Google Android 3 Operating Guide
February 23, 2011
1
Android 3.0
User’s Guide
AUG-3.0-100
Android™ mobile technology platform 3.0
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Legal
Copyright © 2011 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
Google, the stylized Google logo, Android, the stylized Android logo, Nexus, the
stylized Nexus logo, Nexus S, the stylized Nexus S logo, Android Market, the
stylized Android Market logo, Gmail, Google Apps, Google Calendar, Google
Checkout, Google Earth, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Talk, Picasa,
SafeSearch, and YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and
product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are
associated.
Availability of Google applications, services, and features may vary by country,
carrier, Android device model, and manufacturer.
2
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Contents
3
About this guide 5
Starting Android the first time 7
Welcome to Android! 8
Activating your mobile data service 9
Setting your location preferences 10
Signing into your Google Account 11
Resetting your Google Account password 12
Additional accounts 12
Backing up and restoring your data 13
Finishing setup 15
Home and Android basics 17
Getting to know Home 18
Using the touchscreen 19
Using the Navigation buttons 20
Waking the tablet 21
Finding your apps 22
Monitoring your tablet’s status 23
Status icons 23
Notification icons 23
Managing notifications 24
Status Details and Quick Settings 26
Securing your tablet 29
Customizing Home screens 31
Working with widgets 34
Optimizing battery life 35
Working with apps 37
Opening and switching apps 38
Managing how apps use memory 40
Managing downloads 44
Entering and editing text 45
Using the onscreen keyboard 46
Entering text by speaking 50
Editing text 52
Connecting to networks and devices 55
Connecting to mobile networks 56
Connecting to Wi-Fi networks 58
Connecting to Bluetooth devices 62
Connecting to a Windows computer via USB 65
Connecting to a Macintosh computer via USB 66
Sharing your mobile data connection 68
Connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs) 72
Working with secure certificates 74
Google Search 77
Searching your tablet and the web 78
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
4
Using Google Search tips and tricks 82
Changing Google Search settings 84
Searchable items settings 84
Google Search settings 84
Voice Search and Voice Actions 85
Searching the web by speaking 86
Using Voice Actions 88
Changing Voice Search settings 91
Accounts 93
Adding and removing accounts 94
Configuring account sync and display options 97
Android apps 101
Books 102
Browser 103
Camera 104
Calendar 105
Calculator 106
Clock 107
Contacts 108
Email 109
Gallery 110
Gmail 111
Google Talk 112
Maps, Navigation, Places, and Latitude 113
Market 114
Movie Studio 115
Music 116
YouTube 117
Settings 119
Opening Settings 120
Wireless & networks settings 121
Wireless & Network settings screen 121
Wi-Fi settings screen 121
Advanced Wi-Fi settings screen 122
Bluetooth settings screen 122
Tethering & portable hotspot settings screen 123
VPN settings screen 123
Mobile networks settings screen 123
Sound settings 125
Screen settings 126
Location & security settings 127
Applications settings 129
Applications settings screen 129
Development screen 129
Accounts & sync settings 131
Accounts & sync settings screen 131
Account screen 131
Privacy settings 132
Storage settings 133
Language & input settings 134
Language & input screen 134
Google Voice Recognition settings screen 135
Text-to-Speech settings screen 135
Configure input methods screen 136
Android Keyboard settings screen 136
Accessibility settings 138
Date & time settings 139
About tablet 140
About tablet screen 140
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
About this guide
This guide describes how to use release 3.0 of the Android™ mobile technology
platform.
This guide does not describe the physical features of your tablet (its parts and
accessories, how to turn it on, and so on) or its specifications; for that information,
refer to your tablet’s owner’s guide.
Chapter Describes
5
“Starting Android the first time” on
page 7
“Home and Android basics” on
page 17
“Working with apps” on page 37 Starting and switching apps and how to learn more about your apps and
“Entering and editing text” on
page 45
“Connecting to networks and
devices” on page 55
“Google Search” on page 77 Using Google Search to search your tablet and the web.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android and signing into your Google™ Account, so you can take
full advantage of Google Apps™.
Learning about Home and customizing your Home screens, how to use the
touchscreen, and other Android fundamentals.
how they use your tablet’s resources.
Entering text by typing on the onscreen keyboard and by speaking, as well
as editing text including copy and pasting text between apps.
Configuring how your tablet connects to mobile and Wi-Fi™ networks, to
Bluetooth™ devices, and to a computer, and it describes how to share your
tablet’s mobile data connection via USB or Bluetooth or as a portable Wi-Fi
hotspot. This chapter also describes how to secure your connections to virtual private networks (VPNs) and other networks.
About this guide 6
Chapter Describes
“Voice Search and Voice Actions”
Searching the web and controlling your tablet by speaking Voice Actions.
on page 85
“Accounts” on page 93 Adding and synchronizing email and other accounts, including Google
Accounts and Microsoft™ Exchange ActiveSync™ accounts.
“Android apps” on page 101 An overview of the diverse Google apps included with many Android tab-
lets, including.
“Settings” on page 119 Opening the Settings application and its many tools for configuring and
customizing your tablet.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first
time
When you first turn on your tablet, you have the opportunity to activate your mobile
data service, to sign into your Google Account, and to decide how you want to use
some Google services.
7
In this section
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
“Welcome to Android!” on page 8
“Activating your mobile data service” on
page 9
“Setting your location preferences” on
page 10
“Signing into your Google Account” on
page 11
“Backing up and restoring your data” on
page 13
“Finishing setup” on page 15
Starting Android the first time 8
Touch Start.
Touch to use a different
language.
Welcome to Android!
The first time you power on your tablet (after setting it up, as described in your
tablet’s owner’s guide), you’re welcomed to Android and invited to pick a language
to work in and to start setting up and using your tablet.
S Touch English if you want to work in a different language.
S Touch Start to start setting up your tablet.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 9
Activating your mobile data service
On some mobile data networks, you must activate mobile data service on your
tablet before you can use it to connect to the Internet. As soon as you touch Start
on the Welcome! screen, your tablet starts the activation process.
If your mobile network doesn’t require activation, or if your tablet only connects to
Wi-Fi networks, it skips this step and prompts you to connect to a Wi-Fi network
instead (see “Connecting to Wi-Fi networks” on page 58).
Then you can use that mobile data network Internet connection to sign into your
Google Account and finish setting up your tablet.
If you prefer not to activate you mobile data service now or if you are setting up
your tablet in a location without access to your carrier’s mobile network, you can
touch Skip to set up your tablet using Wi-Fi instead: you’re prompted to connect to
a local Wi-Fi network. See “Connecting to Wi-Fi networks” on page 58.
You can activate your mobile data service later using the Settings app; see
“Wireless & networks settings” on page 121.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 10
Setting your location preferences
Google’s location service uses the Wi-Fi and mobile data networks near you to
make your approximate location available to your apps. This location information
can make finding your precise location by GPS much faster; it can also provide
your location to apps when GPS isn’t available.
When you use Google’s location service, Google collects data about your location
and local networks, without associating the information it gathers with you or your
Google Account, to improve the service.
You can also choose whether to use your location in your Google Search results and
other Google services.
You can change these settings after setup; see “Location & security settings” on
page 127.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 11
Enter your Gmail account.
Touch to enter your password.
Touch to create a new Google
Account.
Then touch Sign in.
Signing into your Google Account
You must sign into a Google Account to use Gmail, Google Talk, and other Google
Apps; to download apps from Android Market; to back up your settings and other
data to Google servers; and to take advantage of other Google services on your
tablet.
Important If you have backed up your Android settings using a Google Account
in the past and you want to restore those settings to your tablet, you
must sign into that account now, during setup: If you sign in after
setup, you can’t restore your settings.
If you don’t have a Google Account, you can also create one.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
When you sign in, you’re prompted to enter your username and password, using the
onscreen keyboard. For information about navigating the touchscreen and entering
text, see “Using the touchscreen” on page 19 and “Entering and editing text” on
page 45.
Starting Android the first time 12
If you have an enterprise Gmail account through your company or other
organization, your IT department may have special instructions on how to sign into
that account.
When you sign in, your contacts, Gmail messages, Calendar events, and other
information from these apps and services on the web are synchronized with your
tablet.
If you don’t sign into a Google Account during setup, you are prompted to sign in or
to create a Google Account the first time you start an app that requires one, such
as Gmail or Android Market.
Resetting your Google Account password
If you have a Google Account but forget your password, you must reset it before you
can sign in. Go to http://www.google.com, click Sign In, click “Can’t access your
account?” in the sign-in box, and then follow the instructions for resetting your
password.
Additional accounts After setup, you can add Google and other kinds of accounts to your tablet, and
sync some or all of their data, as described in “Accounts” on page 93. However,
only the first Google Account you sign into is backed up to Google servers. Some
apps that only work with a single account display data only from the first account
that you sign into.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 13
Backing up and restoring your data
You can back up your settings and other data with your Google Account, so if you
ever replace your tablet, you can restore your data on the new one. If you choose to
use this service, your data is backed up automatically.
If you previously used the backup service with the Google Account you just used to
sign in, you can also choose to restore your settings from your Google Account to
your tablet now.
Important If you want to restore your settings, you must do that now during
setup. You can’t restore data after setup is complete.
Many kinds of data are backed up, including:
G Your Android settings, such as your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, user diction-
ary, and so on
G Many Google application settings, such as your Browser bookmarks
G The apps you download from Android Market
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 14
Some third-party apps also make use of the backup service, so if you reinstall one,
its settings and data are restored.
You can change your backup settings after you finishing setting up your tablet, see
“Privacy settings” on page 132.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 15
Finishing setup
If you aren’t connected to a mobile network, you’re prompted to set the date and
time on your tablet. See “Date & time settings” on page 139.
Otherwise, when setup is complete, Home opens, displaying your main Home
screen.
To learn more about Home and the basics of using Android, see “Home and
Android basics” on page 17.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Starting Android the first time 16
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics
Once you’ve finished setting up your tablet, Home opens. It’s a good idea to
become familiar with the basics of your tablet and how to use it—Home and its
Home screens, the touchscreen, securing your tablet, monitoring and responding
to status and notification messages, and so on.
17
In this section
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
“Getting to know Home” on page 18
“Using the touchscreen” on page 19
“Using the Navigation buttons” on
page 20
“Waking the tablet” on page 21
“Finding your apps” on page 22
“Monitoring your tablet’s status” on
page 23
“Managing notifications” on page 24
“Status Details and Quick Settings” on
page 26
“Securing your tablet” on page 29
“Customizing Home screens” on page 31
“Working with widgets” on page 34
“Optimizing battery life” on page 35
Home and Android basics 18
Getting to know Home
After you finish setting up your tablet, Home opens.
Home is your starting point for all the features of your tablet. You can use the
Customize button to add shortcuts to apps, widgets, and other features to your
Home screens, and to change the wallpaper (see “Customizing Home screens” on
page 31.)
At the top of the screen, Home displays:
G Search and Voice Search buttons to search your tablet and the
web by typing or speaking (see “Google Search” on page 77)
G The Apps button to find all your installed apps (see “Opening and
switching apps” on page 38)
G The Customize button for adding items to your Home screens (see “Cus-
tomizing Home screens” on page 31
At the bottom of the screen, the System bar displays:
G The Back , Home , and Recent Apps buttons, for navigating
among your apps (see “Using the Navigation buttons” on page 20)
G Notification icons, the time, and Status icons (see “Monitoring your tablet’s sta-
tus” on page 23 and “Managing notifications” on page 24).
Return Home S Touch the Home button in the System bar at any time, in any app.
View other Home
screens
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
S Slide your finger left or right across the current Home screen.
The other Home screens provide more space for widgets, shortcuts, and other
items. For more on sliding, see “Using the touchscreen” on page 19.
S Touch the Home button to return to the central Home screen.
Home and Android basics 19
Using the touchscreen
The main way to control Android features is by using your finger to manipulate
icons, buttons, menu items, the onscreen keyboard, and other items on the
touchscreen. You can also change the screen’s orientation.
Touch To act on items on the screen, such as app and settings icons, to type
letters and symbols using the onscreen keyboard, or to pres onscreen buttons, you
simply touch them with your finger.
Touch & hold Touch & hold an item on the screen by touching it and not lifting
your finger until an action occurs.
Drag Touch & hold an item for a moment and then, without lifting your finger,
move your finger on the screen until you reach the target position. For example,
you drag items on the Home screen to reposition them, as described in
“Customizing Home screens” on page 31.
Swipe or slide To swipe or slide, you quickly move your finger across the surface
of the screen, without pausing when you first touch it (so you don’t drag an item
instead). For example, you slide the Home screen left or right to view the other
parts, and in some Calendar views you slide to view earlier or later periods.
Double-tap Tap quickly twice on a webpage, map, or other screen to zoom. For
example, you double-tap a section of a webpage in Browser to zoom that section to
fit the width of the screen. Double-tapping after pinching to zoom in some apps
reflows a column of text to fit the width of the screen.
Pinch In some apps (such as Maps, Browser, and Gallery), you can zoom in and
out by placing two fingers on the screen at once and pinching them together (to
zoom out) or spreading them apart (to zoom in).
Rotate the screen On most screens, the orientation of the screen rotates with
the tablet as you turn it. You can turn this feature on and off, as described in
“Screen settings” on page 126.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 20
Using the Navigation buttons
The System bar’s Navigation buttons make it easy to quickly switch among Android
apps.
In some media apps, the System bar controls are replaced by dim dots when you’re
watching a movie, slide show, and so on, so you can better enjoy them without the
distraction of the System bar. You can touch a dot as it if were the control it stands
for, or touch a blank area of the System bar to restore it to full view.
Back Opens the previous screen you were working in. If the
onscreen keyboard is open, the button changes to a down
arrow and touching it closes the keyboard.
Home Opens Home. If you’re viewing a left or right Home screen,
opens the central Home screen.
Recent Apps Opens a list of thumbnail images of apps you’ve worked
with recently; touch an app to open it.
Legacy Opens the options menu for applications designed for pre-
vious versions of Android.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 21
Waking the tablet
If you don’t use the tablet for a while, the screen dims and then darkens, to
conserve the battery.
1 Press the Power button.
The lock screen opens (unless you’ve turned it off; see “Securing your tablet”
on page 29).
2 Touch & hold the lock icon and when it turns into a circle, drag it to the edge of
the larger circle that surrounds it. Or if you’ve secured the lock screen, enter a
pattern, PIN, or password.
See “Securing your tablet” on page 29.
The last screen you were viewing opens.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 22
Finding your apps
The Apps screen displays all the apps on your tablet. It’s your starting point for
opening and managing the apps that came with the system and that your
downloaded from Android Market or other locations.
See “Working with apps” on page 37 for details about opening apps, switching
among them, and more.
Open and work with the
Apps screen
S Touch the Apps button at the top-right of any Home screen to open
the Apps screen.
The Apps screen closes when you open an app.
You can also close it by touching Home .
S Touch My apps to view just the apps you’ve downloaded from Android Market.
See “Market” on page 259.
S Swipe left or right to bring more apps into view.
If you have more apps installed than can fit on one screen, you can see outlines
of additional apps on adjacent screens.
S Touch an app on the Apps screen to open it.
See “Opening and switching apps” on page 38.
S Drag an app down so you can add a shortcut for it to a Home screen.
Thumbnails of your Home screens appear when you drag an app; you can pause
on one to place the shortcut where you want.
See “Customizing Home screens” on page 31.
S Drag an app to the Information icon to open a screen with details about the
app.
S Drag an app on the My Apps tab to the Uninstall icon to uninstall the app from
your tablet.
You can’t uninstall the apps that are included with Android: only the apps
you’ve downloaded.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 23
Notification icons
Status icons
Monitoring your tablet’s status
The right side of the System bar displays icons indicating that you’ve received
notifications, the current time, and icons indicating the tablet’s status.
See “Managing notifications” on page 24.
Status icons Status icons indicate the status of your tablet at the right edge of the System bar
and in the Status Details panel (which opens if you touch the time).
To learn more about the different kinds of mobile networks, see “Connecting to
networks and devices” on page 55.
Network status icons turn blue if you have a Google Account added to your tablet
and the tablet is connected to Google services, for syncing your Gmail, Calendar
events, contacts, for backing up your settings, and so on. If you don’t have a
Google Account or if, for example, you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network that is not
connected to the Internet, the network icons are gray.
Notification icons Notification icons indicate that you’ve received a notification from the system or
form an application. They appear to the left of the time in the System bar. See
“Managing notifications” on page 24 for information about responding to these
notifications.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 24
Managing notifications
Notifications report the arrival of new messages, calendar events, and alarms, as
well as ongoing events, such as when you have configured your tablet as a Wi-Fi
hotspot.
When you receive a notification, its icon appears in the System bar, to the left of
the time, along with a summary that appears briefly (see “Notification icons” on
page 23).
Depending on your settings and the model of your tablet, you may also hear a
notification sound, a light may blink, and so on. These settings and adjusting
sound volume and other general notification settings are described in “Sound
settings” on page 125.
You can open the Notifications list to view all of your current notifications.
Most apps that send notifications, such as Gmail and Google Talk, have their own
settings, which you can use to configure whether and how they send notifications,
whether they sound a ringtone, and so on. See the documentation for those apps
for details.
Open the Notifications
1 Touch the time in the System bar.
list
2 Touch a notification summary to respond to it.
You can also touch a notification’s Close button to remove it from the
Notifications list, or touch elsewhere on the screen to close the list.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 25
Respond to a
Notification
1 Touch a Notification icon in the System bar.
The notification’s summary panel opens.
Notification panels can contain a great variety of information and controls,
including:
G A summary of a message, along with the date and even a picture of the
sender.
G Controls, such as buttons to pause a playing song or to skip to the next or
previous track.
G Progress bars, such as those that indicate how much of an app you’ve down-
loaded from Market.
2 Touch the summary to open it in its app.
You can also just touch its Close button to remove the notification.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 26
Status Details and Quick Settings
You can get more details about the current date and time, networking, and battery
status in with the Status Details. You can also open the Quick Settings to view and
control the most common settings for your tablet, as well as accessing the
complete Settings application.
Open Status Details S Touch the time in the System bar.
If you have any current notifications, their summaries are listed below the
Status Details: touch one to respond to it. See “Managing notifications” on
page 24.
Close the Status Details by touching any other part of the screen.
Work with Quick
Settings
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
The Quick Settings make it convenient to view or change the most common tablet
settings and to open the full Settings app.
1 Open the Status Details.
2 Touch anywhere in the Status Details.
The Quick Settings open below the Status Details, replacing the list of current
notifications.
Home and Android basics 27
3 View or change the settings you want.
You can close the Quick Settings again by touching anywhere else on the
screen.
The Quick Settings are:
Airplane mode Drag the switch to On to turn off all the tablet’s radios that
transmit data, including mobile data and Wi-Fi. See “Wireless & Network settings
screen” on page 121.
Wi-Fi Touch to open the Wi-Fi settings. See “Connecting to Wi-Fi networks” on
page 58.
Lock screen orientation Drag the switch to On to lock the screen in landscape
orientation, so it doesn’t rotate when you turn the tablet. See “Using the
touchscreen” on page 19.
Brightness Drag the slider to change the brightness of the screen. Or touch Auto
to have the tablet set screen brightness automatically, using its sensors to measure
the amount of light in your surroundings.
Notifications Drag the slider to Off if you don’t want to be disturbed by system
or application notifications about new mail, invitations to chat, and so on. See
“Managing notifications” on page 24.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 28
Settings Touch to open the Settings application. See “Settings” on page 119.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 29
Securing your tablet
Initially, when you turn on or wake the tablet, the lock screen requires you to drag a
lock icon to unlock the screen. But you can secure the lock screen by requiring
that you draw a pattern or enter a numeric PIN or password, so only you can access
your data, buy apps from Market, and so on. You may also be required to secure
you lock screen by a policy set by an email account or other account you add to
your tablet.
See “Location & security settings” on page 127 for other ways to protect your
tablet and privacy, and for details about other lock screen settings.
You can also encrypt the data on your tablet, so you must enter a numeric PIN or a
password to decrypt it each time you power it on.
Secure your lock screen 1 Touch the time in the System bar, touch the time in the Status Details panel,
and touch Settings at the bottom of the Quick Settings.
You can also open Settings by touching its icon in the Apps screen or on a
Home screen (if you placed a shortcut to it there).
2 Touch Location & security.
3 Touch Configure lock screen.
4 Touch Pattern, PIN, or Password.
If you touch Pattern, you’re guided to create a pattern you must draw to unlock
the screen. The first time you do this, a short tutorial about creating an unlock
pattern appears. Then you’re prompted to draw and redraw your own pattern.
If you touch PIN or Password, you’re prompted to set a numeric PIN or a
password you must enter to unlock your screen.
The next time you turn on your tablet or wake up the screen, you must draw
your unlock pattern or to enter your PIN or password to unlock it.
Encrypt your tablet You can encrypt all the data on your tablet: Google Accounts, application data,
music and other media, downloaded information, and so on. If you do, you must
enter a numeric PIN or password each time you power on your tablet.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Home and Android basics 30
Warning! Encryption is irreversible. The only way to revert to an unencrypted
tablet is to perform a a factory data reset, which erases all your data
(see “Privacy settings” on page 132).
1 Prepare for encryption.
Before you can start encrypting your tablet, you must:
G Set a lock screen PIN or password (see “Secure your lock screen” on
page 29)
G Charge your tablet’s battery
G Plug in your tablet
G Schedule an hour or more for the encryption process: you must not interrupt
it or you will lose some or all of your data
2 Open Settings and touch Location & security > Encrypt tablet.
Read the information on the Encrypt Tablet screen carefully.
Warning! You must not interrupt the encryption process or you will lose data.
The Encrypt tablet button is dimmed if your battery is not charged or if your
tablet is not plugged in.
If you change your mind about encrypting your tablet, touch Back .
3 Touch the Encrypt tablet button.
4 Enter your lock screen PIN or password and touch Continue.
5 Touch the Encrypt tablet button again, to confirm you want to continue.
The encryption process starts and displays its progress.
Encryption can take an hour or more, during which time your tablet may restart
several times.
When encryption is complete, you’re prompted to enter your PIN or password.
Subsequently, you must enter your PIN or password each time you power on
your tablet, to decrypt it.
AUG-3.0-100 Android User’s Guide
Loading...