Google has a fondness for putting features known as Easter eggs and hidden apps in Android Marshmallow. These apps and features make your ability to interact with your phone better and bring a smile to your face. Chances are that you don’t know about any of these features if you haven’t taken the time to poke around. Learn more about four features of Marshmallow that are sure to make using the phone a much more enjoyable experience.
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Flappy Droid
Image via Flickr by yamagiwa2000
Lollipop originally got the Android-themed version of the game Flappy Bird, but this game got a reboot for the Marshmallow OS update. Flappy Droid has the same mechanics, but instead of a bird, you fly a marshmallow droid through the obstacles. The game might have a multi-player option in the future, a function which takes the game to a new level of fun.
All you need is an Android phone that runs Marshmallow, such as T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone. Head to Settings, then select System. From there, select About Phone and tap repeatedly on “Android version.” Make sure to get the marshmallow inside the circle. Tap and hold the icon to get into the game. Plus, on the 5.5 inch screen of the S7 Edge and T-Mobile’s reliable network, you know the game will look great and load quickly. Play on!
Google Now
Personalize your phone to notify you with information you want to read. Google Now is a self-contained feed that you access by swiping to the right, or mirror left. You can set up the cards to display the current weather, travel times to your most visited places, shipping tracking from Gmail, news, and more. You set what you want to see when you swipe to the Google Now screen.
Setting up Google Now is a matter of swiping directly up from your menu button at the base of the phone. The app walks you through the steps. The phone then starts to track your activity and learns where you spend the most time via GPS. Google Now offers the perfect assistant that does what you need, when you need it.
Do Not Disturb
Ever turn down your phone’s volume only to find that notifications still come through at the worst time? Use the Do Not Disturb function to turn off the notifications without shutting down the phone. Set your parameters to allow certain alerts or no alerts to pass through. If you prefer, you can use the timer to turn all notifications on when you’re ready for them. The other advantage to Do Not Disturb is the fact that this feature extends to Android smartwatches and tablets.
Go to the Quick Settings Menu or pull down the app drawer from the top and tap on the Do Not Disturb button to set up this feature. The app prompts you to make your choices and tells you what you will and won’t hear.
Change App Permissions
You may feel apps want access to everything on your phone, even some apps you never use. What do developers intend to do with the information pulled from their programs? Instead of wondering, take charge of the app permissions through the Apps folder. You choose what the app can and cannot do without losing any of the functions in the apps you chose to download. Most of the time the app still works even though you have denied permission to access a particular area of the phone. If it doesn’t work, chances are good that you’ll discover an app that works the way you intend for it to work and functions even when you deny it certain permissions.
Go into Settings and Apps, and tap on the app or game you want to change. You’ll be greeted with the permissions list. Toggle which ones you want to accept or declne the permissions. The changes take effect instantly.
The Android Marshmallow operating system is full of useful functions that let you customize your phone’s operations. Take some time to explore, and you’ll find that there’s some feature in the Marshmallow operating system that works to your benefit.
