ZTE Z981 User Manual

Z981

User Manual and Safety Information

About This Manual

Thank you for choosing this mobile device. In order to keep your device in its best condition, please read this manual and keep it for future reference.

Notice

This manual has been designed with the utmost care to ensure the accuracy of its content. However, all statements, information and recommendations contained therein do not constitute a warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Please refer to For Your Safety to be sure to use your phone properly and safely.

Disclaimer

Images and screenshots used in this manual may differ from the actual product. Content in this manual may differ from the actual product or software.

Trademarks

Google and Android are trademarks of Google, Inc. The Bluetooth® trademark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such

trademarks by ZTE Corporation is under license.

microSDXC Logo is a trademark of SD-3C, LLC.

Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby, Dolby Audio, and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

Other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

Version No.: R1.0 Edition Time: June 20, 2016

Contents

Getting Started ............................................................................................. 7

Getting to Know Your Phone .............................................................................................. 7

Knowing the Keys .............................................................................................................. 9

Installing the nano-SIM Card and microSDXC card ............................................................ 9

Charging the Battery ........................................................................................................ 12

Powering On/Off Your Phone ........................................................................................... 13

Extending the Battery Life ................................................................................................ 13

Setting Up for the First Time ............................................................................................ 13

Locking/Unlocking the Screen and Keys .......................................................................... 14

Using the Touch Screen ................................................................................................... 14

Getting to Know the Home Screen ................................................................................... 17

Personalizing .............................................................................................. 20

Changing the System Language ...................................................................................... 20

Setting the Date and Time ............................................................................................... 20

Changing Ringtone and Notification Sound ...................................................................... 20

Turning On/Off System Sounds........................................................................................ 21

Adjusting Volume ................................................................................................ ............. 21

Switching to Silent Mode................................ ................................ .................................. 21

Applying New Wallpapers ................................................................................................ 22

Changing Screen Brightness ........................................................................................... 22

Protecting Your Phone With Screen Locks ................................................................ ....... 22

Protecting Your Phone With Screen Pinning..................................................................... 23

Fingerprints ..................................................................................................................... 24

Knowing the Basics .................................................................................... 27

Monitoring the Phone Status ............................................................................................ 27

Managing Notifications .................................................................................................... 28

Managing Shortcuts and Widgets .................................................................................... 30

Organizing With Folders ................................................................................................... 31

Rearranging the Primary Shortcuts .................................................................................. 31

Entering Text .................................................................................................................... 31

Editing Text ...................................................................................................................... 34

Opening and Switching Apps ........................................................................................... 35

Connecting to Networks and Devices ........................................................ 36

Connecting to Mobile Networks ........................................................................................ 36

Connecting to Wi-Fi® ........................................................................................................ 37

Using Wi-Fi Direct® .......................................................................................................... 40

Connecting to Bluetooth® Devices .................................................................................... 41

Using the microSD card as portable or internal storage .................................................... 43

Connecting to Your Computer via USB ............................................................................. 46

Sharing Your Mobile Data Connection .............................................................................. 47

Connecting to Virtual Private Networks............................................................................. 49

Phone Calls ................................................................................................ 50

Placing and Ending Calls ................................ ................................................................ . 50

Answering or Rejecting Calls............................................................................................ 51

Making a VoWi-Fi Call ...................................................................................................... 51

Working With the Call History ........................................................................................... 52

Calling Your Contacts ................................................................ ....................................... 53

Checking Voicemail.......................................................................................................... 54

Using Options During a Call ............................................................................................. 54

Managing Multi-party Calls ............................................................................................... 55

Adjusting Your Call Settings ............................................................................................. 56

Checking Contact Details ................................................................................................ . 59

Adding a New Contact ..................................................................................................... 59

Setting Up Your Own Profile ............................................................................................. 59

Importing, Exporting, and Sharing Contacts...................................................................... 60

Working With Favorite Contacts ....................................................................................... 60

Searching for a Contact ................................................................................................... 61

Editing Contacts .............................................................................................................. 61

Displaying Contacts ................................................................ ......................................... 62

Accounts .................................................................................................... 63

Adding or Removing Accounts ......................................................................................... 63

Configuring Account Sync ................................................................................................ 63

Email ........................................................................................................... 65

Setting Up the First Email Account ................................................................................... 65

Checking Your Emails ...................................................................................................... 65

Responding to an Email ................................................................................................... 65

Writing and Sending an Email .......................................................................................... 66

Adding and Editing Email Accounts .................................................................................. 67

Changing General Email Settings .................................................................................... 67

Messaging .................................................................................................. 68

Opening the Messaging Screen ....................................................................................... 68

Sending a Message ................................................................ ......................................... 68

Replying to a Message .................................................................................................... 68

Managing the Message Thread........................................................................................ 69

Managing the Message ................................................................................................... 69

Changing Message Settings ............................................................................................ 70

Calendar ..................................................................................................... 71

Viewing Your Calendars and Events ................................................................................ 71

Creating an Event ............................................................................................................ 71

Searching an Event ......................................................................................................... 72

Editing/Deleting/Sharing/Exporting/Copying an Event ...................................................... 72

Changing Calendar Settings ............................................................................................ 72

Browser ................................................................ ...................................... 73

Opening a Web Page ...................................................................................................... 73

Customizing the Browsers ............................................................................................... 73

Capturing a Photo ................................................................ ............................................ 74

Recording a Video ........................................................................................................... 77

Using Other Camera Modes ............................................................................................. 78

Using Manual Camera Mode ............................................................................................ 78

Customizing Camera/Camcorder Settings ........................................................................ 79

Gallery ........................................................................................................ 81

Opening Gallery ............................................................................................................... 81

Working With Albums ....................................................................................................... 81

Working With Pictures ...................................................................................................... 82

Retouching Your Pictures ................................................................................................. 83

Playing Videos ................................................................................................ ................. 84

Music .......................................................................................................... 85

Copying Music Files to Your Phone ................................................................ .................. 85

Viewing Your Music Library .............................................................................................. 85

Setting a Song as the Default Ringtone ............................................................................ 86

Playing Music .................................................................................................................. 86

Managing Playlists ........................................................................................................... 88

FM Radio .................................................................................................... 89

Scanning and Saving Channels ....................................................................................... 89

Listening to FM Radio ...................................................................................................... 89

Adding a Channel to Favorites ......................................................................................... 90

Sound Recorder ......................................................................................... 91

Recording a voice memo ................................................................................................. 91

Viewing all the recordings ................................................................................................ 91

Deleting a voice memo..................................................................................................... 91

Playing a voice memo ...................................................................................................... 91

More Apps................................................................................................... 92

Calculator ........................................................................................................................ 92

Clock ............................................................................................................................... 92

Downloads ...................................................................................................................... 93

File Manager ................................................................................................................... 93

Google Apps .................................................................................................................... 94

Settings....................................................................................................... 95

Wireless and Networks .................................................................................................... 95

Personal .......................................................................................................................... 97

Device ............................................................................................................................100

Accounts ........................................................................................................................103

System ...........................................................................................................................103

Troubleshooting ....................................................................................... 104

For Your Safety ......................................................................................... 109

General Safety ...............................................................................................................109

Product Handling ................................ ................................................................ ............ 110

Distraction ...................................................................................................................... 113

Electrical Safety .............................................................................................................. 113

Radio Frequency Interference ......................................................................................... 114

Explosive environments .................................................................................................. 115

Radio Frequency (RF) Energy ........................................................................................ 115

FCC Compliance ............................................................................................................ 116

Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) regulations for Mobile phones ................................ ....... 116

CTIA Requirements ........................................................................................................ 117

Manufacturer‟s Warranty ................................................................................................. 118

Home screen

Earpiece

Front camera

Proximity & light

sensor

nano-SIM/ microSD

card tray

Home key

Back key

Recent apps key

Getting Started

Getting to Know Your Phone

Headset jack

Volume down key

Power key

Back cover

Charging/USB

type-C jack

Speaker

Volume up key Flash

Main microphone

Back camera

Fingerprint sensor

Key

Function

Power key

 Press and hold to turn on or off airplane

mode, power off or restart the phone.

 Press to turn off or on the screen display.

Home key

 Touch to return to the home screen.  Touch and hold to open Google Search.

Back key

Touch to go to the previous screen.

Recent apps key

Touch to see recently used applications.

Volume up key

Press or hold the key to turn up the volume for media, alarm, ringtone, or notification.

Volume down key

Press or hold the key to turn down the volume for media, alarm, ringtone, or notification.

Knowing the Keys

Installing the nano-SIM Card and microSDXC card

The nano-SIM card, and the microSD card can be installed or removed while the phone is turned on. You need to unmount the microSD card (not included) before removing it.

WARNING!

To avoid damage to the phone, do not use any non-standard nano-SIM card cut from a card. You can get a standard nano-SIM card from your service provider.

1. Insert the tip of the tray eject tool to eject the SIM / SD card tray.

2. Pull out the SIM / SD tray and place the nano-SIM card (right) /microSD card (left) facing down on the tray. Gently slide the tray in until it clicks into place.

The nano-SIM card, and the microSD card can be installed or removed while the phone is turned on. You need to unmount the microSD (not included) card before removing it.

If you experience any issues with your phone, contact customer service or visit your nearest retail location.

WARNING!

To avoid damage to the phone, do not use any non-standard nano-SIM card cut from a card. You can get a standard nano-SIM card from your service provider.

1. Insert the tip of the tray eject tool into the hole on the card tray.

2. Pull out the card tray and place the nano-SIM card (right) /microSDXC card (left) facing down on the tray. Gently slide the card tray in until it clicks into place.

Charging the Battery

Your phone‟s battery should have enough power for the phone to turn on, find a signal, and make

a few calls. You should fully charge the battery as soon as possible.

WARNING! Use only ZTE-approved chargers and cables. The use of unapproved accessories could damage your phone or cause the battery to explode.

1. Connect the adapter to the charging/USB type-C jack.

2. Connect the charger to a standard AC power outlet. If the phone is on, you‟ll see a charging

icon, such as or , appear in the status bar.

3. Disconnect the charger when the battery is fully charged.

NOTE:

If the battery is extremely low, you may be unable to power on the phone even when it is being charged. In this case, try again after charging the phone for at least 20 minutes. Contact the customer service if you still cannot power on the phone after prolonged charging.

Powering On/Off Your Phone

Make sure the battery is charged before powering on.

 Press and hold the Power key to turn on your phone.

To turn it off, press and hold the Power key to open the options menu. Then touch Power off. M

Extending the Battery Life

Active applications, screen brightness levels, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi usage and GPS functionality can drain your battery. You can follow the helpful tips below to conserve your battery power:

 Reduce the screen backlight time.  Lower the screen brightness.  Turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and auto-sync off when not in use.  Disable the GPS function when not in use. Most applications using this function will

periodically query the GPS satellites for your current location, and each query drains your battery.

Setting Up for the First Time

When you first power on your phone after you purchase it or reset it to factory settings (see

Backup and Reset), you need to do some settings before using it.

1. Touch the language field to select the language.

2. Touch .

3. Follow the prompts to Select Wi-Fi network, set Date & time, type your Name, set screen lock to protect your phone, set notification settings, and check Google services.

Locking/Unlocking the Screen and Keys

Your phone allows you to quickly lock the screen and keys (put the phone to sleep mode) when not in use and to turn the screen back on and unlock it when you need it.

To lock the screen and keys: To quickly turn the screen off and lock the keys, press the Power key.

NOTE:

To save battery power, the phone automatically turns off the screen after a certain period of time when you leave it idle. You will still be able to receive messages and calls while the phone screen is off.

To unlock the screen and keys:

1. Press the Power key to turn the screen on.

2. Swipe up on the screen.

- or swipe right from the icon for voice assist, or swipe left from the icon for taking a

phone or a video.

- or Touch a notification twice consecutively to open the related app.

NOTE:

If you have set an unlock pattern, a PIN or a password for your phone (see Protecting Your

Phone With Screen Locks), swipe up on the screen and then draw the pattern, or enter the

PIN/password to unlock your phone.

Using the Touch Screen

Your phone‟s touch screen enables you to control actions through a variety of touch gestures.

 Touch

When you want to type using the onscreen keyboard, select items on the screen such as the application and settings icons, or press the onscreen buttons, simply touch them with your finger.

 Touch and Hold

To open the available options for an item (for example, a message or link in a web page), touch and hold the item.

 Swipe or Slide

To swipe or slide means to quickly drag your finger vertically or horizontally across the screen.

 Drag

To drag, press and hold your finger with some pressure before you start to move your finger. While dragging, do not release your finger until you have reached the target position.

 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

For most screens, you can automatically change the screen orientation from portrait to landscape by turning the phone sideways.

NOTE:

The auto-rotate feature needs to be enabled for the screen orientation to automatically change. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Display > When device is rotated and select Rotate the contents of the screen.

You can also access the screen rotation control by sliding down the status bar twice and touch Auto-rotate/Portrait.

Getting to Know the Home Screen

The home screen is the starting point for your phone‟s applications, functions, and menus. Y ou

can customize your home screen by adding shortcuts, folders, widgets, and more.

Status bar

Shortcut

Folder

Widget

Home screen

Primary shortcuts

Extended Home Screen Panels

Your home screen is extendable, providing more space for shortcuts, widgets, and more. Simply swipe left or right on the home screen to see the extended panels. You can add or remove home screen panels, or adjust the order of them.

To add a new home screen panel:

1. Touch the Home key > , or touch and hold an empty area of the home screen and select WIDGETS.

2. Touch and hold an application icon or a widget and drag it to the right edge of the screen to create a new home screen panel and put the icon or widget on it.

NOTE:

No empty home screen panel is allowed to exist. If the icon, widget or folder is the only item on the current home screen panel, the panel will be deleted as you remove the item.

To adjust the order of a home screen panel:

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the home screen and slide left or right to view the home screen thumbnails.

2. Touch and hold a thumbnail and drag it left or right to the place you need.

Personalizing

Changing the System Language

1. Touch the Home key > > > Language & input > Language.

2. Select the language you need.

Setting the Date and Time

1. Touch the Home key > > > Date & time.

2. Set the date, time, time zone, and date/time format.

 To adjust the date and time automatically, touch to switch on Automatic date & time.  To adjust the date and time manually, touch to switch off Automatic date & time, and

then touch Set date / Set time to change the date and time.

 To adjust the time zone automatically, touch to switch on Automatic time zone.  To adjust the time zone manually, touch to switch off Automatic time zone and touch

Select time zone to set the correct time zone.

 To adjust the format of time, touch Use 24-hour format.

Changing Ringtone and Notification Sound

You can customize the default ringtone for incoming calls and the default notification sound.

1. Touch the Home key > > > Sound & notification.

2. Touch Phone ringtone or Default notification ringtone.

3. Select the ringtone you want to use and touch OK.

NOTE:

See Set a Ringtone for a Contact for how to assign a special ringtone to an individual contact.

Turning On/Off System Sounds

1. Touch the Home key > > > Sound & notification > Other sounds.

2. Touch Dial pad tones, Screen locking sounds, Charging sounds, Touch sounds or

Vibrate on touch.

Adjusting Volume

1. Touch the Home key > > > Sound & notification.

2. Drag the sliders below Media volume, Alarm volume, Ring volume and Notification

volume.

NOTE:

You can adjust the media volume when a media application is in use by pressing the Volume key. If no media application is active, press the Volume key to adjust ringtone volume (or the earpiece volume during a call).

Switching to Silent Mode

You can set the phone to silent mode by using one of the following methods.

 Press the Volume key down to switch off the sound.  Swipe down from the top of the screen twice to drag the panel downwards. Touch Do not

disturb. Or touch the Home key > > > Sound & notification > Do not disturb.

 Touch Always to switch off all sounds.  Touch Scheduled. Touch Disturb rules and select Total silence to switch off all sounds

as scheduled. Set schedule according to your needs.

NOTE:

Even in the Total silence mode, you phone will send out alarms if you have set clock alarms on.

Applying New Wallpapers

You can set the wallpaper for the home screen and lock screen.

1. Touch and hold an empty place on the home screen and then touch WALLPAPERS.

2. Slide left or right on the wallpaper panel to select a static wallpaper or a live wallpaper, or touch My photos to choose the picture you want to use as the wallpaper. Pinch the picture apart to zoom in if needed.

3. Touch Set wallpaper.

NOTE:

In addition, you can touch the Home key > > > Display > Wallpaper to pick an image from Gallery, Live Wallpapers, Photos or Wallpapers.

Changing Screen Brightness

1. Touch the Home key > > > Display > Brightness level.

2. Drag the slider to manually adjust the screen brightness.

NOTE:

Your phone can automatically adjust the screen brightness for available light. Touch Adaptive

brightness in the Display settings screen to turn the feature on or off.

Protecting Your Phone With Screen Locks

You can protect your phone by creating a screen lock. When it is enabled, you need to swipe up on the screen, draw a pattern or enter a numeric PIN or password to unlock the phone‟s screen and keys.

1. Touch the Home key > > > Security > Screen lock.

2. Touch Long press, Pattern, PIN or Password.

 Touch Long press to enable screen lock. You can unlock the screen by long press on the

screen.

 Touch Pattern to create a pattern you must draw to unlock the screen.  Touch PIN or Password to set a numeric PIN or a password that you must enter to unlock

your screen.

NOTE:

You can further protect your phone by requiring your unlock pattern, PIN or password before it starts up. Until the device starts up, it can‟t receive calls, messages, or notification, including alarms. This helps you to protect data in case your phone is lost or stolen.

3. For Pattern, PIN, or Password lock, select how you want notifications and their contents to show when the phone is locked.

Protecting Your Phone With Screen Pinning

You can use the screen pinning feature to keep an app in view, so others cannot switch to other apps or access your personal information.

Turn On Screen Pinning

1. Touch the Home key > > > Security > Screen pinning.

2. Touch the On/Off switch.

3. If you want to ask for the unlock pattern, PIN or password before unpinning the screen, touch

Ask for unlock pattern before unpinning to set one.

Pin a Screen

1. Ensure that screen pinning is turned on.

2. Open the app you want to keep in view.

3. Touch the Recent apps key.

4. If there are many app tabs, swipe up to find on the front-most tab.

5. Touch .

Unpin the Screen

To unpin the screen and return to normal use, touch and hold the Recent key. If you have asked for the unlock pattern, PIN or password before unpinning the screen, swipe up

on the lock screen and draw the pattern or enter the PIN/password.

Fingerprints

Capturing a Fingerprint

1. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

2. Choose your backup screen lock method. And follow the instructions to set.

-or- If you have already set the screen lock method, just draw the pattern or input PIN/password.

3. Touch REGISTER in the Add fingerprint message box when it prompts.

4. Press one of your fingers on the fingerprint sensor at the back of your phone. After feeling the slight vibration, raise your finger and then press your finger on the sensor again. You can observe the percentage increased at the bottom of the screen.

5. Do the step 4 until the percentage becomes 100%.

6. Touch OK when your fingerprint has been registered.

7. You can touch Add fingerprint in the Fingerprint management screen to add more fingerprints.

Using a Fingerprint to Wake up or Unlock your Device

It is convenient and fast to turn on/unlock the screen by using the fingerprint when the screen is off or locked.

1. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

2. Slide the switch to the ON position next to Wake up and unlock your phone.

3. If the screen is off or locked, press one of your registered fingers on the fingerprint sensor to quickly turn on/unlock the screen.

Using a Fingerprint to Open an App

It is convenient and fast to open a specific application by using the fingerprint when the screen is off or locked.

1. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

2. Touch Quick-open app.

3. Touch Fingerprint1, for instance.

4. Swipe up and down to choose one app. Touch next to the app.

NOTE:

You can set more fingerprints to quick-open your desired apps.

5. If the screen is off or locked, press the registered Fingerprint1 on the fingerprint sensor to quickly launch the app.

Using a Fingerprint to Snap a Picture

It is convenient and fast to take a photo by using the fingerprint when the screen is off or locked.

1. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

2. Touch Quick-open app.

3. Touch Fingerprint1, for instance.

4. Touch next to Camera.

5. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

6. Slide the switch to the ON position next to Take photo.

7. If the screen is off or locked, press the registered Fingerprint1 on the fingerprint sensor to quickly launch the Camera.

8. Raise your finger and press your finger again to shoot a photo.

Using a Fingerprint to Answer a Call

It is convenient and fast to answer the phone call by using the fingerprint when the phone is powered on.

1. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

2. Touch Quick-open app.

3. Touch Fingerprint1, for instance.

4. Touch next to Phone.

5. Touch the Home key > > Settings > Security > Fingerprint.

6. Slide the switch to the ON position next to Answer call.

7. When the call comes, just press Fingerprint1 on the fingerprint sensor to quickly answer the call.

3G connected

No signal

4G LTE connected

Signal strength

Do not disturb mode on

(Alarms only or Priority only)

Airplane mode Do not disturb mode

on (Total silence)

Bluetooth on Battery low

Vibration mode

Battery partially drained

Connected to a Wi-Fi® network

Battery full

Wi-Fi in use

Battery charging

Speaker on Alarm set

Phone microphone off

USB tethering on

Wired headset connected

Knowing the Basics

Monitoring the Phone Status

The status bar at the top of the home screen provides phone and service status icons on the right side. Below are some of the icons you may see.

New SMS

USB connected

New MMS

New Wi-Fi network detected

New message(s) from the Email app

Downloading data Call in progress

Sending data

Song playing

Tethering or mobile hotspot active

Managing Notifications

Notification Icons

The status bar at the top of the home screen provides notification icons on the left. Below are some of the icons you may see.

Open/Close the Notification Panel

Notifications report the arrival of new messages, calendar events, and alarms, as well as ongoing events, such as when you are playing music. You can open the notification panel to view the details of notifications.

 To open the notification panel, swipe your finger down from the top of the screen.  To close the notification panel, swipe your finger up on the screen or touch the Back key.

Respond to or Remove a Notification

In the notification panel, you can respond to a notification or remove the notifications. The notification panel also supports expandable notifications that let you perform additional actions right from the notification itself.

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