Ordered a Nexus 4, it will be my first Android device... What are some things I should know? Apps I should download? Etc.

[hutchison15]

I have been in need of a new phone, and the most recent Nexus 4 deal was too insane to pass up. In the past, I have only used iOS, so my experience with an Android OS has been very limited.

What are some things I should do when first using the Nexus? Do you have any recommendations for a new Android user? Any tips and tricks?

[DirkaFat]

Charge the device when the battery is low. That's all I've got.

[bartekxx12]

Well my tip would be, get a Nexus or Google Play Edition device, which you did...  

But yeah, nothing really, customize it the way YOU want it and have fun. 

[pewpewmerica]

First thing you should do is sell it and get an IPhone.

 

jk,

 

See if you like the OS, if not get a luncher, get your usual facebook whatsapp twitter etc.

Sorry I cant help you that much I dont know that much about Android

[laxer]

Custom ROMs all the way...

 

Just ask the pros: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1907

[wtfxmitchell]

personalize the shit out of it with widgets, folders, backgrounds, themes, etc....

[Tomtom565]

One widget I've fallen in love with is DashClock, great notification feed for the lock screen!

 

I'd also recommend Poweramp Music Player...

[rashdanml]

Nova Launcher is pretty amazing.

Root it and look into custom ROMs too. A good number of them are pretty good. Some result in improved battery life.

[Coombzy]

DashClock,Nova or Apex Launcher to customise it a little more change the amount of apps in a row etc,root it all the tips I can give if you want to play a few old games look for mupen64 for n64 games.

[kotekking2]

Enjoy your new phone. There's a lot of apps available in the store. I personally use Shazam, Advanced Task Killer (yeah, I have older phone so this helps), MX Player. If you're a student you'll appreciate app like Timetable. Also you can use Emulators to play older games (recommend using some kind of controller).

[Guerrero]

personalize the shit out of it with widgets, folders, backgrounds, themes, etc....

Advantages for the 2GB ram

[Dravic]

I have been in need of a new phone, and the most recent Nexus 4 deal was too insane to pass up. In the past, I have only used iOS, so my experience with an Android OS has been very limited.

What are some things I should do when first using the Nexus? Do you have any recommendations for a new Android user? Any tips and tricks?

 

Get Avast free antivirus, root the phone and make it a fortress if you intend to go out into wild with it. go go go recovery of GPS location through SMS, blocking USB off when at 'stolen' status etc., FUN STUFF!

 

Even without rooting, you should get Avast running AS THE VERY FIRST app.

[Anult]

Get TuneIn and Spotify.

 

Oh and Steam too if you want to stalk your online friends.

[hutchison15]

Custom ROMs all the way...

 

Just ask the pros: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1907

 

I usto hear about phones being bricked all the time because people would try and run custom mods... Is the process a lot easier / safer than it used to be?

[Donut417]

First of all I would like to state I worked for the Google Play Support team for a about 5 months in the hardware department. I would recommend getting a good case. Keep in mind that Gorilla glass is scratch resistant and not break proof. Don't know how many calls I took where people dropped the phone and it broke. Keep in mind that Rooting the phone will void the warranty, only reason I bring that up is because 70% of my calls were the Nexus 7 and 30% were the Nexus 4's. Oh and Google's Warranty process sucks, just going to put that out there. 

 

As far as apps go I found WiFi analyzer was awesome. Basically it shows signal strength of WiFi networks. You can see what wireless channels are being used which is useful when setting up a network. If you use Steam for your games on your PC you can also use it on your phone to buy stuff off the store and chat with your friends. Oh keep in mind that Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported on Android but you should be able to side load it, you will just have to use Firefox or some other web browser as mobile chrome does not support plug in's. You should install the Amazon app store, they give away a free app every day. 

 

 

[hutchison15]

First of all I would like to state I worked for the Google Play Support team for a about 5 months in the hardware department. I would recommend getting a good case. Keep in mind that Gorilla glass is scratch resistant and not break proof. Don't know how many calls I took where people dropped the phone and it broke. Keep in mind that Rooting the phone will void the warranty, only reason I bring that up is because 70% of my calls were the Nexus 7 and 30% were the Nexus 4's. Oh and Google's Warranty process sucks, just going to put that out there. 

 

As far as apps go I found WiFi analyzer was awesome. Basically it shows signal strength of WiFi networks. You can see what wireless channels are being used which is useful when setting up a network. If you use Steam for your games on your PC you can also use it on your phone to buy stuff off the store and chat with your friends. Oh keep in mind that Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported on Android but you should be able to side load it, you will just have to use Firefox or some other web browser as mobile chrome does not support plug in's. You should install the Amazon app store, they give away a free app every day. 

 

Thanks for this! It's probably a good thing I ordered a case then. I had heard that both sides were glass, so that immediately raised a red flag for me.

Google actually pushes out updates for the Nexus 4, right? If I want later / upcoming versions of this OS, do you think they will continue to support the phone and push out updates? If they didn't, that's the only reason why I think I'd really need to root my phone at this point.

[KamiKatze]

There is a YouTube channel which i can highly recommend if you want to customize and learn to play around with Android. Armando Ferreira

 

Root it before you put any data on it. There's a neat litle rootkit from M.Skip an xda developer. You don't have to put a custom rom on it, as it would cause imore instability issues and such. But rooting will give you the ability to make full device backups (the rootkit also simplyfies that task), use apps that require root like Titanium Backup.

 

Another app that you should check out further down the road, when you are comfy in the android eco system is Tasker, which allows you to automate your device and program certain tasks into it. You should watch a outube video or two about tasker.

 

A launcher (like Apex or Nova) is an easier way to customize you phone, as it does not only provide customization options itself but also is the basis for using icon packs.

 

Dashclock is a must have widget.

 

Dropbox, Whatsapp, Facebook....

 

ColorNote is a nice program to quickly put notes on your home screen.

 

I think that's all i can add...

 

I hope you're using it with a google account.

[Torg73]

Why root the Nexus 4? its vanilla,  there's no need to root your phone if it was a Sumsung or a HTC or what ever that has a Skin you don't like then yea go and root it but you don't need to.  

 

There's many great app's for the Android OS now, you got the best advice from Donut417.

 

I use Lookout to help protect my phone, its lite and easy to use, many of my app's I use are from Samsung but I like and bought HD widgets for the time/weather forecast, Chrome to Phone is a great app if you use Chrome on your computer, it lets you transfer a website from phone to PC or vice versa.

[laxer]

I usto hear about phones being bricked all the time because people would try and run custom mods... Is the process a lot easier / safer than it used to be?

 

 

Yes, back in the days when you had to HSPA a phone manually was a PIA.

 

You will sometimes still get it when a device is brand new but, now days the guys over at XDA are very quick to get stable releases.

 

Last phone I did was a G2X which was different because you had to flash a nVidia chip on the phone itself. (easily done through usb and a dos application)

[Donut417]

Thanks for this! It's probably a good thing I ordered a case then. I had heard that both sides were glass, so that immediately raised a red flag for me.

Google actually pushes out updates for the Nexus 4, right? If I want later / upcoming versions of this OS, do you think they will continue to support the phone and push out updates? If they didn't, that's the only reason why I think I'd really need to root my phone at this point.

 

Google does release new updates for it direct. However who knows how long they will support the device. Also beware of new Google updates, last OS update bricked a few devices. Im the type that would wait a few weeks and make sure stuff is ironed out. 

[Giddyguy]

I know this is not what you meant/want to hear but I would recommend you to return it and wait for the Nexus 5. I believe it will be out soon!

[hutchison15]

I know this is not what you meant/want to hear but I would recommend you to return it and wait for the Nexus 5. I believe it will be out soon!

 

Thank you, but I am well aware. Like mentioned in the original post, the deal Google was putting out for the devices was too good of a deal to pass up. Being a poor college student about to start paying for his own phone, a $200 unlocked Android device is perfect for me. It is likely the next Nexus won't be as cheap.