How to Use an Android Tablet

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Set up your Android tablet with your favorite apps and features
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This wikiHow teaches you how to get started on an Android tablet. This process includes things like learning about the tablet's buttons and terminology, connecting to the Internet, and downloading programs. Keep in mind that the Android operating system may vary slightly depending on who manufactured the tablet, meaning that you may see slightly different options than are listed here when using your tablet.

How to Operate an Android Tablet

The basic controls on an Android tablet involve touching the screen with your fingers to navigate through and use the device. To scroll through content, swipe your fingers to the left and right or up and down. To zoom in and out, use pinch gestures with your fingers. Tap on icons with a finger to open each app.

Part 1
Part 1 of 8:

Learning the Basics

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  1. Some terms that will help you out include the following:
    • Home Screen - The screen to which your tablet opens when unlocked.
    • Lock Screen - The screen to which your tablet opens when the display is on, but locked.
    • App - A program. Apps are mobile versions of computer programs, websites, and services.
    • App Drawer - The area in which all of your tablet's apps are stored. The App Drawer icon resembles a grid of dots, and is usually found at the bottom of the Home Screen.
    • Long-press - An action used to move apps or open a shortcut's menu. Tap and hold something to long-press it.
    • Dock - The row of apps at the bottom of the Home Screen. You can customize the Dock to hold apps that you frequently use.
    • Shade - A notification banner that you can pull down from the top of the screen. The Shade usually has shortcuts to frequently used settings, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
    • OK Google - Android's version of Siri. You can say "OK, Google" to open this voice assistant, at which point you can ask questions (e.g., "Where's the nearest Starbucks?") or give commands (e.g., "Email Sally").
    • Settings - An app (usually gear-shaped) that contains all of your tablet's preferences, options, and setup details. If you want to change an aspect of your tablet, the answer is probably in Settings.
  2. While most of what you do with your tablet will happen on-screen, there are a few physical buttons that you should be aware of:
    • Volume - The two buttons on the left side of the tablet control the volume. The top button usually increases volume, while the bottom button usually decreases volume.
    • Lock - This button is usually on the top or right side of the tablet. Pressing it will turn off the display and "lock" the tablet, meaning that you'll have to swipe on the Home Screen (and enter a passcode if it's set up) to re-open your tablet.
    • Back - This button is usually in the bottom-left or bottom-right corner of the tablet. Tapping it will take you back one page.
    • Home - The Home button is usually at the bottom-center of the tablet. This button will take you back to the Home Screen when pressed, allowing you to exit apps and menus.
    • Multitasking - This button is usually in the bottom-right or bottom-left corner of the tablet. Pressing it will bring up a list of apps that are currently open, allowing you to sort through them and close them if needed.
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  3. Press and hold the Lock button at the top or on the side of the Android, then tap Power off in the pop-up menu that appears. Your Android will begin turning itself off.
    • You may have to tap POWER OFF when prompted to confirm this decision.
  4. Press the Lock button to begin turning back on your tablet.
    • You may have to press and hold the Lock button for this to work on some tablets.
  5. Swipe from left to right across the Home Screen. This will open your tablet, allowing you to begin using it.
  6. If prompted to complete the setup process (particularly for a new tablet), do so. This will typically involve setting a display language and location, setting up a passcode, entering your Google account information, and so on.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 8:

Connecting to Internet

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  1. Doing so opens the Notifications Shade, which also has a list of shortcuts to common settings such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
  2. It's typically in the top-left side of the menu. This will take you to your Android's Wi-Fi settings.
  3. It will turn on
    Android 7 System Switch On
    , thereby enabling Wi-Fi.
    • If the switch is green or blue instead of grey, skip this step.
  4. Find the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to.
  5. If you're using a home network and you didn't set a password, you'll likely find the Wi-Fi password on the bottom or the back of the router.
    • If the network has no password, you'll connect automatically after tapping the network's name.
  6. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. As long as the password you entered is correct, your Android will connect to the network.
  7. Press the Home button to do so. Now that you're connected to Wi-Fi, you can proceed with adding your Google account.
    • If you already added your Google account to your tablet during the setup process, you can skip to the Downloading Apps section .
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Part 3
Part 3 of 8:

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  1. This is an account into which you sign using a Google email address (usually Gmail).
    • If you don't have a Google account, create one before proceeding.
  2. Tap the grid of dots at the bottom of the Home Screen to do so. This will display a list of the apps that are currently on your Android tablet.
    • Every new Android comes with several apps installed.
    • On some Samsung Galaxy tablets, you can open the App Drawer by swiping up from the bottom of the tablet's screen.
  3. Tap the gear-shaped app icon to do so.
    • On newer Android operating system versions, this icon resembles a white gear on a blue or purple background.
  4. You'll find this option near the bottom of the Settings page.
  5. On the Accounts page, look for your Google account, as you may have logged in already without remembering. If you don't see your Google account here, proceed to the next step.
  6. It's near the top of the page.
  7. This should be near the top of the page. Doing so will open a text field for your email address and password.
  8. Type in your email address and the accompanying password, then tap SIGN IN (or similar).
    • You may first have to tap Existing account before you can enter your information.
  9. Depending on your Android, you may be prompted to enter payment information and/or sign up for Google+ here. If so, you can follow the on-screen prompts, or you can tap SKIP or DECLINE somewhere on the screen to bypass this section.
  10. Once you're signed in, you'll see a window displaying the information that your tablet is using from your Google account. This will include things like contacts, photos, and files.
  11. With your Google account signed in, you can now download apps onto your tablet.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 8:

Downloading Apps

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  1. It's at the bottom of the Home Screen.
  2. You'll find this multicolored triangle app icon somewhere in the App Drawer.
  3. It's at the top of the screen.
  4. Type in the name of an app (e.g., "Facebook") that you want to search for.
    • You can also just type in a search term (e.g., "map") if you don't have a specific app in mind.
  5. You'll find one (or both) of these in the tablet's keyboard. Doing so will search the Play Store for apps matching your search term.
    • You can also tap the app name in the drop-down menu below the search bar.
    • If you see an app name with the app's icon to the left of it, tapping that result will take you directly to that app's page.
  6. Tap an app that you want to download. This will open the app's page.
    • Skip this step if you went directly to the app's page.
  7. It's a green button on the right side of the app's name.
    • If the app isn't free, you'll instead tap the app's price (e.g., $2.49 ) here.
  8. This will prompt the app to begin downloading.
  9. Once the app finishes downloading, you'll see a green OPEN button appear in place of the INSTALL button.
    • You can tap OPEN to open the app immediately, or you can tap the app's icon on one of the tablet's Home Screen pages to open it from there.
  10. You may have noticed an app or two that you don't want to have on your tablet; if so, you can proceed to the Uninstalling Apps section .
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Part 5
Part 5 of 8:

Uninstalling Apps

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  1. It's at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Tap the Settings app icon to do so.
  3. It's near the top of the menu on most tablets. This will open a list of your currently installed apps.
  4. Scroll through the list of installed apps until you find the one that you want to remove from your tablet.
    • You may have to tap See all apps or App info on this page in order to find the app that you want to delete.
  5. Doing so will open its page.
  6. It's at the top of the app's page.
    • If the app that you want to delete is a manufacturer-installed app, you won't be able to delete it. Instead, tap DISABLE here to hide the app.
  7. This will confirm your decision and remove the app from your tablet.
  8. If the app that you deleted was on the Home Screen, it will be gone now.
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Part 6
Part 6 of 8:

Organizing Apps

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  1. You'll need to be on your tablet's Home Screen in order to organize your apps.
  2. Long-press an app until it enlarges slightly, then drag it to a different location on the Home Screen and release your finger.
    • You can place an app between two other apps by dragging the app to hover over the line between the two apps, waiting for them to jump apart, and then releasing the finger.
  3. Long-press an app to begin moving it, then drag it to the right side of the screen until a new page opens. You can then drop the app on that page.
    • To access additional pages from the Home Screen main page, swipe from right to left across the screen. You can navigate back a page by swiping from left to right.
  4. Long-press an app to move it, drag it onto another app, wait for the second app to expand slightly, and release your finger. You may be prompted to enter a name for your folder after doing this.
    • You can add apps to the folder by long-pressing them and then dragging and dropping them into the folder.
    • On some tablets, a folder area will appear when you hover over the app instead.
  5. Long-press an app until you can move it, then drag the app down to the Dock, wait for other apps to move to make room for it, and release your finger.
    • Most tablets can accommodate around 7 apps in the Dock.
    • You can remove an app from the Dock by long-pressing it and then moving it onto the Home Screen.
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Part 7
Part 7 of 8:

Taking Photos

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  1. It's at the bottom of the Home Screen.
  2. Tap the Camera app icon, which usually resembles a camera or the outline of a camera.
    • Your tablet's Camera app might be named something other than "Camera", so look for the camera-shaped icon here.
  3. Your Camera app will usually open to the "Photo" mode, but most tablets allow you to record video by swiping left or right over the "Capture" button that's at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Aim your tablet's camera at something that you want to photograph (or video tape).
    • You can also change the tablet's view to the front-facing camera (e.g., the camera on the screen side of the Android) if it has one by tapping the circular arrow icon.
  5. Tap the "Capture" button, which is a circular, white button at the bottom of the screen. This will take a photo and automatically save it in your tablet's Photos app.
    • If you want to record a video, tap the red "Record" circle instead to begin recording. Tap this circle again to stop recording and save the video.
  6. Every Android tablet comes with a Photos app in which your taken and saved photos and videos are stored. You can find this app in the App Drawer and open it to view the photos/videos that you've taken or saved.
  7. You're almost done acquainting yourself with your tablet! The final thing that you should do is create a passcode to secure your tablet.
    • If your tablet already has a passcode, you're all set.
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Part 8
Part 8 of 8:

Creating a Passcode

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  1. It's at the bottom of the Home Screen.
  2. Tap the Settings app icon in the App Drawer.
  3. You'll find this option near the middle of the Settings page.
    • On some tablets, you'll just tap Security here.
  4. This option should be near the top of the Security page.
  5. There will be up to four different types of code, so tap one of the following:
    • Swipe - No code; requires you to swipe from left to right across the Lock Screen in order to unlock the tablet.
    • Pattern - A pattern that you have to draw with your finger.
    • PIN - A several-digit code.
    • Password - An alphanumeric (letters, numbers, and/or symbols) code.
  6. This will vary depending on your tablet; you may also have to follow some on-screen instructions before you can enter your preferred code.
  7. Doing so will ensure that you enter it correctly more than once.
  8. Lock your tablet by pressing the Lock button, press the Lock button again to wake up the screen, and then swipe from left to right across the Lock Screen and enter your password, PIN, or pattern.
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  • Question
    How can I download music and videos on my tablet?
    AbigailAbernathy
    Top Answerer
    The easiest method is to connect your tablet to your computer and transfer your music to your tablet.
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  • Question
    How do I insert a SIM card into a Lenovo TAB2A8-50?
    Community Answer
    As you look at the screen of the tablet, the location for the SD card will be on the left side and it will have a small opening which you can insert a fingernail and open the cover. The SD card will only go in one way, do not force it. If it does not insert, remove it, turn it over, and try again.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    Do I need to keep my tablet plugged in all the time?
    AbigailAbernathy
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    No. Keeping your device plugged in all the time can weaken the battery making it less efficient. When it reaches 100% battery, unplug it. When the battery gets low, plug it back in for a full charge.
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    Thank you for your feedback.
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      Tips

      • One type of app that people generally find useful is a file manager. By searching the Google Play Store for a file manager and downloading the one that you want, you can browse files (e.g., documents) on your tablet.
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      • Switching off your device completely will clear temporary data, allowing the device to run faster.
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      Warnings

      • Not all Androids are alike. If you can't find a specific feature or your tablets apps look different than a friends, it's most likely a manufacturing choice, not an error.
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Press and hold the Power button to turn on the tablet.
      2. Sign into (or create a) Google account.
      3. Press the Home button to go to the home screen.
      4. Tap an app icon to open it.
      5. Tap Play Store to browse for and install new apps.
      6. Swipe down from the top of the screen to see your notifications.
      7. Manage your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections in the notification panel.
      8. Use the hardware buttons to control the volume.

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