a different version of Android, the first thing you need to do is unlock the bootloader. Here is the easiest way to unlock the Nexus 6 bootloader.
Precautions
Unlocking the Nexus 6 bootloader will delete all of the data from your Android device, so make sure you have a full backup before proceeding. Also be aware that an unlocked bootloader will make your phone less secure if you lose it because you can bypass any security you might have set up. This might not be a problem for you, it’s just a warning.
To unlock the Nexus 6 bootloader, you'll need Platform Tools. This is part of the Android SDK. You can download the full Android SDK if you like, or just the bit you need for this tutorial: ADB Platform Tools. You will also need to install the correct Nexus drivers for Windows. Use the ADB Driver Installer tool below to do this.
You'll want to install the Nexus 6 Windows drivers before proceeding. Go into your device settings and down to About phone. Tap on the build number seven times until it tells you that you are now a developer. Now, go to Settings > Developer options and make sure USB debugging is enabled. Connect your Nexus 6 to your PC via the USB port.
Next, extract the ADB Driver folder on your computer, and run the driver installer file inside. The Nexus 6 should show up as one of the devices in the device list.
If it doesn't, you may need to adjust your USB charging options (which will be in your Nexus 6 notification shade when you pull it down) to PTP. Hit Refresh in the ADB Driver Installer Window and the Nexus 6 should now be there. Hit Installand the latest drivers will be installed
How to unlock the Nexus 6 bootloader
1. Navigate to the folder called ADB Platform Tools (or Android SDK) on your computer. Right-click and extract the folder.
2. Press Shift and right-click on some blank space inside the ADB Platform Tools folder and click Open command window here.
3. Double check USB Debugging is enabled on your Nexus 6 and then turn it off.
4. Plug your Nexus 6 into your computer with a USB cable.
5. Press and hold Power and Volume Down to enter Fastboot mode on the Nexus 6.
6. Back in the command prompt window, enter the following command: fastboot OEM unlock.
7. Hit enter.
8. On your Nexus 6, you should see a screen asking if you want to unlock the bootloader. Use the volume rocker to scroll and the Power button to highlight yes.
9. Once the phone has finished doing its thing, enter the following command: fastboot reboot.
10. Press enter. Your Nexus 6 will now reboot with an unlocked bootloader. Once it has restarted you can restore your backed-up apps and data.
A change is as good as a holiday, or so they say. Well, an old phone that looks like a new one is just as refreshing. With the new Nexus devices hitting the streets the old Galaxy S5 may not be feeling quite so sexy as it once did. But the S5 is still a really good phone, it's just in need of a little makeover. Here's how to turn your Galaxy S5 into a Nexus 5X.
1. Get the Google Now experience
First thing's first, TouchWiz has got to go. The first thing you want to do is get the Google Now Launcher. The Google Now Launcher sets your home screen up just like a Nexus, so that's where we'll start.
Install the launcher below and when you hit the home button next you will asked which launcher you want to use. Select Google Now Launcher and hit Always.
So far so good. The next thing we need to do is get you some better wallpaper. Fortunately, we already have a zip file containing all the new Android Marshmallow wallpapers, including two new ones that only got released by Google a little while ago. Hit the link and install those on your Galaxy S5 too.
Once you've unzipped the packages, they will be in your Downloads folder. Go to your home screen and long press it. Tap Wallpapers at the bottom and then My photos. Take a look at the two new folders and decide which wallpaper you want. Select it and then Set wallpaper on the next screen. We're almost there.
The last thing we need to do is set up your home screen like a Nexus. This is really just a superficial change and if you're commonly using Samsung apps like the default messenger, gallery and contacts app then you can happily skip this step. But if you want to complete the transformation, then you need to go all Google.
Take a look a the home screen icons on Marshmallow in the image below of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P and set up your home screen the same way (we'll forgive you if you stick with Samsung's camera app). You don't have to go the whole hog, but even halfway there will be close enough. Rearrange all those new icons and you're almost done.
The last thing to do is switch some of the default apps on the Galaxy S5. Install the Google Keyboard and make it your default keyboard in Settings > Language and input > Default keyboard. You can do the same with Hangouts to make it your default messenger (via Settings > Default applications > Messages). This is also where you can change your default launcher.
While there's nothing particularly wrong with S Voice, a Nexus 5X owner would never let anything but Google voice search listen in on their most secret search terms. So make use of that mic icon in the Google search bar to launch apps, set reminders, make calls and search the net. You can now disable the S Voice shortcut to make your Galaxy S5 a little more responsive.
“But what about the settings menu and notifications shade?” I hear you ask. Unfortunately there's only so much that a new launcher can do. The notifications shade, Quick Settings and Settings menu are all Samsung controlled so unless you want to root your S5 and flash a stock-looking ROM on it, we've hit the limit of what we can do easily.
A: MIUI has 3 ROM versions: Experimental, Developer, and Stable.
Experimental version is updated every day, and is open to a small part of senior members. It includes new features and bug fixes for the senior members to test before they enter developer version, therefore it contains high risks of serious bugs
Developer version (China) is updated every week, developer version (Global) is updated bi-weekly. It get new features and bug fixes in every update, and is stable enough for daily usage
Stable version doesn't have a regular update frequency. It's updated once a month/two months/even longer. Stability is its major concern. Common users who prefer ROM stability are recommended to use this version
Q: Which devices could upgrade to MIUI 7 stable version?
A: Global MIUI 7 stable version supported devices are: Mi 3, Mi 4, Mi Pad, Mi Note, Redmi 1S 3G, Redmi Note 4G, Redmi 2/ Prime
A: The upgrade method depends on the MIUI version you're currently using on your device
If you're using MIUI V5/MIUI 6 stable version on your device, you can update directly on your deivce via OTA, or flash the full ROMs in recovery or using Mi PC Suite.
If you're using MIUI China developer version or Global beta build, you can flash the full ROMs in recovery mode after wiping all user data.
Q: Are there any notes I need to taken before upgrading to MIUI 7 stable version?
A: It's highly recommended to back up user data before updating. OTA update is safe procedure, it's not necessary to back up data. But if you update using full ROM, it's better to back up all your data to a computer. Please don't update accross MIUI versions (experimental/developer/stable). If you really need to update accross MIUI versions, make sure to wipe all user data in Recovery mode before updating.
Q: Could developer version 'upgrade' to stable version?
A: The answer is yes. But you can't use the OTA method to update, and can only flash the full ROM. As developer version is actually advanced than stable version, there will be data conflict between the two versions, therefor make sure to wipe all user data in Recovery mode before flashing the ROM.
MIUI 7 Global Stable Build Full Changelog System Optimization - System response speed increased by 30%, battery life improved by 10% (08-24) Optimization - Optimized clearing background apps mechanism with low RAM (08-27) Fix - Sometimes, Wi-Fi could not be scanned or connected (08-27)
Contacts New - Personal profile upgraded to cloud namecard (10-19) Fix - FC error in some situations (10-21)
Messaging New - Quick OTP (08-24) New - Smart SMS Filter (08-24) Optimization - Searching results display the newer messages on top (08-17)
Lockscreen, Status Bar, Notification Bar New - Added notification page fold/unfold animated effects (08-07) New - Block notifications in notification shade by one press (08-18) New - Lockscreen magazine (08-24) Optimization - Optimized Notification shade brightness bar interactive style (08-07) Optimization - Optimized battery icon on status bar (08-07) Optimization - Optimized status bar display effects when using large font (08-10) Optimization - Optimized notifications' height when using large font (08-10) Optimization - Optimized 'Manage notifications' page display effect when using large font (08-10) Fix - Roaming icon did not disappear in some situations (08-10) Fix - Block button in some featured themes overlapped with clock widget (08-12) Fix - Notes widget display error when using large font (08-12) Fix - Pressing on toggles did not fold notification shade in Performance mode (08-19) Fix - Sometimes, unknown WiFi was displayed (08-24)
Home screen New - Added Parental controls mode (08-10) New - Child mode (08-24) Optimization - Optimized display effect of live blur (08-07) Optimization - Optimized built-in widgets display effect when using large font (08-10) Optimization - Optimized One-handed mode launching speed (08-10) Optimization - Removed Settings and Security from Parental controls - Accessible apps list (08-11) Optimization - Assistant and Google Now cannot be launched in Parental controls mode (08-11) Optimization - Optimized prompt text when setting wallpaper in home screen editing mode (08-12) Optimization - Added time limit for entering the password repeatedly when exiting Child mode (08-24) Fix - Home screen reloaded after deep cleaning (08-11) Fix - A specific icon displayed repeatedly when using some themes (08-21) Fix - Child mode caused Settings to crash (08-24) Fix - The problem that one-handed mode can be activated when disabling the nevigation buttons (08-24) Fix - A specific icon displayed repeatedly when using some themes (08-28)
Themes New - Four new system UIs (08-24)
Gallery New - Baby album: Group all baby images in one place, supports sending all images as a package and set the album as daily lockscreen (08-24)
File Explorer New - Added real time search function (08-27) Optimization - Optimized files list loading speed (08-27) Optimization - Time of file changes will display in list mode (08-27)
Right now there are three Android phones and four Android tablets within arm's reach of my desk, and another half dozen or so in my closet. (It's OK, I don't have a problem. This is my job.) If you're in a similar situation, you can put some of those gadgets to use: they work great as remotes for set-top boxes like Android TV or Roku, or you can cobble them together into a sort of poor man's Sonos multi-room speaker system. Here's one more option: turn it into a home security camera.
Perch isn't the only app that does this, but it looks like the most user-friendly on the Play Store at the moment. Install Perch on one of your spare phones or tablets, point it towards whatever you want to monitor, like the front door or a baby crib, then log into GetPerch.com. You can see a live video feed from your phone's camera and set up some smart settings, specifically the ability to assign a custom monitoring zone in a grid. When that zone changes, you'll get a notification on your phone and the time will be tagged in the recording. The phone will continue to record with the screen turned off to save battery, but of course you can just plug it in and make it semi-permanent.
The service is free, but it's a bit rudimentary right now - you can't even log in with a Google account. That's not surprising, considering the app and service are in beta at the moment. But it's still surprisingly well thought-out; you can access multiple video streams from either the web or another phone, something that most dedicated home security systems don't offer yet. You can even "talk" through the phone to communicate with anyone in your home (or mess with your pets). Give it a try if you have a spare Android device that you need to put to use.
With the advent of bigger phone screens, it’s nearly impossible for most people to reach every corner of their phone using only one-hand (unless you’re LeBron James). Yet big phones like those from the Note series are still very popular due to how comfortable they are is to consume video and web content. Some manufacturers recognize that their customers will often face a situation where they want to use their phone with only one hand, so they’ve built in ‘one-handed mode’ options to resize the contents of the display on the fly. For example, Galaxy Note phones have a setting to shrink the screen to a single corner, and Apple has recently introduced their own solution called ‘Reachability’ to bump the screen contents halfway down the display. But for phones like the Nexus 6, you don’t have any stock options to enable one-handed mode.
Overscan Compensation
Luckily, we can take advantage of a feature that’s typically not supposed to be used for phone displays at all. It’s called correcting for ‘overscan’. In an effort to always present a full-screen experience for TV viewers, many TVs may clip the edges of the input display, resulting in overscan. Thus to correct for this in Android, Google allowed developers with API Level 18 (Android 4.3 Jelly Bean) to start using overscan margins to compensate for the display mismatch. Google also shifted a few display options such as resolution/DPI changing from the ‘am’ shell command (ActivityManager) to ‘wm’ shell command (WindowManager) and introduced the ‘overscan’ command to enable developers to easily test their apps right on their devices.
One-Handed Mode Demonstration
Requirements
You MUST be rooted.
You MUST be on Android 4.3+
Be warned that this persists on reboot. Do not set any of the below values high enough that you cannot sufficiently operate your device. If you mess up, you can perform the reset command using adb.
It’s optional, but highly recommended, that you use an automation app such as Tasker to bind the shell command to an action such as swipe up on home button or shake left-right.
Here are the commands you’ll need.
wm overscan LEFT,TOP,RIGHT,BOTTOM
where each direction is a pixel count that represents how far from that direction the display should move. For example, if you set TOP to 600, the contents of your screen will move 600 pixels down. You can experiment with a combination of each to best find a set of values that will shrink the screen to your liking. You can mimic Apple’s Reachability for example by setting TOP to half your vertical resolution. In order to reset the overscan, simply use:
wm overscan reset
Pretty simple! It works well for shrinking the screen down to reach a button, but I’ve personally had some Google keyboard issues with it.
