Coleman Technologies Blog

Even if you aren’t planning on replacing your phone soon, it may make sense to pay attention here, as this process will also make it easier to restore your data to a new phone if needed. Either way, this process is much easier if you make some proactive preparations on your current phone.

Enabling the Native Android Backup Capabilities 

The first step is to make sure that your current phone has the backup service running. It can be found in your Settings, under System. Tap the Backup option, and check to see that the option to Back up to Google Drive is selected. If it isn’t, do so.

Now you have a copy of your current phone’s configuration to restore from, which you can do from the initial configuration of your new device. If you were using the Google Now or Pixel Launcher, even your backgrounds, icons, and folder structure is saved.

During setup, hit the Let’s Go button that appears at the welcome screen. Tap Copy your data, and connect to Wi-Fi.

Now, you’ll be presented with your restoration options. Since we just went over how to save a backup in the cloud, let go with the option to use A backup from the cloud. You’ll be prompted to sign into your Google account, and to agree to Google’s Terms of Service.

From the list of backup options, select the correct one. You can easily hit Restore to recover all of your previous device’s settings and data, and can select which apps to reinstall via Apps.

As your data is pulled over, you will be guided through the rest of the setup process.

Voila! Your new phone is now equipped with your selected tools and settings, ready for you to jump right back in. For more handy tips, make sure you subscribe to our blog!

New Gestures
The latest version of Android OS contains a built-in new gesture navigation system, but it might not be turned on automatically. To turn this on, go to Settings > System > Gestures. Then you must tap on Swipe on Home Button and press the on-screen toggle switch. You will see the change propagate almost immediately--the three-icon setup will change to a singular pill-shaped icon.

Navigation isn’t much different from the other builds, either. Tap the pill icon to bring back the homescreen and long press it to bring up your Google Assistant. You can then swipe up twice or long-swipe from the home icon to bring up your app drawer.

Another change that needed to occur is that Android 9.0 Pie removes the dedicated button for recent applications. Users now need to singular short swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open up a carousel gallery that shows all recently opened apps. You can then navigate by swiping between apps or using the home icon to swipe fast-left or right to move through the apps more quickly. To clear the apps, swipe up on the specific app window. To clear all of the apps, just scroll all the way to the left and tap the Clear All button to exit out of all running applications.

Android 9.0 Pie actually tries to predict what you’re likely to need next. These commands are within the apps. If you find it useful, you can drag these suggestions, found at the top of your app drawer, onto the screen. You can then find the shortcuts offered by each app by long-pressing the specific application’s icon. This includes opening an application in split-screen mode, a considerable improvement from Android 8.0 Oreo.

Device Notes
One extremely useful feature for smartphone users is the ability to open your device using a fingerprint scanner, but an even better one is when you can use the scanner on devices that don’t feature an in-display fingerprint reader to keep your screen from turning off.

The alarm clock in Android 9.0 provides some additional functionality. When your notification panel is open (swipe down from the top), you only need to tap on the clock in the system tray to open your clock app and manage the alarms.

What do you think about Android 9.0? What are your favorite features? Let us know in the comments.

When it comes to exclusive user features, one of the better-known ones on the Apple side of the house is FaceTime, a video chat platform. Apple has however made certain features of FaceTime available to Android users, but they come with a catch. Let’s go over how an iPhone user can FaceTime with an Android user, even if some of the features are not quite there.

It’s important to preface this blog by stating that Android users cannot initiate a FaceTime call. The user of the iPhone in question will have to start the call. Basically, what happens is that the Android user will use a specific link to join the FaceTime call in much the same way you would join any typical video conferencing call. Here’s how to get your link.

We’ll start from the iPhone user’s perspective to generate the link. They will have to go into the FaceTime application to select the option for Create Link. This will be available in the top-left menu. The user then sends the link to the Android smartphone. This can be done through text, email, or whatever other method you might use.

After the recipient has the link, they can use it to open the FaceTime web application on their device. Since it is a video call, know that it will need access to your microphone and camera in order to work properly. Once the user has added their name to the call, they can join by tapping on Continue.

Now that the Android user has gotten to this point, the iPhone user can see the option to accept or reject the call.

And now, the call can proceed as usual. The call works mostly the same way as your typical FaceTime call would, but with some feature limitations placed on the Android user. You should be able to enjoy your FaceTime calls no matter the device used by whoever is on the other end of the call!

Of course, FaceTime is far from a business-grade video chat platform, so if you’re using it to conduct business as usual, perhaps it’s time to invest in a video collaboration platform for your business instead. These platforms also won’t be nearly as restrictive or as limited by the type of device used by your workers, meaning that anyone can collaborate in the same way.

Hopefully you find this tip of some help. If you want additional assistance with collaboration platforms or further tips and tricks, be sure to call us at (604) 513-9428.

Most users that have an Android device use the Messages application to send and receive SMS messages. Companies that use this platform for marketing could have their messages routinely ignored because people don’t trust the content that comes from seemingly random numbers. 

With verified SMS, however, every message that is sent to a prospect or customer is verified to actually come from the company. In fact, the recipient won’t even receive the message until it is verified. The content is transmitted with the business’ name, logo, and confirmed with a verification badge. Google has stated that the content is never revealed to them, meaning that the content is secure and sent privately like any other text message.

How Do You Turn on Verified SMS?

Obviously, you need to have a device that runs a recent version of Android mobile OS. To turn on Verified SMS:

• Open the stock Android Messages app
• In the three-dot menu, access your Settings
• Access Verified SMS
• Switch on Verify business message sender 

Now you don’t have to waste time with unverified marketing or sales content. 

For more great tips, visit our blog regularly.

Mobile device security is critical for modern businesses, especially as they play a more prominent and significant role in daily operations. However, data loss is also a problem, regardless of the source… including if a device is wiped via a reset.

While Apple has offered a feature to prevent this for the past year or so, Android 15 now provides the same, referred to as Identity Check. Let’s explore how it works, and how to enable it for yourself.

First of all, we have to start by saying that (as of this writing) this feature is only present on Pixel devices and Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI7. While other device manufacturers may add it to their customized interfaces (and apparently plan to later this year, so they may have already as you are reading this), these instructions currently only apply if you have one of the above devices.

How Does Identity Check Work?

To protect your device, Identity Check blocks any Android account settings from being changed unless the user is in an approved location or can pass a biometric test. This block covers quite a bit, including:

• Adjusting the screen lock
• Adding a new fingerprint
• Adding a new Google account to the device
• Disabling Find My Device
• Accessing the Password Manager and the data therein
• Accessing developer tools and options

…and, of course…

• resetting the device.

How to Activate Identity Check

Activating Identity Check is simple:

• Access your Settings
• Navigate to Google account
• Select All services
• Find Theft Protection
• Enable Use Identity Check

While you’re there, you can also add trusted locations using Manage. Deactivating Identity Check requires you to either authenticate using your biometrics or log into your Google account.

Anyone who wants to prioritize their privacy should be aware of the role the cache plays in such a thing. Your Google web browser—even on your smartphone—will store information about what you search so it can personalize your ads and recommendations, but if you would rather not have it do this all the time, you can clear your Android device’s Google search cache and set it up to auto-delete after a set amount of time has passed.

Manually Delete Your Google Search Cache

First, make sure your Android device is connected to your Google account. From your Android’s app drawer, open up the Google app. When the window opens, tap your profile image in the top-right corner. From here, you should see an option for Search history. Select which deletion option you would prefer from the list, keeping in mind that you might have to verify your identity before proceeding.

Once you have verified your identity, you should see the Delete drop-down menu unlock. In addition to the default 15 minutes, there are options for today, custom range, or all time, so pick the one that best suits your needs.

Set Up Auto-Delete

If you’d rather not mess with manual deletion, you can set your cache to automatically delete after a set amount of time has passed. You’ll see on the above drop-down menu that, under Auto-delete, it says Off by default. You can change this by tapping on the option and adjusting a couple of settings.

After you tap Auto-delete, you’ll be brought to another page where you can set the cache to Auto-delete activity older than a set amount of time. There are options under the drop-down menu for three months, 18 months, or 36 months. Tap Next and confirm your choice to complete the process.

Privacy is a serious challenge for both individuals and businesses, which is why we like to bring you tips that help you get the most out of your technology, be they consumer or otherwise. To learn more about how you can make the most out of technology for your business, be sure to contact Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.

Screen Rotating Too Much? Lock It in Place!

How often have you been in the middle of doing something, only to shift your phone’s position and have your screen switch orientation as it calibrates to what it assumes is what you are looking for? It doesn’t take long for this to get old, and quick.

Fortunately, Android 9 and later iterations have included a fix for this. In your System Settings, access Display and from there, Advanced. Here is where you’ll find the Auto-rotate screen option and the means to switch it off.

Samsung device users have a bit of a different process. This toggle can instead be found in the Quick Settings menu (the one that emerges from the top of your screen by swiping down twice). It includes an icon labeled Auto rotate, which you will want to switch to Portrait. This effectively disables Landscape mode from switching over unless commanded to in context.

Too Many Notifications? You Have More Options than “Yes” or “No”!

We’ve all been there before, too, and have had those applications that—if given permission to notify you of things—do so seemingly incessantly. Android has now made it very simple to adjust these permissions on the fly. Once you receive one of these annoying notifications, you can press and hold it to access a control panel. This panel can be used to either silence your notifications, or completely turn them off.

Has Your Phone Stopped Charging Well? Clean Up the Charging Port!

Debris that accumulates in your phone’s charging port over time can easily interfere with your device’s ability to charge. So, before you assume the worst and start budgeting for a costly repair job, why not try cleaning out this debris?

With extreme caution, take a toothpick or a cotton swab and try to tease out any junk that the device has collected over time. Then, try charging your device again and see if you have any more success in doing so. You may just find that your issue was little more than pocket lint, and not a problem with the hardware.

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Those familiar with the online version of Gmail will find all of this quite familiar, as Smart Compose has been predicting their next words for some time now. It will seem newer to those more familiar with the Gmail application in macOS and Windows, as it hasn’t been available there until now. 

Using Smart Compose on Android Devices

The first thing you’ll have to have in order to use Smart Compose is an active Google account, with the latest version of the Gmail application installed on your chosen device. As you type, Smart Compose will present its predictive text suggestions that a user can either accept, or just keep typing to ignore. While this form of machine learning is pretty basic, it does demonstrate how a device can “learn” how a user is most likely to use it - in this case, what word is likely to come next in the user’s sentence.

Turning Smart Compose Off (and On Again)

Of course, some users may find these suggestions inconvenient or distracting. That’s totally fair, and means that these users should deactivate the Smart Compose feature. Access the Gmail app’s menu by pressing the hamburger icon at the top left. You should see your Settings from there. You will be asked to choose from the accounts that have access to your device. Once you’ve selected the appropriate account, look under General settings to find Smart Compose. Use the toggle switch to activate it or deactivate it as you please.

While Smart Compose may not be quite as impressive as the artificial intelligence that appears in feature films, it has one major advantage over them: it can actually be used to benefit your business. For other ways that you can give your business operations a boost through technology solutions and tips, subscribe to our blog! You can also reach out to us directly by calling (604) 513-9428.

Why Mobile Security is So Important in the First Place

Consider the capabilities of our mobile devices today, as compared to those that were considered high-end before Apple premiered the iPhone in 2007 (Not to discredit all the classic PDA/smartphones that came before the iPhone, like the Palm Trio, the Blackberry, and the line of super cool HTC Windows phones, but general consensus feels that the big shift in mobile computing really started with Apple). The difference is staggering. While those devices that are affectionately referred to as “dumb phones” certainly can contain sensitive data, it is effectively nothing compared to what a smartphone can access.

Applications for money management, shopping, medical data, and so many other examples of personal information currently reside on today’s mobile devices—which is precisely what makes the security that protects these devices so important. The authentication method that a user can confirm their identity through is just one example of this security.

The Best Options, and the Worst Options

The various methods that are available to users now each offer their own method of maintaining security, presumably for the user’s convenience. However, as we have established previously, not all these authentication methods are equally good.

Let’s review your various available options and see how their differences make some a better solution than the others.

Passcodes/PINs/Passwords

These authentication measures are effectively the baseline security on any mobile device, as they also protect the device from other forms of authentication being added without approval. While these security measures are by no means impassable, they form the foundation for any decent security measures if used responsibly.

Of course, we do have to address the inherent weaknesses that these authentication requirements present. Most of these weaknesses are derived from the user responsible for setting them up. For instance, a 2012 study demonstrated that most people used PINs that either represented personally important years, simply repeated digits, or heavily featured the number “69.”  Also prevalent, numbers that are simple to type: 1234, 7890, and so on. Another research study revealed that the benefits on a six-digit PIN were negligible as compared to a four-digit PIN, as the added length provides a false sense of security and winds up encouraging less-secure PINs in general.

Of course, passwords are also an option (and a stronger one to boot) if the user has the patience to retype their password each time the device locks. The consensus is that these authentication measures are the most secure option currently available.

Biometrics

Improved hardware and software now allow users to effectively use their own bodies as the key to their mobile devices, as biometric authentication is now incorporated into many mobile devices. Of course, the efficacy of biometric authentication isn’t universally consistent—some methods are simply more secure than others are.

Fingerprint Sensors: Most smartphones will have fingerprint-detection capabilities for some time, some projections seeing up to 90 percent of devices incorporating these tools by 2023, while 95 percent of phones had such a sensor in 2018.

There are various technologies in play that power these sensors, with varying security efficacy. For instance, Samsung devices are beginning to include sensors under the screen, which create a three-dimensional image of a fingerprint. While this makes them inherently very secure, screen protectors have been shown to bamboozle them, potentially allowing any fingerprint to unlock them. Furthermore, fingerprints can potentially be harvested from surfaces and transplanted to a device, so properly training your device to your unique fingerprint is crucial.

Iris Scanning: The prevailing opinion is that iris scanning is the most secure form of biometric authentication, as fingerprints aren’t as unique as a person’s irises are. Some phones feature these capabilities, but they may not be as popular, as scanning the iris can take a little longer simply because the user must look directly at the sensor for it to work.

Facial Recognition: Many manufacturers have begun to phase out fingerprint sensors for facial recognition options, especially as full screens have grown in popularity. With appropriately captured reference data, decent facial recognition software can simplify the unlocking process significantly.

However, the quality of the software and the images it uses for reference can cause some issue. Poor-quality images—like those with excessive glare—can make it easier for an attacker to make it past the lock, not to mention make it more challenging for the user.

Pattern Passwords/Knock Codes

Finally, many Android devices have the option to designate a pattern on a 2x2 or 3x3 grid that must be tapped correctly to unlock the device. Studies have shown that this method is by far the least secure of the authentication requirements, as it becomes far easier for an attacker to figure out the user’s chosen pattern.

For instance, in one study, researchers discovered that a full 65 percent of the 351 participants selected a code that began at the top-left square and immediately proceeded to the top-right, presumably influenced by Westernized reading patterns. Larger grids encouraged shorter patterns, and the data collected during the study revealed that some patterns were commonly adopted:

1. An hourglass: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, top left, top right
2. A square: Top left, top right, bottom right, bottom left, top left, top right
3. The number seven: Top left, top left, top right, top right, bottom left, bottom left

Proving patterns are an even worse method, these researchers also observed that knock codes were more easily forgotten, with about 10 percent of participants having forgotten theirs by the end of the 10-minute study, and their five-second entry time being slower than the 4.5 seconds needed for a PIN.

Make Sure Your Mobile Device is Secured

With our mobile devices playing such a huge role in our personal and professional lives, their security needs to be prioritized, with only the most secure methods protecting them.

For assistance in managing your security, from your in-house business solutions to the devices your employees use each day, reach out to Coleman Technologies. Our team can assist you in implementing the technology you need while educating your employees on the importance of secure practices. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.