These are the simple actions that I do every time I release a mobile phone and that you should also do if you have been given one as a gift

Christmas is a time when many people give gifts in Spain to their loved ones—or themselves—and there are some occasions when that gift is a smartphone. This means not only that you have to start configuring the device, but you also have to think about what to do with the old phone that is no longer going to be used.

Android phones have a fairly standard startup configuration. Generally, you have to enter Google account, pair the device with a WiFi network and choose aspects such as the default browser and search engine, in addition to other options offered, such as establishing an unlock method.

Despite this, finishing this initial configuration does not mean that the mobile is ready for use, since, in general, there are usually things to do before you can use it normally. It is not necessary to do them at the moment, but it is true that it is highly recommended if what you are looking for is not having to configure it again at another time.

Personally, in most phones that I use, whether for work or to change my personal cell phone, I always follow some steps to speed up this process. In this sense, my preference is to use the Google backup in relation to the mobile, but not the applications, since I prefer to install these manually.

In this way, apps will not be installed until they are necessary, so that the device is not filled with applications that will not be used in the immediate future. Once the apps have been installed, there are some steps that should be followed to feel comfortable with the smartphone.

First of all, clean

Although it is not something that happens in absolutely all brands, it is true that there are many occasions in which smartphones have some pre-installed applications, which There are times that they can be useful, and others that are just the opposite.. Therefore, the first thing you should do is delete the ones you don’t want to use.

It’s a good idea to spend some time seeing which ones they are and which ones you can delete. There are times when it is as obvious as seeing that there is an application like Meta or TikTok that we have not installed. However, there are times when they are apps to post error comments, or file explorers.

In any case, you have to think about whether you are going to use these applications or not. When you have decided, All you have to do is hold down on it and delete it.. It is essential to start your journey with your smartphone without apps that interfere with daily use.

Choose the design

When the new mobile phone is not the same brand as the old one, it is not strange that some people find it difficult to make the change, at least in terms of design. The icons may look larger or smaller than on the other device, or the typography may not be the same.

Luckily, it is possible to change some aspects of the design so that it adapts to the different needs that users have. From the screen settings you can change the size of the elements on the screen, making everything that appears on the mobile look bigger or smaller.

The same can be done with text, which works independently of this setting. This allows us to play with the different variables to obtain the experience we want. On the other hand, the size of the icons can also be independent, and appear in the launcher settings, which will appear when you press and hold on a blank space on the home screen.

Beyond this, it is also possible to do things like change the appearance of both the icons on the desktop and the interface in general. This is the case, at least on smartphones that have a version starting from Android 12.

Thanks to custom themes, the operating system allows you to choose the accent colors of the entire interface, although there is also the option for the system to choose them automatically based on the colors in your wallpaper.

Set up camera

The photographic section of smartphones is one of the most important, at least in some segments such as the high-end and a good part of the mid-range. Manufacturers strive to offer great alternatives to users in this regard, and there are times when just a few adjustments can get a lot out of it.

For example, it is quite convenient to set the image aspect ratio to 4:3, since this is the way to make the most of the image taken by the sensor. When using 16:9 or full screen mode, What the mobile does is crop the entire image to 4:3so using this option you will be able to see everything that the camera captures.

Then you can always crop it to fit the format you need. Also depending on the brand and model, the device may have different camera modes and some options that are not available on other similar smartphones.

Whether it’s filters created in collaboration with brands like Leica or even photography modes like trail of lights. Therefore, it is a great option to stop for a while to comfortably explore the settings available in the device’s camera application.