Google Android - 3.1 User's Guide
Android 3.1
User’s Guide
April 15, 2011
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Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License Edition
Android™ mobile technology platform 3.1
Legal
Except as otherwise noted at http://code.google.com/policies.html#restrictions, the
contents of this manual is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
License, which is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. When
using this work in whole or in part, please attribute the work to Google Inc. No
Google or third-party trademarks or brand features are included in this license.
Google, the stylized Google logo, Android, the stylized Android logo, Nexus, the
stylized Nexus logo, Android Market, the stylized Android Market logo, Gmail,
Google Apps, Google Calendar, Google Checkout, Google Earth, Google Goggles,
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, phone model, and manufacturer.
For more information about the Android mobile technology platform, visit http://
www.android.com
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Contents
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About this guide 7
Starting Android the first time 9
Welcome to Android! 10
Activating your mobile data service 11
Setting your location preferences 12
Signing into your Google Account 13
Resetting your Google Account password 14
Additional accounts 14
Backing up and restoring your data 15
Finishing setup 17
Home and Android basics 19
Getting to know Home 20
Using the touchscreen 21
Using the Navigation buttons 22
Waking the tablet 23
Finding your apps 24
Monitoring your tablet’s status 25
Status icons 25
Notification icons 25
Managing notifications 26
Status Details and Quick Settings 28
Securing your tablet 31
Customizing Home screens 33
Working with widgets 36
Optimizing battery life 37
Working with apps 39
Opening and switching apps 40
Managing how apps use memory 42
Managing downloads 46
Entering and editing text 47
Using the onscreen keyboard 48
Entering text by speaking 52
Editing text 54
Connecting to networks and devices 57
Connecting to mobile networks 58
Connecting to Wi-Fi networks 60
Connecting to Bluetooth devices 65
Connecting to keyboards, mice, and other input de-
vices 69
Keyboards 69
Mice 69
Other input devices 70
Connecting to cameras 71
Connecting to a Windows computer via USB 72
Connecting to a Macintosh computer via USB 73
Sharing your mobile data connection 75
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Connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs) 79
Working with secure certificates 81
Google Search 83
Searching your tablet and the web 84
Using Google Search tips and tricks 88
Changing Google Search settings 90
Searchable items settings 90
Google Search settings 90
Voice Search and Voice Actions 91
Searching the web by speaking 92
Using Voice Actions 94
Changing Voice Search settings 97
Accounts 99
Adding and removing accounts 100
Configuring account sync and display options 103
Contacts 107
Opening your contacts 108
Changing which contacts are displayed 109
Adding contacts 111
Importing, exporting, and sharing contacts 113
Starring a contact 116
Searching for a contact 117
Editing contact details 118
Connecting quickly with your contacts 120
Joining contacts 121
Separating contact information 122
Gmail 123
Opening Gmail and your Inbox 124
Reading your messages 128
Copying text from a message 132
Composing and sending a message 134
Replying to or forwarding a message 137
Working with Priority Inbox 139
Working with conversations in batches 142
Starring a message 143
Labeling a conversation 144
Synchronizing conversations by label 146
Searching for messages 149
Archiving conversations 151
Muting a conversation 152
Reporting spam 153
Appending a signature to your messages 154
Using keyboard shortcuts 155
Conversation list shortcuts 155
Message shortcuts 155
Changing Gmail settings 156
General preferences 156
Account settings 157
Troubleshooting sync issues 158
Calendar 161
Viewing your calendar and events 162
Working in Day and Week views 164
Working in Month view 165
Viewing event details 166
Creating an event 167
Editing or deleting an event 168
Setting an event reminder 169
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Responding to event reminders 170
Synchronizing and displaying calendars 171
Changing Calendar settings 172
Google Talk 175
Signing in and opening your Friends list 176
Chatting by text 179
Chatting by voice or video 182
Changing and monitoring online status 185
Managing your Friends list 187
Changing Google Talk settings 189
Email 191
Opening Email, your Inbox, and other folders 192
Reading your messages 194
Responding to a message 195
Starring messages 196
Working with messages in batches 197
Composing and sending email 198
Appending a signature to your messages 199
Adding and changing email accounts 200
Email account settings 202
General settings 202
Account settings 202
Incoming server settings 204
Outgoing server settings 205
Downloading files 218
Working with bookmarks 219
Changing Browser settings 222
General 222
Privacy & security 222
Advanced 223
Labs 224
Maps, Navigation, Places, and Latitude 227
Camera 229
Gallery 231
Movie Studio 233
YouTube 235
Opening YouTube and watching videos 236
Discovering videos 239
Rating and commenting on videos 241
Working with channels 242
Uploading and sharing videos 244
Working with playlists 246
Changing YouTube settings 248
General settings 248
Search settings 248
About 248
Browser 207
Opening Browser 208
Navigating within a webpage 213
Navigating across webpages 215
Working with tabs 217
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Music 249
Transferring music files to your tablet 250
Opening Music and working with your library 251
Playing music 253
Working with playlists 255
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Books 257
Clock 259
Viewing the date and time 260
Setting and changing alarms 261
Calculator 263
Using the Calculator 264
Market 265
Settings 267
Opening Settings 268
Wireless & networks settings 269
Wireless & Network settings screen 269
Wi-Fi settings screen 269
Advanced Wi-Fi settings screen 270
Bluetooth settings screen 270
Tethering & portable hotspot settings screen 271
VPN settings screen 271
Mobile networks settings screen 271
Sound settings 273
Screen settings 274
Location & security settings 275
Applications settings 277
Applications settings screen 277
Development screen 277
Accounts & sync settings 279
Accounts & sync settings screen 279
Account screen 279
Privacy settings 280
Storage settings 281
Language & input settings 282
Language & input screen 282
Google Voice Recognition settings screen 283
Text-to-Speech settings screen 283
Configure input methods screen 284
Android Keyboard settings screen 284
Accessibility settings 286
Date & time settings 287
About tablet 288
About tablet screen 288
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About this guide
This guide describes how to use release 3.1 of the Android™ mobile technology
platform, including updates to Android applications that have been released on the
Android Market™ downloadable applications service.
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.
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About this guide 8
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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.
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In this section
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“Welcome to Android!” on page 10
“Activating your mobile data service” on
page 11
“Setting your location preferences” on
page 12
“Signing into your Google Account” on
page 13
“Backing up and restoring your data” on
page 15
“Finishing setup” on page 17
Starting Android the first time 10
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.
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Starting Android the first time 11
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 60).
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 60.
You can activate your mobile data service later using the Settings app; see
“Wireless & networks settings” on page 269.
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Starting Android the first time 12
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 275.
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Starting Android the first time 13
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 by touching Create
account.
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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 21 and “Entering and editing text” on
page 47.
Starting Android the first time 14
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 99. 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.
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Starting Android the first time 15
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
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Starting Android the first time 16
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 280.
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Starting Android the first time 17
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 287.
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 19.
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Starting Android the first time 18
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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.
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In this section
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“Getting to know Home” on page 20
“Using the touchscreen” on page 21
“Using the Navigation buttons” on
page 22
“Waking the tablet” on page 23
“Finding your apps” on page 24
“Monitoring your tablet’s status” on
page 25
“Managing notifications” on page 26
“Status Details and Quick Settings” on
page 28
“Securing your tablet” on page 31
“Customizing Home screens” on page 33
“Working with widgets” on page 36
“Optimizing battery life” on page 37
Home and Android basics 20
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 33.)
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 83)
G The Apps button to find all your installed apps (see “Opening and
switching apps” on page 40)
G The Customize button for adding items to your Home screens (see “Cus-
tomizing Home screens” on page 33
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 22)
G Notification icons, the time, and Status icons (see “Monitoring your tablet’s sta-
tus” on page 25 and “Managing notifications” on page 26).
Return Home S Touch the Home button in the System bar at any time, in any app.
View other Home
screens
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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 21.
S Touch the Home button to return to the central Home screen.
Home and Android basics 21
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 33.
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 274.
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Home and Android basics 22
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.
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Home and Android basics 23
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 31).
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 31.
The last screen you were viewing opens.
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Home and Android basics 24
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 39 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 265.
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 40.
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 33.
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.
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Home and Android basics 25
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.
If you have more notifications than can fit in the System bar, a plus icon prompts
you to open the Notifications panel to view them all. See “Managing notifications”
on page 26. <Is this still true?>>
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 57.
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 26 for information about responding to these
notifications. In addition these icons, apps you install on your tablet may use their
own notification icons.
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Home and Android basics 26
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 25).
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 273.
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.
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Home and Android basics 27
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.
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Home and Android basics 28
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 26.
Close the Status Details by touching any other part of the screen.
Work with Quick
Settings
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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 29
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 269.
Wi-Fi Touch to open the Wi-Fi settings. See “Connecting to Wi-Fi networks” on
page 60.
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 21.
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 26.
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Home and Android basics 30
Settings Touch to open the Settings application. See “Settings” on page 267.
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