If you are launching an Android tablet, regardless of what model it is or how much it cost, always pay attention during the first steps. And we are not only referring to its initial configuration by adding Google accounts and others, but also to what to do once you are already inside.
In this post we will give you a practical guide of tips to apply during these first minutes. In this way you can achieve a settings suitable for your use without losing sight of important elements so that it is personalized, but also that it is safe.
Use the same Google account as on mobile
Although in the next sections we will talk about the use by children or other third parties, if the tablet is for you, it is convenient that in the initial configuration you choose the same Google account that you use on your Android mobile. So you can have all the data synchronizedincluding photos and videos.
Make sure it’s up to date
As in mobile phones, Android tablets have the updated google services It is essential in terms of your safety. You can check if there is a more recent version of these by entering Google Play, clicking on your photo and then on Manage apps and devices and finally in available updates. In fact this is the best antivirus.
Similarly, upgrade the entire system is also important. And not only in terms of security, but also performance. If you want to know if your tablet has the latest version you should go to settings and enter the section Systembeing at this point where the option to check if there is a more recent update will appear.
Set up a backup
Losing data from your tablet is not a pleasant occurrence and if you do have to restore it in the future, it will do you good to have a information backup. The same options exist here as when we talk about making a backup copy of an Android mobile.
Could be manual uploading data to a cloud like Google Drive, Dropbox or any other. But also can be complete with a Google plan. In the same way, you can have enabled the backup your photos with Google Photos.
If it is going to be used by a child, set parental controls
Although preparing a tablet for children to use has a lot of crumbs, most of it goes through Google Family Linkthe Google tool with which to establish parental control on mobiles and tablets.
In this case, the initial configuration should have been done with the child’s Google account, although you can change it once configured from the settings. You can even create an account from scratch. With Family Link you can manage its use comprehensivelyfrom controlling and authorizing the apps you can use, to limiting the time of use.
Organize the interface to your liking
If you use the tablet every day or at least frequently, there is no excuse for it not being adapted to your taste. For this, we recommend a wallpaper that you like and even change it often so as not to have a feeling of monotony. There are a lot of apps where you can find excellent wallpapers.
Also organize apps, either in the menu or on the home screen, is essential so that you can also find everything easier. You can also toggle the icons with widgets that give you useful information like the weather, your to-do list or agenda for the day.
Similarly, many of the best Android launchers are also available on tablets, which is a very interesting way to customize the interface at points that are not natively possible.
configure notifications
Although this point is something personal and depends on the priorities of each one, the truth is that notifications on tablets can be managed differently from mobile phones. Not because their configuration is different, since they are managed in the settings equally, but because maybe here you are not interested in receiving the same alerts as on the smartphone.
In fact, it would be interesting to “split” those notifications. That is to say, that on the mobile you receive those that you consider most important and on the tablet others that are more secondary and that have a special interest in being seen on it. Thus you will prevent them from duplicating and you have to attend them twice.
Configure security patterns
For privacy reasons, it is always interesting prevent anyone from unlocking your tablet. Hence, it is important that you configure a password, numeric key or unlock pattern. Also the fingerprint sensor, if your tablet has it.
Also manage app permissions
Following this path of making the experience more secure and private, we can also talk about the importance of grant strictly necessary permissions to apps. This is where a little common sense comes in. For example, for a video call app to request access to the camera is normal, but not so normal for a weather app to do so.
Thus, we place special emphasis on those permissions that are usually the gateway for malware. These are the access to notifications, accessibility and SMS reading. Being a tablet, the last one is not so important, but the others are.
Download content to play offline
There are many uses that can be made of a tablet, but multimedia is usually one of the most common. If you usually go out of the house with your tablet, for example on public transport, You won’t always have a WiFi connection. Hence, downloading content is interesting.
The main streaming platforms allow you to download content to play within the app when you don’t have a connection. so, you can download series, movies, songs, books or articles from a website. Of course, try to delete them when you play them so as not to end up without storage space on the tablet.
Personalize Discover to read interesting content
On Android tablets we also have that famous ‘Explore’ tab known as Google Discover. Either integrated as part of the system on the left of the home screen or within the Google app. Taking into account the dimensions of the tablet, it is an ideal device in which to read the news.
Thus, you can tinker in the app settings to always read news of your interest. Although the algorithm is not always accurate, you can limit it a lot so that most suggestions are correct.
Bonus: what to do when you no longer use the tablet
If there comes a time when you are no longer going to use the tablet and giving it away or selling it is not an option, we will tell you that they exist ways to give it a second life. Forms are much more useful than having it abandoned in a drawer or on a shelf gathering dust.
See as an example the possibility of converting it into a screen to have Android Auto in the car or transforming it into an ebook. Although there are other interesting uses such as turn it into a digital picture frame or a weather station. We review these and other interesting uses in a post in which we precisely talk about how to take advantage of an old tablet.