Moto G7 Play Motorola Manual

2019-03-01

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Moto G7 Play
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© 2019 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.
MOTOROLA, the stylized M logo, MOTO, and the MOTO family of marks are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. LENOVO is a trademark of
Lenovo. Google, Android, Google Play and other marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
microSD Logo is a trademark of SD-3C, LLC. All other product or service names are the
property of their respective owners.
Certain features, services and applications are network dependent and may not be available in
all areas; additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. Contact your service provider
for details.
All features, functionality, and other product specifications, as well as the information contained
in this help content, are based upon the latest available information and believed to be accurate
at the time of release. Motorola reserves the right to change or modify any information or
specifications without notice or obligation.
Some images in help content are examples only.

Moto G7 Play

Contents
Set up phone

Insert and remove SIM and SD cards
Manage dual SIMs
Add or remove accounts
Set up voicemail
Set up email
Make it yours

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Accessibility settings

Visual assistance
Hearing assistance
Dexterity assistance
Use accessibility shortcuts
Learn the basics

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Hardware diagram
About your home screen
About your lock screen

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New to Android?

If this is your first smartphone
If you had an iPhone
About your Google account
Status bar icons
Phone terms you should know
Get around
Learn gestures
Use navigation bar
View notifications
Use voice commands
Use quick settings
Wake or put screen to sleep
Adjust volume
Turn flashlight on and off
Work with text
Use onscreen keyboard
Adjust keyboard vibrations

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Moto G7 Play
Cut, copy, paste text
Use voice typing
Fill in forms automatically
Get turn-by-turn directions
Take screenshots
Personalize your phone
Home screen
Change wallpaper
Customize your Favorites tray
Add widgets, shortcuts, or folders
Remove widgets, shortcuts, or folders
Use Time and Weather widget
Remake your home screen with launchers
Lock screen
Use a screen saver
Set screen lock
Add message to lock screen
Sounds
Set ringtones
Avoid interruptions with Do Not Disturb
Silence power on sound
Stop phone from speaking
Turn off charging sounds
Apps

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About your apps
Use two apps at once

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Manage your apps

Install or update apps
Manage or delete apps
Protect against harmful apps
Pin your screen
Search and web browser
Search the web
Search your phone
Use camera to scan and search

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Moto G7 Play
Browse websites
Text messaging
About text and multimedia messages
Read, send, manage text messages
Add attachments
Save attachments from text message
Turn group messaging on or off
Change default messaging app
Control notifications for text messages
Change text message reply to incoming calls
Get text messages on your computer
Email
Read, send, manage emails
View email attachments
Preview inboxes from home screen
Add email signature
Control email notifications
Calendar app
About the calendar
Find calendar events
Create and manage events
Control notifications for calendar events
Clock app
Set alarms
Use timer or stopwatch
Set date and time
Moto app
About the Moto app
Shrink screen for one-handed use
Preview notifications when screen sleeps
Photos app
Share photos and videos
Upload photos and videos
Calls, contacts, voicemail
Phone calls
Answer calls

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Moto G7 Play
Make calls
During a call
Make video calls
Make conference calls
Block calls and SMS
Turn on call waiting
View and delete call history
Contacts
Add contacts
Edit or delete contacts
Star your favorite contacts
Sort contacts
Share contacts
Voicemail
Use voicemail
Send all calls from contact to voicemail
Music
Listen to radio
Listen to music
Transfer music files
Connect a MIDI device
Battery
Charge phone
Extend battery life
Use Battery Saver mode
Storage
About storage options
Manage phone storage
Manage SD card
Find downloaded files
Recover recently deleted files
Upload music to cloud
Upload photos and videos
Scan documents and make copies

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Moto G7 Play

Network and internet
Connect with Wi‑Fi
Use Airplane mode
Control data usage
Share your internet connection
Connect to VPNs
Connected devices
Connect with Bluetooth™
Cast your screen to TV
Transfer files between phone and computer (USB)
Print from your phone
About wireless sharing
Other settings
Apps & notifications
Change app settings
Manage notifications
Turn emergency alerts off/on
Display
Stop automatic rotation
Adjust screen colors at night
Adjust screen brightness
Change font and display size
Change background color
Change screen timeout
Security & location

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About security
Protect against harmful apps
Set up lost phone features

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Lock and unlock phone

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Set screen lock
Unlock with trusted devices
Unlock with your face
Unlock at trusted places
Keep phone unlocked while it's on you

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Moto G7 Play
Unlock with voice commands
Use fingerprint security
Use location services
Lock SIM card
Accounts
Add or remove accounts
Sync accounts and apps
Manage your personal information
System

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Set up emergency information
Record your IMEI number
Find legal and product information
Use multiple languages

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Users and guests

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Share your phone
Add, modify, remove users
Add or delete guest
Fix a problem
Hardware issues
Phone is slow or unstable
Phone feels warm or hot
Phone won't turn on
Phone restarts or crashes
Screen is frozen or won't respond
Call and SIM issues
Problems making/receiving calls
Problems during calls
Battery issues
Charging problems
Battery drains too fast
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues
Bluetooth problems
Wi-Fi problems
Can't transfer files or connect to computer
Account and sign-in issues
Forgot unlock code

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Moto G7 Play
Can't sign in to Google
Account sync issues
App issues

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App or widget problems
Messaging problems
Camera problems

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Maintenance procedures

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Update Android software
Reset Wi-Fi, cellular data, and Bluetooth
Reset phone
Get more help

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Set up phone

Insert and remove SIM and SD cards
Replace SIM or SD card
1.

If you are removing an SD card, unmount it first ( Settings > Storage).

Insert the tool into the hole in the tray and gently push to pop it out.

Insert or remove the cards as needed.
To use an SD card:

To use two SIM cards (dual-SIM models only):

Push the tray back into the phone.

Set up phone

Format SD card
You'll need to choose one of two formats for your SD card: portable or extended internal. Need
help deciding which format to use?
Portable storage
When you insert an SD card, it’s automatically set to be portable storage for media files, letting
you easily swap the card and its content between devices.
Be sure to set your storage location within media apps, like Camera and Play Music .
Extended internal storage
Instead of using it as portable storage, you can set your SD card to be internal storage,
extending your device storage for large applications, games, and their data.
To format your SD card as internal storage:
1.

Touch the SD card notification for the card you inserted.

Touch > Storage settings > Format as internal.

Learn more about managing your SD card.

Manage dual SIMs
This information applies only to phones that support dual SIM cards and have both cards
inserted.

About dual SIMs
When two SIMs are inserted:
•

You see

•

Both SIMs can make and receive calls and text messages.

•

Only the owner of the phone (not additional users or guests) can access dual SIM settings.

at the top of the home screen. If you see

, troubleshoot the issue.

Set up phone

Set up SIM profile
Set SIM options based on how you expect to use the cards:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIM cards.

Select the option that best meets your needs:

•

Smart SIM: Automatically select SIM for voice calls based on your call history. In
Brazil, selection is also based on your contact's carrier.

•

Personal and Work: Use one SIM for personal and the other for work-related voice
calls.

•

Manual: Choose which SIM to use for voice calls, for data, and for SMS.

Follow onscreen instructions to complete setup.

Change SIM profile
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIM cards.

Touch Dual SIM usage profile.

Select a different profile and touch CHANGE PROFILE.

Select a new profile.

Follow onscreen instructions to complete setup.

To keep the same profile but adjust options for data, SMS, voice calls, video calls, or contacts:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIM cards.

Touch each preferred SIM and contact option to change.

Change SIM name, color, ringtone
When two SIMs are inserted, you'll see them referenced in apps like Contacts, Messages, and
Phone. The SIM name shows your carrier and, if you're using the Personal and Work profile,
shows which it’s assigned to, but you can rename it. You can also change SIM icon color to
make them easy to differentiate.
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIM cards.

Touch the SIM to change.

Change settings as needed:
•

To rename a SIM, touch SIM name, then type a new name.

•

To change icon color, touch Color, then touch a color.

•

To change the SIM's ringtone, touch Phone ringtone, then select a ringtone.

Set up phone

Add or remove accounts
About accounts
When you set up your phone, you were prompted to add a Google account. If you skipped this,
be sure to set one up now so you can download apps from Play Store, get a customized
information feed, and take full advantage of the Calendar, Gmail, and other apps included with
your account.
You can also add other web accounts.
For each account, you can control which of its features and apps sync with your phone.

Add Google account
To add a Google account:
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Accounts > Add account.

Touch Google and follow the onscreen instructions to add an existing account or to create
a new one.

Once the account is added, Calendar , Contacts , and other account features and apps are
updated with information from that account. You can review and change what syncs with
your phone for that account.

Tip: Keep your apps up-to-date. To see if newer versions of the apps associated with your
Google account are available, open the Play Store app and touch
> My apps & games.

Add non-Google account
You can add corporate email accounts, personal email accounts, or other accounts. Many
social networking accounts are automatically set up when you install the app.
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Accounts > Add account.

Do one of the following:
•

Touch the type of account to add and follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more
about setting up email accounts.

•

If you don't see the type of account you want to add, install the related app from Play
Store, then sign into your account through the app.

Set up phone

Once the account is added, account-related features and apps are updated with
information from that account. To review and change what syncs with your phone, touch
the account type, then account name.

Remove account
If you remove an account, information you synced will be removed from your phone, but it is not
deleted from your account.
To remove other accounts:
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account name.

Touch Remove account.

Tip: If you have trouble removing a corporate account, go to Settings > Security &
location > Device admin apps and remove the checkmark for the account, then try to
remove it again.

Set up voicemail
Set mailbox greeting
Your carrier provides and manages your voicemail.
To set your greeting:
1.

Touch

Touch & hold

Follow your carrier’s system prompts. If your voicemail is not set up, contact your carrier for
instructions.

.
to dial into your mailbox.

Change voicemail options
1.

Touch

> > Settings.

(If you don't see , swipe down on the screen.)
2.

Touch Voicemail.

Touch Advanced Settings.

Change any of the options:

Set up phone

•

To change voicemail service from your provider to another voicemail service or app,
touch Service.

•

To change the number dialed to access voicemail, touch Setup.

Set up email
Set up personal email
You can add multiple email accounts of the following types:
•

Gmail

•

Personal email from other providers (IMAP/POP)

If you added a Google account on your phone:
•

When you open the Gmail app for the first time, you'll see your email for that account.
You're already set up.

•

To set up additional accounts, open Gmail and touch

> Settings > Add account.

If you didn’t add a Google account to your phone and want to set up email for an IMAP/POP
provider (an address that's not Gmail):
1.

Open the Gmail app.

Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your email address, password, and account
options.
If you have problems setting up the account, read Google's help for Gmail .

Set up corporate email
If you use Microsoft Office Outlook on your work computer, your phone can synchronize emails,
calendar events, and contacts with the Microsoft Exchange server. Before you start, you'll need
the following information from your company's IT department:
•

Email address

•

Email password

•

Domain name

•

Username

•

Server name

•

Security type/SSL settings

•

Client certificate requirement

To set up corporate email:

Set up phone

Open the Gmail app.

Do one of the following:
•

If this is your first time opening the Gmail app, touch Add an email address.

•

If you have been using Gmail with another account, touch
account name, touch
> Add account.

, then next to your

Touch Exchange and Office 365.

Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your email address, password, and other
information from your company's IT department.

Make it yours
Now that you're up and running (battery charged, contacts imported, accounts added), it's time
for fun:
•

Set the wallpaper.

•

Assign ringtones or photos to friends you call.

•

Find some games.

•

Play some music.

To protect your phone, be sure to:
•

Set up a screen lock.

•

Set up fingerprint security to unlock your screen safely and quickly with a touch.

•

In case you ever lose your phone, set up Find My Device and record your IMEI number.

You'll probably also want to:
•

Set up your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections.

•

If you use multiple languages, set them up so they appear on your keyboard.

•

Set your schedule for Do Not Disturb , to automatically silence your phone when you don't
want to be interrupted.
Tip: If you’ve forgotten your new number, go to Settings > System > About phone >
Phone number.

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

Visual assistance
Adjust colors if you’re color blind
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Color correction and turn it on

Touch Correction mode and choose an option.

How you see colors

Option to choose

It’s difficult to tell violet from blue. Yellow and green
appear redder.

Deuteranomaly (red-green)

Colors aren’t bright. Red, orange, and yellow appear
greener.

Protanomaly (red-green)

It’s difficult to tell yellow and red from pink. Blue
appears greener.

Tritanomaly (blue-yellow)

Color correction is an experimental feature and might not work correctly everywhere on your
phone.

Use magnification gestures and icon
You can magnify the screen by triple tapping it or by touching

by the navigation buttons.

To enable these gestures and add the icon:
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification.

Adjust settings as needed:
•

To use gestures to zoom in and out, touch Magnify with triple-tap and turn it on

•

To add

, touch Magnify with button and turn it on

Then, use these gestures:
•

To zoom in/out, touch

•

To zoom temporarily, touch , then touch & hold anywhere on the screen. Drag to move
around the screen, then lift your finger to zoom out.

•

To scroll while zoomed in, drag two fingers across the screen.

or triple-tap the screen.

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

•

To adjust the zoom, pinch fingers together or apart.

You can't zoom in on the keyboard or the

buttons.

Tip: You can also adjust font and display size.

Hear or feel when you touch the screen
1.

Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced.

Do any of the following:
•

To hear a tone when you dial a number, turn on Dial pad tones.

•

To hear a click when you lock or unlock the screen, turn on Screen locking sounds.

•

To hear a click when you touch something on the screen, turn on Touch sounds.

•

To feel a vibration when you type on the keyboard, turn on Touch vibration.

•

To hear a tone when your phone starts, turn on Power on sounds.

Hear notification sounds
You can assign a ringtone for notifications from specific apps.
You can also control sounds used to notify you of other events:
1.

Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced.

To hear when your phone begins charging and reaches a full charge, turn Charging
sounds on
.

Use TalkBack to read screens
Hear descriptions of everything you touch.
To enable TalkBack:
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch TalkBack and turn it on.

Touch Settings and set the options you want.

Tip: To quickly turn TalkBack on/off, set up the accessibility shortcut.
When TalkBack is on:
•

Touch an item. Your phone speaks the name.

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

•

Start typing. Your phone speaks each number or letter.

•

Drag status bar down. Your phone speaks all of the notifications.

•

Open a message, file, or book. Your phone reads the text out loud.

To control TalkBack volume:
•

Press a Volume button to open volume settings, then use the

•

Or, during voice readout, repeatedly press the Volume up or down buttons.

slider to adjust the level.

Tip: To learn about navigating with Explore by touch, go to Settings > Accessibility >
TalkBack > Settings > Help & Feedback.
To silence readout and turn off TalkBack:
1.

Swipe down and right on the screen.

Touch Pause feedback, then touch it again twice.

Touch OK twice.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch TalkBack and turn it off.

More assistance
You can also:
•

Use voice commands

•

Dictate text for messages

Hearing assistance
Turn on video captions
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Captions and turn captions on

Specify options (language, text size, and style) for closed captioning.

Use hearing aids
To improve compatibility with hearing aids and reduce sound feedback:
1.

Touch

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

Touch > Settings > Accessibility.

Turn Hearing aids on

Set up TTY device
For text-based communication, you can use text messaging and email.
If you prefer to connect to a TTY device:
1.

Touch

Touch > Settings > Accessibility > TTY mode.

Select a mode:

•

TTY Full: Type and read text on your TTY device.

•

TTY HCO: Type text on your TTY and listen to voice replies on your phone.

•

TTY VCO: Speak into your phone and read text replies on your TTY.

Connect your phone and TTY with the audio cord that came with your TTY. Use the USB-C
adapter that came with your phone.

Dexterity assistance
External switch or keyboard
If you’re unable to use a touchscreen, Switch Access lets you control the phone using external
switches or keyboard keys to select items, scroll, enter text, and more.
To use Switch Access, you must have one of the following:
•

An external switch. USB or Bluetooth switch devices send keystroke signals to your
phone.

•

An external keyboard. Standard USB or Bluetooth keyboards can work as switch devices
by assigning one or more keys to actions.

Connect the external device to your phone using the manufacturer’s instructions. Learn more
about connecting with Bluetooth.

Set up Switch Access
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Switch Access > Settings.

Touch Open setup guide.

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

Follow onscreen instructions to select:
•

Number of switches

•

Scanning options

•

Switch assignments

To adjust Switch Access later:
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Switch Access > Settings.

Adjust options.

Use Switch Access
•

To start scanning and highlighting items on the screen, press the assigned switch or key.

•

To select a highlighted item, press the assigned switch or key, then press the switch or key
assigned to select options.

Use accessibility shortcuts
Use

accessibility menu

Get quick access to an accessibility menu that gives you better control of your phone.
To add the icon:
1.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Accessibility Menu.

Turn Use service on

To use the menu:
1.

At the bottom of the screen, touch

If you've set other accessibility tools to use this icon, touch & hold it to switch between
tools.
2.

Choose an option from the menu.

Use Volume to control accessibility feature
You can use the Volume buttons to turn an accessibility feature of your choice ( TalkBack ,
Switch Access ) on or off.
To enable the shortcut:

Set up phone : Accessibility settings

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Touch Volume key shortcut and turn it on

To change the accessibility feature associated with the shortcut, touch Shortcut service.

To use the Volume buttons from the lock screen, turn Allow from lock screen on

To use the shortcut:
Press and hold the Volume Up and Down buttons at the same time for three seconds.
You'll hear confirmation that the feature has been turned on or off.

Learn the basics

Hardware diagram

Microphone

Headset jack

Front camera

Earpiece/speaker

Proximity sensor

Volume up/down button

Power button

Tray for SIM and SD card

Back camera

LED flash

Fingerprint sensor

USB-C/Charger

Microphone

Learn the basics

About your home screen
You see the home screen when you turn on and unlock your phone or touch

You can add more pages to the right as needed. To add a page, drag an app shortcut or widget
to the edge of an existing page and place it on the new page.
Swipe right or left to move between pages.
Here are the parts of your home screen:

Learn the basics

Status bar: Displays the time and icons that tell you about your phone's battery and
network connections. Swipe down to see your notifications and quick settings.

Widget: You can add widgets to your home screen for quick access to information or
frequent tasks.

Shortcut: You can add shortcuts to open apps or web pages you use frequently.

App list: Swipe

Favorites tray: Provides one touch access to your most-used apps from any home screen
page. You can customize which apps appear here. To open the list of all your apps, swipe
up from the bottom of the home screen.

Navigation:

up from the bottom of the screen to see the list of all your apps.

takes you back one screen.
returns you to the home screen from any app.
lets you switch between recent apps.
lets you open an accessibility menu. Appears after you enable accessibility settings.
Note: If you're using the navigation bar, the
these icons, turn off the navigation bar.
7.

Folder: Add folders to organize app shortcuts.

icons are hidden. To restore

Learn the basics

If you want an entirely new look and feel for your home screen, you can use a different
launcher. For a less drastic renovation, just change the wallpaper.

About your lock screen
The lock screen appears when you're using a screen lock and you turn on or wake your phone.

Tip: If you're using Moto Display , you'll see those notifications before you get to your lock
screen.
From the lock screen, you can:
•

View and respond to notifications. Double touch one to open it.

•

Open your quick settings. Swipe down from top of screen.

•

Start a voice search. Swipe

•

Open the camera. Swipe

•

Go into Lockdown . Temporarily turn off notifications and fingerprint unlocking.

right.
left.

You can customize your lock screen to:
•

Control which notifications, if any, appear.

•

Add your name or a short message.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

If this is your first smartphone
Welcome to the world of smartphones! Prepare to be impressed with all the ways you can
organize and stay connected to the people and things most important to you. Check out these
tips for a smooth start.

Learn the basics
Your smartphone is, after all, a phone for making and answering calls. But it also has a
keyboard for sending texts and emails and a camera for taking photos and videos.
The status bar on your home screen displays the time and icons that tell you about your
phone's battery and network connections.

Get apps
Your smartphone comes with many fun and useful apps, but you can really unlock its power by
installing apps that suit your lifestyle. Go to Play Store to explore free and paid apps that help
you be more productive, organized, informed, in touch, and entertained.
Play Store also offers music, movies, TV shows, and books.

Protect your phone
You carry your phone around with you, and accidents happen; phones get lost sometimes. So
set up some security and prevent heartache if you and your phone become separated.
Set up a screen lock. This is your first line of defense in keeping your sensitive information
safe. Prefer numbers, shapes, words? Set up a PIN, pattern, or password required to unlock
your phone.
A screen lock doesn't prevent you from immediately answering a call or accessing your camera.
Display your owner info. On your lock screen, you can discreetly display a “please return”
message with some of your contact info so that, if your phone is lost, someone can to return it
to you.
Enable lost phone features. For peace of mind, check out Find My Device , in case you ever
need to remotely locate and lock or erase your phone.

Personalize your phone
While changing your wallpaper is probably your first customization, don't stop there. Be sure to
explore your Settings to set ringtones, font sizes, data usage preferences, keyboard
preferences, and much more. It's a great way to learn many of your phone's capabilities while
customizing it to suit your needs.
In most apps you can touch
available to you there, too.

or for app-specific settings. Be sure to see what options are

Learn the basics : New to Android?

Manage cellular data
Understand your data usage. Keep an eye on your data usage and learn how to make the
most of it. See which apps use large amounts of data and adjust their settings if you want. You
can stop auto-syncing over your carrier's network from quick settings by toggling the data
connection off.
Use Wi-Fi to conserve cellular data. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, your data will
auto-sync over its connection instead of your carrier's network, saving cellular data for when
you need it. From quick settings, toggle the Wi-Fi connection on.

Useful to know
Tell your phone what to do. Use your phone hands-free with voice commands. Tell it to
navigate you, and listen to it speak the directions to you as you drive--it'll even reroute you if
you've gone off course. Tell it to set alarms, find information on the web, make calls. Dictate
instead of typing text.
Never miss a photo opportunity. Automatically open the camera right from your lock screen.
Just twist your phone twice. Or, swipe
left. You can automatically back up your photos and
videos with your Google account or with other photo sharing apps available from Play Store .
Store your stuff. Save your internal storage for apps by using an SD card to store photos,
videos, and music. You can open stored items in associated apps, like Photos to see your
photos and videos. It's simple to move items stored on your phone to a computer using the USB
cable packaged with your phone.
For even more storage space, plus the ability to access your media and files from any internet
connected device (phone, computer, tablet), your new phone gives you access to cloud
storage. Your Google account provides you free cloud storage on Drive, which has its own app
and is also available from the
menu throughout other apps.
When you know you'll have a weak connection or no connection, many of your apps let you pin
cloud items, temporarily storing them on your phone. You can unpin when you're done to keep
phone memory free.
Wi-Fi hotspot. You can share your phone's data connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot or directly tether
your phone to a computer for internet access. If you have other devices that need an internet
connection (for example, a laptop, tablet, or other phone), you can use your phone as a Wi-Fi
hotspot.
Reboot phone. In the unlikely event that your phone becomes unresponsive, frozen, shows
blank or black screen, or does not respond to the Power button, you can reboot it. Press and
hold the Power button for 7 - 10 seconds. The phone will restart normally.
Certain features, services, and applications are network or carrier dependent and may not be
available in all areas.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

If you had an iPhone
Welcome to Android! Here are some differences between your old iPhone and your new phone.
Your assistant: You've retired Siri. Now, find info and get things done with Google Assistant.
Just set up “OK, Google”. Then ask for info or help with everyday tasks.
Apps:
•

Goodbye Apple App Store, hello Google Play Store. Play Store is now your default app
store. Apps aren't compatible between iPhone and Android. However, many developers
make iPhone and Android versions of their apps; if the app stores your data online, then
you can switch with little effort. Just download the Android version from Play Store and log
in.

•

Install apps remotely. On a computer, visit play.google.com. Browse apps on the bigger
screen and then install them on your phone from your computer.

Your home screen:
•

On your old iPhone, your home screen was far left. Now, you start with one home screen
and can add more pages to the right as needed.

•

Your old phone showed all apps on your home screen. With your new phone, you can put
shortcuts to your most important apps on your home screen for easy access. Or, find your
full list by swiping up from your favorites tray. This frees up room on your home screen for
widgets, making your new home much more lively.

•

Android and iPhone both have app icons, but Android also has widgets. Widgets are like
mini apps on your home screen that are interactive or stream information to you. For
example, widgets can provide weather updates or upcoming calendar events.

•

Like your old iPhone, you'll see notifications at the top of the screen, which you can swipe
down to review. But on your new phone, you can swipe them left or right to dismiss them.

Quick access to settings: On your old iPhone, to adjust settings you opened a Settings app.
You can still do that. But now you've also got quick settings. Swipe down from the top of the
screen for easy access to toggles for airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and other frequently-used settings.
In the cloud: Your Google account is your key to cloud storage with Google. If you migrated
your contacts to your phone, then you can see them from any device or computer by logging
into Gmail. Your Google account includes apps like Calendar and Drive that let you work well
with others. And it has apps that let you play too - access your photos, videos, music from any
device when you log in with your Google account. Use Play Music to upload your iTunes library.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

About your Google account
Benefits of your account
When you set up your phone, you added a Google account. If you haven't had a Google
account before, this is more than just a password you set up for your phone.
A Google account lets you organize and access your personal information and files from any
computer or mobile device:
•

Synchronize everything. Never lose your contacts. Associate them with your Google
account if you create them on your phone, and view them from Gmail on any computer or
by signing into your Google account on any phone. Create emails or calendar events on
your phone and view them on any computer. Access your browser bookmarks from any
device.

•

Store in the cloud. Upload your photos, videos, and music to the cloud; get to all of it
without taking up space on your phone.

•

Keep your stuff secure. Your account password secures it all and lets you access it from
anywhere.

Maintaining your account
Other than remembering your password, you don’t need to do much maintenance on your
Google account - just enjoy the benefits of your secure, synchronized information. However,
you can:
•

Control how frequently your phone syncs your information.

•

Review and manage the information Google collects from you, such as search and
browsing history.

Learn about Google apps
Many Google apps, like Gmail , Chrome , Photos , and Maps are pre-loaded on your phone. To
learn about and download additional Google apps, read Google’s information.

Can't sign in to Google account
If you’re having problems signing in to your account, read Google's support information.

Status bar icons
About status icons
The status bar at the top of the home screen contains icons that help you monitor your phone.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

•

On the left, icons tell you about apps, such as new messages or downloads. If you don't
know what one of these icons means, swipe the status bar down for details.

•

On the right, icons tell you about your phone's battery level and network connections.

A dot means there are more icons to view. Drag down from the top of the screen to see all
icons.

What status icons mean
These are the icons from apps that came on your phone and the phone status icons.
Icon Meaning
CALLS
Active call.

Missed call.

Speakerphone on.

Microphone muted.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

NETWORK
Connected to cellular/mobile network (full signal). Speed of your network connection is
also shown. For example,
or
. Possible speeds, from slowest to fastest, are
1X, 2G, 3G, H, H+, 4G. Available speeds depend on your carrier and your location.
Poor connection to cellular/mobile network.

Connected to different cellular/mobile network (roaming).
Data Saver is on, preventing apps from using background data.

Wi‑Fi network within range.

Connected to Wi‑Fi network.

Poor connection to Wi‑Fi network.

No SIM card.

Location services are in use.

Airplane mode on.

CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth on.

Trusted device connected.

Your phone is a Wi‑Fi hotspot. Devices can connect to share your data connection.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

Wireless display or adaptor connected.

Connected by USB cable.

USB tethering enabled.

SYNC AND UPDATES
App updates are available for download from Play Store.

App successfully installed from Play Store.

Email and calendar sync in progress.

Upload complete.
Download complete.
Google backup in progress.

Google backup complete.

SOUND
Vibrate.

Song playing.

DO NOT DISTURB

Learn the basics : New to Android?

Do Not Disturb mode is set to Total silence. Your phone does not ring for incoming calls
or notifications.
Do Not Disturb mode is set to Alarms only or Priority.

BATTERY
Battery fully charged.

Battery charging.

Battery low.

Phone is in Battery Saver mode.

ALARM AND CALENDAR
Alarm set.

Upcoming calendar event.

EMAIL AND MESSAGING
New email.

New Gmail message.

New text message.

New voicemail.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

Important alert.

OTHER ICONS
Screenshot is available.
Apps that you download might show other icons to alert you about their status.
Certain features, services, and applications are network or carrier dependent and may not be
available in all areas.

Phone terms you should know
Airplane mode. A mode allowing access to a device’s non-wireless functions (e.g., music,
games, etc.), while disabling its wireless radio functions that are banned on airplanes during
flight.
app. Software that you can download for added functionality, such as games, email apps, bar
code scanners and more. Some apps are already on your phone, and more can be downloaded
from your phone's app store.
Bluetooth™. A short-range wireless technology you can use to connect a device to other
nearby Bluetooth-capable devices and accessories, such as headsets, speakers, printers, etc.
Use Bluetooth to make handsfree calls on a headset or in your car, listen to music on wireless
speakers, use a wireless mouse or keyboard, or print a document in another room. Set up
Bluetooth.
cellular network or mobile network. A network of radio-transmitting towers. You make calls
on your phone using radio waves sent between the phone and the network towers. You also
send data and access the Internet on this network. Carriers use different technologies to handle
these radio transmissions (GSM, CDMA, Edge, 3G, 4G, LTE, HSPA, iDEN).
data. Information sent or received from your phone other than calls and text messages. You
may use data when you access the internet, check your email, play games, use apps and more.
Background tasks, such as syncing or location services, may also use data.
data usage. The amount of data your phone uploads or downloads over a network in a given
period. Your phone uses your carrier's cellular network or over a Wi-Fi network. Depending on
your plan with your carrier, you may be charged additional fees when your data usage exceeds
your plan's monthly limits.
GPS. Global Positioning System. A global satellite-based system for determining precise
locations on Earth.With GPS, your phone becomes your navigator when you're driving and your
concierge when you're looking for a nearby meal, movie, or cup of coffee.

Learn the basics : New to Android?

mobile hotspot. A device or app that lets you share your mobile data connection with multiple
devices via Wi‑Fi. You can connect different devices to your hotspot, including notebooks,
netbooks, MP3 players, cameras, Smartphones, and portable gaming systems. The number of
devices that can connect at one time depends on your carrier and connection speed.
notification. An alert from your phone or an app on your phone. Your phone displays icons in
the status bar to notify you of new messages, calendar events and alarms. Icons can also
indicate ongoing status, such as connection to a Wi‑Fi network.
Play Store. Google's store where you can download apps, books, movies, and music. Choose
from an assortment of free books or apps; purchase from an even larger selection.
SD card. Secure Digital (SD) card. A small, high-capacity removable memory card used in
small, portable devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and digital cameras.
short cut. An icon you can add to your home screen that lets you quickly open an app. Create
short cuts for apps you use frequently.
SIM card. Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. A card that securely stores information your
carrier uses to authenticate your phone on the cellular network.
software update. An update to your phone's operating system that typically includes new
features and fixes reported problems. The update is wirelessly downloaded to your phone at no
additional cost to you.
status bar. Thin bar at the top of your home screen that displays the time and icons that tell
you about your phone's battery and network connections. Apps display icons in the status bar to
alert you of events, such as new messages.
sync. The process of sharing the same information across multiple devices and websites.
Contacts, calendars and email are often synced through cloud services, so you can enter
information on one device and access it through another.
Visual Voice Mail. An app that lets you see a list of your voice mail messages and manage
them without having to dial into the traditional voice mail system. You can listen to, reply to,
erase, and archive your messages. You can also call back, text, and add new contacts.
widget. An element you can add to your home screen that gives you quick access to
information or frequent tasks. For example, widgets can provide weather updates, upcoming
calendar events. Many are preinstalled on your phone. Apps you download may also include
widgets.
Wi‑Fi. A short-range wireless technology that provides a high-speed internet connection to
wireless data devices. Many locations offer Wi-Fi connections, including airports, hotels,
restaurants and more. Using a Wi-Fi connection instead of your cellular network can help
reduce your cellular data usage. Some public Wi-Fi connections may not be secure. You should
only connect to those you trust and use some form of internet security on your devices. Set up
Wi-Fi.
Certain features, services, and applications are network or carrier dependent and may not be
available in all areas.

Learn the basics : Get around

Learn gestures
Gesture
Touch

Description

Press with one finger and lift.
Result: Open something (app or email) or choose something (checkbox, icon).
It’s like clicking a mouse on a computer.

Touch &
hold

Press and wait before lifting one finger.
Result: Select something (app icon, text on a page) and see possible actions.
Try it: Touch & hold text on this page to see the copy feature.

Drag

Touch & hold an item and then, without lifting, slide your finger until you reach the
target position.
Result: Move elements on the screen; for example, change a toggle from ON to
OFF.
Try it: Drag an app shortcut or widget from one spot on your home screen to
another.

Swipe

Quickly move one finger across the screen, without pausing when you first touch
(so you don’t drag instead).
Result: Switch between home screens or between tabs in an app. Or, move
quickly through a list.
Try it: Open the Phone app and swipe left/right to switch between tabs.

Pinch out to
Put two fingers on the screen and then drag them apart.
zoom
Result: Zoom in to see larger version of photos and maps. Or, open expandable
notifications.
Try it: Open a photo and pinch out to zoom in on an area.

Learn the basics : Get around

Tip: If you have visual impairments, you can enable additional magnification
gestures.

Pinch in to
zoom

Put two fingers on the screen, far apart, and then drag them together.
Result: Zoom out to see smaller version of photos or maps. Or, close expandable
notifications.

More gestures: The Moto app includes additional actions for controlling your phone, which you
can turn on/off.

Learn the basics : Get around

Use navigation bar
Show navigation bar
Remove the

navigation icons and use the

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Touch One Button Nav and turn it on

navigation bar instead.

> Moto Actions.
.

The navigation bar appears at the bottom of the screen.
To remove the navigation bar and restore the
off
.

navigation icons, turn One Button Nav

Navigate with one finger
Use these gestures with the navigation bar to move between screens.
Gesture

Navigation

Touch

Go home

Touch & hold Open Google Assistant
Swipe left

Go back

Swipe right

Switch between two most recent apps

Swipe up

See recent apps. Swipe up again for all apps.

Learn the basics : Get around

Customize navigation gestures
You can change how your phone responds when you swipe the sensor:
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

> Moto Actions > One Button Nav.

Touch

Select Swipe left to go back or Swipe left to switch apps.

View notifications
Find your notifications
Notifications alert you about things like new messages, calendar events, and alarms.
You see notifications:
•

On your lock screen

•

When you swipe the status bar down on any screen

•

When you touch & hold an app icon that shows a notification dot

Learn the basics : Get around

If you receive multiple notifications from an app, they're bundled together. Swipe down to view
more details.
Some important notifications pop up briefly over your current app so that you can take action.
For example, a notification for an incoming call might appear while you're watching a video, so
that you can answer or dismiss the call.

What you can do with notifications
•

Respond from a notification. Many notifications include actions at the bottom that let you
complete common tasks without opening the full app. If you have several notifications,
these actions are hidden. When you see , touch it to reveal actions.

•

Open the app that sent the notification Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch
the notification to open the app. From your lock screen, touch the notification twice and
enter your PIN, pattern, or password to unlock your screen and open the app.

•

Snooze a notification. Swipe left or right slowly. Then touch
snooze notifications.

•

Dismiss a notification. Swipe it sideways.

•

Clear all notifications. Swipe to the end of your notifications and touch CLEAR ALL.
Some notifications, like voicemails, require an action and cannot be dismissed.

and select a duration to

Control your notifications
Use Do Not Disturb to silence all notifications when you don’t want interruptions.
You can also customize notifications, controlling the notification sound, which apps send
notifications, how notifications show on your lock screen.

Use voice commands
Not all languages support voice commands.

Train launch phrase
1.

Open the Google app, then touch

Turn on Access with Voice Match and follow the onscreen instructions to record your
voice.

To unlock your phone when you say “OK, Google”, turn Unlock with Voice Match on

> Settings > Voice > Voice Match.

Learn the basics : Get around

Speak a command
Tell your phone to call people, get directions, send messages, set alarms. The possibilities are
enormous.
1.

From the home screen or when you've started a search, say “OK, Google.”

When the phone responds, say the command (for example, “Call Elise” or “Set alarm for 7
AM tomorrow”).
Tip: To see a list of commands, say “Help.”

Some commands cause your phone to speak a response to you. To stop the phone from
speaking, touch .

Unlock screen automatically
You can set your phone to automatically unlock and perform all voice commands when:
•

The phone recognizes your voice speaking “OK, Google”

•

The phone is paired with a trusted device, like a Bluetooth headset

•

You're in a trusted place, like home or work

•

The phone recognizes your face

•

The phone is in your hand or bag

Fix a problem
If your phone isn't recognizing “OK, Google” commands:
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Voice Match > Retrain voice model.

> Settings > Voice.

Use quick settings
Open quick settings
Settings you adjust frequently, like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, are “quick settings”, easy to get to from
any screen.
To see your first few quick settings, swipe down once from the top of your screen.

Learn the basics : Get around

To see all quick settings, swipe down again.

Adjust quick settings
Do one of the following:
•

Touch an icon to toggle the setting on

•

Touch & hold an icon to adjust related settings.

Icon Setting
Wi-Fi

Bluetooth

Do Not Disturb

Flashlight

Auto-rotate

Battery Saver

Mobile data

Airplane mode

or off

Learn the basics : Get around

Cast your screen

Background data usage. Appears after you turn on Data Saver the first time.

Dim your screen at night. Appears after you turn on Night Light the first time.

Wi-Fi hotspot. Appears after you turn on hotspot the first time.

Brightness

SIM card

Open all settings
To open the full list of all settings, do one of the following:
•

Open quick settings and touch

•

Or, open the

Settings app.

Tip: You can search the Settings app to find what you need quickly. Just touch
of the app and type your search term.

at the top

Customize quick settings
You can rearrange quick settings, putting your most used at the top. You can also add or
remove them.
1.

Open quick settings.

Touch

Drag to add or remove one.

To return quick settings to its original state, touch > Reset.
Tip: You can also change the background color to be light or dark.

Learn the basics : Get around

Wake or put screen to sleep
To save battery power, your screen automatically goes to sleep if you haven't used it for a while.
You can adjust the amount of time before your screen should sleep.
To wake sleeping screen:
•

Press the Power button. If you've set up a screen lock, you need to unlock it.

•

If you've added your fingerprint to the phone, touch the sensor to wake and unlock your
phone.

•

Your screen automatically wakes when you have an incoming call.

To put screen to sleep:
•

Briefly press the Power button. When you set down your phone, it's good habit to do this.
You save a bit of battery and keep it secure with the screen lock.

•

To keep your screen off and phone quiet when you don't want interruptions, like at night,
use Do Not Disturb settings.

Adjust volume
Volumes you can control
Your phone has independent settings for these volumes:
•

Call

•

Media (music, video, games)

•

Alarm

•

Ringtone for incoming calls and notifications

Adjusting one volume won't affect the others, so you can crank up the tunes without making
incoming callers sound like they’re shouting.

Turn volume up or down
When you're on a call, press the Volume buttons to adjust the volume level of the other person
on the call.
When you're not on a call, press the Volume buttons to adjust the media volume.
To adjust other volumes at any time:
1.

Press a Volume button.

Touch

Learn the basics : Get around

Slide the volume levels where you want them:
Level

Sounds affected
Music, videos, games, and other media

Volume of the other person on a call

Phone calls, notifications

Alarm

Tip: To silence notifications and allow phone calls to ring, go to Settings > Sound >
Advanced > Default notification sound and select None.

Silence ringing phone
Press the Power or Volume Down button.
Or, pick up your phone to silence it and switch to vibrate. (To enable, open the Moto app, touch
> Moto Actions > Pick up to silence and turn it on
.)

Prevent phone from ringing
•

To quickly switch to vibrate, press & hold the Power + Volume Up buttons until you feel a
vibration and see
.
Want to silence your phone instead of vibrating? Go to Settings > System > Gestures.
Touch Prevent ringing > Press Power & Volume Up together > Mute.

•

To switch to silent
volume slider.

•

To automatically silence your phone during a certain time (e.g. every Tuesday from 11:00 to
noon), set up Do Not Disturb .

or vibrate

, press a Volume button, then touch

Adjust accessibility volume
When TalkBack is on, to change the volume of spoken feedback:
1.

Press a Volume button.

above the

Learn the basics : Get around

Move the

slider.

Fix a problem
What's wrong?
•

Phone isn't ringing

•

People can't hear me on calls

Turn flashlight on and off
To turn your flashlight on or off:
1.

Open quick settings.

Touch

Or, make a chopping motion to turn the flashlight on or off.
If the camera opens, be sure to use a chop gesture, not a twist gesture.
To control the chop gesture:
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Touch Fast flashlight and turn it on or off.

> Moto Actions.

Learn the basics : Work with text

Use onscreen keyboard
Open and close keyboard
To open the keyboard, just touch an area where you can enter text or numbers.
To close the keyboard so you can see other parts of the screen, touch

Tip: If you installed other keyboards, you'll see
next to the navigation buttons when
you're typing. To switch to a different keyboard, touch
.

Type special characters
Touch & hold a key to see related special characters. For example:
•

Touch & hold . to see other punctuation marks.

•

Touch & hold e to see é and 3.
Tip: To insert a period followed by a space, touch the spacebar twice quickly.

Capitalize letters
To type in ALL CAPS, touch
CAPS off.

twice, quickly, so you see

. Touch it once more to turn ALL

To change capitalization of a word you've already typed:
•

Select the word and touch

to capitalize the first letter.

•

Select the word and touch

twice to make it ALL CAPS.

Use text correction
When you're typing, you'll see a list of possible words above the keys. Touch a word in the list to
insert it in your text.
To turn suggestions off, turn auto-correction off, or adjust other keyboard settings:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard.

Touch Gboard > Text correction.

Turn options off or on.

Tip: For quick access to keyboard settings, touch & hold the comma key and drag it to

Learn the basics : Work with text

Use glide typing
You have two options for entering text: type one letter at a time (multi-touch typing) or slide your
finger through all the letters in a word using one continuous motion (glide typing). Both options
are always available; start typing either way and switch whenever you like.
When you're using glide typing, you can:
•

Type a word. Drag your finger over the letters in the word.

•

Delete words. Drag left slowly from
finger to delete.

•

Enter apostrophes in common words. Drag through the letters and the apostrophe is
automatically inserted.

•

Add a space. There's no need to use the space bar. Just lift your finger and start the next
word.

to select a word or string of words, then lift your

Check spelling
Spell check is always on. To spell check your text:
1.

After you're done typing, review your text; misspelled words (and words not in your
dictionary) are underlined in red.

Touch an underlined word:
•

If the word is spelled correctly, touch Add to dictionary.

•

If the word is misspelled, select the correct word from the list of suggestions or touch
Delete and type the correction.

Type in multiple languages
If you have added multiple languages as a system language in your phone settings, keyboards
and text suggestion are available for those languages:
•

When using a keyboard language other than your primary system language, available
keyboard languages are shown on the spacebar.

•

To toggle between languages, touch

•

To see a list of available keyboards, touch & hold

.
or the spacebar.

You can add keyboards for other languages.

Adjust keyboard vibrations
The onscreen keyboard vibrates when you touch a key. Turn off vibration feedback if you prefer
not to use it or want to improve battery life.

Learn the basics : Work with text

To adjust keyboard vibrations:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input.

Touch Virtual keyboard > Gboard > Preferences.

Do any of the following:
•

Turn Vibrate on keypress off or on.

•

If on, touch Vibration strength on keypress and move the slider.

Tip: For quick access to keyboard settings, touch & hold the comma key and drag it to

Cut, copy, paste text
You can select and copy text from web pages and messages.
1.

To select text, touch & hold a word.

Touch Copy, Cut, Share, or:

•

Select more text. Drag the sliders

•

Select all text in message you're composing. Touch > Select all.

•

Get information about selected text. Touch Web Search.

•

Translate selected text. Touch > Translate. (If you don't see this option, install the
Google Translate app.)

To paste text, touch to insert at the cursor or select a block of text to replace. Then touch
Paste.

Tips:
•

In some apps, you need to double-tap a word to select it (instead of touching & holding
it).

•

When you use Copy, the text is copied to the clipboard in your phone's memory,
overwriting previous text in the clipboard. If you want to save and manage everything
you copy into the clipboard, search for “clipboard manager” in Play Store to select and
download an app.

Learn the basics : Work with text

Use voice typing
Enable keyboard mic for dictation
If you don't see

on your keyboard:

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input.

Touch Virtual keyboard > Gboard.

Touch Preferences and turn Voice input key on

Dictate text
1.

Touch a text field to show the onscreen keyboard.

Touch

Speak what you want to type:

on the onscreen keyboard.

•

Speak naturally but clearly. There's no need to shout or hold the phone close to your
mouth.

•

To include punctuation, say “comma,” “period,” “question mark,” or “exclamation point.”

•

To pause or restart, touch

•

To delete a word, touch

.
.

Fill in forms automatically
Don’t retype your personal information again and again. Save it securely, then with just one
touch, fill in passwords, addresses, credit cards, and other information saved to your Google
account.
To set it up:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input.

Touch Advanced > Autofill service.

Select Google, then touch

Touch

Touch categories to review and edit personal information, addresses, credit cards, and
passwords.

> CONTINUE.

Learn the basics

Get turn-by-turn directions
Navigation and battery life
Navigation is one of the most power-intensive apps, so keep your phone plugged into a highquality car charger, especially if you're streaming music and/or using Bluetooth (also powerintensive features).

Use Directions widget
1.

Before you hit the road, add a Maps Directions widget to your home screen, and you'll have
directions to any destination you choose.

When you're ready to roll, just touch the widget, and your phone will talk you through the
directions.

Tip: Combine your Directions widgets into a folder on your home screen.

Get directions to home or work
Get directions from anywhere to your home or work addresses with one touch by setting up a
task shortcut:
1.

Touch & hold

Drag

If you haven't set your home or work address yet in Maps, touch the shortcut and follow the
onscreen instructions to add it.

to a blank space on your home screen.

When you're ready to roll, just touch the shortcut, and your phone will talk you through the
directions.

Use voice commands to get directions
Tell your phone to provide directions to a destination:
1.

Say your launch phrase.

Say “Navigate to [destination].”

Take screenshots
Take a screenshot
1.

Do one of the following:

Learn the basics

•

Touch & hold three fingers on the screen.

•

Press & hold the Power button, then touch Screenshot.

•

Press & hold Power and Volume Down simultaneously until the screen is captured.

To scroll and capture more content, touch

To stop scrolling before the end of the page, touch STOP.
3.

Do any of the following:
•

To crop the screenshot, touch

•

To edit the screenshot, touch

•

To share it, touch

.
. Then, touch

to draw on it, touch

to highlight it.

Touch Save.
Or, touch Discard to delete it.

Find screenshots later
Open the Photos app and touch

> Device folders > Screenshots.

Adjust screenshot settings
Three finger screenshot and Screenshot editor make it easy to capture and enhance your
screenshots. You can turn them on or off any time.
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Turn Three finger screenshot and Screenshot editor and on

> Moto Actions.
or off

Personalize your phone : Home screen

Change wallpaper
You can change the background image on your home screen or lock screen. Use your own
photos, images that came on your phone, or images from an online category.
Tip: If your battery is low, temporarily change animated wallpaper to a static image to save
power.
1.

Open the Wallpapers app.
Or, touch & hold a blank area on your home screen, then touch WALLPAPERS.

Do one of the following:
•

To set a single wallpaper, select a photo or wallpaper.

•

To see a new wallpaper each day, open a category and touch Daily wallpaper >
Continue.

Touch Set wallpaper.

Select whether you want to use the wallpaper on your home screen, lock screen, or both.

Tip: To skip a daily wallpaper, open the Wallpapers app and touch
wallpaper image.

on your current daily

Customize your Favorites tray
The Favorites tray at the bottom of the home screen gives you one-touch access to your mostused applications. You can customize these app shortcuts.

To change the app shortcuts:
1.

Touch & hold one of the app shortcuts, then drag it up and drop it on Remove.

Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open your app list.

Touch & hold the app you want. When the new shortcut appears, drag it to the empty spot
in your tray.

Tip: You can also use folders in your Favorites tray.

Personalize your phone : Home screen

Add widgets, shortcuts, or folders
Add widgets
Widgets stream information, giving some of an app’s functionality without opening the app. For
example, the Calendar widget shows your daily agenda and gives you one-touch access to
your full calendar.
To add a widget:
1.

Touch & hold the home screen.

Touch Widgets.
Widgets are listed under their related apps.

Touch & hold a widget to add it.

You can make some widgets larger to view more content:
1.

Touch & hold the widget until it's highlighted.

Release it to see an outline.

Drag a corner or side to resize.

Add app shortcuts
1.

Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open your app list.

Touch & hold the app you want.

Drag the app or one of its actions to an empty spot on your home screen. Or, drag it to the
edge of the screen and drop it onto a new home screen panel.

Add task shortcuts
Many apps icons include shortcuts to common tasks, so you don’t have to open and navigate
the app.
1.

Touch & hold an app icon to see available task shortcuts.

Do one of the following:
•

To perform the task, touch it.

•

To create a shortcut for that task, drag

to an empty space on your homescreen.

Here are examples of task shortcuts for various apps. Not all apps include task shortcuts.
App

Task shortcuts

Personalize your phone : Home screen

Gmail

Maps

YouTube

Chrome

Calendar

•

Compose new email

•

Open to specific account

•

Navigate to Work

•

Navigate to Home

•

Subscriptions

•

Trending

•

New incognito tab

•

New tab

•

New reminder

•

New event

Messages •

Clock

Settings

Open most recent conversation

•

New conversation

•

Start screen saver

•

Start stopwatch

•

Create new timer

•

Create new alarm

•

Battery

•

Data usage

•

Wi-Fi

Personalize your phone : Home screen

Add web page shortcuts
1.

Open the Chrome app.

Navigate to the web page.

Touch > Add to Home screen.

Edit the name if desired.

Touch ADD.

Do one of the following:
•

Touch & hold the icon to drag it where you want on the home screen.

•

Touch Add automatically.

Add folders
Folders organize your shortcuts.
1.

Touch & hold an app shortcut on your home screen.

Drag it onto another to group them together, then release when a circle forms around them:

Then you can:
•

Add more apps. Drag app icons onto the circle from your home screen or app tray.

•

Use an app in the folder. Open the folder and touch the app's icon.

•

Name the folder. Open the folder, then touch its name and type a new name.

•

Remove an app from the folder. Open the folder and drag the app icon onto the home
screen, or drag it up and drop it on Remove.

•

Delete the folder. Touch & hold the folder, then drag it to Remove.

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Remove widgets, shortcuts, or folders
Easy come, easy go. To remove items that you added to your home screen:
1.

Touch & hold it until it vibrates.

Personalize your phone : Home screen

Drag it up and drop it on Remove.

To select a totally new user interface for your home screen, download a different launcher.

Use Time and Weather widget
Add widget to home screen
Put a clock on your home screen and get quick access to alarms, your calendar, and the
weather.

Touch & hold the home screen.

Touch Widgets.

Touch & hold the Time and Weather widget, then drag it to a home screen page.

Set or delete alarms
1.

Touch the time.

Do one of the following:

•

To use an existing alarm, switch it on

•

To add a new alarm, touch

•

To delete an alarm, touch

. Touch

to view or edit its ringtone.

and set the time and ringtone.
next to it, then touch

To control general alarm settings, like alarm volume and snooze duration, touch >
Settings.

When an alarm is set,

shows in the status bar.

Manage cities for weather forecasts
The Time and Weather widget displays current temperature for your location or for a city you
specify.

Personalize your phone : Home screen

To display the temperature for your current location:
1.

Do one of the following:
•

Touch Add cities.

•

Or, touch the current temperature, then touch

Turn Current location on.
Tip: To switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius, touch Temperature units.

To see a forecast, touch the current temperature on the widget.
To add a city:
1.

Do one of the following:
•

If you haven't added locations yet, touch Add cities.

•

Or, touch the current temperature, then touch

Touch Add new location.

Enter a city name or ZIP code, then touch

Touch the city to add.

Tip: To switch between forecasts for multiple cities, touch the temperature, then swipe
left or right.
To remove a city:
1.

Touch the temperature.

Touch

> Settings.

Touch

next to the city's name.

View your calendar
Touch the current date to open your calendar, where you can view or add upcoming events.

Remake your home screen with launchers
Get different launcher
Totally changing the look and feel of your home screen is easy to do. Just select and download
a new launcher app. Switch back to the standard look and feel at any time. Launchers

Personalize your phone : Home screen

frequently include new sets of wallpapers, new gestures for interacting with your phone, and
customizable elements for your home screen.
1.

Search for “launcher” in Play Store .

Read through the choices and download the one (or more) that you want.

To start using it, open the app or follow the onscreen instructions after downloading it.

Switch between launchers
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced.

Touch Default apps > Home app.

Select the launcher you want to use.

Delete launchers
You can only delete launchers that you installed.
Touch & hold the launcher's app icon, then touch

> Uninstall.

Personalize your phone : Lock screen

Use a screen saver
Set up screen saver
While your phone is idle on a dock or charger, turn it into a desk clock, a photo frame to show
off your pics, or more.
1.

Go to Settings > Display > Advanced.

Touch Screen saver.

Do any of the following:
•

To change screen savers, touch Current screen saver, then select one. To set
options for that screen saver, touch .

•

To preview your selection, touch Start now. Touch the screen anywhere (unlock if
necessary) to return to settings.

•

To adjust when the screen saver starts (while docked, charging, or either), touch When
to start.

Start screen saver
The screen saver automatically starts when you connect your phone to a dock or charger and
the screen goes to sleep.
To exit the screen saver and return to your home or lock screen:
•

Press the Power button.

•

Or, touch

, or

To manually start your screen saver any time, go to Settings > Display > Advanced > Screen
saver and touch > Start now.

Turn off screen saver
To prevent the screen saver from starting automatically:
1.

Go to Settings > Display > Advanced.

Touch Screen saver > When to start > Never.

Add screen savers
Search for “Screen saver” in Play Store for apps that give you more.
After you install an app, you can select the new ones in Settings > Display > Advanced >
Screen saver.

Personalize your phone : Lock screen

Set screen lock
Screen lock options
When you set a screen lock, each time you turn on your phone or wake the screen, you’ll be
asked to unlock your phone.
No lock:
•

None: This gives no protection, but you can quickly access your home screen.

•

Swipe: Swipe

up. This prevents accidental dialing but doesn't secure the phone.

Lock:
•

Pattern: Draw a pattern on a grid.

•

PIN: Enter a four to sixteen digit numeric code. Longer PINs are more secure.

•

Password: Enter four to sixteen letters, digits, or symbols for the password. A long, strong
password is the most secure option.

When you’re using any of the 3 locks, you can also unlock with your fingerprint sensor and set
your phone to automatically unlock in certain conditions.

Set or change screen lock
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Screen lock and select the type of lock you want.
Some options aren't available if you added a VPN or a work (corporate) email account to
your phone.

Hide your password or pattern
You can hide your password or pattern to prevent others from viewing it when you unlock your
screen.
For passwords:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced.

Turn Show passwords off

For patterns:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch

Turn Make pattern visible off

.
.

Personalize your phone : Lock screen

Quickly tighten lock screen security
Unlocking with the fingerprint sensor and setting up automatic unlocking make it easier to keep
your phone secure and minimize when you need to enter your PIN, pattern, or password. But
sometimes you need to trade convenience for more security. You can temporarily tighten locks
and prevent lock screen notifications.
To set it up:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Lock screen preferences.

Turn Show lockdown option on

To use it:
1.

Touch & hold the Power button.

Touch Lockdown.
Your fingerprint sensor and automatic unlock settings are disabled and notifications won’t
be displayed on your lock screen.

To exit Lockdown, unlock your phone with your PIN, pattern, or password.

Unlock your screen automatically
If you're using a PIN, password, or pattern, you can:
•

Stay unlocked when connected to a device, like your car audio system.

•

Stay unlocked at a specific location.

•

Stay unlocked when holding or carrying your phone.

•

Unlock with your face.

•

Unlock with your voice.
Tips:
•

You can swipe up from anywhere on the screen when unlocking. You don't need to
touch the icon.

•

Some of these options aren't available if you added a VPN or a work (corporate) email
account to your phone.

Fix a problem
If you forgot your PIN, pattern, or password, try these troubleshooting steps.

Personalize your phone : Lock screen

Add message to lock screen
To add your name or a short message to your lock screen for anyone who finds your phone:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & Location.

Touch Lock screen preferences > Lock screen message.

Type the text to display and touch Save.

Tip: Don't put your mobile number as your contact info unless you can access your
voicemail from another device.

Personalize your phone : Sounds

Set ringtones
Change default call ringtone
1.

Go to Settings > Sound.

Touch Phone ringtone.

Do one of the following:
•

Select a ringtone from the list.

•

To use a song as the ringtone, touch Add ringtone at the bottom of the list. Then
touch
> Audio and select the song stored on your phone.

•

For silence, touch None at the top of the list.

Vibrate phone for calls
You can set the phone to vibrate when it rings for calls.
To extend battery life, turn vibrate off.
1.

Go to Settings > Sound.

Turn Also vibrate for calls on

or off

Set call ringtone for a contact
You can choose a unique ringtone for calls from specific people so you'll know instantly who's
calling.
1.

Open the

Touch the contact's name.

Touch > Set ringtone.

Do one of the following:

Contacts app.

•

Select a ringtone from the list.

•

To use a song as the ringtone, touch Add ringtone at the bottom of the list. Then
touch
> Audio and select the song stored on your phone.

•

For silence, touch None at the top of the list.

Set ringtone for app notifications
You can set a default sound for notifications from apps including messaging and email. You can
also set a unique ringtone for notifications from specific apps. Learn how.

Personalize your phone : Sounds

Tip: To change your alarm sound, open the Clock app and touch

. Then touch

Get more ringtones
Although your phone comes with lots of ringtones, you can get more:
•

Search for “ringtones” in Play Store and install an app that provide ringtones.

•

Search for “ringtone maker” in Play Store and install an app that lets you create custom
ringtones. Open the app and use it to select entire songs or portions of songs.

•

If you have songs that are .mp3 files stored on your computer, connect your phone and
computer with a USB cable, then copy the song to your phone.

Fix a problem
If you’re not hearing your ringtones, look for
in your status bar, which means you're in Do
Not Disturb mode. Open quick settings and touch
to turn Do Not Disturb off.

Avoid interruptions with Do Not Disturb
Turn Do Not Disturb mode on or off
When you're busy, use Do Not Disturb to silence your phone. You can mute sounds, stop
vibration, and block visual disturbances.
To turn it on or off:
•

To block interruptions, open quick settings and touch
when Do Not Disturb is on.

•

To turn Do Not Disturb off, open quick settings and touch

. You'll see

in the status bar

Tip: Put your phone face down on a surface to start Do Not Disturb. (To enable this gesture,
.)
open the Moto app and touch Moto Actions > Flip for DND and turn it on

Change Do Not Disturb duration
Pick how long Do Not Disturb should stay on, when you turn it on in quick settings.
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Duration.

Choose one:

Personalize your phone : Sounds

•

To keep it on indefinitely, touch Until you turn off.

•

To select a duration, touch For 1 hour, then touch + or - to adjust the time.

•

To choose each time, touch Ask every time.

Allow exceptions in Do Not Disturb mode
When Do Not Disturb is on, incoming calls, messages, and calendar events or reminders are
muted. You can allow exceptions:
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

To pick whose calls get through, touch Calls and then:

•

Touch Allow calls and choose whether to allow calls from anyone, from contacts only,
from starred contacts only, or none.

•

To let calls through from repeat callers (the same person calling a second time within
15 minutes), turn Allow repeat callers on
.

To pick whose text messages get through, touch Messages, events & reminders > Allow
messages and then choose all, contacts only, starred contacts only, or none.

To allow notifications for calendar events and reminders to get through, touch Messages,
events & reminders and turn them on
.

You can also control whether alarms and media can sound:
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Sound & vibration.

Choose which sounds to allow when Do Not Disturb is on.

Stop visual disturbances in Do Not Disturb mode
When your phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, you can prevent silenced notifications from:
•

Turning the screen on when it's off

•

Peeking or popping up when your screen is on

•

Showing notification dots, status bar icons, or updating the notification list

To block these disturbances:
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Notifications.

Do one of the following:
•

To block all visual notifications, touch No visuals or sound from notifications.

Personalize your phone : Sounds

•

To block selected visual notifications, touch Custom and turn features on or off.

Automatically silence phone during set days and times
You can create a schedule for when your phone should automatically switch into and out of Do
Not Disturb mode.
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Turn on automatically.

Use rules to set the schedule:

•

To use an existing rule, touch its name, like Sleeping. Turn Use rule on and adjust
times or settings as needed.

•

To create a new rule, touch Add rule. Touch Time, then enter a name and touch OK.
Specify its days, start and end times, and level of silence.

To stop your phone from automatically silencing, go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb.
Select the rule and turn it off or touch
to delete it.

Automatically silence phone during calendar events
Your phone can automatically switch into and out of Do Not Disturb mode for all scheduled
events in calendars that you specify.
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Turn on automatically.

Do one of the following:

•

To use an existing rule, turn it on.

•

To create a new rule, touch Add rule. Touch Event rule, then enter a rule name and
touch OK.

Adjust options to select the calendar to use and your reply status.

To stop your phone from automatically silencing, go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb,
then select the rule and turn it off or touch
to delete it.

Silence power on sound
If you don’t want your phone to make a sound when it powers up:
1.

Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced.

Turn Power on sounds off

You can't adjust the volume level for this sound.

Personalize your phone : Sounds

Stop phone from speaking
Some voice commands (like “What's up?” and “What is the current weather?”) cause your
phone to speak in response.
To stop the phone from speaking temporarily, touch

To prevent your phone from speaking:
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Voice.

Turn off Speech output.

> Settings.

Turn off charging sounds
If you don’t want your phone to make a sound when it comes in contact with a charger:
1.

Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced.

Turn off Charging sounds.

Apps

About your apps
Open an app
Swipe up from the bottom of your home screen, then touch the app to open.

Pre-loaded apps
The following apps are pre-loaded on your phone. Don’t want some? Delete or disable them.
Icon

App

Description

Calculator

Make some quick calculations.

Calendar

Keep track of your upcoming events, get automatic reminders on
your phone, and coordinate with others by sharing calendars.

Camera

Capture photos or videos. Learn more.

Chrome

Browse the web. Access your browser bookmarks from any
device, and sync tabs with your computer or Android devices.

Clock

Set alarms. Use a timer or stopwatch.

Contacts

Organize and connect with your contacts. Assign ringtones to
people.

Docs

Create, edit, and collaborate with others on documents.

Apps

Drive

Store and synchronize your files on Google's cloud, then access
them anywhere you have an internet connection. Create and share
spreadsheets, documents, and presentations. Scan documents
and share or print them.

Duo

Make video call with your friends across Android and iOS.

Facebook

Connect with friends, family, and communities. Share updates and
media. Find information on events, entertainment, and businesses.

Files

Browse and manage files and folders stored on your device or SD
card.

FM Radio

Listen to FM radio stations.

Gmail

Compose, send, view, or search your email from your phone or
computer.

Google

Search the web, see your information cards, and adjust Google
settings, including privacy.

Maps

Find your destination, explore locations.

Messages

Send and receive text messages.

Moto

Select available gestures for phone shortcuts and control
notifications.

Apps

News and
Weather

See headlines, weather, and information on your favorite topics
and locations.

Phone

Make calls.

Photos

Manage photos and upload them automatically to your private
album.

Play Movies & TV Get movies and TV shows for instant viewing from Play Store.

Play Music

Listen to your music collection (stored on your phone or streamed).
Shop for new music. Create playlists, listen anywhere.

Play Store

Get apps for your phone, as well as books, magazines, music, and
movies and access them from your computer or any Android
device.

Settings

Customize your phone settings.

Sheets

Create, edit, and collaborate with others on spreadsheets.

Slides

Create, edit, collaborate with others, and play presentations.

Wallpapers

Change your wallpaper, get new ones, or automatically show a
new one every day.

Apps

YouTube

Find, view, and upload videos to the web.

Get more apps
Don’t see what you need? Download more apps.
Tip: Swipe up
and touch
Search apps. Type the missing app's name to go to Play
Store where you can install with one touch.

Get help for an app
1.

Open the app.

Touch

Look for Help or Settings > Help.

or .

Switch between recent apps
1.

Touch

to see your recently used apps.

Or, if you're using the navigation bar, swipe up on
2.

Do any of the following:
•

Touch any app screen to return to it.

•

Swipe left or right to see more apps.

•

Swipe an app up to remove it from the list.

•

To clear the list, swipe all the way right and touch CLEAR ALL.

Tips:
•

Touch
twice to switch between your two most recently used apps. (If you're using the
navigation bar, swipe right on
.)

•

Use two apps at once with split screen.

Close apps
To get out of an app, touch
navigation bar.

to return to your home screen. Or, touch

if you're using the

Apps

You don't need to close apps. Android manages the memory and battery that apps use, so you
don't need to worry about leaving apps open.
To remove apps from your recently used list:
1.

Touch

Do one of the following:

•

To remove one app, swipe up to remove it from the list.

•

To remove all apps, swipe right to the end of the list and touch CLEAR ALL.

Tips for using apps
•

You can change the background color of your app list to be light or dark.

•

You can print from many apps.

•

Copy and paste text between apps with the clipboard.

•

To organize apps into groups on your home screen, use folders.

•

Touch & hold an app's icon to see task shortcuts, if any. Touch a task to perform it. Or, drag
to your home screen to create a shortcut for that task.

•

Want to turn the flashlight on or off? Use quick settings (

•

If you’re having problems with an app, try these troubleshooting steps.

). No app required.

Use two apps at once
Use split screen view
1.

Open the first app.

Touch

In the recent list, touch the app's icon, at the top of the app's preview, to see

Be sure to touch the app's icon instead of the preview, which opens the app.
4.

Touch

Select the second app to use.

Split screen.

Exit split screen view
Drag the black divider all the way up or down.

and

Apps

Use Picture-in-picture
With some apps, you can watch video in a small, movable frame while you do other things. Use
it when navigating with Google Maps, too.
1.

When you’re playing a video or navigating with Maps, touch

The video (or navigation) shrinks.
2.

You can drag the video (or navigation) anywhere on the screen.
•

To return it to full size, touch it twice.

•

To close it, drag it to the bottom of the screen. Or, touch it, then touch

•

To turn off Picture-in-picture for the app in use, touch it, then touch
picture-in-picture off
.

.
and turn Allow

To see all apps that support Picture-in-picture:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced.

Touch Special app access > Picture-in-picture.

To turn off Picture-in-picture for an app, touch it and turn Allow picture-in-picture off

Apps : Manage your apps

Install or update apps
Get apps from Google Play Store
Need a voice recorder, notepad, or compass? You can download more apps, in addition to preloaded apps on your phone.
To download apps:
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Browse by category or search.

Touch an item to see a description, read reviews, and download it.
You'll see

in the status bar when the app has downloaded and installed successfully.

Tips:
•

To view Play Store apps you've installed on this phone, touch
> My apps & games.
Touch LIBRARY to see apps you've installed on other devices using the same Google
account.

•

To prevent accidental or unwanted purchases, touch
authentication for purchases.

> Settings > Require

Get apps from other sources
Before downloading, do some research: check the app's rating and read lots of comments.
To download apps:
1.

Open the Chrome app and go to the appropriate site to download the app.
If you see a warning, touch OK to continue.
You'll see

in the status bar when the download completes.

Touch the download notification to install the app. Or, open the Files app to install it later.

When installing the app, be sure to review what information the app will access. If you don’t
want the app to access this information, cancel the installation. For example, if you're
installing an app that makes a shopping list, the app should not require access to your
contacts.

Update Play Store apps automatically
Updating your apps gives you the latest features and improves security and stability. For best
performance, apps are set to update automatically.

Apps : Manage your apps

If an app changes the information it wants to access on your phone, you will receive a
notification to update the app manually and will be required to review and accept the new
permissions.
To control when your apps are automatically updated:
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch Enable auto update.

Do one of the following:

> Settings.

•

To save data charges on your cellular plan and update only when connected to Wi-Fi,
touch Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only.

•

To update using either Wi-Fi or cellular data, touch Auto-update apps at any time.
Data charges may apply.

Update Play Store apps manually
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

On the UPDATES tab, touch Update all, or to update a specific app, touch Update next to
its name.

Read the summary of what changed, then swipe down to review any changes to
permission details, what information on your phone the app can access. If you agree, touch
Update.

> My apps & games.

Turn off Play Store auto-updates
To stop a specific app from updating automatically:
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch the INSTALLED tab, then touch the app's name.

Touch and turn off Enable auto update.

> My apps & games.

To stop all apps from updating automatically:
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch Enable auto update > Do not auto-update apps.

> Settings.

Apps : Manage your apps

Restore Play Store apps
If you uninstall an app you got from Play Store, you can reinstall it anytime. Have apps you use
infrequently, such as a flight tracker? Delete them and easily reinstall when needed.
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch the LIBRARY tab for a list of every app you’ve downloaded.

Next to the app name, touch INSTALL.

If you have multiple Google accounts, touch
and next to your account touch . Select
the other account and repeat the process to restore apps downloaded in that account.

> My apps & games.

Manage or delete apps
Organize apps
To organize apps into groups on your home screen, use folders.

Control app permissions
The first time you use an app, and sometimes when you install or update it, you are asked to
grant the app permission to access certain data and phone features. You can adjust these
permissions any time.
To adjust permissions by app:
1.

Touch & hold the app icon, then touch

Touch Permissions.

Turn each permission on or off as needed.

Tip: To see how the app uses each permission, touch > All permissions.
You can also review each feature and adjust which apps have permission.

Use safe mode
Issues such as apps crashing, unexpected reboots, or fast battery drain could be caused by a
third-party app. Use safe mode to start your phone with only the original software and apps. If
the issues go away in safe mode, the problem is probably from a third-party app you
downloaded.
To reboot in safe mode:

Apps : Manage your apps

Press & hold the Power button.

Touch & hold Power off. Then touch OK to restart in safe mode.
When it restarts, you'll see Safe mode across the bottom of the home screen and widgets
will be disabled.

Use your phone and see if the problem has gone away. Remember, you won’t be able to
use any downloaded apps.

If the problem goes away:
1.

To exit safe mode, restart your phone.

One by one, uninstall recently downloaded apps. After each removal, restart your phone.
See whether removing that app solved the problem.

Once you delete the problematic app, you can restore the other apps you removed during
testing.

If the problem doesn't go away: Try these troubleshooting steps for phone performance
issues.

Clear app's cache or data
Clearing the cache can free up phone memory, improve performance, and fix some problems
with apps and web pages.
1.

Touch & hold the app icon, then touch

Do one of the following:

•

To free up space by removing temporary files, touch Storage > Clear cache. Over
time, the cache builds up again, so repeat if a problem occurs.

•

If problems still occur, then delete all data saved in the app by touching Storage >
Clear storage. Be careful - there’s no way to undo this.

Force stop apps
Force stop an app only if it seems to be causing a problem. To completely shut down an app,
including any background services:
1.

Touch & hold the app icon, then touch

Touch Force stop.

Delete apps you installed
You can delete (uninstall) apps that you downloaded. For many pre-loaded apps, you can
disable but not delete them.
1.

Touch & hold the app's icon.

Apps : Manage your apps

Do one of the following:
•

Drag the icon up and drop it on

•

If you don't see a delete option, touch & hold the app icon, then touch

. This removes the app and frees storage space.
> Disable.

Delete apps installed by others
If you are the owner of the phone and share it with users or guests, you can uninstall apps they
installed. Although their apps don’t appear in your app tray or on your home screen, they do
reduce available storage space.
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info.
Apps installed by others show the message Not installed for this user.

Touch the app name.

Touch > Uninstall for all users.

Back up apps and settings
You can use your Google account to back up:
•

App data

•

Call history

•

Phone settings (wallpaper, Wi-Fi passwords, default apps)

•

SMS text messages

To back up apps and settings:
1.

Go to Settings > System.

Touch Backup.

Turn on Back up to Google Drive.

If you have multiple Google accounts, touch Account to select an account.

Protect against harmful apps
Scan phone for harmful apps
Play Protect helps keep your phone secure by automatically scanning your phone to check for
potentially harmful apps.
If Play Protect finds a potentially harmful app, it stops the app from running and warns you so
you can uninstall it.

Apps : Manage your apps

To see the results or to rescan:
1.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Do any of the following:

> My apps & games.

•

To see the results of latest scan, on the UPDATES, look at the message next to

•

To rescan your phone, touch

If your phone seems slow
If you’ve scanned your phone to confirm there aren’t any potentially harmful apps but your
phone seems slow, try these troubleshooting steps.

Pin your screen
Turn on screen pinning
Use screen pinning to keep the current screen or app in view until you unpin it. For example,
you can pin a game and your child cannot navigate anywhere else on your phone.
You can set up a pattern, PIN, or password required to unpin the screen.
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Screen pinning.

Turn screen pinning on.

By default, you must always enter your pattern, PIN, or password when unpinning a
screen. If you don't want this security before accessing your other phone screens, turn this
option off.

Pin a screen
1.

Make sure you've turned on screen pinning in Settings .

Open an app and go to the screen you want to pin.

Touch

Touch the icon of what you want to pin.

Touch .

Unpin a screen
1.

Touch & hold

and

at the same time.

Apps : Manage your apps

If you required a pattern, PIN, or password when you turned on pinning, enter it to unlock
the phone.

Apps : Search and web browser

Search the web
Search with the widget
To type your search term:
1.

Touch the Search widget.

Start typing a search term.
As you type, suggested terms appear.

Touch a suggestion to search for it.

Search from anywhere
You don't have to leave your current app to search for the info you need. Use Google Assistant
from any screen to get search results and options for your next action.
To search:
1.

Say “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google”. (Be sure you've set up the launch phrase.)
Or touch & hold

Tell the assistant what you're looking for. For example, search for a local restaurant by
saying “Find [restaurant name].”

Below the search result, touch options for related actions: make a call, get directions, read
reviews, and more.

Search history must be turned on to use Google Assistant.
For more help with Google Assistant, read Google's support information.

Search from Gboard
When you're typing with the onscreen keyboard:
1.

Touch

Start typing a term in the search bar.

Touch a result to share its link, or touch one of the additional suggested searches for more
information.

above the keys.

If you don't see
1.

on your keyboard:

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard.

Apps : Search and web browser

Touch Gboard > Search.

Turn Show "Search and more" button on

Search for nearby phone numbers
To find and call a nearby business:
1.

Open the

Touch

Say or type the name of place to call, or a search term about the place (for example,
“restaurant”).

Phone app.

You’ll see a list of nearby search results.
4.

Touch the place to dial its number.

If it doesn't work:
•

Make sure Location is enabled.

•

Touch

> > Settings and turn Nearby places on.

Use SafeSearch
To help prevent adult content from appearing in your search results:
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Accounts & privacy.

Turn on SafeSearch filter.

> Settings.

Delete Google search history
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Accounts & privacy.

Touch My Activity.

Touch > Delete activity by.

Select the timeframe and choose Search as the product.

Touch Delete.

> Settings.

You can also review, delete, and control other information Google collects about you.

Apps : Search and web browser

Use search engine other than Google
To use a search engine other than Google:
1.

Search for “search engine” in Play Store and install one of the apps.

Open that app to search.

Optionally:
•

Delete the Google search widget from your home screen. If you can’t delete it, use a
different launcher for your home screen that doesn’t include the widget.

•

Install a browser to replace Chrome and make it your default browser.

•

Turn off Google’s collection of your information.

Search your phone
Search contents of your phone
1.

Touch the Search widget.

Enter a search term.

On the search results page, under

, swipe left and change ALL to PERSONAL.

If you're not seeing results:
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Personal.

Make sure that everything you want to include in your searches is checked.

> Settings.

Find an app
1.

Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open your app list.

Touch

Type the app's name.

If the app is on your phone, touch its icon to open it.

Search apps.

If the app isn't on your phone, touch SEARCH FOR MORE APPS to go to Play Store and
install with one touch.

Apps : Search and web browser

Find your phone number
1.

Go to Settings > System.

Touch About phone > Phone number.

Find photos, videos, files
To find photos or videos on your phone, use the Photos app.
To find downloaded files, use the Files app.

Use camera to scan and search
Scan QR codes and barcodes
Scan QR codes or barcodes with your camera. Then use the scanned information.
1.

Open the

Place the viewfinder over the item to automatically begin the scan.

Touch an icon:

Camera app.

To do this
View website.
Start web search.

Copy information to clipboard to be pasted into an email, text, or
elsewhere.
You can also scan documents and save them as PDFs to print or share using Drive .

Translate text with camera
Use the Translate app to translate signs and text as you view them with the camera.
1.

Open the Translate app.
If you don’t have this app, you can install it from Play Store.

Use

to select the languages (to/from) for translation.

Touch

Apps : Search and web browser

Touch

Frame the text, holding the phone steady.

The camera scans and translates in the viewfinder.

Browse websites
Visit and bookmark websites
Your phone connects to your carrier's cellular network or to a Wi‑Fi network to access the
internet. To save data charges on your cellular plan, use a Wi‑Fi connection.
1.

Open the

Go to a site by touching the bar at the top and typing the address.

On a web page:
•

Chrome app.

To bookmark it, touch >

Or, touch > Add to Home screen to put a shortcut on your home screen.

•

To search for text on that page, touch > Find in page.

•

To open a link, touch it.

•

To see options for opening a link in a new tab and copying or sharing a link, touch &
hold the link.

•

To print the page, touch > Share > Print. Be sure you set up your print service.

To return to the previous page touch

To learn more about browsing or managing bookmarks, open Chrome and touch > Help &
Feedback.

Open and switch browser tabs
In the

Chrome app:

•

To switch tabs, touch the switcher icon

•

To open a new tab, touch touch the switcher icon

.
, then touch

Browse privately with incognito tabs
If you don’t want Chrome to remember your activity, use incognito tabs.
To open a new incognito tab with one touch from your home screen, add a task shortcut:

Apps : Search and web browser

Touch & hold

Drag

to a blank space on your home screen.

To close all incognito tabs:
1.

Swipe the status bar down.

Touch

Clear browsing history
1.

Open the

Touch > History.

Touch CLEAR BROWSING DATA.

Chrome app.

You can also review and delete your search history.

Change default browser
You can download other browsers from Play Store. After you've installed one, you can make it
your default browser.
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch Default apps > Browser app.

Touch the app to use.

Fix a problem
For problems with

Chrome, read Google's troubleshooting information.

Apps : Text messaging

About text and multimedia messages
Text messages - SMS
SMS (Short Message Service) messages contain text only. One text message can contain 160
characters; when you near the limit, a counter appears. If you type more, your message is sent
in a series of SMS messages.
You can send one SMS message to multiple people, and replies are delivered in separate, not
group, conversation threads (unless you and your recipients have group messaging enabled).
SMS messages are included in most carriers' text messaging plans and do not use cellular
data.

Multimedia messages - MMS
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages can include unlimited text plus a photo,
picture slideshow, video, or sound file.
You can send one MMS message to multiple people using group messaging, containing text
only or text and media, and replies are delivered in group conversation threads to each person
in the group.
MMS messages use cellular data and require a cellular data plan or pay-per-use payment.

Group messaging
Group messaging lets multiple people carry on a group conversation. All replies from recipients
are delivered to all recipients, in a group conversation thread.
Though you send one message to multiple recipients, you are charged for each message
received. Group messaging:
•

Converts multiple-recipient SMS messages to MMS for all who can receive them

•

Is available for MMS messages only
Note: Recipients who cannot receive MMS messages receive SMS instead and, if media is
attached, a link to download it over Wi-Fi (when offered by carrier). Replies are to the sender
only, in an individual conversation.

If you don’t want to receive replies in group conversations, you can turn off group messaging in
the Messages app.

Apps : Text messaging

Read, send, manage text messages
Read and reply to a text message
When you receive a text message with the
1.

Swipe the status bar down and touch

Do any of the following:

Messages app, you'll see

in the status bar.

•

To respond to the message, enter your response in the text box and touch

•

If the message is from an unassigned number, create a contact to associate a name
with that number.

•

To open an attached photo, slideshow, or any type of attachment, touch it.

•

To save an attachment, touch & hold it, then touch

•

To find a message, touch

•

To learn about something mentioned in the message, touch & hold . Google
Assistant shows details, apps, and actions related to the message's contents.

at the top of your message list and enter search terms.

Tips:
•

If you don't want multi-recipient SMS messages converted to MMS and want replies
sent in separate conversations (threads) to you only, turn off group messaging.

•

To protect your privacy, you can hide sensitive content for lock screen notifications.

Send text message
1.

Open the

Touch

Enter recipients, then type the message.

Optionally:

Messages app.

•

To add an attachment, touch

•

To add a smiley or other icons, touch

Touch

.
on the onscreen keyboard.

Tips for sending messages:
•

To text your best friend with one touch from your home screen, add a task shortcut. Touch
& hold
and drag
to your home screen.

Apps : Text messaging

•

To change the text message reply to incoming calls, open the
Settings > Quick responses.

Phone app and touch >

Request text delivery reports
See whether recipients receive your messages by requesting delivery reports.
1.

Open the

Touch > Settings.

Do one of the following:

Messages app.

•

If you have a single SIM, touch Advanced.

•

If you have dual SIMs, touch the SIM.

Manage draft texts
When you begin composing a text message reply or a new message with recipients, it is saved
in your message list as a draft until you send or delete it.
1.

Open the message list and touch the conversation marked Draft.

Do one:
•

Finish composing the message and touch

•

Delete the characters in the text field to delete the draft.

Forward a text message
1.

Open the

Open the conversation.

Touch & hold the message.

Touch

Messages app.

Copy text from a message
1.

Open the

Open the conversation.

Touch & hold the message.

Touch

Messages app.

You can now paste it elsewhere, like in an email you're composing.

Apps : Text messaging

Delete or archive texts
When you delete a message, you also delete any attached photos or videos. If you want the
attachments, be sure to save them before deleting the message.
•

To delete a single message, open the conversation (thread) and touch & hold the message,
then touch .

•

To delete or archive all messages in a conversation, touch & hold the conversation, then
to delete or
to archive.
touch

•

To delete or archive multiple conversations, touch & hold each conversation, then touch
or .

•

To see archived messages, touch > Archived.

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Add attachments
Attach files to text message
You can attach saved pictures and videos, or take one right from your message that has an
optimized, reduced file size.
1.

Open the

Compose a reply or a new message.

Touch

Choose the type of attachment (such as photo, emoji or GIF, your location, a recording).

Messages app.

To learn more, touch > Help & Feedback in the
5.

Touch

Messages app.

Send contact as text message
1.

Open the

In the message list, touch the contact's icon
to open the contact's information. (Touch
the icon, not the name. Touching the name opens the conversation instead of contact
information.)

Touch > Share.

Messages app.

Apps : Text messaging

Touch the recipient's name, or touch Messages to start a new message.

Touch

Fix a problem
If you're having trouble attaching files, check that:
•

Cellular data is turned on.

•

Your data plan supports MMS (multimedia messages).

Save attachments from text message
If you received an attachment to a text message, you can save it on your phone. In the
message, just touch & hold the attachment, then touch
to save it.
To view the saved attachment:
•

For photos or videos, open the Photos app and touch

•

For other attachments, open the Files app.

> Device folders > Download.

If you do not save a photo or video from a message, it is kept within the message only. So, if
you delete the message, you also delete the attachment. (You can try to recover recently
deleted messages.)

Turn group messaging on or off
Group messaging allows conversation participants to reply to all recipients in a single thread. If
you do not want multi-recipient SMS messages converted to MMS and want replies sent in
separate threads only to you, turn off group messaging.
This feature is not available in all countries.
To adjust the group messaging setting:
1.

In the

Do one of the following:

Messages app, touch > Settings > Advanced.

•

If you have a single SIM, touch Advanced.

•

If your phone allows dual SIMs, touch the SIM you use for text messaging.

Check or uncheck Group messaging.

Apps : Text messaging

Change default messaging app
You can download additional messaging apps from Play Store. After you've installed one, you
can make it your default messaging app.
To select a different app to send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch Default apps > SMS app.

Touch the app to use.

Control notifications for text messages
If you use the Messages app:
1.

Open the

Touch > Settings.

If you have dual SIMs, touch General.

Touch Notifications and turn notifications on or off, change the sound, and add or remove
vibration.

Messages app.

If you use a different messaging app:
1.

Touch & hold the app's icon.

Touch

Make changes.

App info > Notifications.

Tip: In your phone settings, you can prevent interruptions by restricting text message
notifications during hours you specify or from specific people.

Change text message reply to incoming calls
When your phone rings, you can drag
towards
to see a list of quick responses you can
send by text message instead of answering the call.
To edit these quick responses:
1.

Touch

Touch > Settings.

Touch Quick responses.

Apps : Text messaging

Touch one of the responses to edit it.

Get text messages on your computer
Set up Messages for web
If you use the
computer.

Messages app on your phone, you can see and send text messages on your

Pair your computer and the

Messages app on your phone by scanning a QR code:

•

The QR code is unique to that computer.

•

You can set up multiple computers, getting individual QR codes, but only one is active at a
time.

To set up a computer:
1.

Be sure your phone and computer are connected to the internet.

On your phone, open the

On your computer, go to https://messages.android.com. To remember this computer and
stay signed in to Messages, turn the slider on
.

Follow onscreen instructions to scan the QR code on the web page with your phone.

Messages app and touch > Messages for web.

Once paired, you'll see your latest conversations in your computer's browser.

See and send messages
When you have unread messages, you'll see a red notification and number of unread
messages in the browser tab on your computer.
To send messages from your computer, your phone must be on and connected to the internet.
Usual carrier fees for sending text messages from your phone also apply to messages sent
from your computer.

Sign out of Messages for web
If you don’t use Messages on a paired computer for 14 days, you’re automatically signed out
from that computer for security reasons.
If you're using a shared or public computer, sign out when you're done.
To sign out from your phone:
1.

Open the

Touch > Messages for web.

Messages app.

Apps : Text messaging

Do one of the following:
•

Touch

•

Touch Sign out of all computers.

next to an individual computer to sign out of it.

To sign out from the computer, at the top of the message list, click .

Apps : Email

Read, send, manage emails
Read email
If you've set up email, you’ll start receiving emails after your account syncs with your phone.
in the status bar.
When you receive an email notification, you'll see
1.

To open email from a notification, swipe the status bar down and touch the notification:
•

A single email notification opens the message directly.

•

A multiple email notification opens the email list; touch an email to open it.

If you dismiss the notification and want to view the email later, open the Gmail app.
2.

Do any of the following:
•

To view other folders, touch

•

To learn about something mentioned in an open email, touch & hold . Google
Assistant shows details, apps, and actions related to the email's contents.

•

Attachments appear at the end of the email. You can view or save them.

•

You can print emails from your phone.

from your email list.

Reply to or forward an email
1.

Swipe to the end of the email to see all options:
•

To reply to the sender only, touch

•

To reply to the sender and all recipients, touch

•

To forward an email, touch

.
.

Enter your message.

To copy someone on the email, in the To field, touch

Touch

Send new email
1.

Open the Gmail app and touch

Or, touch & hold , then touch Compose. (If you send lots of emails, add a task shortcut.
Drag
Compose to your home screen.)
2.

Enter the recipient and your message.

To copy someone on the email, in the To field, touch

Apps : Email

Touch

Add attachment to email
1.

In the email you're composing, touch

Browse to the file, and touch it to add it to the email. The attachment appears at the bottom
of the email.

> Attach file.

Find emails
When you open the Gmail app, you see your Inbox:
•

To view sent email, drafts, recently deleted email, and other categories, touch

•

If you don't see emails listed after you touch a category, swipe down on the screen to sync
it.

To search for emails, touch
or the sender's name.

at the top of your email list and enter search terms, like the topic

Delete emails
To delete an open email, touch

To delete multiple emails, go to your email list, touch & hold each message to delete, then touch
.
To delete large quantities of email, sign into your email account on your computer, and see your
email provider's help for more information.
Tips:
•

To delete attachments that you saved from emails, use the Files app.

•

You can also remove email accounts from your phone.

Learn more
For more help with Gmail, read Google's support information.
For help managing email from other providers, sign into your email account on your computer
and look for the provider's instructions.

Apps : Email

View email attachments
View attachments
Attachments appear at the end of an email.
To view or play the attachment, touch it.
If you see a message that you can't open the attachment type, most file types have a free
viewer that you can use. In Play Store, search for the file type, then select and download an
app.

Save attachments from email
To save an attachment, in the email touch > Save.
To view saved attachments later, open the Files app.

Delete attachments saved from email
1.

Open the Files app.

Touch Browse > Downloads.

Do one of the following:

•

To select one item, touch & hold it.

•

To select multiple items, touch & hold the first one, then touch the others.

Touch

Prevent previews of attachments
Attached photos or videos appear as thumbnails, showing a preview.
To see a generic thumbnail instead of a preview thumbnail until you open the file:
1.

Touch

Uncheck Download attachments.

> Settings, then touch the account name.

Preview inboxes from home screen
To preview your inboxes, open emails, or quickly start a new email, add the Gmail widget to
your home screen.
With the widget, you can:
•

Open a message. Touch the message.

Apps : Email

•

Compose a message. Touch

•

View more messages. Scroll down the list.

•

Open the Gmail app. Touch the folder name at the top of the widget. Then you can view
other folders, access email settings, and more.

Add email signature
To add a signature automatically to the end of emails you send:
1.

Open the Gmail app.

Touch

Select the account.

Touch Mobile Signature and edit the text you want to appear at the end of every email.

> Settings.

Control email notifications
You can control whether you see notifications when you receive an email.
1.

Touch & hold

Touch

Adjust notification settings.

> Notifications.

Tip: To automatically silence notifications during hours you specify, use Do Not Disturb .

Apps : Calendar app

About the calendar
Keep track of upcoming events and get automatic reminders on your phone with your calendar.
Google calendars let you save all your events in one place, which is secure, synced, and
accessible from any web-enabled device or computer when you've signed in to your account.
You can:
•

Review existing events.

•

Create new events.

•

Control notifications for events.

Your calendar can automatically create new events based on your incoming Gmail messages.
For example, if you make restaurant reservations or book a flight, these events will show up
automatically on your calendar; you don't have to add them.
If you created multiple calendars within your Google account, or if you have multiple Google
accounts on your phone, you can control which events are synced with your phone.

Find calendar events
Open calendar events
You'll see
in the status bar to alert you of upcoming events. Just swipe the status bar down
and touch the notification to see the event details in your calendar.
To see your list of upcoming events, open the Calendar app.
Tip: For an overview of your upcoming events from your home screen, add a Calendar
widget.

Get around the calendar
To glance at the month view:
1.

Touch the month's name.

Touch a date to jump to it and see its events.

To change the view:
1.

In your calendar, touch

Touch Schedule, Day, 3 Day, Week or Month. This view remains the default until you
change it.

From these views, you can:

Apps : Calendar app

•

Read or edit event details. Touch the event to open it and touch

•

Add new events. Touch

•

Search your calendar. Touch

to edit it.

.
> Search.

Create and manage events
Create calendar events
As you're creating an event, you'll see suggestions for the event titles, locations, people, and
more. In some cases, these suggestions are personalized based on information associated with
your Google account and your previously created events.
1.

Open the Calendar app and touch

> Event.

Or, touch & hold , then touch New event. (If you create lots of events, add a task
shortcut. Drag
New event to your home screen.)
2.

Touch the account name to associate the event with the calendar you want.

Enter the start time and other details.

If you want a reminder sent to your status bar, touch Add another notification and select
how long before the event you want a reminder.

Touch Save.

Edit or delete calendar events
1.

Touch an event to open it.

Do any of the following:
•

To edit it, touch

•

To delete it, touch > Delete.

Control which events are shown
To temporarily hide calendar events for a Google account you don't need to see all the time:
1.

Touch

Beneath the account name, touch Events. If you have multiple calendars for that account,
touch the name of each calendar to hide its events.

Apps : Calendar app

Tip: When you hide events, the calendar still syncs with your Google account. To
prevent that account's calendar from automatically syncing, from the home screen go to
Settings > Accounts.
To exclude automatically-generated events created from Gmail (for events such as flight
bookings and restaurant reservations):
1.

Touch

Under the name of the account, turn off Add events from Gmail.

> Settings > Events from Gmail.

To learn more, open Calendar and touch

> Help & Feedback.

Control notifications for calendar events
1.

Touch & hold the

Touch

Adjust notification settings.

app icon.

> Notifications.

If you have assigned a ringtone for the notification but you silence your phone, your phone
won't play the ringtone.
Tip: To automatically silence notifications during hours you specify, use Do Not Disturb .

Apps : Clock app

Set alarms
Set alarm by touch
1.

Open the Clock app.

Touch

Do one of the following:

•

To create a new alarm, touch

•

To use an existing alarm, switch it on.

•

To adjust an alarm's sound, schedule or label, touch

To control general alarm settings, like alarm volume and snooze duration, touch >
Settings.

Set alarm by voice
1.

If you've set up Voice Match , say “OK, Google”. Or, touch
widget.

When prompted to speak, say your command. For example: “Set alarm for 7:45 p.m., label,
switch the laundry” or “Wake me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow.”
Your phone sets the alarm and provides a confirmation.

When an alarm is set
You'll see

in the status bar and on your lock screen.

To adjust it, open quick settings and touch the alarm time.

Delete an alarm
1.

Open the Clock app.

Touch

on the Google Search

Apps : Clock app

Use timer or stopwatch
Use timers
You can set multiple countdown timers with labels to keep track:
1.

In the Clock app, touch

Enter the time to count down.

Touch

Do any of the following:

for the Timer tab.

•

To pause the countdown, touch

•

To add a label to the timer, touch Label (helpful when using multiple timers).

•

To add a minute to the countdown, touch + 1:00.

•

To reset the counter to the original time, touch

•

To add a timer, touch Add timer.

•

To delete a timer, touch Delete.

•

To change the timer's sound, touch > Settings > Timer sound.

•

If you leave this app, quickly return to it by swiping the status bar down with one finger
to see the timer notification and remaining time. To open the timer, touch the
notification.

> Reset.

Tip: If you use timers frequently, create a task shortcut. Touch & hold
new timer to your home screen.

, then drag Create

Use a stopwatch
Record your time and share your results.
1.

In the Clock app, touch

Touch

Do any of the following:

for the Stopwatch tab.

•

To pause the stopwatch, touch

•

To record laps (or multiple durations) while the stopwatch is running, touch Lap.

•

To reset the counter to zero, touch

•

To share your times with others or send them to yourself, touch

> Reset.
> Share.

Apps : Clock app

•

If you leave this app, quickly return to it by swiping the status bar down with one finger
and touching a control. To open the stopwatch, touch the notification.

Tip: If you use stopwatches frequently, create a task shortcut. Touch & hold
Start stopwatch to your home screen.

, then drag

Set date and time
Change time format
1.

Go to Settings > System > Date & time.

To change how times are displayed:
•

To use military time such as 13:00, turn Use 24-hour format on

•

To use 12-hour format such as 1:00 PM, turn Use 24-hour format off

.
.

Set date and time automatically
1.

Go to Settings > Date & time.

Turn on Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone.

Your phone automatically syncs with the local time (using the mobile network). The local time is
used for alarms and is displayed on the lock screen and other displays.

Set date and time manually
1.

Go to Settings > Date & time.

Turn off Automatic date & time.

To make corrections, touch Set date and Set time.

Switch time zones
1.

Go to Settings > Date & time.

Turn off Automatic time zone.

Touch Select time zone. Then choose a regional time zone (which is applied to the current
time).

Apps : Clock app

Show multiple time zones
You can view multiple time zones in the Clock app, so you can coordinate plans with friends
and co-workers in other cities, or stay in touch with family back home when you’re traveling.
1.

Open the Clock app and touch

To add time zones, touch

, then select cities in the time zone you want to view.

Show home time zone
When traveling, you can view your home time zone in the Clock app.
1.

Open the Clock app and touch

Touch > Settings > Automatic home clock.

Touch Home time zone, then select your home time zone.

Apps : Moto app

About the Moto app
Moto Actions
Use gestures as shortcuts for common tasks:
•

Use three fingers to take a screenshot.

•

Twist your wrist twice quickly to open the camera from any screen.

•

Remove the

•

Use the Volume buttons to switch tracks when listening to music.

•

Make a chopping motion to turn the flashlight on or off.

•

Swipe to shrink screen for one-handed use.

•

Set your phone face down on a surface to start Do Not Disturb mode.

•

Pick up your ringing phone to silence it and switch to vibrate.

navigation icons and use gestures with the navigation bar instead.

Moto Display
See what's going on while your screen sleeps. Notification icons quietly appear and disappear
on the screen, giving you a peek at notifications while using very little power.
Keep your screen on while you’re looking at it with Attentive Display .

Shrink screen for one-handed use
You can temporarily shrink your screen to make it easier to use with one hand.
To enable this gesture:
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Touch Swipe to shrink and turn it on

> Moto Actions.
.

To shrink any screen, swipe from the center down to the bottom left or right corner of the
screen.
To return to a full-size screen, touch anywhere in the black area around the small screen.

Apps : Moto app

100

Preview notifications when screen sleeps
About Moto Display notifications
When your screen sleeps, battery-friendly Moto Display notifications fade in and out, lighting
only the pixels needed and showing notifications delivered since you last woke your screen.
You can select which apps show notifications and limit content to control your privacy.
Moto Display does not show notifications:
•

When the phone is in your pocket or purse

•

When the phone is lying face down

•

When you are on a call

Respond to Moto Display notifications
From the Moto Display screen, you can:
•

Preview a notification. Touch & hold its icon.

•

Open the related app. Drag your finger up to the preview (then unlock if using a screen
lock).

•

Dismiss a notification. Drag down to remove a notification.

101

Apps : Moto app

•

Ignore for now. Drag your finger to the right or left edge of the screen to stop notifications
from flashing until the next one is delivered.

Change Moto Display settings
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Do any of the following:

> Moto Display > Peek Display.

•

To stop specific apps from showing these notifications, touch Block apps >
touch the app's name.

•

For more privacy when the screen is locked, touch Level of details to show.

•

To allow text or voice replies from the Moto Display screen without unlocking the
phone, turn Quick Reply on
.

Stop Moto Display notifications
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

> Moto Display.

and

Apps : Moto app

Turn Peek Display off

102

To restart the notifications, turn Peek Display on

103

Apps : Photos app

Share photos and videos
You can wirelessly share one, multiple, or all items from any Photos view, sending them as
email or message attachments, uploading to the cloud, or using device-to-device connections
like Bluetooth.
In addition to sharing wirelessly, you can transfer photos to your computer with a USB
connection. You can also move photos from internal memory to SD card.
To share wirelessly:
1.

Open the Photos app.

Navigate to the thumbnail of the item you want to share.

Select the item to share:
•

To select one item, touch & hold its thumbnail.

•

To select multiple items, touch & hold the first thumbnail, then touch the others to
select them.
Tip: To clear all selections, touch

Touch

and select the way you want to share.

Upload photos and videos
Upload options
•

Photos are stored at original size and count as part of your free storage on Drive.

•

Photos are stored at standard size (2048px) after you reach the free storage limit. (You’ll
receive a message when you approach the limit and can purchase more space or delete
unwanted files to continue uploading at original size.)

•

Standard size photo uploads are unlimited and do not count as part of free storage on
Drive.

•

Video uploads are unlimited and do not count as part of free storage on Drive if they are
less than 15 minutes long and 1080p or lower resolution.

Back up automatically
1.

Open the Photos app.

Touch

Turn Back up & sync on

> Settings > Back up & sync.
.

Apps : Photos app

104

Adjust settings as needed:
•

To choose high quality or original size for uploads, touch Upload size.

•

To back up items in your Download, Screenshots, and third-party app folders, touch
Back up device folders.

•

To back up items over your cellular network, turn Photos and Videos on.

•

To allow syncing when your cellular service is roaming, turn Roaming on

Back up manually
Photos and videos that aren't backed up will have this icon
1.

Open the photo or video.

On the photo or video, touch

View your backed up photos and videos
From your phone, open the Photos app.
From your computer, sign in to photos.google.com.

More help
To learn more, open the Photos app and touch

> Help.

. To manually back it up:

105

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

Answer calls
Answer incoming call
When you receive a phone call, the Incoming call screen shows the caller ID. If you miss a call,
in the status bar.
you'll see
To answer an incoming call:
•

On the Incoming call screen, touch Answer.

•

On the lock screen, swipe
to answer a video call.

up to answer a voice call, or swipe the caller's icon/picture up

During a call, you can use the keypad to enter numbers or codes, use speakerphone or a
paired Bluetooth device, and add other people to the call. Learn more.
Tip: You can save a recent call as a contact.

Dismiss incoming call
If you don’t want to talk to the caller, you can:
•

Divert the call to voicemail. On the Incoming call screen, touch Dismiss. Or, on the lock
screen, press the Power button. You can also automatically divert all calls from a specified
number to voicemail.

•

Respond with a text message. On the lock screen, swipe
these default messages.

•

Block all calls from that number.

up. You can customize

Control ringtones and notifications
You can:
•

Quickly silence the ringer. Press Volume Down on the side of the phone.

•

Silence ringtones during hours you specify. Use Do Not Disturb .

•

Choose a unique ringtone for specific people. You'll know instantly who's calling.

•

Get notified of incoming calls when you're on a call. Set up call waiting.

•

Set the number of rings before sending a call to voicemail. Dial into voicemail, then
follow your carrier’s prompts to change this setting.

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

106

Fix a problem
If your phone isn't ringing for incoming calls, look for
in your status bar. Open quick settings
and touch
to turn Do Not Disturb off. Your phone will ring for incoming calls. Check your
settings to make sure your phone is screening calls at the appropriate times.
If you’re having other problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Make calls
Make a call
1.

Touch

and enter a number.

If you enter a wrong number, touch

Touch

To hang up, touch

to call the number.
.

Other ways to make calls
You can place calls from:
•

The

Phone app

•

The

Contacts app

•

Other apps that show contact information. Wherever you see a phone number, you can
usually touch it to dial.

In the

Phone app, you can place calls in several ways.

Do this

Dial a number

Touch

, enter a number and touch

. If you enter a wrong number, touch

.
Dial by voice

Touch and say a name or number. (If you don't see
close the dialer.)

, swipe down to

Or, skip the Phone app entirely and say a voice command.

107

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

Call by name

Start typing the name in the
search box. You'll see a list of matches. Just
touch one to call. (If you don't see , swipe down to close the dialer.)
Or, to see your contact list, touch
to call.

. Swipe through and touch the person

Call a favorite

Touch the

Call nearby
place

Touch and say or type the name, then touch the search result to place the
call. Learn more.

Return call

Touch

tab.

, then touch

next to the number.

Tips:
•

To call frequent numbers with one touch from your home screen, add a Direct dial
widget.

•

You can save a recent call as a contact.

Change default calling app
You can download additional calling apps from Play Store. After you've installed one, you can
make it your default calling app.
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch Default apps > Phone app.

Touch the app to use.

Fix a problem
To change your caller ID information seen by people receiving your calls, contact your carrier.
If you’re having other problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

108

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

During a call
Adjust sound during call
While listening, you can:
•

Adjust the volume. Use the Volume button on the side of the phone.

•

Use speaker. Touch

•

Use a paired Bluetooth device. Touch

•

Mute your microphone. Touch

.
to use or stop using the device.

. You can hear the caller but they can’t hear you.

Enter a number
Touch

on the call screen to use the numeric keypad.

Use other apps
When you hold your phone to your ear, the screen goes dark to avoid accidental touches. To
wake it up, move it away from your ear or press the Power button.
To hide the call and use other apps, touch

To return to the call, swipe the status bar down and touch Ongoing call.

Answer call waiting
If call waiting is active and a new call comes in, you can answer it. Touch Hold and Answer
Voice. The first call is put on hold.
To switch between calls, touch
To merge the calls, touch

End the call
Touch

on the call screen.

Or, swipe down from the top of any other screen to view the call notification and touch Hang
up.

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

109

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

Make video calls
Make video call with Duo app
Duo lets you video call anyone in your contact list who also uses Duo. Android users can get it
from Play Store, and iPhone users can download it from the iTunes App Store. The video calls
are secure and can’t be seen by others.
To get started, open the Duo app and follow the onscreen instructions to set it up.
For more information, touch > Help & Feedback.

Download video calling app
There are many video calling apps to choose from on Play Store (like WhatsApp, Skype, and
more). Search for “video calls” in Play Store and install one of your choice.

Make conference calls
To make a conference call:
1.

Call the first person.

To call the next person, touch

, enter the number, then touch

The first call goes on hold when you touch
3.

To join the calls after the second person answers, touch

Block calls and SMS
About blocking
If you don’t want to get calls or texts from a certain phone number, you can block it. When the
number tries to contact you, your phone declines automatically.
You can still call or text a number you've blocked. But, you'll see Blocked on the listing in the
Phone app and will get a warning in the Messages app, because you won't receive a response
or a return call unless you unblock the number.

Block a number
Use either app to block both calls and texts from a number.
From the

Phone app:

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

Touch

Touch a call from the number to block.

Touch Block/report spam.

If you don’t want to report the call as spam to Google, remove the checkmark.

Touch BLOCK.

From the

110

Messages app:

Touch & hold the conversation thread from the number to block.

Touch

If you don’t want to report the call as spam to Google, remove the checkmark.

Touch BLOCK.

Block all numbers for a contact
1.

Open the

Touch the person's name.

Touch > Block numbers.

If you don’t want to report the call as spam to Google, remove the checkmark.

Touch BLOCK.

Contacts app.

On the contact screen, you'll see

by the blocked numbers.

Unblock a number
If you reported a number to Google as spam when you blocked it, unblocking it also reverses
the spam report.
From the

Phone app:

Touch > Settings > Blocked numbers.

Touch

Touch UNBLOCK.

From the

by the number to unblock.

Messages app:

Touch > Blocked contacts.

Touch

Touch UNBLOCK.

by the number to unblock.

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Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

From the

Contacts app:

Touch

> Settings > Blocked numbers.

Touch

by the number to unblock.

Identify and block spam callers automatically
For numbers that aren't in your contacts, Google can provide information about the number and
warnings about potential spam callers.
1.

Touch

Touch > Settings > Caller ID & spam.

Turn Caller ID & spam on

To prevent ringing and notifications from suspected spam calls, turn Filter spam calls on
.

You won't receive notifications for these calls, but you'll see them in your call history and
can check any voicemail you receive.
When Caller ID & spam is on:
•

If you see “Suspected spam caller” or “Spam” for an incoming call, you can answer the call
or block and report the number.

•

Your phone may need to send information about your calls to Google.

•

It doesn’t control whether your number shows when you make calls.

If you don't want Google to identify spam callers, touch
and turn it off
.

> > Settings > Caller ID & spam

Turn on call waiting
When you’re on a call and a new call comes in, the new call is sent to voicemail. If you want to
be notified of new calls instead, turn on call waiting.
Note: Some carriers automatically control call waiting. If you do not see this option on your
phone, contact your carrier for more information.
1.

Touch

Touch > Settings.

Do one of the following:
•

If your phone has one SIM card, touch Calls.

112

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

•
4.

If your phone has dual SIMs, touch Calling accounts and select the SIM.

Touch Additional settings, then check Call waiting.

When call waiting is on, if you're on a call and a new call comes in, you can answer it. The first
call is put on hold. Touch to merge the two calls.

View and delete call history
See your call history
To see all recent calls:
1.

Touch

You'll see one or more of these icons next to each call:
Icon

Meaning
Missed call (incoming)
Call you answered (incoming)
Call you made (outgoing)

To learn more about a call, touch it, then touch

Call details.

To see only your missed calls:
1.

Touch

Touch > Call History.

Touch Missed.

Save recent call as contact
You can save a number to make it easy to find and call back later.
To save a number:
1.

Touch

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Phone calls

Touch the number.

Do one of the following:

•

To add to an existing contact, touch Add to a contact.

•

To set up a new contact, touch Create contact. Add contact details.

Touch

or Save.

Delete calls from history
Caution: There’s no way to restore the history after you delete it.
To delete one call:
1.

Touch

Touch the number.

Touch

Call details.
.

To delete all calls:
1.

Touch

Touch > Call History.

Touch > Clear call history.

113

114

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Contacts

Add contacts
Add contacts automatically
When you add an account, such as Google or email, to your phone, the contacts for that
account are available on your phone automatically.

Add contact with Contacts app
1.

Open the

Touch

The account that will be synced with your new contact appears at the top. To change this or
to view more fields, touch More Fields.

Touch a text box to type the name and details. Fill in as much or as little information as
you'd like.

Contacts app.

Tips:
•

To add a photo, touch
it.

•

You can assign a custom ringtone for calls from that contact.

•

If you have multiple accounts on your phone and want to change the default
account for new contacts, go to Contacts >
> Settings > Default account for

. Choose a photo you've saved, or take a photo and crop

new contacts.
5.

Touch Save.

Add contact from text message
You can easily create a new contact or add a new number for an existing contact when you
receive a text message from an unassigned number.
1.

Open the

In the message list, touch & hold the number, then touch

Touch Add Contact.

Do one of the following:

Messages app.
.

•

To add to an existing contact, touch the contact's name.

•

To set up a new contact, touch Create contact and add contact details.

Touch

115

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Contacts

Other ways to add contacts
•

Save a recent call as a contact.

•

Have someone send you a name card.

•

Scan business cards or QR codes.

Edit or delete contacts
Edit contacts
After creating a contact, you can change the name, photo, and other contact information.
1.

Open the

Touch the person's name.

Adjust settings as needed:

Contacts app.

•

To assign a custom ringtone, touch > Set ringtone.

•

To send calls directly to voicemail, touch > Route to voicemail. You can also block
calls.

•

To edit contact info, touch , then touch a field to make changes, touch
the photo, or touch
> Discard to undo changes.

Touch

to change

Merge contacts
If you have two contacts for the same person, you can merge the information (including all
emails and phone numbers) into a single listing.
To automatically merge contacts:
1.

Open the

Touch

Contacts app.
> Suggestions.

If you don't see Suggestions, no duplicate contacts were found.
3.

Touch Merge duplicates.
If you don’t see this option, contacts can't be automatically merged.

Select options to merge one or all duplicates.

To manually merge contacts:
1.

Open the

Contacts app.

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Contacts

Touch & hold the primary contact to merge.
By default, this contact’s name is used for the new listing.

Touch the second contact.

Touch > Merge.

Tip: You can edit the primary contact name (for the merged listing), or delete or change
other contact information as needed.

Delete contacts
You can delete contacts created and stored on your phone. If the contact is synced from a
social network account, you need to delete the contact in that account. For example, a
Facebook contact must be deleted from within your Facebook account. Or, hide Facebook
contacts on your phone by filtering your contact list.
1.

Open the

Touch the name of the person.

Touch > Delete and confirm the deletion.

Contacts app.

Star your favorite contacts
Contacts you mark as favorites appear at the top of the list in the Contacts app and on the
tab in the Phone app.
To add someone to your favorites:
1.

Touch the contact icon (photo or other icon).

Touch

Sort contacts
Sort contacts in Contacts app
1.

Open the Contacts app.

Touch

Set options:
•

> Settings.

To sort by first or last name, touch Sort by.

116

117

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Contacts

•

To list names with first name first or last name first, touch Name format.

Sort contacts in Phone app
1.

Open the

Touch > Settings > Display options.

Set options:

Phone app.

•

To sort by first or last name, touch Sort by.

•

To list names with first name first or last name first, touch Name format.

Narrow which contacts are shown
In the Contacts app, you can narrow which contacts are shown. These changes don't affect
which contacts are shown in the Phone app.
In the

Contacts app, choose one:

•

To show contacts from only one account, touch

•

To show contacts from all accounts, touch

In the

Phone app, use the

. Then touch

and select the account.

> All contacts.

tab to see only contacts you call frequently. To remove

contacts from this tab, touch on the contact, then touch

Share contacts
Ways to share contacts
You can share one or all contacts with someone by sending a name card file (.vcf).
You can also share a contact’s information as a text message attachment.

Share one or a few contacts
1.

Open the

Touch & hold a name to select it, then touch others to select more.

Touch

Select the way to share.

Contacts app.

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Contacts

118

Export all contacts
1.

Open the

Touch

If you use more than one account, select the account.

Touch Export to .vcf file.

Touch SAVE to save it in your Download folder.

Open the Files app.

Touch Browse > Download.

Touch & hold the file.

Touch

Contacts app.
> Settings > Export.

10. Select the way to share.

Receive a name card file
1.

When someone sends you a name card file, you'll see a file transfer notification. Touch the
notification and accept the file transfer.

Touch the name card file (.vcf) to open it and add the person to your contacts.

119

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Voicemail

Use voicemail
Listen to voicemail
If you've set up voicemail, you'll see
arrives.
1.

in the status bar when a new voicemail message

Do one of the following:
•

Swipe the status bar down and touch

•

Or, touch

, then touch & hold 1.

When connected, follow your carrier’s system prompts.

If you listen to a new message and disconnect from voicemail without saving or deleting it, you
in the status bar.
will still see

Manage your mailbox
Your carrier provides your voicemail system. Dial into voicemail and follow the prompts to
manage your messages and mailbox.
Contact your carrier for help with:
•

Recovering or resetting voicemail password/PIN

•

Replaying messages

•

Saving, forwarding, or deleting messages

•

Replying with or sending voice messages

•

Changing number of rings before connecting call to voicemail

•

Changing greeting or recorded name

•

Changing notification options

•

Changing mailbox language

Fix a problem
If

remains in your status bar after you listen to your voicemails, try the following.

First, force stop the app:
1.

Touch & hold

Touch

Touch Force stop.

Calls, contacts, voicemail : Voicemail

120

This restarts the app and should remove the notification.
If that doesn't help:
1.

Call yourself from another phone and leave a short message.

Go into to your voicemail and delete this message, but wait to hang up until the notification
icon has disappeared from your status bar.

Send all calls from contact to voicemail
To send all calls from a certain person to voicemail:
1.

Open the

Touch the contact's icon.

Touch > Route to voicemail.

Contacts app.

Tip: You can also block all calls and text messages from a number.

121

Music

Listen to radio
Listen to FM stations
Your phone automatically tunes to radio stations with the best signal. Listening to the radio
doesn't use your mobile data.
1.

Plug headphones (any brand) into your phone. They serve as a radio antenna. Even when
you listen through your phone speakers, Bluetooth wireless speakers, or wireless
headphones, the wired headphones still serve as your antenna.

Open the FM Radio app.

Do any of the following:
•

To view all stations and listen to any, use the

•

To listen to your favorite stations, use the

•

To seek stations throughout the radio dial, touch the
tab, then touch
to specific frequencies by dragging the tuner to the appropriate number.

•

To change between headphones or speakers, touch

•

To listen to the radio while using another app, touch . Use the mini player in
notifications to seek stations or turn it off. Touch the notification to open the full app. To
remove the notification, touch
to turn off the radio.

•

To turn the radio off, touch

tab.
tab.

. Tune

Tip: If you're having reception issues, try moving your phone as far from the headphones as
possible to increase the size of the antenna. Or, try moving a short distance, towards a
window if you are inside or away from buildings if you are outside.

Manage your favorite stations
To add a station to your favorites, on the
To listen to your favorite stations, use the
To remove a favorite, on any tab, touch

or
tab.

by the station.

Record current station
1.

On the

To stop recording, touch

If desired, edit the recording's name.

tab, touch

to start recording.
.

tabs, touch

by the station.

122

Music

Touch DONE.

To listen to a recording, touch

> Recordings >

To delete or rename a recording, beside it, touch .
To delete all recordings, at the top of the screen, touch > Delete all.
To change storage location for recordings, touch

> Settings > Storage location.

Maintain volume when notification arrives
To prevent the radio volume from being lowered when a notification arrives:
1.

Touch

Touch When a notification is played > Keep volume.

> Settings.

Set sleep timer for radio
1.

Touch

Select a duration of time to listen.

Touch

> Sleep Timer.

After the specified time, the radio automatically turns off.
To turn off the timer before the duration has passed, touch
the lock screen.

in the app, its notification, or on

Listen to music
Get music
Stream songs or download them to your phone so you can listen when you’re on an airplane or
don’t have an internet connection.
Your phone can play MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, and WAV files.
To get music, do any of the following:
•

Purchase it in an app, like Play Music. Then stream it or download it using that app.

•

Transfer it over USB or Bluetooth from your computer to your phone’s Music folder.

•

Upload it from your computer to the cloud and listen on any internet-connected device.

123

Music

Listen with Play Music
1.

Open the Play Music app.

Do any of the following:
•

To play music stored on your phone, on your SD card, or in the cloud, touch
Music library.

•

To prevent streaming and listen only to music stored on your phone, touch
Downloaded only on
.

•

To change the storage location for downloaded files, touch
> Settings > Storage
Location and choose Internal for device storage or External for SD card storage.

•

To learn more about features or music pricing, touch

>
and turn

> Help & Feedback.

To open your music library with one touch from your home screen, add a task shortcut:
1.

Touch & hold

Drag My library to a blank space on your home screen.

You can listen through your phone's speaker or by pairing with a Bluetooth speaker.

Listen with other apps
You can download apps for listening to and organizing music. Open the new app and touch
or > Help to learn more.

Use Volume buttons to switch tracks
When the screen is off, you can use the Volume buttons to switch tracks.
To set it up:
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Touch Media controls and turn it on

> Moto Actions.
.

To switch tracks when the screen is off:
•

For the next track, press & hold the Volume up button.

•

For the previous track, press & hold the Volume down button. If this restarts the current
track, press Volume down again.

124

Music

Transfer music files
About transferring mucic
You can transfer purchased music files stored on your devices between devices you own.
Music apps that share music files from cloud storage typically share links to access stored files
instead of transferring music files between devices. To transfer music files, the music must be
stored on the device.

Send files over Bluetooth
To send music files stored on your phone:
1.

Pair your phone with the device receiving the music.

On your phone, open the Files app and touch Browse > Audio.

Touch & hold the file.

Touch

Touch the name of the paired device.

and select Bluetooth.

During file transfer, you’ll see

in the status bar. To check the status, see the notification.

Receive files over Bluetooth
1.

Pair your phone with the device sending the music.

On the device sending the music, start the file transfer, following device’s instructions.

When you receive the Bluetooth notification on your phone, swipe down and touch it, then
touch Accept.
During file transfer, you’ll see
notification.

in the status bar. To check the status, open the

The files are saved in Music/Bluetooth, where music apps will find them. You’re ready to listen!
Tip: To see Bluetooth files you received, go to Settings > Connected devices >
Connection preferences > Received files.

Transfer music from your computer
To move your music from your computer to your phone, connect them with a USB cable and
copy the files to your phone’s Music folder.

Music

125

Connect a MIDI device
To connect a MIDI device:
1.

Make sure you have:
•

A USB cable that's capable of data transfer and isn't for charging only.

•

A USB OTG adapter cable, if needed.

Turn the phone and MIDI device on.

Connect them with the USB cable (and adapter if needed).

Unlock the phone.

Change the USB connection type to allow MIDI connection:
1.

Swipe down from the top of your home screen and touch the
via USB notification.

Touch MIDI.

Charging this device

126

Battery

Charge phone
How to charge phone
Your phone is like a small computer, giving you tons of information and apps. Depending on
what you use, that can take a lot of power. Plan on charging the phone each night so it's ready
for the next day.
1.

Using the charger that came with the phone, insert the USB end into the phone.
Weaker chargers take longer to charge the phone, and if you use the phone while
charging, may not charge it at all.

Insert the plug into an electrical outlet.
When the phone is off and charging, you’ll see the outline of a battery and a percentage. If
the battery is completely discharged, this will not appear until the phone has received the
minimum voltage required to boot.
When the phone is on and charging, you’ll see

in the status bar.

Tips for charging phone
•

You can use your phone while charging. To charge faster, don't use your phone while
charging.

•

If you can't turn the phone on while it's charging, wait until it receives enough voltage
before turning it on.

•

When the battery gets low, the phone sends a notification.

•

Use Battery Saver mode when the battery is low.

•

You can turn off charging sounds.

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Extend battery life
Choose settings that use less battery
To get the most life from your battery:
•

Connections: Turn off Bluetooth and GPS when you're not using them.

•

Wi‑Fi: Turn on Wi‑Fi when the phone is in a location with Wi‑Fi coverage.

127

Battery

•

Screen: Turn down screen brightness and set a shorter screen timeout.

•

Sync: If you don't need it, turn off automatic syncing for all accounts. This means you won't
receive notifications when updates occur and you'll need to manually sync to get new
emails.

Temporarily conserve battery power
Use Battery Saver mode to keep going on a low battery.
Also, avoid these battery-intensive activities until you can charge:
•

Recording or watching videos

•

Listening to music

•

Taking pictures

•

Using Live (animated) wallpaper

See what’s using your battery
To see if a specific app is draining your battery:
1.

Go to Settings > Battery > Usage details.

Swipe up to view the list of apps and features using power since the last full charge.

Touch the app or feature using a lot of power.

Under Manage battery usage, touch options for reducing the power usage.

Keep adaptive battery and battery optimization on
To ensure that apps use your battery only when they need to, keep adaptive battery and battery
optimization on.
Check that adaptive battery is on for your phone
When you keep adaptive battery on, infrequently used apps will run less when you're not using
them. Your phone will learn how you use apps over time and adjust for best battery life.
1.

Go to Settings > Battery > Adaptive Battery.

Turn Use Adaptive Battery on

Check that battery optimization is on for each app
If you turn off Battery optimization for an app, that app can run when you're not using it, even
when Adaptive Battery is on. This decreases battery life unnecessarily.
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Special app access.

Touch Battery optimization.

Battery

128

If an app is listed as Not optimized:
1.

Touch the app.

Touch Optimize > Done.

Use Battery Saver mode
Battery Saver helps you keep going on a low battery by automatically restricting mobile data
until the next charge. Some apps and services won’t work unless you’re connected to a Wi‑Fi
network.
To turn Battery Saver on, open quick settings and touch

To turn Battery Saver on automatically when your power is below a specified level:
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Battery Saver > Turn on automatically.

Move the slider to adjust the percentage when Battery Saver switches on.

When the phone is in Battery Saver mode, you'll see

in the status bar.

Storage

129

About storage options
Phone internal storgage
You can store photos, videos, music, and applications on your phone. Files you download from
email or the internet are stored there, too.
You can free up space when needed.

Using SD card as portable storage
Use your SD card as portable storage if you:
•

Frequently swap your SD card and content between devices

•

Have a Class 2, 4, or 6 card

•

Don’t download and install many large apps

When used as portable storage:
•

The card can only store media files.

•

The card is readable by other devices, including phones, computers, cameras.

•

Content on the card isn’t encrypted.

•

You can view or listen to media on the card using media apps.

•

You can set the Camera app to store new photos and videos on the card.

•

Apps can’t be moved to or installed on the card.

To transfer files or view them on another device (TV, computer, etc.), remove the card from your
phone and insert it into the other device. You can also move files from internal memory to the
card, or transfer files to a computer using a USB cable.

Using SD card as extended internal storage
Use your SD card as internal storage if you:
•

Need more device storage and plan to keep the card in the phone

•

Download large apps and games

•

Have a high-speed card (UHS-1)

When used as internal storage:
•

The card can be your phone’s primary storage.

•

You can move downloaded apps, app data, and media files to the card.

130

Storage

•

The card is NOT readable by other devices, is always encrypted, and cannot be decrypted
on any other device.

•

If you decide to change the card to portable storage, the card must be formatted and
erased.

Cloud storage
Clouds are great for storing files you want to share and access on the go, like photos, videos,
and music.
Benefits include:
•

Access to your files from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection - uses
cellular data or Wi-Fi

•

File synchronization - no need to keep track of multiple versions in multiple storage
locations

•

Ideal for backups of photos and videos

Cloud storage providers typically offer free storage that can be expanded with a paid
subscription once you reach the free-storage limit. Or you can manage your free storage by
removing files you no longer need to make space for new ones.
Apps like Drive and Photos let you easily back up media.

Manage phone storage
Free up space by scanning
To scan your phone for old and unused items to remove, like downloads and unused apps:
1.

Open the Files app.

Touch Clean.
You’ll see suggestions for categories of items to check and free up space.

Touch the suggestions and follow onscreen instructions to uninstall, move, or delete items.

If you don't see suggestions to free up space, check that suggestions are on:
1.

Open the Files app.

Touch

Touch Notifications and turn on

> Settings.
ones you want to receive.

131

Storage

Free up space manually
To free up space:
1.

Open the Files app.

Touch Browse.

Touch a category (apps, images, videos, etc.) to view that type of item.

Do any of the following:
•

To uninstall apps, touch the app name, then touch Uninstall.

•

To clear an app's cache, touch the app's name, then touch Storage > Clear cache.

•

To clear your data for an app, touch the app's name, then touch Storage > Clear
storage.

•

To delete media or other files, touch & hold to select one or more items, then touch

Schedule automatic removal of photos and videos
If you automatically back up your photos and videos, you can automatically remove copies from
your phone's internal storage after 30, 60, or 90 days.
1.

Go to Settings > Storage.

If you installed an SD card, touch Internal shared storage.

Touch Storage manager and turn it on

Touch Remove photos & videos and select a duration.

If you store photos or videos on your SD card, this does not delete them.

Manage SD card
Move media from phone to SD card
To free up internal storage on your phone:
1.

Open the Files app.
Or, go to Settings > Storage > Internal storage > FREE UP SPACE.

Touch Clean.
If there are media files to move, you’ll see them listed.

Touch Move to SD card.

Select items to move.

132

Storage

Touch Move.

Remove SD card
Drag the SD card notification down, and touch Eject.
If you don't see the notification:
1.

Go to Settings > Storage.

Next to your SD card name, touch

It's now safe to remove the card from the phone.
To insert the card into another device (computer, projector, etc.), you may need the adapter that
came with your card. See device manufacturer's instructions for the type of adapter required
and insertion instructions.

Erase SD card
1.

Go to Settings > Storage.

Select your SD card.

Touch > Storage settings > Format.

Touch Erase & format.

Touch Done.

Change storage type
You'll need to choose one of two formats for your SD card. Need help deciding which format to
use?
1.

Go to Settings > Storage.

Touch the SD card's name.

Touch > Storage settings.

Touch Format as internal or Format as portable.

Find downloaded files
You can download files and store them on your phone, including:
•

Photos, videos, and documents you save from emails or texts

•

Books, movies, or other content that you buy from Play Store and save for offline viewing

•

Other files or images you download from the web

133

Storage

When the file has finished downloading, you'll see
open the file in the appropriate app.

in the status bar. Touch the notification to

To view, edit, or delete downloads:
1.

Open the Files app.

Touch Browse > Downloads.

Do any of the following:
•

To open or play a file, touch it.

•

To sort files by name, date modified, or size, touch > Sort by.

•

To share a file, touch & hold it, then touch

•

To delete a file, touch & hold it, then touch

Tip: To access downloads from a computer, connect your phone with a USB cable. Then
open the phone's internal storage, and look for files in the Downloads folder.

Recover recently deleted files
You can try to recover recently deleted photos, videos, or texts. But do so as soon as possible.
The more you use the phone, the more likely the file will be overwritten with new data.
1.

Search for “file recovery” in Play Store and install one of the apps.

Use the app to scan your phone.

If you can't recover recently deleted items, try connecting your phone to your computer with
a USB cable and using a desktop program for file recovery.

Tip: Back up your photos to the cloud so you won't lose them if you delete them from your
phone.

Upload music to cloud
You can store up to 20,000 songs from your library in the cloud, for free, with Google Play
Music (not available in all countries). Then you can instantly listen to your tunes wherever you
are.
You can upload music from your:
•

iTunes library

134

Storage

•

Windows Media Player library

•

My Music folder, or any folder on your computer

To upload your music, use Google Play Music for Chrome or install the Music Manager
application on your computer. On your computer, visit play.google.com/music and click
Upload music. To learn more, read Google's help.

After you’ve uploaded your music, you can listen to it:
•

On your computer by visiting www.google.com/music

•

On your phone with the Play Music app

Upload photos and videos
Upload options
•

Photos are stored at original size and count as part of your free storage on Drive.

•

Standard size photo uploads are unlimited and do not count as part of free storage on
Drive.

•

Video uploads are unlimited and do not count as part of free storage on Drive if they are
less than 15 minutes long and 1080p or lower resolution.

Back up automatically
1.

Open the Photos app.

Touch

Turn Back up & sync on

Adjust settings as needed:

> Settings > Back up & sync.
.

•

To choose high quality or original size for uploads, touch Upload size.

•

To back up items in your Download, Screenshots, and third-party app folders, touch
Back up device folders.

•

To back up items over your cellular network, turn Photos and Videos on.

•

To allow syncing when your cellular service is roaming, turn Roaming on

135

Storage

Back up manually
Photos and videos that aren't backed up will have this icon
1.

Open the photo or video.

On the photo or video, touch

. To manually back it up:

View your backed up photos and videos
From your phone, open the Photos app.
From your computer, sign in to photos.google.com.

More help
To learn more, open the Photos app and touch

> Help.

Scan documents and make copies
Scan document to Drive
You can scan important documents with your phone and save them as PDFs on Google Drive.
1.

Open the Drive app.

Touch

Align your phone over the document to scan and touch

Optionally:

.
.

•

Touch

to crop.

•

Touch

to select image enhancement options.

•

Touch to delete, rename, and adjust image and PDF settings.

•

Touch

to reset the scanner (deletes current unsaved scan).

•

Touch

to add another page.

When you've finished scanning, touch

The PDF is saved on Drive. In Drive, open the file and touch to share or print the scan.
Tip: You can also use the Camera app to scan information.

Storage

136

Scan and save to folders from your home screen
Add Drive Scan widgets to your home screen to scan and save to new or selected folders. Each
widget saves to a single folder on Drive. So, add multiple widgets, one for each folder you need
(receipts, billing statements, recipes, etc.).

137

Network and internet

Connect with Wi‑Fi
Connect to Wi‑Fi network
Some Wi‑Fi networks are open and you can simply connect your phone to them for internet
access. Other Wi‑Fi networks are secure and require you to enter a password or digital
certificate. Contact the Wi-Fi network's owner or administrator for the password or digital
certificate.
To search for and connect with available Wi‑Fi networks:
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Turn Use Wi-Fi on

Touch the Wi‑Fi network you want to connect to.

If the network is a secure one, enter the password.

Tip: Make sure you enter the password correctly. Touch Show password to see what
you’re typing.
When your phone is connected, you'll see
appears in the status bar.

in the status bar. If the connection is poor,

Reconnect with Wi‑Fi network
Open quick settings and touch the icon if Wi-Fi is not already on. Your phone automatically
connects to a previously-connected Wi-Fi networks when you're in range.
To connect to a different network, touch & hold

, then choose another network.

Turn Wi-Fi off
To extend the life of your battery between charges, turn off Wi‑Fi when you're not in a location
with access to Wi‑Fi.
Open quick settings and touch

to turn it off.

Advanced: Forget Wi-Fi connection
1.

Open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch the network’s name and touch Forget.

Advanced: Disable Wi-Fi scanning
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

138

Network and internet

Touch Location > Advanced > Scanning.

Turn Wi-Fi scanning off

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems with Wi-Fi, try these troubleshooting steps.

Use Airplane mode
Airplane mode turns off all wireless connections, preventing your phone from transmitting
signals that could interfere with airplane communications.
Open quick settings and touch
to turn airplane mode on. This disables all wireless
connections (Wi‑Fi, voice and data for calls and text messages, Bluetooth). If permitted by your
airline, you can then turn Wi‑Fi and/or Bluetooth back on during the flight. Other wireless
connections remain off.

Control data usage
Turn mobile data off/on
To toggle it on/off, swipe the status bar down and touch

When you turn off data usage over your cellular network, you can still use data by connecting to
a Wi-Fi network.
Cellular data must be ON if you want to:
•

Receive or send multi-media messages

•

Share your phone’s internet connection with other devices

Set data limit
Sometimes it's easy to exceed your data plan limit without realizing it. To avoid surprises, set a
usage warning that notifies you when you’re close to your limit, and set a usage limit that turns
off cellular data when the limit is reached.
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage.
Or, open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Data warning & limit.

To set a warning, turn Set data warning on
amount of data.

, then touch Data warning and enter the

139

Network and internet

To set a usage limit, turn Set data limit on
amount of data.

, then touch Data limit and enter the

Restrict background data
Even when you’re not using them, most apps sync data in the background.
You can prevent specific apps from ever sending or receiving data in the background. Also, if
you're running low on data during your billing cycle, use Data Saver to conserve your remaining
data. Data Saver lets you quickly turn off background data usage for all apps; if you have one
or two that want to continue using background data, you can set them as exceptions.
When you restrict background data, you will not receive notifications from apps that typically
sync in the background (like Gmail) until you open the app; then data syncs as usual.
If you're running low on data during your billing cycle:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage.
Or, open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Data Saver and turn Use Data Saver on
You'll see

in your status bar and all apps are prevented from using background data.

Tip: The first time you turn Data Saver on,
is added to quick settings. After that, just
swipe the status bar down and touch
to turn Data Saver off/on.
3.

To allow certain apps to continue using background data, touch Unrestricted data, then
next to the app name, slide the switch on
.

To prevent specific apps from ever using background data:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage.
Or, open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch App data usage.

Touch an app, then turn Background data off

Restrict background data for Wi-Fi networks
If you have to pay for data usage on a Wi-Fi network, you can restrict apps from using
background data on that network.
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage.
Or, open quick settings, then touch & hold

Touch Network restrictions.

140

Network and internet

For each Wi-Fi network where you pay for data usage, slide the switch on
is a metered Wi-Fi network.

to indicate it

Any restrictions that you set up on background data for cellular networks will also apply for
these metered Wi-Fi networks.

Dual SIMs
If your phone has two SIMs, cellular data is active on only one SIM at a time. You can control
which SIM is used.

Share your internet connection
About hotspots and tethering
Want to use the internet on a laptop computer or tablet but don't have a connection? You can
share your phone's cellular data connection with multiple devices by turning your phone into a
Wi‑Fi hotspot. You can also share your internet connection with a single device using USB
tethering or Bluetooth tethering.
Note: Your cellular plan must support data sharing. If you don’t know, contact your carrier.

Set up Wi‑Fi hotspot
1.

Check that cellular data is on. If cellular data is off, your phone doesn't have an internet
connection to share.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

Touch Wi-Fi hotspot and do any:
•

To make it easier to identify your hotspot when connecting to it, change the network
name for your hotspot.

•

To prevent others from seeing your phone's network name, check Hide my device.

•

To see the current password, touch Advanced > Hotspot password.

•

If the hotspot signal is experiencing interference, touch Advanced and change the
broadcast channel/band to 5GHz. If the hotspot signal seems weak, change it to
2GHz. (This feature is not available in all countries.)

Connect devices to Wi-Fi hotspot
1.

Check that cellular data is on. If cellular data is off, your phone doesn't have an internet
connection to share.

141

Network and internet

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

Touch Wi-Fi hotspot and turn it on
hotspot really drains the battery!

, then plug in your phone to charge. Using the

When your hotspot is active, you'll see

in the status bar.

Tip: The first time you turn the hotspot on,
is added to quick settings. After that, just
swipe the status bar down and touch
to turn the hotspot off/on.
4.

To connect a device, open the device’s Wi-Fi settings, select your phone’s hotspot and
enter the hotspot password.

To disconnect devices from your hotspot, touch Wi-Fi hotspot and turn it off. When you turn it
back on, devices with the password can connect automatically. To prevent this, change the WiFi password.

Manage Wi-Fi hostpot connections
By assigning a password when you set up your hotspot, you ensure that people can't connect to
your hotspot without your knowledge or permission.
To disconnect all devices and prevent users from reconnecting:
1.

Turn the hotspot off.

Change the password.

Turn the hotspot back on to continue using it.

Tip: When no devices are connected, the hotspot turns off automatically. To adjust this
setting, go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot >
Advanced > Turn off hotspot automatically.

Change Wi-Fi hotspot password
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

Touch Wi-Fi hotspot.

Touch Advanced > Hotspot password to see the current password.

To change the password, type over the current password.

Note: Although you can turn off passwords for your hotspot, keeping a password prevents
unauthorized usage of your cellular data.

Network and internet

142

USB tethering
To connect a device to the internet using your phone's cellular data and a USB cable:
1.

Check that cellular data is on. If cellular data is off, your phone doesn't have an internet
connection to share.

Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable.

On your phone, go to Settings .

Touch Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

Turn on USB tethering to start the connection.
You'll see

in your notifications.

To stop the connection, touch the notification and turn off USB tethering, then disconnect your
phone and computer.

Bluetooth tethering
To connect a device to the internet using your phone's cellular data and a Bluetooth connection:
1.

Check that cellular data is on. If cellular data is off, your phone doesn't have an internet
connection to share.

Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and pair with the other device.

Set up the other device to get its network connection via Bluetooth.

On your phone, go to Settings .

Touch Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering.

Turn on Bluetooth tethering to start the connection.
You'll see

in your notifications.

To stop the connection, touch the notification and turn off Bluetooth tethering.

Fix a problem
If you're having problems, try these troubleshooting steps:
•

Wi-Fi hotspot

•

USB

•

Bluetooth

Network and internet

143

Connect to VPNs
A virtual private network (VPN) lets you access files on a secure network like an office network
with a firewall. Contact your network administrator for VPN settings and any additional apps or
requirements.
To set up a VPN connection:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet.

Touch Advanced > VPN. If prompted, set a screen lock PIN or password.

Touch

Choose the type of VPN and enter settings from the network administrator.

To always remain connected to the VPN, check Always-on VPN.

Touch Save.

The network is stored in the VPN list so you can select it when you need to connect.

144

Connected devices

Connect with Bluetooth™
Pair with Bluetooth device
To connect with a new Bluetooth accessory or other device, you need to pair with it. You only
need to do this once for each device.
1.

Set the device you want to pair (accessory, computer, other phone, etc.) to Bluetooth
discovery mode so that your phone can find it. See the device manufacturer’s instructions.

On your phone, go to Settings > Connected devices.

Touch

As the phone searches for available devices, you'll see
4.

Touch an available device to connect.

Do any of the following:

•

If a pairing code appears on your phone and Bluetooth device, make sure the codes
match. (If they don't, touch Cancel, verify the name of the device you want to pair with,
and try again.)

•

If your device shows a passkey (like 0000 or 1234), enter it on your phone. If you don't
see a place to enter it, swipe down from the top of your screen and touch the
Bluetooth notification.

•

If your device doesn't show a passkey and you must enter one for the device to pair,
see the device manufacturers' instructions.

Touch Pair on your phone AND touch the pairing prompt on the other device. If you don't
confirm on both devices, pairing will fail.

Set sharing options if you'll want to share contacts, phone audio, media audio, or internet
access.

Tip: If you use a screen lock, you can define a paired Bluetooth device as a trusted device,
keeping your phone unlocked while connected to it. When you disconnect or move out of
range, your phone locks again. Go to Settings > Security & location > Smart Lock >
Trusted devices.
Can't pair? Try these troubleshooting steps.

Use paired device
Tip: Bluetooth connections can really drain your battery. Save power by turning Bluetooth off
when you're not connected to a device.

145

Connected devices

After pairing with a device, you’ll need to set sharing options and then you can use Bluetooth to:
•

Make or receive calls with a headset

•

Make or receive calls and play music over your car's audio system

•

Transfer music

•

Share photos

•

Share contacts

•

Share your phone's internet connection with your computer

To set sharing options:
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices.

Do one of the following:
•

For a currently connected device, touch the device name.

•

For a paired device you're not connected to, touch Previously connected devices,
then next to the device name, touch .

Turn sharing options on or off.

On the paired device or in the device’s app, look for Bluetooth settings to review and
adjust. For more information, see the paired device manufacturer’s instructions.

Reconnect with Bluetooth device
1.

Open quick settings and touch

Turn on the Bluetooth device.

to turn it on.

Turn Bluetooth off
Bluetooth uses more of your battery, so turn it off when not in use.
Open quick settings and touch

to turn it off.

Change phone's name
Your phone name identifies your phone in a Bluetooth network. You can change the name.
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices.

Make sure Bluetooth is on.

Touch

> Device name.

146

Connected devices

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems with a Bluetooth device, try these troubleshooting steps.

Cast your screen to TV
Before you begin
•

To mirror your entire display on a TV, attach a Chromecast device to your TV or use a TV
with Chromecast built-in. Follow product instructions to set it up.

•

Make sure your phone and Smart TV or casting device are connected to the same Wi-Fi
network.

Mirror entire display
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Cast.
Or from quick settings, touch

Touch the name of the device to connect.

If you don’t have a Cast tile in quick settings, you can add one.

Cast an app
In a cast-compatible app (like YouTube), touch

While casting:
•

You’ll see

•

You can still make and receive calls and use your phone’s other features.

in the status bar.

If you’re using a VPN and are having trouble casting, turn off the VPN and try again.

Disconnect from TV
Do one of the following:
•

On the casting notification, touch

•

On the app screen that is casting, touch

•

From quick settings, touch

> Disconnect.
> Disconnect.

> Disconnect.

Other ways to share media on TV
•

Most smart TVs have mobile apps that allow you to view or play media from your phone.

147

Connected devices

•

If your smart TV supports Wi-Fi Direct, set up a Wi-Fi Direct connection between your
phone and TV to view or play media from your phone. See your TV user guide for Wi-Fi
Direct setup instructions.

Transfer files between phone and computer (USB)
About USB transfers
You can transfer music, photos, and other files between your phone's storage and computer (in
either direction). Use a USB cable that's capable of data transfer and isn't for charging only.
When you connect the phone and computer with the USB cable, the phone’s USB connection
type is set to charging mode, which charges your battery but prevents your computer from
seeing files on your phone. Before transferring files, change the USB connection type to allow
transfer of:
•

Any type of file

•

Only photos and videos

Connect phone to transfer files
1.

With the phone and computer turned on, connect the phone and computer with a USB
cable.

Unlock the phone.

Change the USB connection type to allow file transfers:
1.

Swipe down from the top of your home screen and touch the

Charging this device

via USB notification.
2.

To transfer any type of file, touch File transfer.
Or, to transfer only photos and videos, touch PTP.

Transfer files
On a Windows computer:
1.

Ensure the phone is properly connected to the computer using the steps above.
If you don't unlock the phone and change the USB connection to allow file transfers, you
won't see any files on your phone.

On your computer, open File Explorer, click the name of your phone, and navigate to its
internal storage or SD card.

If you selected PTP when you connected the phone, in File Explorer choose whether to
import pictures and videos automatically or manually.

Connected devices

148

Open a second File Explorer window to see your computer folders.

Navigate to the folders or files to transfer, then drag and drop them to and from the open
phone storage and computer folders.

On a Mac:
1.

On your computer, download the Android File Transfer application from www.android.com/
filetransfer and follow the onscreen instructions.

Location of files
Files are stored in these folders on your phone:
•

DCIM: (Digital Camera Images) Photos and videos taken with the Camera app

•

Pictures: Photos you edited and photos from apps other than Camera

•

Download: Files downloaded from the internet

•

Music: Files for apps that play music

•

Ringtones: Sound files for ringtones

•

Notifications: Sound files for notifications

•

Alarms: Sound files for alarms

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Print from your phone
Set up: Cloud Print
To connect your printer and phone:
1.

Be sure your printer is on and added to your Google account. Learn more.

Go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Printing.

Touch Add service and search for “Cloud Print”.

Touch the Cloud Print app, then touch Install.

149

Connected devices

Set up: Wi-Fi
To connect your printer and phone:
1.

Be sure your printer is on and connected to your Wi-Fi network.

Go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Printing.

Touch Default Print Service to automatically find your printer.
Once your printer is found, it is ready to print.

If your printer isn't found in Default Print Service:
1.

Touch Add service.

In Play Store, search for “[printer brand] print service” and install the app for the printer's
service plugin.

Once installed, return to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences >
Printing and touch the print service plugin name to automatically find your printer.

If your printer isn't found automatically, touch > Add printer >

Enter the printer's name and IP address (found in your printer settings on connected
computer).

Print
1.

Open the item to print, such as:
•

A photo in Photos

•

An email

•

A document in Drive

•

A web page in Chrome.

Touch or

Select printer options if needed.

Touch

> Print. (In some apps, Share > Print.)

About wireless sharing
What you can share
You can share your photos and videos, contacts, screenshots, and downloaded files.

Connected devices

150

When sharing photos and videos
When deciding how to share your photos or videos, consider these factors:
•

Resolution (high versus low) of the photo or video; high resolution uses more data

•

Number of photos to share (one photo or a few or an entire vacation album)

•

Whether you want to share on the internet or from device-to-device

•

Length of availability for sharing

Ways to share
Method

Description

Message
(MMS)

Good for:
•

Sharing one photo or a low-resolution video.

•

Sharing with a friend or group.

•

Sharing immediately, as an event is happening.

Things to consider:
•

You and your recipients must have cellular data plans to receive multimedia
text messages.

•

Sending high resolution photos via text message uses more more data.

•

Photos and video remain available until the recipient deletes the message.

•

High quality videos are too large and cannot be shared in text messages.

Learn how
Email

Good for:
•

Sharing one or a few photos.

•

Sharing with a friend or group.

Things to consider:
•

Some email providers limit attachment sizes. For large files, upload the file to
a cloud storage and email the link instead of the file.

•

Email attachments remain available for download until the recipient deletes
the email.

Connected devices

151

Learn how
Cloud

Good for:
•

Sharing high resolution photos, multiple photos, entire albums, and videos.

•

Controlling sharing via links.

•

Controlling how long you share something; you can easily delete it or turn off
sharing privileges.

Things to consider:
•

Many cloud services offer free storage with a basic account.

•

Cloud storage services are fairly secure, but not completely free from security
breaches, so upload wisely.

•

Upload over Wi-Fi to prevent cellular data charges.

Learn how
Social app

Good for:
•

Sharing publicly, with large groups of friends, followers, and subscribers.

•

Sharing one photo at a time, or many photos, albums, or videos.

•

Controlling how long you share something. You can easily delete it or turn off
sharing. Some social networks allow you to post photos and videos for only
several seconds, to be viewed but not saved, while some posts remain
available indefinitely. Check the social network for specifics.

Things to consider:

Bluetooth

•

Understand social network privacy and sharing policies before you post.

•

Review updates to social network privacy and sharing policies often.

•

Requires a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection.

Good for:
•

Sharing from phone-to-phone or other connected device.

•

Fast sharing.

Things to consider:
•

Your phone must be paired and connected with another device.

Other settings : Apps & notifications

152

Change app settings
Set or change default apps
If you have multiple apps that do the same thing, you can pick which app to use by default.
Pick when asked
Sometimes, your phone asks which app to use. For example, your phone might ask which app
to use to open a PDF file.
To set a default when asked:
1.

Touch the app to use.

Pick how often you want to use that app for this action: Always or Just once.

If you select Always, you won’t be asked which app to use anymore. To have your phone ask
you again, you can clear the default:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch Advanced > Default apps > Opening links.

Touch the app you selected as default.

Touch Open supported links and select Ask every time.

Pick any time
You can change some default apps (such as browser or messaging) at any time:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch Advanced > Default apps.

Touch the default to change.

Touch the app to use.

Adjust app permissions
The first time you use an app, and sometimes when you install or update it, you are asked to
grant the app permission to access certain data and phone features. You can adjust these
permissions any time.
To adjust permissions by feature:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.

Touch App permissions.

Touch a feature to see which apps have permission to use it.

Turn that permission on or off for each app as needed.

153

Other settings : Apps & notifications

You can also adjust permissions by app, for all features.

Adjust special app access
In Settings > Apps & notifications > Special app access, you can adjust these settings.
Usage access: Control which apps have access to data about your app usage (what other
apps you're using and how often, your carrier, language settings, and other details).
Unrestricted data: Allow certain apps to use background data even when Data Saver is on.
Learn more.
You can also control whether apps have access to features such as Picture-in-picture , Battery
optimization , and Do Not Disturb . In general, you shouldn’t need to adjust these.

Manage notifications
Stop app from sending notifications
When you receive unwanted notifications from an app, touch & hold the notification, then touch
Stop notifications.
To review apps and adjust whether they can send notifications:
1.

Swipe down to view your notifications.

At the bottom of the list, touch Manage notifications.

Do one of the following:
•

To stop all notifications from an app, turn it off

•

To stop certain notifications from an app, touch the app name, then turn notifications
or off
for each category.

Turn notification dots off or on
You can control whether app icons show dots to alert you about unread notifications.

To turn off for all apps:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications.

Turn Allow notification dots on

To turn off for one app:

or off

154

Other settings : Apps & notifications

Touch & hold the app icon.

Touch

Touch Advanced.

Turn Allow notification dot on

> Notifications.

or off

Change notification sound
To change the sound for all app notifications:
1.

Go to Settings > Sound > Advanced > Default notification sound.

Do one of the following:
•

To change it, choose a new sound.

•

To turn notification sounds off, select None.

To change the notification sound for a specific app:
1.

Touch & hold the app icon.

Touch

Touch the category for checkmarked notifications, then touch Advanced > Sound and
select a unique ringtone, or set it to none.

> Notifications.

If you don't see Sound, touch Behavior and select an option that includes sound.

Bypass Do Not Disturb
To let an app's notifications be heard when Do Not Disturb is set to Priority only:
1.

Touch & hold the app icon.

Touch

Touch the category for checkmarked notifications, then touch Advanced and turn Override
Do Not Disturb on
.

> Notifications.

Control lock screen notifications
If you've set a pattern, PIN or password, you can prevent lock screen notifications from
revealing private information.
To adjust notifications for all apps:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications.

Touch On lock screen.

Do one of the following:

155

Other settings : Apps & notifications

•

To hide all notifications on your lock screen, touch Don't show notifications at all.
You can still peek at your notifications--swipe down on the lock screen, then enter your
pattern, PIN, or password if required.

•

To hide sensitive content in notifications from all apps, touch Hide sensitive content.
For example, you'll get a lock screen notification for an incoming email or chat, but it
won't include message details.

•

To see all notifications and their content on your lock screen, touch Show all
notification content.

To hide sensitive content from specific apps:
1.

Set lock screen notifications for all apps to Show all notification content.

Touch & hold the app icon, then touch

Touch the category for checkmarked notifications, then touch Advanced > On lock screen
> Hide sensitive content.

> Notifications.

Turn emergency alerts off/on
Your phone can receive free, life-saving emergency alerts from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to inform you of extreme weather or other threatening
emergencies in your area, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential Alerts during national emergencies.
When an emergency alert is sent out,
read the alert.

appears in the status bar. Touch the notification to

You can turn most alerts off or on (Presidential Alerts cannot be disabled) and adjust alert
notification settings.
Note: Because alerts are intended to save lives, please consider carefully before turning
alerts off. For more information, visit http://www.fema.gov/wireless-emergency-alerts.
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Apps & notifications > Advanced > Wireless emergency alerts.

Adjust settings as needed.

156

Other settings : Display

Stop automatic rotation
Prevent screen from rotating
Open quick settings and turn Auto-rotate off

In this mode, you can manually rotate the current app. Touch

by the navigation buttons.

Allow screen to rotate
To allow rotation for all apps, open quick settings and turn Auto-rotate on

You can also adjust this in Settings > Display > Advanced > Auto-rotate screen
Tip: If your home screen isn't rotating but Auto-rotate is on, then check your home screen
settings. Touch & hold a blank spot on your home screen, then touch Home settings >
Allow Home screen rotation.

Adjust screen colors at night
Set the schedule
1.

Go to Settings > Display > Night Light.

Touch Schedule, then:

•

To start and stop at specified times, touch Turns on at custom time and enter times.

•

To filter from dusk to dawn, touch Turns on from sunset to sunrise.

Turn Night Light on

The first time you turn it on, a
4.

Night Light tile is added to quick settings.

Use the slider to adjust the intensity of the amber filter.

Use quick settings
In quick settings, you can:
•

Touch

•

Touch & hold

to turn Night Light on at any time.
to adjust the intensity of the amber filter.

157

Other settings : Display

Adjust screen brightness
Your phone automatically optimizes the brightness of your screen based on current lighting
conditions.
Tip: You can also adjust the brightness in quick settings by sliding

Adaptive brightness is on by default. To adjust this setting:
1.

Go to Settings > Display.

Turn Adaptive brightness on or off.

Change font and display size
You can make the text or other items on your screen smaller or larger for your comfort and
convenience.
1.

Go to Settings > Display > Advanced.

Do any of the following:
•

To adjust the size of text on the screen, touch Font size, then drag the slider to the
size you want.

•

To adjust the size of icons and other screen elements, touch Display size, then drag
the slider to the size you want.

If you have visual impairments, turn on accessibility features.

Change background color
The background of quick settings and your list of all apps is either light or dark, based on the
wallpaper you selected. To change this:
1.

Go to Settings > Display.

Touch Advanced > Device theme.

Choose Light or Dark.

Change screen timeout
Change when your phone goes to sleep
1.

Go to Settings > Display > Advanced.

Other settings : Display

158

Touch Sleep and select the time of inactivity before your phone sleeps.
Tip: Set a shorter time to extend battery life.

Stay on until you look away
Use Attentive Display to keep the screen on when you're looking at it and turn it off when you
look away:
•

Your screen won't dim or sleep when you're looking at it.

•

Your screen will sleep sooner when it doesn't see you, saving battery.

In certain lighting conditions, your phone may have difficulty detecting when you've looked
away.
To turn on Attentive Display:
1.

Open the Moto app.

Touch

Touch Attentive Display and turn the feature on or off.

> Moto Display.

Other settings : Security & location

159

About security
Screen lock options
To keep your phone secure, use a screen lock when it goes to sleep:
•

Choose a pattern, PIN, or password to unlock.

•

Add a Smart Lock to unlock automatically when connected to a trusted device, when you're
at a trusted place (like home or work), with facial recognition, or until you set your phone
down.

•

You can access notifications and quick settings, start a call, and launch the camera from
the lock screen.

•

You can make emergency calls on a locked phone. A locked phone still rings; you don't
need to unlock it to answer.

•

If you forgot your pattern, PIN, or password, follow these steps.

You can customize the lock screen by adding your contact info. You can also control which
notifications appear on your lock screen.

Additional security options
For additional security, you can also:
•

Protect your phone in case it’s lost or stolen. Use Find My Device.

•

Connect to a virtual private network if you need to access files on a secure network.

•

Add a SIM lock to prevent others from using your cellular plan and accessing account
information if your phone is stolen.

•

Prevent viruses and other attacks on your data and privacy with Google Play Protect.

Open the Play Store app.

Other settings : Security & location

Touch

Do any of the following:

160

> My apps & games.

•

To see the results of latest scan, on the UPDATES, look at the message next to

•

To rescan your phone, touch

If your phone seems slow
If you’ve scanned your phone to confirm there aren’t any potentially harmful apps but your
phone seems slow, try these troubleshooting steps.

Set up lost phone features
Find My Device allows you to remotely locate, lock, and erase your phone. To remotely locate
your phone, location services must be on. If not, you can still lock and erase your phone but you
can't get its current location.
To confirm that Find My Device is enabled for your phone:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Find My Device and turn it on

To learn more, touch > Help & Feedback.

To find your lost or stolen phone, on a computer go to android.com/find.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

161

Set screen lock
Screen lock options
When you set a screen lock, each time you turn on your phone or wake the screen, you’ll be
asked to unlock your phone.
No lock:
•

None: This gives no protection, but you can quickly access your home screen.

•

Swipe: Swipe

up. This prevents accidental dialing but doesn't secure the phone.

Lock:
•

Pattern: Draw a pattern on a grid.

•

PIN: Enter a four to sixteen digit numeric code. Longer PINs are more secure.

•

Password: Enter four to sixteen letters, digits, or symbols for the password. A long, strong
password is the most secure option.

When you’re using any of the 3 locks, you can also unlock with your fingerprint sensor and set
your phone to automatically unlock in certain conditions.

Set or change screen lock
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Screen lock and select the type of lock you want.
Some options aren't available if you added a VPN or a work (corporate) email account to
your phone.

Hide your password or pattern
You can hide your password or pattern to prevent others from viewing it when you unlock your
screen.
For passwords:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced.

Turn Show passwords off

For patterns:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch

Turn Make pattern visible off

.
.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

162

Go to Settings > Security & location > Lock screen preferences.

Turn Show lockdown option on

To use it:
1.

Touch & hold the Power button.

Touch Lockdown.
Your fingerprint sensor and automatic unlock settings are disabled and notifications won’t
be displayed on your lock screen.

To exit Lockdown, unlock your phone with your PIN, pattern, or password.

Unlock your screen automatically
If you're using a PIN, password, or pattern, you can:
•

Stay unlocked when connected to a device, like your car audio system.

•

Stay unlocked at a specific location.

•

Stay unlocked when holding or carrying your phone.

•

Unlock with your face.

•

Unlock with your voice.
Tips:
•

You can swipe up from anywhere on the screen when unlocking. You don't need to
touch the icon.

•

Some of these options aren't available if you added a VPN or a work (corporate) email
account to your phone.

Fix a problem
If you forgot your PIN, pattern, or password, try these troubleshooting steps.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

163

Unlock with trusted devices
Set up trusted devices
You can keep your phone unlocked when it is connected to a trusted device, like your Bluetooth
watch or car.
1.

Make sure you have:
•

Set a screen lock on the phone.

•

Turned on Bluetooth on the phone.

•

Paired your phone with the device.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.
If you don't see Smart Lock, try the following:
•

Update Google Play services. In the Google Search widget on your home screen,
search for “Google Play services”, then touch the app to open it in Google Play.

•

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Trust agents and enable Smart
Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted devices > ADD TRUSTED DEVICE.

Touch a device to select it from the list of connected devices.
Tip: If your device isn't in the list, make sure you are paired with it.

When the phone is connected to the device, the phone automatically unlocks.

Remove trusted devices
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted devices.

Touch the device name, then touch OK to confirm.

Manually lock phone
If you need to make sure the phone stays locked even when you’re connected to a trusted
device, you can manually lock the phone.
On the lock screen, touch

. The phone stays locked until the next time you manually unlock it.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

164

Unlock with your face
Set up face matching
1.

Make sure you have set a screen lock on the phone.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Face Unlock.
If the option is grayed out, go to Settings > Security & location > Device admin apps
and disable the device administrator.

Follow the onscreen instructions. Be sure to frame your entire face with the outline.

Whenever you turn on or wake the phone, it will search for your face and unlock when it
recognizes you. Keep in mind that someone who looks similar to you could unlock the phone.
Face matching data is stored securely on the phone.

Unlock your phone
1.

Show your face to the lock screen.
appears when the phone is looking for your face. When it recognizes you, it unlocks and
displays .

Swipe

up.

If it doesn't recognize you, it stays locked and displays one of these icons.
Icon How to unlock
Use your password, PIN, or pattern

Use the fingerprint sensor

Turn off face matching
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Face Unlock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Disable face unlock.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

165

Fix a problem
If you're having trouble getting the phone to recognize your face:
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Face Unlock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Redo face scan.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

Unlock at trusted places
Set up trusted places
To avoid repeatedly unlocking your phone when you are at familiar and trusted locations (like
home or work), use a Smart Lock. You can still manually lock the phone at trusted places when
needed.
1.

Make sure you have:
•

Set a screen lock on the phone.

•

Turned on location services.

•

Entered your Home and Work locations in Maps (

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.

> Edit home or work) if desired.

If you don't see Smart Lock, try the following:
•

Update Google Play services. In the Google Search widget on your home screen,
search for “Google Play services”, then touch the app to open it.

•

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Trust agents and enable Smart
Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted places.

Set up your places:
•

If you added Home or Work locations in Maps, touch the location name and turn it on if
desired.

•

To add a location, touch Add trusted place. Verify your current location to add it, or
touch , type the address to add, and touch Select this location.

166

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

Manually lock phone
To lock your phone when you're in a trusted place, on the lock screen, touch
stays locked until the next time you manually unlock it.

. The phone

Remove trusted places
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Trusted places.

Remove the location from your trusted places:
•

For your Home or Work locations in Maps, touch the location name to toggle it off. To
remove the address entirely, you must remove it in Maps.

•

For custom places you added, touch the location name, then touch

Keep phone unlocked while it's on you
You can keep your phone unlocked while you’re holding it in your hand or carrying it in your
pocket or handbag. Just unlock it once, and it stays unlocked until you set it down (or manually
lock it).
1.

Make sure you have set a screen lock.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.
If you don't see Smart Lock, try the following:
•

Update Google Play services. In the Google Search widget on your home screen,
search for “Google Play services”, then touch the app to open it.

•

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Trust agents and enable Smart
Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch On-body detection.

Turn it on.

Other settings : Security & location : Lock and unlock phone

167

Unlock with voice commands
Set up voice authentication
If you use “OK, Google” for voice commands, you can use Smart Lock to unlock your phone
when it recognizes your voice.
1.

Make sure you have set a screen lock.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.
If you don't see Smart Lock, try the following:
•

Update Google Play services. In the Google Search widget on your home screen,
search for “Google Play services”, then touch the app to open it.

•

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Trust agents and enable Smart
Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Voice Match.

Turn Access with Voice Match on
. If you haven't already set up the “OK, Google”
launch phrase, follow the onscreen instructions to record your voice.

Be sure Unlock with Voice Match is on

Unlock your phone
1.

At the lock screen, say “OK, Google”.
Your phone unlocks and is ready for commands.

Speak a command to perform a task.

If the phone does not recognize your voice, then unlock it with your password, PIN, or pattern.

Turn off voice authentication
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Security & location > Smart Lock.

Unlock your phone, then touch Voice Match.

Turn Unlock with Voice Match off

168

Other settings : Security & location

Use fingerprint security
Set up fingerprint security
Use the fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone, make fast and secure online and in-store
purchases, and sign into bank and finance apps.
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Fingerprint.

Follow the onscreen instructions to scan your fingerprint using the sensor on the back of
your phone.

Fingerprints are stored securely on the phone.

Add more fingerprints
Keep in mind that:
•

If multiple users share the phone, users should add their fingerprints from within their user
profile, instead of adding multiple fingerprints to your owner profile.

•

Anyone whose fingerprints are added to a user profile can unlock the phone and authorize
purchases with the associated Google account or apps.

Add a fingerprint for each finger you want to use with the sensor:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Fingerprint and enter your pattern, PIN, or password to verify your identity.

Touch Add fingerprint.

Use the fingerprint sensor to scan another fingerprint.

Rename each fingerprint. Touch the current name, type a name, and touch OK.

Remove a fingerprint
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location.

Touch Fingerprint and enter your pattern, PIN, or password to verify your identity.

Touch

next to the fingerprint.

Use fingerprint to unlock phone
To wake and unlock your screen, or any time you see
verify your identity.

on the screen, touch the sensor to

Other settings : Security & location

169

To get more screen space by removing the
navigation icons and navigating with the
fingerprint sensor, turn on One Button Nav in the Moto app.
Tip: You can temporarily turn off fingerprint unlocking and lock screen notifications with
Lockdown mode.

Use fingerprint to sign in to apps
To use the fingerprint sensor with third-party apps:
•

Be sure the app supports fingerprint recognition.

•

Install the app and open its settings to adjust options, like enabling fingerprint unlock.

•

Consult the app's help info for more instructions.

Why am I still asked for PIN/pattern?
For maximum security, you still need to enter your pattern, PIN, or password:
•

Every time you power up your phone

•

When more than 72 hours have passed since you last unlocked the phone

•

When you go to Settings > Security & location > Fingerprint

•

When the sensor can’t read the fingerprint

Fix a problem
Problem: Sometimes the sensor can’t read my fingerprints.
Each finger has a unique print. If you’ve added only one fingerprint, add more for other fingers
you want to use with the sensor.
The sensor may have trouble reading fingerprints if your finger is:
•

Wet

•

Oily

•

Dirty

•

Injured (Add fingerprints for your other fingers and use them until healed.)

If a registered fingerprint isn't working as expected, remove and re-add the fingerprint.
Problem: Fingerprint option disappeared from Security & location menu.
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if your issue is fixed.
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

170

Other settings : Security & location

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Check for app updates.
Open the Play Store app and touch

> My apps & games.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.
If the sensor works correctly in safe mode, a 3rd party app is probably causing the issue.
These apps can cause issues: lock screen apps, app locks that use the fingerprint sensor,
RAM boosters, and RAM cleaners.

Reset the phone.

Use location services
About location information
You can let your phone use GPS, Wi‑Fi networks, and mobile networks to estimate your
location. Apps that have your permission can use this information to deliver location-based
services, such as the ability to check in, view commute traffic, find nearby restaurants, or tag
your photos with the location where you took them.

Turn location on or off
To control what location information your phone can use:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Location.

Turn it on or off to give or remove permission to use your location information. When it's off,
your phone can't find your precise location or share it with any apps. However, turning this
off disables many useful features and apps.

Tip: To add a Location tile to quick settings, open quick settings. Touch
Location tile where you want it.

. Then drag the

Review apps using your location
To see which apps have recently accessed your location:
1.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Location.

Under Recent location requests, review the list of apps that have recently received your
location.

To prevent an app from accessing your location:
1.

Touch App-level permissions.

Other settings : Security & location

Turn Location off

171

Lock SIM card
Set up SIM lock
Your SIM card came with a default PIN from your carrier. You can use it to set up an optional
SIM card lock, which prevents others from using your cellular plan and accessing account
information if your phone is stolen.
If you add a SIM lock, you will be prompted to enter the PIN each time you swap SIM cards or
restart the phone.
1.

Be sure you have the PIN your carrier provided with the SIM card. If you don’t have it,
contact your carrier.

Go to Settings > Security & location > Advanced > SIM card lock.

If your phone has dual SIM cards, touch the SIM to lock.

Turn Lock SIM card on

Enter your carrier-provided PIN and follow the onscreen instructions.

Unlock SIM card
When prompted, enter the PIN used to set up the SIM lock.
Caution: If you enter an incorrect PIN multiple times, the SIM will be disabled.

If you accidentally disabled SIM
If you enter an incorrect PIN multiple times, the SIM will be disabled.
Contact your carrier for a PIN unlock key (PUK) to re-enable the SIM.

Other settings : Accounts

172

Add Google account
To add a Google account:
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Accounts > Add account.

Touch Google and follow the onscreen instructions to add an existing account or to create
a new one.

Tip: Keep your apps up-to-date. To see if newer versions of the apps associated with your
Google account are available, open the Play Store app and touch
> My apps & games.

Add non-Google account
You can add corporate email accounts, personal email accounts, or other accounts. Many
social networking accounts are automatically set up when you install the app.
1.

Go to Settings .

Touch Accounts > Add account.

Do one of the following:
•

Touch the type of account to add and follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more
about setting up email accounts.

•

If you don't see the type of account you want to add, install the related app from Play
Store, then sign into your account through the app.

Other settings : Accounts

173

Remove account
If you remove an account, information you synced will be removed from your phone, but it is not
deleted from your account.
To remove other accounts:
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account name.

Touch Remove account.

Tip: If you have trouble removing a corporate account, go to Settings > Security &
location > Device admin apps and remove the checkmark for the account, then try to
remove it again.

Sync accounts and apps
About syncing
You can manage how apps connected to your accounts are synced on your phone. Keep them
all automatically up to date or just sync specific apps. You can also manually sync your data
only when you need to.
The more you sync, the more battery your phone uses, so if you need to conserve, turn off sync
for account features or apps you find less important. If you want to reduce usage of mobile
data, turn off auto-sync entirely and instead sync accounts manually, or wait to sync manually
over Wi-Fi.

Adjust auto-sync options for an account
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account name.
by the account name means that some or all of the account's information is configured to
auto-sync.
by the account name means that the account will not auto-sync.

Touch Account sync.

174

Other settings : Accounts

Review the information and turn on/off types of account information to sync. For example,
set your Google account to sync your Calendar and Gmail but not to sync for Drive.

When you turn off sync, the information is not removed from your phone; it just is no longer kept
in sync with the version on the web.

Turn auto-sync off/on for all accounts
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Turn Automatically sync data on

or off

To collect messages, email, calendar, or other app updates, you must sync the accounts
manually.

Sync manually
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account name.

Touch Account sync > > Sync now.

Fix a problem
If you’re having problems, try these troubleshooting steps.

Manage your personal information
How Google uses and protects your information
Google collects information from you to provide personalized services and tailored content, as
outlined in the Google Privacy Policy.

Delete items from history
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Accounts & privacy.

Do one of the following:
•

> Settings.

To view a list of all of your information, touch My Activity. Then touch > Delete next
to items to delete.

Other settings : Accounts

•

175

To view and delete your history for a specific activity (search, YouTube, recordings of
your voice commands, location), touch Google activity controls. For each activity,
touch Manage Activity, and delete as needed.

Turn information collection off or on
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Touch Accounts & privacy > Google activity controls.

Next to the activity, touch

> Settings.

to pause or

to restart the collection of that information.

Other settings : System

176

Set up emergency information
You can set up emergency information, such as your emergency contact, and medical
information, such as your blood type.
First responders or other people can view this information from your lock screen.
To set up your emergency information:
1.

Go to Settings > System > About phone.

Touch Emergency information.

Set up your information.

To view this information, a first responder or other person would:
1.

Swipe up on the lock screen.

Below the keypad, touch Emergency.

Touch Emergency information twice.

Record your IMEI number
The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number is the unique code that identifies
your phone. You’ll need it if you contact support regarding a warranty, and it’s important to have
if your phone is stolen.
Service providers can use the IMEI to block a stolen phone from cellular networks, and many
police departments keep a record of stolen phones using this number.
You may never need your IMEI number, but it’s a good idea to record it, just in case.
To find the IMEI number:
1.

Go to Settings > System > About phone.

See IMEI for your number.

Record and save the number where you can easily access it.

You can also find your IMEI number by dialing *#06# in the Phone app. On some phones, the
MEID HEX number is your IMEI number.

Find legal and product information
To view the electronic regulatory label for your phone, go to Settings > System > Legal
information > Regulatory information.

177

Other settings : System

For safety, environmental, warranty, and other legal information, go to Settings > System >
Legal information.
Printed legal information may also be provided with your phone.
To find your phone's model number, go to Settings > System > About phone > Hardware
information > SKU.

Use multiple languages
Change display language
You selected the language for your phone during set up. To change it:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Languages.

Touch & hold the language you want and drag it to the first position in the list.

If you don’t see the language you want, touch

to add it, then drag it to the first position.

All languages added to the list will appear on the keyboard's spacebar.
To remove a language, go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Languages, then
touch > Remove.

Add language to keyboard
If you want a keyboard for a language that isn't a display language:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard.

Touch Gboard > Languages.

Touch ADD KEYBOARD.

Select the language.

Touch Done.

Then, switch between languages on the keyboard by touching

Other settings : System : Users and guests

178

Share your phone
Ways to share your phone
•

Add users. If you share your phone with family, friends, or within a business, you can set
up separate user spaces for each of them.

•

Lend to people as guest. This is a more temporary space that you or the guest can delete
when finished.

•

Pin the screen. This lets you keep one specific app or screen in view. For example, you
can pin a game and your child cannot navigate anywhere else on your phone.

About owners, users, and guests
The owner can:
•

Determine whether users and guests can make phone calls and send text messages,
which also allows them to see the phone's call history and text history.

•

Reset, update, and uninstall any apps.

•

Delete user and guests, removing any associated accounts and data from the phone.

Users and guests can:
•

Set up Google accounts and other types of accounts.

•

Set up a screen lock.

•

Customize the home screen and settings for their spaces.

•

Add and delete apps for their spaces, and update any apps they use, regardless of who
installed them.
Important: To prevent others from switching to your owner profile and accessing your
information, set a screen lock before you share your phone with users or guests.

When sharing your phone with users and guests, some apps are only available to the owner,
not to other users and guests.

Switch users
Only the owner can switch to the guest profile for loaning the phone and can switch between
user profiles.
To switch user profiles or see which is currently active, open quick settings. At the top of the
screen, you'll see one of these icons after you've set up a user or added a guest.

Other settings : System : Users and guests

179

Icon Meaning
Owner (If you set up your profile in Contacts and included a picture, you'll see it and your
name instead.)
Guest

Added user

Add, modify, remove users
Add a user
You must be the device owner to add users.
1.

To prevent others from switching to your owner profile and accessing your information, set
a screen lock before you share your phone.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users.
Tip: To add users from quick settings on your lock screen without unlocking the phone,
go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users and turn Add users from lock
screen on
.

Touch Add user > OK.

Give the phone to the new user to set up the profile.

Restrict calls and messages
From your owner profile, you control whether users can call and send texts with your phone:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users.
Or from quick settings, touch

> More settings.

Next to the user name, touch

To allow the user to make calls and send messages, switch on Turn on phone calls &
SMS.

180

Other settings : System : Users and guests

Remove a user
You can remove yourself as a user. You must be the device owner to remove other users.
1.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users.
Or from quick settings, touch

> More settings.

Do one of the following:
•

To remove yourself as a user, touch .

•

To remove other users if you are the device owner, next to the user name, touch

Touch Remove user.

Add or delete guest
Lend to guest
Create a temporary profile for sharing your phone with someone.
1.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users.

If you want to prevent the guest from making calls, touch
calls off.

Touch Guest.

If you’ve lent your phone to a guest previously, touch Start over to clear the last guest
settings, or touch Yes, continue to keep last guest settings.

and switch Turn on phone

End guest session
1.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Multiple users. Or from quick settings, touch

Touch Remove guest > Remove.
All data from and apps installed during this session are deleted.

181

Fix a problem : Hardware issues

Phone is slow or unstable
Pinpoint the problem
What type of issue are you seeing?
•

If your phone is slow when running all apps and tasks, it's probably a problem with your
phone, not an app on your phone. Try the troubleshooting steps below.

•

If the problem is specific to one app, try these app-specific troubleshooting steps.

•

If you're using Wi-Fi and your phone is slow when you view websites or watch videos
online, it could be a problem with your connection. Try using a different Wi-Fi network or
contact your Internet Service Provider.

Troubleshoot phone performance
After each step, check to see if the issue is fixed:
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
•

Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off.

•

If your phone is frozen, reboot it by pressing and holding the Power button for 7-10
seconds.

Check for system updates.
Go to Settings > System > Advanced > System updates.

Check for app updates.
Open the Play Store app and touch

> My apps & games.

Check available storage and clear space if needed.

Phone feels warm or hot
Overview
It's normal for your phone to feel warm, or even hot, depending on how you're using it.
If your phone ever becomes too hot, it will ask you to turn it off so it can cool down. Some
phones will stay on but limit the phone's capabilities until it cools down.
If your phone is too hot to touch, use a different phone, tablet, or computer to contact Motorola
support.

Fix a problem : Hardware issues

182

Reasons your phone may get warm
Doing one or more of the following activities may cause your phone to get warm:
•

Playing videos, games, or other media apps

•

Using GPS navigation

•

Tethering your phone or using it as a Wi-Fi hotspot

•

Using phone while it's charging

•

Downloading or uploading a lot of data

Ways to keep your phone from heating up
•

Pause resource-intensive features or apps until your phone cools down.

•

Always use the charger that came with your phone.

•

Keep your phone away from direct heat or excessive sunlight.

•

Don't keep your phone in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas where heat can easily build
up.

•

Reduce your phone's display brightness.

If you're not using or charging it
Sometimes a process can get stuck in the background. If your phone is hot but you're not using
or charging it, turn your phone off and on again. This will stop the previously stuck process and
resolve the issue.

Phone won't turn on
If your phone isn't starting, won't turn on, has a black or blank screen, or turns on but
immediately turns off, try these steps to fix the issue.
1.

Hold down your phone's Power button for 5-7 seconds, or up to 30 seconds.
This should restart (or "reboot") your phone.

Charge the phone.
If your phone has a sign-of-life indicator, look for a white light near the top front of the
phone. This indicates that the phone is charging but battery is too low to power the screen.

Fix a problem : Hardware issues

183

Tips:
•

Remove any case, as this may impede the charger/port connection.

•

Use the charger that came with the phone.

•

Check that the charging cable fits snugly into the phone and that the cable fits
snugly into the outlet.

•

If you're having trouble charging, try these troubleshooting steps.

If you don't see a battery icon after you plug your phone in to charge, the issue could be
with your screen. Check if your phone rings by calling it from another phone. If it rings, the
issue is with your screen and you can try these troubleshooting steps.

Perform an external reset of your phone. Learn how.

Phone restarts or crashes
If your phone randomly reboots, restarts, or shuts down without restarting, try the following.

Restart your phone
1.

Hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.

If this doesn't work, connect your phone to charge for at least 5 minutes. Then, while
connected to the charger, restart again by holding down the Power button for 30 seconds.

Troubleshoot your phone
1.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Check available storage and clear space if needed.
You may see issues if your phone's internal storage is almost full. To free up space, remove
unnecessary files and clear cached data.

Troubleshoot your apps
1.

Check for app updates.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.
If your problem doesn't go away in safe mode, restart your phone and continue to the next
section.

Fix a problem : Hardware issues

184

Reset to factory settings
To remove any processes on your phone that may be causing the issue, you can reset your
phone to factory settings.
A factory data reset will remove all data from your phone.

Screen is frozen or won't respond
If your phone freezes, stops responding, or is stuck on a blank or white screen, try the following.

Restart your phone
1.

Hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.

If this doesn't work, charge your phone for at least 5 minutes. Then, while connected to the
charger, restart again by holding down the Power button for 30 seconds.

If your phone freezes again
If your phone freezes more than once, check for a larger issue.
Restart your phone to unfreeze it, and then try these troubleshooting steps:
1.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Check available storage and clear space if needed.
You may see issues if your phone's internal storage is almost full. To free up space, remove
unnecessary files and clear cached data.

Check for app updates.

If you can't unfreeze the phone
To remove any processes that may be causing the issue, reset your phone to factory settings.
A factory data reset will remove all data from your phone.

Fix a problem : Call and SIM issues

185

Problems making/receiving calls
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if your issue is fixed.

icon is missing
If

disappeared from your home screen, you just need to add a shortcut for the Phone app.

SIM card not recognized
If you see
1.

in the status bar or a message that the SIM is not recognized:

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off. Then turn it on to establish a new
connection with the network.

Do one of the following:
•

If your phone allows one SIM card, turn your phone off, then remove and reinsert the
SIM.

•

If your phone allows dual SIMs, disable the SIM, then enable it again. Go to Settings
> Network & internet > SIM cards. Turn the SIM off
. Then turn it on
.

If your phone has dual SIMs, turn your phone off, then remove the SIM that is not
recognized and try it in the other SIM slot.

Contact your carrier to make sure your account is set up properly.

Ask your carrier to replace the SIM card.

Perform an external phone reset.

No signal
1.

If you usually have a signal
but the status bar shows
in your current location, move
to another area where you can receive a signal, like outdoors. If you’re uncertain whether
your carrier provides service in that location, check the coverage map on your carrier’s
website.

If airplane mode is on, turn it off.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

Check for app updates.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Check that the Preferred network type is set to Global. ( Settings > Network & internet
> Mobile network > Preferred network type.) If you’re experiencing service issues when
it is set on Global, try a different setting.

186

Fix a problem : Call and SIM issues

Manually set the network operator:
1.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network.

Touch Network operators > Search networks.

Wait 30 seconds for the search results.

Choose your network operator (carrier).

Wait 30 seconds for the network to refresh the signal.

Remove your SIM card and reinsert.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

10. Reset the phone.

Have signal, but can’t make calls
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off. Then turn it on to establish a new
connection with the network.

Clear the cache for the Phone app.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Reset the phone.

Phone doesn’t ring or ring loud enough
1.

Check your volume setting.

Look for

in your status bar. If you see it:

•

Open quick settings and touch
incoming calls.

•

Make sure your phone is set to screen calls at the appropriate times.

to turn Do Not Disturb off. Your phone will ring for

Check that your ringtone is not set to None.

Is your phone connected with a Bluetooth device? If so, all audio is routed to the Bluetooth
device.

If you're using a ringtone that you installed, try using a ringtone that came with the phone.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.
Begin with application types like launchers, task killers, or anti-virus apps.

187

Fix a problem : Call and SIM issues

Can't answer ringing phone
Check that Phone app notifications haven't been disabled.
Touch & hold

, then touch

> Notifications and make sure they are on

Consistent busy signal
Outbound calls
1.

If you hear a fast busy signal when you call a number, all cellular circuits may be in use,
preventing the call from going through. Try calling again later.

If you hear a fast busy signal every time you call the same number, your number may be
blocked by an app. Try calling from a different number.

Incoming calls
If you have a signal and can make calls, but callers tell you they consistently get a busy signal
when calling you, check that you haven’t blocked their numbers.

Problems during calls
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if your issue is fixed.

Screen goes black
1.

If you are using a case, cover or screen protector, remove it and see if it was causing the
issue.

Check your proximity sensor.
Dial a call and set the phone on a table (don't use speaker mode), then hold your hand
over the proximity sensor to see if you can turn the screen off and on.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

Calls are dropping
1.

Check your signal strength:
•

Weak signal from your cellular provider is a common cause of dropped calls. In the
status bar, see how many bars your network connection has. If you see only one or
two bars, change locations to improve your signal strength, particularly if you are
indoors.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off. Then turn it on to establish a new
connection with the network.

188

Fix a problem : Call and SIM issues

During a call, check that the proximity sensor works by covering it to confirm that it turns off
your screen, preventing accidental touches during calls. You can also download an app to
automatically lock your screen during calls; search for “call screen lock” on Play Store.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Reset the phone.

People can’t hear me on calls
1.

Check that nothing is covering the microphone:
•

If you are using a case, cover or screen protector, remove it and see if it was causing
the issue.

•

Check that the protective film that ships with the phone has been removed.

Check to see if your phone is using Voice privacy. (This feature is not available on all
models.) Turn it off to see if sound quality improves:
1.

Touch

Touch > Settings > Calls.

Turn off Voice privacy.

If the issue occurs while using the speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset, check your signal
strength.
In the status bar, see how many bars your network connection has. If you see only one or
two bars, change locations to improve your signal strength, particularly if you are indoors.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off. Then turn it on to establish a new
connection with the network.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Turn off Voice Match.
1.

Open the Google app.

Touch

Turn Access with Voice Match off

> Settings > Voice > Voice Match.
.

Saying “OK, Google” won't work from all screens, but you can touch the search widget first,
then say “OK, Google”.
7.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

Reset the phone.

Fix a problem : Call and SIM issues

189

Poor sound quality on calls
Start by checking your volume setting. You can only adjust the call volume with the Volume
buttons while you’re on a call.
Wired headset
1.

Make sure the headset is inserted completely into the headset jack.

If you are using a case or cover, remove it and re-insert the headset to see if it was
interfering.

Try a different headset to determine if the issue is with the original headset.

Earpiece
1.

Check that nothing is covering the microphone:
•

If you are using a case, cover or screen protector, remove it and see if it was causing
the issue.

•

Check that the protective film that ships with the phone has been removed.

While in a call, try using the speakerphone or a wired headset to see if the sound quality
improves. If it doesn’t, the issue is probably network signal strength instead of hardware.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off. Then turn it on to establish a new
connection with the network.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Reset the phone.

Bluetooth device
Check battery level of Bluetooth device and phone, and charge if necessary. Bluetooth devices
may disconnect or create noise when the phone or Bluetooth battery are low.

Can't make/receive calls
Try these troubleshooting steps.

190

Fix a problem : Battery issues

Charging problems
If the phone charges slowly or will not charge, try these troubleshooting steps. After each step,
check to see if your issue is fixed.
1.

Make sure the USB plug fits securely into the phone.

If the battery has been completely depleted, connect the charger and wait about 10
minutes until it has enough voltage to charge, then press the Power button.

If you're charging by connecting to a wall outlet:

•

Use the charger that came with the phone.

•

Inspect the charger for damange to the wire or plug. If you see damage, try charging
by connecting to your computer with a USB cable.

•

If the outlet you’re using is controlled with a switch, check that it is turned on.

•

Check the outlet for damage or loose parts. If you see damage, try another outlet.

If you're charging by connecting to your computer, check the USB connection:
1.

Swipe the status bar down.

On the USB notification, touch

Touch No data transfer.

, then touch the notification.

Reboot the phone by holding the Power button for 7-10 seconds.

Reset the phone.

Battery drains too fast
Battery life varies
The way you use your phone can really affect how long you can go before recharging your
battery. Navigating, playing games, browsing the web, making calls and texting all require
energy. So, your battery life may vary day to day, depending on what you're doing.

If your battery is draining faster than expected
If your battery life seems shorter than usual, a quick and easy step is to reboot your phone,
especially if you haven't turned it off in longer than a week.
1.

Press and hold the Power button.

Touch Restart.

Plug your phone in and charge it normally.

Fix a problem : Battery issues

Tip: You can adjust settings to extend your battery life.

191

Fix a problem : Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues

192

Bluetooth problems
If you’re having problems with a Bluetooth device, try these troubleshooting steps.

Bluetooth turning on automatically
Some third-party apps that control Bluetooth devices (smart watches, fitness and vehicle
monitors, etc.) automatically turn Bluetooth on. If they do, this can prevent you from turning
Bluetooth off.
To check if a third-party app you installed is automatically turning Bluetooth on, use safe mode
to identify the problematic app, then uninstall it.

Can't pair
After each step, check to see if your issue is fixed:
1.

First, check the basics.

Make sure the phone and Bluetooth device are in discovery mode.

Refresh the available devices list:
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices.

Touch Pair new device.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

If you’re having trouble pairing with your car, see the car manufacturer's instructions for
your model.

Reset the phone's connections, then power cycle the phone.

Can’t reconnect previously paired device
Unpair the Bluetooth device, then pair it again:
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices > Previously connected devices.

Next to the paired device, touch

Pair the device again.

> Forget.

Can't hear music
After each step, check to see if your issue is fixed:
1.

First, check the basics.

Check that the volume is up on your phone and car or Bluetooth device.

Check that other devices paired with your phone aren't playing the music.

Fix a problem : Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues

193

Check that Media audio is on:
1.

Go to Settings and touch Bluetooth.

Next to the paired device, touch

Make sure Media audio is checked.

If the problem is with a car, check the car's instructions.

Can't make or hear on calls
After each step, check to see if your issue is fixed:
1.

Check that other devices paired with your phone aren't getting your calls.

Check that Phone audio is on:

Go to Settings and touch Bluetooth.

Next to the paired device, touch

Make sure Phone audio is checked.

If the problem is with a car, check the car's instructions.

Connection drops
After each step, check to see if your issue is fixed:
1.

Check battery level on your phone and on the Bluetooth device and charge if needed.
Bluetooth devices may disconnect or create noise when the phone or Bluetooth battery is
low.

Adjust positioning:

•

Make sure you are wearing or positioning the device appropriately.

•

Keep metal objects, such as keys or coins, away from the phone and device to avoid
interference.

Clear data for this system app:
1.

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications, then touch .

Touch > Show system.

Touch Bluetooth > Storage > Clear storage.

Paired device can't see contacts
Check that contact sharing is on:
1.

Go to Settings > Connected devices.

Fix a problem : Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues

Next to the paired device, touch

Make sure Contact sharing is on.

Check and adjust sharing settings on the paired device or in the device’s app.

194

Fix it: Check the basics
After each step, see if your issue is fixed:
1.

Check battery level on your phone and Bluetooth device, and charge if either is low.

Keep the phone and Bluetooth device within 30 feet of each other, closer for better
performance.

On your phone, turn Bluetooth off and then on again.

Turn off the Bluetooth device to disconnect it. Then turn it back on to automatically
reconnect with the phone.

Power cycle both your phone and the Bluetooth device.

If that doesn't fix it, follow the steps for specific problems in the sections above.

Wi-Fi problems
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if the issue is fixed.

Can't connect to a network
1.

When you enter the password to connect:
•

Get the password from the Wi-Fi router and make sure you enter it correctly on your
phone.

•

If the CONNECT button is greyed out, the password you entered isn’t long enough.
Confirm the router’s password and re-enter it on your phone.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Check that the Wi-Fi router firmware is up to date.

Reset the phone’s network connections.

Reset the phone.

Connection drops
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if the issue is fixed.
1.

Turn off Wi-Fi scanning.

Fix a problem : Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues

195

Set Wi-Fi to always remain connected, even when the phone sleeps.

Forget the network connection. Then set up the Wi-Fi connection again.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Restart your wireless router by unplugging it from the power outlet for about 30 seconds
and then plugging it back in. Once the wireless router is running again, try to reconnect.

On a computer, log into your router and try adjusting one or more of these router settings:

•

If the router has multiple bands, disable the lower band.

•

Change the encryption/security setting of the SSID from WPA-password to WPA-PSK.

•

Don't use automatic channel selection. Instead, assign a fixed channel, such as
Channel 6.

Reset the phone’s connections.

Hotspot problems
If you can't connect a computer or tablet to your phone's Wi-Fi hotspot:
1.

The cellular network for your phone may not be in range. Check the signal icon in your
status bar to ensure you have strong connection. If not, try these troubleshooting steps.

Re-enter the password on the device to match the hotspot password set up on your phone.
Make sure that the encryption type and security settings match on the device and your
phone.

Disconnect and then reconnect:
1.

Turn off the connection from your device.

Turn off the phone's hotspot.

Restart your device.

Wait for 1 minute, then turn on and enable the hotspot on your phone.

Reconnect the device.

If you've connected a computer or tablet but can't access certain web sites:
1.

Power cycle your computer or tablet.

Make sure the browser version is up to date.

Can't transfer files or connect to computer
If you're having problems using a USB connection to connect your phone to your computer, try
these troubleshooting steps.

Fix a problem : Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB issues

Check your computer
Windows computer
1.

Check your computer’s settings to make sure that Windows automatically detects new
hardware.

Restart your computer.

Mac computer
•

Check that your computer is running Mac OS X 10.5 and up.

•

Check that your computer has Android File Transfer installed and open.

•

Restart your computer.

Check your phone
1.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Hold down your phone's Power button for 5-7 seconds, or up to 30 seconds.

Check your USB connection
1.

Try a different USB cable. Not all USB cables can transfer files.

To test the USB port on your phone, connect your phone to a different computer.

To test the USB port on your computer, connect a different device to your computer.

196

197

Fix a problem : Account and sign-in issues

Forgot unlock code
If you've forgotten your PIN, pattern, or password for unlocking your screen, you'll need to erase
your phone, set it up again, and set a new screen lock.
1.

Make sure you know your Gmail address and password, which you'll need when setting up
the phone. If you've forgotten them, use Google's website to retrieve them.

Perform an external reset of your phone. Learn how.

Can't sign in to Google
If you’ve forgotten the Gmail address and password for your Google account:
1.

Visit Google’s website to reset the password.

On a computer, log in to Gmail and confirm that the new password works.

Wait 24 hours after changing your password before resetting your device. For security, you
can't use an account to set up a phone after reset if that password changed within 24
hours.

Account sync issues
If your account is having problems syncing, you may see a message or an

icon.

In most cases, these issues are temporary and your account will sync again after a few
minutes. If you keep having sync issues, try the solutions below.

Sync account manually
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account to sync.

Touch Account sync.

If your phone syncs, your issue is fixed. If not, try the troubleshooting solutions below.

Basic troubleshooting
After each troubleshooting step, try manually syncing to test if sync works.
1.

Check that auto-sync is on.
1.

Go to Settings > Accounts.

Touch the account.

Fix a problem : Account and sign-in issues

198

by the account name means that some or all of the account's information is
configured to auto-sync.
by the account name means that the account will not auto-sync.
2.

Make sure your Internet connection works.
For sync to work, you need an Internet connection. To test if your connection is working,
open a browser and load a website. If the website doesn't load, get help connecting to WiFi or to cellular data.

Check if you have account issues.
For sync to work, you need to be able to sign in to your Google account. Make sure that
you can sign in to your account in other ways and on another device. For example, try
checking your Gmail with your computer's browser.

•

If you can sign in, the issue is with your phone. You can move on to the next solution.

•

If you can't sign in, your account may have an issue.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Advanced troubleshooting
After each troubleshooting step, try manually syncing to test if sync works.
1.

Remove and re-add your account.

Clear cache and data for the Contacts app.
1.

If you've saved any contacts since you last synced, back them up. Open the Contacts
app and touch
> Settings > Export, then export to a VCF file and email the file to
yourself.

Clear the cache and data for the Contacts app.

Download the VCF file that you emailed to yourself, then import those contacts
(Contacts >
> Settings > Import).

199

Fix a problem : App issues

App or widget problems
App or widget missing from home screen
If a widget disappeared from your home screen, then add the widget by touching & holding an
empty spot on your home screen.
If an app disappeared from your home screen, the shortcut for opening the app was removed
and you just need to add a shortcut.
If an app disappeared from your list of all apps, you need to reinstall it.

Where are my

icons?

If you're using the
navigation bar, the
turn off the navigation bar.

icons are hidden. To restore these icons,

App crashes, won’t open, or isn’t working
After each step, check to see if the issue is fixed:
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.
Press and hold the Power button, then touch Power off.

Check that you have not disabled permissions for the app. If any permissions are turned
off, turn them on and try using the app again.

Update the app.

Force stop the app. This completely shuts down the app, including any background
services that may be causing your issue.

Clear the app’s cache. This frees up space by removing temporary files.

Clear the app’s data. This erases all data saved in this app.

Contact the app’s developer.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch the app and swipe down to see contact information.

> My apps & games.

If all else fails, delete the app.

Tip: To figure out which third-party app is causing performance problems, use safe mode.

200

Fix a problem : App issues

App disabled in safe mode
If apps are disabled because you’re in safe mode, you can’t use them until you exit safe mode.
To exit safe mode, turn your phone off and then on again.

Problems with Play Store
For help with Play Store, read Google's troubleshooting information.

Problems with Gmail
For help with Gmail, read Google's troubleshooting information.

Problems with app you installed
After each step, check to see if the issue is fixed:
1.

Check for updates to the app.

If you can open the app, touch

Clear the app's cache.

Go to the developer’s website for support.

or > Help and look for troubleshooting information.

Open the Play Store app.

Touch

Touch the app and swipe down to see a link to the website.

> My apps & games.

Messaging problems
If you’re having problems sending or receiving messages, try the following:
1.

Check for updates to your messaging app.

Check if a software update is available for your phone.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

If the problem persists, follow the steps below for specific problems. After each
troubleshooting step, check to see if your issue is fixed.

Red ! on text message
If you see
1.

, your text message was not sent.

Check your signal strength:

201

Fix a problem : App issues

•

Weak signal from your cellular provider is a common cause of unsent messages. In
the status bar, see how many bars your network connection has. If you see only one
or two bars, change locations to improve your signal strength, particularly if you are
indoors.

Open the conversation and resend the message.

Can't hear notifications
Adjust your notification settings.

Can't send or receive messages
1.

Change your preferred network to Global.

If you recently switched from iPhone and are having trouble sending messages to or
receiving them from an iPhone, your phone number may still be associated with
iMessaging. You need to deregister your account.

Contact your carrier.

Can't send or receive pictures or videos
Your data plan must support MMS (multimedia messaging) and cellular data must be on.

Messages app stopped
1.

Check that you have not disabled permissions for the Messages app. If any permissions
are turned off, turn them on and try using the app again.

Force stop the app. This completely shuts down the app, including any background
services that may be causing your issue.

Uninstall any recent app updates.
Touch & hold

, then touch

App info > > Uninstall updates.

Clear the app’s cache. This frees up space by removing temporary files.

Reset the phone.

Keyboard not working
If your keyboard has problems, like a missing spacebar:
1.

Check for updates to your keyboard app.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

Clear the cache for the keyboard app.

202

Fix a problem : App issues

Problems with Facebook, WhatsApp, other apps
If you’re having problems with messaging apps that you installed:
1.

Check for updates to the app.

If you can open the app, touch

Turn your phone off and then on again.

Clear the app's cache.

or > Help and look for troubleshooting information.

Camera problems
Photo looks blurry
Wipe the lens clean with a soft, dry cloth and retake the photo.
If new photos still look blurry:
•

Increase resolution (photo size) in the Camera app. A smaller photo size results in lower
image quality.

•

Avoid zooming when taking a photo. Pixelation always occurs when you zoom a digital
photo. If you use zoom during the shot itself, pixelation will be more evident.

•

If you're indoors and taking a panoramic photo, switch to regular mode. Panorama works
best for outdoor shots; the algorithm that stitches the images together isn’t optimized for
indoor, up-close shots.

Accidentally deleted photos
You can try to recover recently deleted photos.
If recovered, be sure to back up your photos to the cloud.

Can’t delete photo
If a photo or video you deleted comes back, check if it’s on your SD card. To delete it, use the
Files app. (If you don’t have this app, download a file manager app and use it to delete the
photo from your card.)
Or, remove your card from the phone and use a computer to delete photos from the card.

Error: Please restart camera
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if the issue is fixed:
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

Fix a problem : App issues

203

Clear the cache for the Camera app.

Check for updates to your Camera app.

Use safe mode to see if apps you installed are causing the issue and uninstall as needed.
If the camera works correctly in safe mode, a third-party app is probably causing the issue.

If you’re storing photos/videos on your SD card, remove the card and see if you can take
photos without getting the error. If so, replace the SD card with a new card. Make sure the
new card is certified A1 and has a fast write speed.

Error: Camera busy
This error can occur if you use the camera in one app and then switch to another app that
requires permission to access the camera.
After each troubleshooting step, check to see if the issue is fixed:
1.

Turn your phone off and then on again.

Check which apps have permission to access the camera.
Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions > Camera
Review the list of the apps on your phone that request camera access and remove access
for apps that look suspicious or that you don’t use.

Clear the cache and data for the Camera app.

Error: Trash is full
If you’re getting messages about the trash being full:
1.

Open the Photos app.

Touch

Touch > Empty trash.

> Trash.

Fix a problem : Maintenance procedures

204

Update Android software
For best performance, keep your phone updated with the latest available Android software.

Check Android version number
To check what version of Android your phone is running:
1.

Go to Settings > System > About phone > Android version.

The number displayed is your phone's Android version.

Get Android software updates
Your phone notifies you if an Android software update is available.
To manually check for updates, go to Settings > System > System updates.
If an upgrade is available, follow the onscreen instructions to install it.
Tip: To save data charges, use a Wi‑Fi connection to download software updates.
You can't downgrade to a previous software version after installing an update.

Timing for Android software updates
For the latest update plans, see the software update website for your country. Our support
agents get their Android update information from here too. If the website doesn't have a update
release date for your phone, then we don’t know the release date yet.
We deliver Android updates from Google to you as soon as possible, but with several phone
models, regions, and distribution channels we may have hundreds of software versions to test
before releasing an Android software update to your phone. Because dependencies on carriers
and other key partners for certifications, independent testing, and requests for changes take
more time, all phone owners don't receive updates at the same time, even in the same region.

Reset Wi-Fi, cellular data, and Bluetooth
If you're having problems with connections, review this information first:
•

Wi-Fi

•

Bluetooth

•

Cellular data

•

Hotspot (internet sharing)

Then, if you’re still experiencing problems, try resetting all network settings:

Fix a problem : Maintenance procedures

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options.

Touch Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth > Reset settings.

If you're using dual SIMs, select the SIM to reset for mobile data settings.

Touch Reset settings.

Try to reconnect to Wi-Fi, cellular data, and Bluetooth, or try to share your internet
connection again.

205

Reset phone
What a reset does
Resetting your phone erases all data and brings it back to out-of-the-box condition. This data
will be erased from the phone:
•

Google account

•

Media (music, photos, videos)

•

System settings and data

•

App settings and data (including text messages)

•

Downloaded apps

Before you reset
1.

Back up your data.
If your phone works and you can unlock it, be sure to:

•

Copy your photos, videos, and music to a computer or to cloud storage.

•

Make sure that any changes you made to contacts or calendar are synced to an
account.

Know your Google credentials.
If you added your Google account to your phone, make sure you know the Gmail address
and password for that account. To help prevent others from using your phone without
permission, after you reset a phone, you can’t set up the phone until you enter your Google
account information again. If you've forgotten the password, you can reset it.

Reset phone from Settings
To erase all data and reset your phone:
1.

Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Backup.

Fix a problem : Maintenance procedures

206

If you’re resetting because you suspect a third-party app is causing problems, turn off Back
up to Google Drive. Instead of automatically restoring apps after the reset, you’ll want to
restore them one at a time to determine which is causing the problem.

Touch

, then touch Advanced > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset).

External reset
If you can’t access Settings , do an external reset.
Everything will be deleted from your phone. However, if you personalized your wallpaper or
startup message at the time of purchase, you can preserve the personalized content shipped
with your phone.
1.

Make sure your battery is charged at least 30%.

Turn off the phone.

Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power button at the same time until the
phone turns on.

Press the Volume Down button until you see Recovery mode.

Press the Power button to restart in Recovery mode.

If you see an Android robot with a red exclamation mark, press and hold the Power button,
then press and release the Volume Up button to display the menu options.

Use the Volume buttons to scroll to Wipe data/factory reset, then press the Power button
to select it.

Use Volume buttons to scroll to Yes, then press the Power button to select it.

Use Volume buttons to scroll to an option and press the Power button to select it:
•

Userdata only: preserves personalized content shipped with your phone, including
power up message, image, wallpaper, and ringtones

•

Userdata + personalized content: deletes all content and data

Allow several seconds for the reset to complete.
10. Use Volume buttons to scroll to Reboot system now, then press the Power button to
select it.
Allow several minutes for the reboot to complete. If the phone doesn't finish rebooting,
press & hold the Power button until the screen turns dark, then release it to power up
normally.
11. If you reset your phone because you suspect a third-party app is causing problems, when
you set up the phone again, be sure you don't copy all apps. Then, restore one app at a
time and use the phone for a while. If the phone has no issues, install the next app and
retest.

Fix a problem : Maintenance procedures

207

Get more help
Use

above to search for answers to your question.

If you don't find the information you need there, then try these resources.
Issue

Where to get help

Billing or cellular network
issues

Contact your carrier.

Learn to use an app

Open the app and touch or

Phone issue

Visit mobilesupport.lenovo.com for solutions, user forums, live
contact options.

> Help.

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