Android

A Quick Way To Name a Song With Your Smartphone

You’re listening to the radio or watching TV and a song comes on that you don’t know. You like the song, but how can you find out what it is? Luckily, there are built in features on your smartphone that allow you to name a song in seconds!

Apple

Screenshot of Shazam listening to identify a song

Starting with the release of iOS 14.2 in 2020, Apple devices offer built in song recognition, just by asking Siri, the built-in digital assistant. In your Siri settings, if you have “Hey Siri” enabled, simply say, “Hey Siri, what song is this?” when a song is playing. Another way to quickly activate Siri is to hold down the Home Screen button iPhones with a home button or hold down the power button on iPhone 9 and later.

You’ll get a screen that Siri is listening and then a screen will pop up with the name of the song.

To see a history of songs you have identified, download the Shazam app from the App Store. To see more detailed instructions, check out this helpful article from Apple.

On Android phones, there is a similar method. Touch and hold the home button or say “Hey Google” and then ask, “What’s this song?”

Google Assistant will name the song and give you options to share the song, watch the video on YouTube, or add to a playlist on YouTube Music. Google has written a helpful article with more detailed instructions.

Use the Google App

You can also identify songs with both iOS devices and Android devices by using the Google app. The neat thing with the Google app is that in addition to identifying a song by playing it, you can also sing or hum it yourself. This is handy in case you have a certain lyric or melody stuck in your head.

Open the Google app and tap on identify song by listening. Another option is to tap on the microphone icon and then tap search for a song.

When I attempted to sing a song, I got a 48% match of the song I was singing.

Then again, my singing voice isn’t the greatest, so you may get better results. I only got a 34% match when I attempted to hum a song.

Have you tried identifying a song with your smartphone? Let us know in the comments!

Discover a Unique Way to Search with Google Lens

Have you ever been out and about and wondered what kind of flower or species of bird you spotted? Now there is a way you can find out, with the help of your smartphone’s camera.

Google Lens allows you to search for an item with your camera or with an existing photo. It is available on both Android and iOS (Apple) devices.

Android Devices

On Android devices, there are a few ways you can access Lens. On most new Android devices, Lens is enabled by default and can be accessed directly from the camera app. Open the camera app, aim at the item (be it a flower, animal, type of water bottle, etc), and then tap the Lens button. Next, tap the magnifying glass icon to search for the image in your camera’s viewfinder.

Depending on your device, you may need to tap the modes button to access Lens. To learn how to add more modes, check out this helpful video.

If you don’t have Lens within your camera app, you can download it from the Google Play Store.

Searching using the Google App

Alternatively, you can search a live photo view and a previously taken picture with the Google app.

Open the Google app and scroll down to Discover. Next, tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar. The Lens icon is shaped like a camera.

You can search for either a live view of an item in your surroundings or by using a previously taken picture. To search a live view, point to an object with your camera and tap Search To search with an existing image, tap Photo picker and select a photo. You’ll have the option to search the whole photo or part of a photo.

To search for a specific object in the image: If available, on the object, tap the Select icon . To search for part of an image, tap Select image area , then drag the corners of the box around your selection. Next, scroll to the bottom to see your search results. To refine your search, tap add to your search and add keywords.

Apple Devices

To use Lens on an Apple device (iPhone or iPad), download the Google app from the App Store.

Next, give permission for the app to access your device’s camera and if you would like to also photo search using pictures from your photo library, allow access to your photos as well.

Screen shot of first time open of Google app on iOS devices

Once you have granted the appropriate permissions, you can choose to search a live view or using a previously taken photo.

Screen shot on iOS devices after granting permissions

You can start your search by tapping the camera at the end of the search field . Once you have the item you want to search in view, tap the magnifying glass icon to search.

Example of Google Lens showing a blue tumbler

Next, you’ll see your search results. Scroll down to view more results.

The tabs (homework, shopping, places, etc.) will give you more specific types of results.

Have you used Google Lens to search? Let us know in the comments!

How to Find Your Lost Device – Android Edition

If you have ever experienced the acute trauma of losing your smartphone, you may be wondering if there is a way to track it when it is out of your sight. The answer is yes! If you use Apple or Android devices, you can set them up to be tracked in the event you cannot find them. Last week, we highlighted how to find Apple devices. This week, we’re shining the spotlight on Android’s Find My Device app. This app will help you find, lock, or erase Android phones, tablets, and Wear OS devices. We should probably note that your device must be running Android 8.0 or later to use all of the features of the Find My Device app.

Setting Up Find My Device

Before you can use Find My Device, there are some setup steps that need to be taken on the devices themselves. Some of these will probably already be done, like being signed into a Google account.

Make sure your Android device is logged in with a Google account.
Turn location on (Settings>Location>Toggle on)
Turn on Find My Device (Settings>Security and privacy>Find My Device>Toggle on.). If Find My Device is not already installed, install it from the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.adm&hl=en&pli=1
Google states that “Store recent location” needs to be on so your device can be found if it’s offline. However, this is a relatively new feature that I have yet to find on my Pixel 5. According to their instructions, this toggle should be found in Settings>Security>Find my device.
Make sure your device is associated with your account on Google Play, or it won’t show in Find My Device. To double-check, find your device list here: https://play.google.com/library/devices. In the upper-left of the screen, make sure the “show in menus” box is checked.
Double-check that Find My Device works on the device by going to https://android.com/find and logging in with the same Google account as the device. You should see your device in the upper-left of the screen. If you have multiple devices associated with the account, you may need to toggle between them.
If you want to be able to lock or erase the device remotely, you must create a 2-step verification backup code. To get backup codes, log into your Google account and select security from the left menu. Scroll down to “How you sign in to Google” and click on the “Backup codes” section. You may be prompted to enter your password again, but then you can create codes to print and use later.

Find a Lost Device

In order to use Find My Device on one of your devices, it must have power (even if turned off), be connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile data connection, and be prepared using the setup steps above to enable the Find My Device app to work. If you would prefer to watch a video on using Find My Device, there is one embedded at the end of this article. To continue with text instructions, read on!

When you log into Find My Device and select a device, notifications will be sent to the device before you select any options. If the notifications don’t help, here are your other options:

“Play a sound” make the device ring for 5 minutes, even if it’s set to silent.
“Secure device” will lock the device and sign out of your Google Account. You can optionally display a message or phone number on the lock screen in case someone finds (and wants to return) your device. You can still locate the device, and after finding it, you may need to log in again.
“Erase device” is the nuclear option. It will erase all content from the device and keep it from being re-registered to a different account. You won’t be able to find it on the map after erasing it, but if it gets returned, you can reclaim it by signing in with the Google account to which it is registered.

Find Using a Browser

To find a device using a browser, go to https://android.com/find and sign in using the Google account your device is registered to. If you have more than one device listed on the same account, you may need to toggle between them. It will show how much battery is left and what network the device was last seen on.

Options for playing a sound, locking the device, or erasing the device are in the left menu, while a map indicating the location (or last known location) of your device is in the main part of your screen.

Screenshot of browser version of Find My Device showing device selection in the upper left, an action menu below that, and a map indicating the phone location in the main part of the screen

Find Using the Find My Device App

When using the app, you have the option of using a friend’s device that isn’t registered to your account. Whether using your own or someone else’s device to find another device:

Open the Find My Device app on another Android phone or tablet.
Sign in
- If your own device is lost, select “Continue as [your name]”
- If you’re helping a friend, select “sign in as guest” and let your friend sign in.
From the listed devices, select which device to locate.
Follow the steps from the browser above.
You may be prompted to provide the lock screen PIN for the device you want to locate. If it does not have a PIN, you may be prompted for your Google password.

Screenshot from app showing a map with device location on top, the device name and details in the middle, and the options at the bottom.

If you want to use the Wear OS watch to find a device, there are instructions here: https://support.google.com/wearos/answer/6166506?authuser=2.

Video Instructions

If you would prefer to watch a short video on using Find My Device, check this out:

Summary

Find My Device is an extremely helpful tool if you are ever unfortunate enough to need it. The flexible action options allow the user to disable the phone in the event it can’t be found, which acts as a deterrent for the resale of a stolen device. Have you ever had to use Find My Device with your Android device? If so, let us know how it went in the comments.

How To Stream Video Without an Internet Connection

Streaming video is one of the great entertainment inventions of our time. Before streaming video, you needed a TV with an antenna/cable box/satellite attached or a portable DVD player with physical DVDs to see your favorite shows. Now, you can take them with you on small, convenient devices. This is perfect for those who do a lot of traveling. But what if you are on an airplane or traveling so remotely that there is no internet service? Or what if you are on a limited data plan and want to make sure you don’t get overage charges? Thankfully, most streaming services offer an offline viewing option for just these sorts of situations.

YouTube

Let’s start with YouTube, since it’s probably the most popular video service. In order to make content available for offline viewing, you must have a YouTube Premium subscription.

Downloading

Login to youtube.com or the YouTube app using your YouTube Premium account.
Go to the video and click “Download” below the video.
When the download is complete, the download icon under the video will turn black.

Viewing

Visit youtube.com or open the app while logged in with your Premium account.
Click/tap on Downloads in the menu to access the list. App users will need to click on Library to see the Downloads menu option.
To remove the video from Downloads screen, click/tap “More” next to the video and select Remove from Downloads.
Confirm by clicking/tapping delete.

After downloading a video, you can play it offline for up to 29 days. After that, you must reconnect to the internet so the app can confirm the video is still available for offline viewing. If it’s not, the video will disappear.

Netflix

It is important to note that ad-supported Netflix plans do not include downloads. You must change to an ad-free plan before taking these steps.

Supported devices are:

iOS devices running version 9.0 or later
Android devices running 4.4.2 or later
Amazon Fire tablet running 4.0 or later
Windows 10 (1709 or later), Windows 11
Chromebook and Chromeboxes using the Netflix app from the Google Play store.

The Netflix app has a dedicated tab for “Available to download” in the “Categories” section if you wish to browse. On a Windows device, open the app and select the menu to see the download option. If you know the TV show or movie you want to download, search for it and look for the download icon:

The Fine Print

You can have 100 items downloaded across devices.
You can save the download to an SD card.
Some videos expire 48 hours after you start them, while others don’t.
Some titles limit the number of times you can download them, while others don’t.
If a title leaves Netflix, your download disappears.

Hulu

In order to download, you need to be a subscriber on the ad-free level using the mobile app. If you have add-on subscriptions (like Showtime), you won’t be able to download add-on content. Likewise, content available on demand through the live TV tier is not available for download. If you are logged in with an ad-free account, you will see a download symbol on any eligible title you search for. Tap the symbol to download.

Supported Devices

Hulu supports pretty much every type of device, unless it isn’t updated: https://help.hulu.com/s/article/supported-devices.

The Fine Print

You can only download a total of 25 titles at a time across 5 devices.
Unwatched downloaded videos stay on the device for 30 days.
After you start watching, you have 48 hours to finish before it is no longer downloaded.

HBOMax

Most of the HBOMax streaming catalog is available for download. Like other services, you need to be signed in with an ad-free level plan to download content. Downloading is only available in the app (phone or tablet), and is done by tapping the download arrow icon on the item. To view your downloads in a list, tap the download icon on the bottom edge of the screen.

The Fine Print

Be sure to confirm your preferred language before downloading. You can’t change your audio track once you download.
You can only have 5 copies of the same show downloaded across your devices.
You can have up to 30 downloads at a time across devices (does not include expired)
After you start watching, the download expires in 48 hours.
You can renew an expired download from the download list by tapping the ! icon, and then renew.

Disney+

Like other services, downloading is only available on phones and tablets. There are also very few restrictions, except only being able to download the same title on 10 devices. Once you download a title, you can play it over and over and it never expires. Every 30 days you need to connect one of your Disney+ devices and tap the arrow to download the item. You don’t actually need to wait for it to download again, it just refreshes the download that is already on your device. Just be careful not to logout, or you will need to download all of your titles again. If your subscription expires, you lose access to your downloads.

Download Settings

One thing that is different about Disney+ is that you’ll want to configure your download settings before you download anything. Tap your profile picture, then app settings to enter the settings menu. Scroll to the downloads section.

Select options for video quality, which networks can download content, and where to save the downloads.

Downloading

To download a movie, click on the download arrow icon.
For a TV series, scroll down to Episodes.
- To download the entire season, tap the download arrow icon next to Season, then tap the confirmation prompt.
- Or, tap the download icon next to an individual episode.
- To view your list of downloads, tap the download arrow icon at the bottom edge of the screen.

Amazon Prime

You can download video using a Fire tablet or through the Prime Video app on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows 10. On Android and Windows, you can choose where to save downloaded content. Due to varying licensing agreements, which titles can be downloaded seems hit or miss.

Downloading

For movies, go to the detail page and click the “Download” button.
To download an entire season of TV show episodes, select “Download Season” from the season’s detail page.
To download a single episode of a TV show, Scroll down to the episode list and click the download arrow icon next to the episode you want.

The Fine Print

You can only download an item on up to three devices at a time.
There is no concrete answer to how many titles you can download at a time. Several factors come into play, including your location.
Once a title is downloaded, you have 30 days to watch it. After starting it, you have 48 hours to finish watching.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has a smaller streaming library than some of the other services, but the good news is that most titles are available for download. You aren’t limited to the number of Apple Originals you can download, but they do state some of the partner services (like Starz) may have limits on the number of titles you can download on how many devices. If you reach a limit, you will get a notification.

Supported Devices

It probably won’t be a shock to learn that only Apple devices are supported for downloading. You can do so using the Apple TV app on a Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

Downloading

Open the movie or show in the app on your device.
Tap the download button, which is next to the episode title for a TV show or on the cover art for a movie.
There is no option to download an entire TV season at once.
To watch downloaded content, open the app and select Library (icon on the bottom edge), then Downloaded. Open a show to see downloaded episodes.

Deleting

To delete in the app, return to the Downloaded list and tap the edit button on the upper-right. Select the items and tap delete. Confirm.
To delete on a Mac, hover over the title card or episode title and select the three-dot icon. Choose “delete from library”, then confirm.

Paramount+

Once again, an ad-free plan is needed for the ability to download. Downloads can be done on iOS and Android phones/tablets, unavailable on iOS 12 and Android 4.4 and below. Use the download icon next to a movie to TV show episode title to download. To watch them, tap Menu, then more, then Downloads, and then tap on the title you want to watch.

To delete from the list, swipe left on the title and select Delete. You may want to select the option to auto-delete after you finish watching to save space on your device. This option is in Menu, then More, then Settings. Toggle the option on.

The Fine Print

Unwatched videos will remain in your download library for 30 days.
One a video is started, you have 48 hours to finish it.
Limited to 25 downloaded videos at a time.
Limited to 5 copies of the same video across devices.

Peacock

You must be logged in on the app with the Premium Plus plan to download on Peacock. To download, tap the download icon in the bottom-right corner. To watch downloaded content, you must be offline. When you open the app offline, you are directed to your downloaded content. To delete, open the app and select the download icon in the bottom-left corner. On the content to delete, tap the icon that says, “Downloaded” and delete.

The Fine Print

Unwatched videos will remain in your download library for 30 days.
One a video is started, you have 48 hours to finish it.
Limited to 25 downloaded videos at a time.
Some pieces of content can only be downloaded twice. Per account. Ever.
Logging out or uninstalling Peacock removes downloaded items from the device.
Peacock is not clear about which types of devices support downloading.

Other Popular Services

Acorn

This service is pretty vague about limits, stating that there may be some limits to the number of times a title can be downloaded a year, and that titles may expire after some time. Like most services, not all of their content is available for download. To download, tap the down arrow icon next to a movie or TV show episode. To watch a download, open the app while you are offline and tap “view my downloads.”

Britbox

Interestingly, Britbox only allows downloading if you subscribed through Apple TV. They do not allow it on their own app, though they say they are exploring more download options for the future.

Summary

Downloading streaming content can be a great way to save data or enjoy content without an internet connection. Do you ever download streaming content to watch offline? Did you even know you could? Let us know in the comments.

How To Make Your Home Screen More Manageable and Efficient in Minutes – Android Edition

If you have never tried to organize your apps, you may find yourself frustrated, flipping from screen to screen looking for the app you want. As a librarian, I am always looking for ways to better organize my environment to minimize frustration and maximize efficiency.

Both iOS and Android have options to organize your home screen, and many of them are similar. In fact, last week we published an article on this same subject for iOS. However, Android comes with so many opportunities for customization, the screenshots you see here may not reflect what is on your phone.

Fun Fact: Beyond the differences between Android version numbers (currently 13), Pixel phones and Samsung phones have differences added by their manufacturers. Your mobile carrier may also have made changes to your version of Android if you bought your phone from them. Android users also have the option to use “launcher” apps, which provide many more customization options for the look and operation of your device.

Your Home Screen vs. Your App Drawer

Icons for your apps live in two different places. Whenever you install an app, it is always installed in your app drawer. Depending on your settings, it may or may not also create an icon on your home screen automatically. The home screen is the default screen you see when you unlock your phone. The app drawer can be accessed either by swiping up from the bottom of your phone screen or by tapping the app drawer icon (if available):

The app drawer arranges apps alphabetically, with a search bar at the top. There isn’t much room for customization here without a third-party launcher app, so the rest of this article will focus on organizing the home screen.

The home screen is what you see when you tap the home button/icon or swipe up from the bottom of the screen, depending on whether you have gestures set up. The home screen can actually be several “pages.” Swiping to the left or right from the home page will show you how many pages your home screen is.

Create a New Home Screen Page

To create a new home screen page, press and hold a blank space (between icons/widgets) until the menu overlay pops up. Lift your finger and swipe to the left or right until you see the +. Click on it to add a page.

Screenshot of the home screen options overlay showing the plus icon to add a new page

Adding and Removing Icons from the Home Screen

To add an icon to the home screen:

Open the app drawer
Press and hold on the app to add to home
When the home screen appears, slide your finger to the desired spot and lift your finger off the screen to drop the icon
If you receive a message that there is no more room on the home screen, try again, and drag the icon to the edge of the full page to create a new, blank page.

To see the same app icons at the bottom of every page, which is handy for apps you use often, you can drag icons to the “dock” (bottom row on the page).

To remove an icon from the home screen:

Press and hold an icon to reveal a menu
Lift your finger without sliding it on the screen to reveal a menu
Tap remove

Screenshot of the menu that appears with a long press of the app icon, where remove is the bottom option

Note: Deleting the icon from the home screen does not delete the app from your phone.

Quick Menus for Apps

Some app icons are designed to display a context menu when long-pressed (press and hold). These menus contain shortcuts to popular app options. Here is an example of the context menu that pops up when I long-press the Fitbit icon on my phone:

Fitbit context menu with shortcuts to track exercise, log food, log water, and log weight.

Tapping any of these brings me directly to the entry screen, rather than having to open the app and navigate to the logging screen.

Moving Icons Between Home Screen Pages

Press and hold an icon to select it
Drag it to the edge of the screen until it flips to the next page.
Slide your finger to the desired spot and lift your finger off the screen to drop the icon
If the screen does not have another page to put the icon on, you may need to follow the instructions above for adding a page.

Creating Folders to Group App Icons

To group icons, long-press an icon and drag it over the top of another icon and let go. The icon will now look like a split of both icons. Tap that to open the folder. Tap on “edit name” to add a name, if desired. Tap the three-button icon to sort or select additional apps.

Screenshot of the folder overlay, zoomed in on the app icons

To separate the icons again, open the folder and tap and hold one. Drag it out of the folder and lift your finger to let it drop on the home screen in a blank spot. You may need to slide between screens or create a new page to find an open spot.

Adding Widgets to Your Home Screen

Press and hold a blank space (between icons/widgets) until the menu overlay pops up.
Tap”widgets”

Screenshot showing menu overlay with wallpapers, settings, and widgets options showing

Scroll through the resulting page to see what widgets are available
To add one, press and hold until the home screen appears
Slide your finger to find the desired spot to drop the widget. Make sure there is enough room, as some widgets have minimum size requirements.
To resize a widget, press and hold it until a menu pops up. Select resize, then drag the dots on any side of the widget to make it larger or smaller.

Screenshot of widget menu with options: configure, app info, remove, padding, and resize.

Summary

Using folders and widgets to organize icons on your home screen can help you maximize productivity while minimizing frustration trying to find your apps. Do you use folders and widgets on your phone? Let us know in the comments.