The HTC One M8 might be an older phone now but it is one of the best Android phones. Now that you can purchase it for a significantly lesser price than a new flagship smartphone, the HTC One M8 becomes a very enticing offer. This article is all about tips and tricks for HTC One M8 that will help you revitalize your device or renovate a newly purchased one. One great thing about the HTC One M8 is its smaller screen size. These days a lot of flagship smartphones tend to be on the bigger side of the spectrum but HTC One M8 remains a handy phone coming at only 5 inches. Despite having a smaller screen, the resolution is full HD 1080X1920 pixels. This makes the smartphone a joy to look at because of the big pixel density. But you already knew about that, didn’t you?
1. Remove BlinkFeed
The HTC One M8 tries to innovate theAndroid home screen by including something called BlinkFeed. It is basically a direct news feed on your home screen. Some people like it and some simply hate it. I’m one of those people who want their home screen to look as clean as possible without any clutter. So this feature doesn’t really appeal to me. Thankfully, HTC was considerate and included a simple way to simply remove BlinkFeed. There are a few ways to remove BlinkFeed but the most straightforward one is right from the home screen. Tap and hold on an empty space on the home screen and the options menu will pop up. Simply select Manage Home Screen Pages, from there you can simply move to the BlinkFeed page situated in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. Change the Theme of BlinkFeed
What if you actually liked BlinkFeed? Surely you would want to match its team to the general Android theme you have going on. You can easily do that as well by simply heading to the Settings > Personalize > Themes. From there you can select a color scheme that best suits your own needs. I like green and white, but I would really prefer the more monotone black and white theme.
3. Use Power Saving Mode
The HTC One M8 comes with a fairly respectable battery and can run a good amount of time before running out of juice. However, if you want to get the most out of your device, you may want to enable the power saving mode. This feature allows you to save it when the device is not in active usage by lowering the screen brightness and the clock speed of the CPU. To enable this mode head over to Settings > Power and tap on the power saver option to turn it on.
4. Use Extreme Power Saving Mode
If you’re traveling or don’t have access to a charger, I recommend using the extreme power saving mode. This mode basically turns off all unnecessary functions on your phone and makes it a simple phone. So you’ll still get your calls and messages but all the features will be turned off. This way you can conserve battery life for a longer period of time. I highly recommend turning this mode on when you are traveling and don’t want to use your device, especially if you’re driving. This way you’ll have a healthy very when you reach the destination and want to click some pictures by using some of the best camera apps available for Android. This mode can be found directly underneath the power saving mode option.
5. Use HTC Trace Keyboard
The default keyboard is nice but what if you are accustomed to more of a Swype style keyboard? Well, you can enable the HTC race keyboard option and slide your fingers over the letters to enter text. It is a fun and easy way to type on your Android device. Personally, I think that HTC should have enabled this option by default, but they decided to against it. To enable this great feature simply head over to Settings > Language & keyboard > HTC Sense Input and then select the keyboard you want to use.
6. Skip the Lock Screen
Not many people are keen on entering a pin code every time they want to use their friend. The HTC One M8 allows you to completely skip the lock screen if you have no security on. In order to do so, simply swipe to the right to left and you will go to the default home screen. Or if you want to check the news quickly, swipe left to right and you’ll be taken to the BlinkFeed screen. It’s a nifty feature if you are in a hurry.
7. Answer Calls in Style
Answering a call can be a little bit hard, especially when you are sleeping. So, to ease that pain, HTC has come up with two different ways to answer calls in style. If you need a refresher, yes the HTC One M8 is also able to make and receive actual calls. When receiving a call simply swipe downwards to answer it, without the need of pressing that hard to press receive call button. Alternatively, you can simply pull the phone on your ear and the call will be received automatically. To enable this feature, go to Settings > Call > Auto Answer Call.
8. Use HTC One M8 as TV Remote
Do you know that your HTC One M8 can be used as a TV remote? That’s right, this smartphone comes with an infrared blaster that allows you to control most TV models and even DVD players. HTC used to have a dedicated HTC Sense TV app, but it got shut down a while back. However, HTC recommended the excellent Peel Smart Remote and it works just as well with the HTC One M8. If you want even more options, check out the best TV remote and best universal remote app lists as well.
9. Hide Apps from the Drawer
Not everyone wants carrier bloatware on their smartphones. Unfortunately, there is no way to remove it without rooting your smartphone. Thankfully, you can easily hide the icons from the drawer by simply accessing the menu in the app drawer. You will see the option to Hide/Unhide apps, select the ones you want to hide and you will no longer see them in the app drawer.
10. Use the Kid Mode
If you have little kids around that love Android, then you should better hand over your HTC One M8 to them. Don’t worry, you won’t have deleted contacts after they hand it back. The kids don’t have to wait long for you to hand over the goods either, all you need to do is press and hold the power button and select kids mode. This mode will disable a lot of features like making calls or even accessing files on the device. You will just need to enter a PIN code to exit the kids’ mode, though. This mode will disable a lot of features like making calls or even accessing files on the device. You will just need to enter a PIN code to exit the kids’ mode, though.
Conclusion
This ends the tips and tricks for HTC One M8 list. I hope you learned something awesome about your device with this article. If you have more tips and tricks about the smartphone, feel free to drop them in the comments below so all the readers can enjoy them as well. Until next time, keep your home screens beautiful and the customization creative! Featured Image Credit
