How To Manage Notifications On Android Smartly

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January 27, 2021

Notifications are one thing Android has been winning since the beginning. From receiving to managing and customizing the layout of the notification prompts, Android never had us disappoint. In this article, I’ll be guiding you on how you can manage notifications on Android smartly and apply various customizations to make them more efficient.

Let’s begin!

Some Steps To Manage Notifications Smartly

Below are some of the steps that you should try to manage notifications on your Android device smartly. The notifications pop up on your smartphone at various locations and hence, needs to be managed at different locations.

How To Manage Notifications On Lock-screen

The very first place you get to interact with the notifications is your device’s lock screen. Whether you unlock or let your phone remain locked, you can see the number of notifications received since the last time you used your phone.
There are some notifications that you want to stay hidden or private until you unlock your device to view them and, glad to say that Android does support the option to hide your sensitive information when the notification is in a lock screen state. Here are the steps to apply this setting to your device.

Open the ‘Settings‘ application on your phone.
Go to the ‘Notification settings‘ or search for the ‘Notifications‘ section. This section can vary as per the device, so I suggest you search for the same in the Settings search panel.
There, you will see an option of ‘Notification on the lock screen.‘ This may vary depending on your device.
Here, you can select the option you would like for the lock screen.

Manage Them On Quick Settings Panel

When you unlock your phone, you get to see the content and also take multiple actions on the notification received. Apart from swiping to remove them, you can also instantly reply and take action to the notification when your swipe down to your device’s quick settings panel. This is all thanks to Android 10’s notification feature which further got improved in the last year’s Android 11. Below is an image showing interaction with a notification, giving the options to mute, block, and etc.

Again, if you receive a notification of a conversation or message, you’ll have the option to reply straight from there directly. There are no particular steps to enable this feature, as this is built to work directly. All you have to do is swipe down a particular notification and you’ll be introduced to the various options according to the notification received.

How To Manage Notifications For All Apps

Now, this section isn’t that much of a special one as many of you must be knowing this. To stop all the notifications for your phone, you can either enable the ‘Do not disturb’ settings or turn off the notifications for all the installed applications on your phone which, is explained in the next section in more detail.

Manage Them For Specific Apps

If you want to disable notifications for a particular app that keeps on annoying with its notifications, there is the only way, which can get long if you have many applications to lower down their voice. Here are the steps to disable notifications for a particular app or many apps.

Go to the ‘Settings’ application.
Head to either the ‘Notification settings’ or the ‘Apps’ section.
There, you will see a list of installed apps upon scrolling down.
Select the app you wish to turn down the notification of.
Follow the same for every app you wish to perform for.

Conclusion

Notifications are pretty significant and useful in any operating system’s experience and, Android has always been best at it. With the above steps, you can customize the way notifications show on your device and manage them efficiently. Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.

Also Read:
How To Change AutoCorrect Settings On Android
How To Enable Face Unlock On Any Android Smartphone
How To Mod Chrome On Android

Poco X2 Starts Receiving Android 11-Based MIUI 12.1 Update With January 2021 Security Patch

By

Punkaj Kumar

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January 26, 2021

Poco X2 Starts Receiving Android 11-Based MIUI 12.1 Update With January 2021 Security Patch

Xiaomi launched Poco X2 as a rebranded Redmi K30 4G in India in February Last year. It received the MIUI 12 Global Stable ROM updated with build number MIUI 12.0.1.0.QGHINXM in August 2020. However, this update was based on Android 10. But now, the smartphone has started receiving MIUI 12.1 update, bringing Android 11 to the Poco X2. Apart from bringing some core features of Android 11, this update comes with the January 2021 Android security patch.

According to the reports, the Android 11 update for the Poco X2 handset is following a gradual rollout. It means that the update will roll out for users in stages, and you may need to wait for some days till you get in for your Poco X2 device. However, some users have already received the update and claim that they’re facing some issues after installing it. Though Poco India has confirmed that it is pushing the Android 11 update for Poco X2, but it hasn’t said anything about the issues users are facing.

Poco X2 Android 11 Update Reports Some Issues

As said before, several users have received the Android 11 update on their Poco X2 device, and many among them have reported it on social media. According to some screenshots shared by the users, the Android 11-based MIUI 12.1 update comes with build number MIUI 12.1.2.0.RGHINXM. Sized 2.4GB, it brings the Android security patch to January 2021.

Some users have reported that after installing the latest update on their devices, they’ve started facing various issues with their handsets. However, Poco India hasn’t provided any clarity on this issue yet. It looks like there are few bugs in the latest firmware version. If you have a Poco X2 device and want to upgrade it to Android 11, head on to Settings » About phone and check for updates. If you haven’t received it yet, wait for a few more days.

How To Change AutoCorrect Settings On Android

By

Shashank Ranjan

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January 26, 2021

Autocorrect is a useful as well as an annoying thing that we encounter daily on our smartphones. Android brings support for many third-party keyboards which, further provide even more customizations and personalizations options. Today, I’ll be explaining how to change autocorrect settings on the Android system.

Let’s begin!

Steps To Change AutoCorrect Settings

AutoCorrect is one such feature that is a part of any keyboard’s machine learning. In some situations, autocorrect saves the day, but in some conditions, it creates an awkward scene by autocorrecting the words which you meant to write. It uses various algorithms and machine learning to understand your vocabulary and predict the next word accordingly. Sometimes, it saves a lot of time as we don’t have to write the complete sentence, and we can just tap on the words that we want to write, but sometimes, these predictions do get wrong as it might show some words that are off context.

The steps to change autocorrect settings are explained below.

Open the ‘Settings’ application.

Go to the ‘Keyboard & input method’ section.

Under the ‘Available Keyboards’, tap the keyboard that’s installed on your device.

Tap the ‘Text correction’ option.

There you will see all the options to customize the autocorrect settings.

Conclusion

Try out some different options to change autocorrect settings and experience it while you use your keyboard. You can toggle on/off many other options that are linked to autocorrect settings like Auto-capitalization, punctuation mark, etc.

Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.

OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro Specs Leaked Ahead of Rumoured March Launch

By

Punkaj Kumar

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January 25, 2021

OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro Specs Leaked Ahead of Rumoured March Launch — Image courtesy: Digital Chat Station

OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro key specifications have reportedly been leaked online. According to a post shared by tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the upcoming smartphones will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC. As per the tipster, the OnePlus 9 Pro will sport a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Reportedly, the vanilla model could feature a 6.55-inch full-HD+ display with the same refresh rate of 120Hz. Expectedly, the much-awaited OnePlus 9 series could launch as early as March this year.

OnePlus 9, 9 Pro Specs (Leaked/Expected)

According to the tipster, the upcoming OnePlus 9 series will derive power from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. Both the smartphone models, the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, will have a 3.8mm single punch hole cut-out on the top-left corner of the phone screen. While the standard model will have a flat display, the OnePlus 9 Pro will reportedly feature a curved screen. Further, the handsets will weigh less than 200 grams, making the upcoming smartphones relatively lightweight.

Currently, there is no confirmation on the battery specifications of the upcoming OnePlus 9 family however, the tipster suggests that both the models may pack a 4,500mAh battery each. Apart from this, past reports have tipped the OnePlus 9 Pro to come with 45W wireless charging support. The other model, on the other hand, will support 30W wireless charging. Also, both models will reportedly support reverse charging.

For optics, the vanilla model could feature a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor. The other two sensors may include an ultra-wide camera and a telephoto camera on board. On top of that, both the OnePlus 9 models will run Android 11 with the company’s custom Android skin on top. To remind you, the smartphone brand will also debut the OnePlus 9 Lite handset soon.

Google Search on Mobile to Get a Redesigned Look With Edge-to-Edge Search Results and More

By

Punkaj Kumar

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January 24, 2021

Google Search on Mobile to Get a Redesigned Look With Edge-to-Edge Search Results, More Focus on Important Information — Image courtesy: Google Blog

Google is working on redesigning how search results look on mobile and make it easier for users to find the information they are looking for. The tech giant announced through a blog post on Friday about this latest development.

“We wanted to take a step back to simplify a bit so people could find what they’re looking for faster and more easily,” said Aileen Cheng, the person who led the redesign, in the blog. The new, redesigned mobile search will allow people to find easily, what they are looking for, focus on the information, make text bold and easier to read, and more. The company said that Google search on mobile will now have an edge to edge design, bolder texts, deeper use of color, and feel “bubblier amd bouncier.” Here is what the redesigned look of Google’s mobile search will offer.

Google Mobile Search Will Be Simpler and More Aesthetic

As per the official blog, the redesign of mobile search will have five major aspects. These include bringing information into focus, making text easier to read, creating more breathing room, using color to highlight what’s important, and lastly, “leaning into that ‘Googley’ feeling.” The new design will have larger and bolder text that will help people to scan information quickly.

Further, Google is adding more of its font in search results and using color “more intentionally” to highlight important information. Apart from this, search results will take up more of the screen width, creating more breathing room partly by reducing the use of shadows.

With the new design, Google aims to make things more simple, reduce clutter, and make search results more helpful. It looks like the redesign puts more information higher up on the results page, relieving users from scroll down too far to find what they’re looking for. Lastly, Google is also bringing the roundness in the Google logo to other places in including the icons and images.

The tech giant had said that the new design will roll out in the coming days.

Honor V40 Launched in China With Dimensity 1000+ SoC, Dual Selfie Cameras: Check Specs, Price, and More

By

Punkaj Kumar

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January 24, 2021

Honor V40 Launched in China With Dimensity 1000+ SoC, Dual Selfie Cameras: Check Specs, Price, and More

Honor has launched its latest 5G phone, the Honor V40 5G, in China. The smartphone features the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC and a rectangular-shaped rear camera module housing a 50MP primary sensor. It is a successor to Honor’s V30 series that the company launched back in 2019. Also, the phone comes with dual selfie cameras and a back panel with different color gradients.

Honor V40 5G Specs, Features

Honor V40 5G features a 6.72-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Under the hood, the phone has a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset, paired with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage. It runs on the Android 11-based Magic UI 4.0 operating system. Further, the handset packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for 66W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging. Also, it has an in-display fingerprint sensor and stereo speakers.

In terms of optics, the Honor V40 5G sports a multiple-camera setup at the back and front. On the rear, the phone houses a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a laser autofocus sensor. Further, there’s the support of LED flash for taking pictures in the night. At the front, the pill-shaped cutouts house a dual-camera setup that includes a 16MP main camera and a Time of Flight (ToF) lens.

Price and Availability

Notably, the Honor V40 5G will be available in two storage variants, an 8GB + 128GB storage model and an 8GB + 256GB storage variant. For the lower base variant, ie., the 8GB + 128GB model, the price has been set at CNY 3,599 (roughly ₹40,600) in China. On the other hand, the high storage 8GB + 256GB model will cost you CNY 3,999 (roughly 45,100) in China.

Apart from this, the new Honor smartphone comes in three color options — Rose Gold, Magic Night Black, and Titanium Silver colors. The Honor V40 5G device will go on sale in China starting today. Currently, there’s no information on when or if this device will be made available outside China, including India.

Mi Watch Lite Allegedly Receives BIS Certification, Suggests Imminent Launch in India

By

Punkaj Kumar

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January 22, 2021

Mi Watch Lite Allegedly Receives BIS Certification, Suggests Imminent Launch in India — Image courtesy: Wearables.com

Mi Watch Lite has allegedly received the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification, hinting that the smartwatch will launch soon in India. The smartwatch debuted internationally last month, and now it seems like it will hit the Indian market soon as well. The tipster has said that the Mi Watch Lite is listed on BIS as “Redmi,” suggesting that it may be a rebranded model of the Redmi Watch. It means the Xiaomi’s latest smartwatch could launch as a rebranded Redmi smartwatch in India. Notably, the gadget features 11 workout modes and boasts a battery life of up to nine days.

According to tipster Mukul Sharma, Mi Watch Lite appears on the BIS certification site with model number REDMIWT02 and, the listing suggests the smartwatch may launch soon. However, the certification does not reveal any other detail about the Chinese brand’s latest smartwatch but, we speculate a few details based on the Redmi Watch. Also, the smartwatch launched internationally last month suggests the smartwatch may come in Pink, Olive, Ivory, Navy Blue, and Black strap options.

Mi Watch Lite Specs, Features

Mi Watch Lite sports a 1.4-inch square LCD display and offers 11 sports modes. These include cricket, indoor cycling, open water swimming, walking, and more. Further, the company claims that the smartwatch has 5ATM resistance that allows it to work in up to 5 meters of water. Additionally, the new Xiaomi smartwatch has heart rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, and other guided breathing exercises.

Further, Mi Watch Lite packs a 230mAh battery that lasts up to nine days in a typical usage scenario and takes around two hours to charge fully. In continuous GPS sports mode, the smartwatch lasts up to 10 hours. Apart from this, it comes with over 120 watch face options. Further, it has all the usual features like music controls, notifications for calls and messages, weather support, etc. For pricing, we expect that it will have a similar price tag as the Redmi Watch, which is around ₹3,400.

How To Enable Face Unlock On Any Android Smartphone

By

Shashank Ranjan

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January 21, 2021

How To Enable Face Unlock On Any Android Smartphone

Face unlocking is a trend that started early in 2017 and quickly became a global norm and most asked feature on any smartphone. Due to its quick, secure, and hands-free unlocking, face unlock became a hit among the users, and since its launch, constant improvements and updates are made to ensure the functionality remains intact. In this article, I’ll be explaining how you can enable fack unlock on any Android smartphone.

Let’s begin!

What Is Face Unlock & How Does It Work

ust like fingerprint unlocking, face unlocking is a way of unlocking your device simply by just looking at the front camera. It scans your face using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for unique face structure and mapping that helps in distinguishing your face uniqueness, thus providing security while unlocking. Though the face unlock is just a couple of years old, it has seen a rapid demand and growth among the users for the convenience and simplicity it offers.

Steps To Enable Face Unlock On Android Smartphone

There is almost no smartphone that does not launch without face unlocking feature these days. From budget smartphones to flagship smartphones, this feature is something that lies in common but, what if I tell you that face unlocking is something that began way back in 2014 by… wait for it. Yeah, this is something you got to wait for till the next section arrives.

So, let’s get started with the procedure of enabling face unlock.

For Latest Devices

If your smartphone is one of a recent buy or not older than one and a half to two years old, then you must be already having the face unlocking feature on your security settings page. In my case, I have a realme 6 Pro, which already supports face unlocking, and below is the screenshot that shows an option of the face unlocking on the settings page.

For other devices that support this feature, you can visit the settings application on your smartphone and find it in the security or lock-screen password section. There, you can set it up and enable the feature in no time.

For Older Devices

Now that you have come to this section, it’s time to reveal the big secret. There’s something called ‘Google Smart Lock’ which, was in big hype way back in 2016 during the Android Marshmallow launch. What it means is that it brings smart unlocking of your device when any of the following (face, voice, location, on-body detection) matches as per the saved information during its setup.

Yes, I did say face there. The face unlock is very well used in this smart lock feature which, is the same as what we see these days with Android face unlock setup. I have tried this feature on my oldest Android device, that is the Sony Xperia Z2, and below, you can see the steps with photos to understand the procedure.

Open the ‘Settings‘ application.
Go to your ‘lock-screen password‘ settings page.
There, you will find ‘Smart Lock’ listed. Click on it.
Select the ‘Trusted face’ option.
Set it up and, you are good to go.

Conclusion

Gone are the days of fingerprint unlocking with the arrival of the face unlocking. After following this tutorial, you should now be able to use the face unlocking feature on your smartphone irrespective of the software on it.

Go ahead and try it. Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.

How To Mod Chrome On Android

By

Shashank Ranjan

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January 21, 2021

Google Chrome is the most popular browser across all the platforms, be it Android, Windows, or macOS. It has been an integral part of the Android operating system and its default browser since 2013 and has been evolving with various new features and improvements daily. Well, Chrome’s already packed with great features and performance, but there are still a couple of tweaks that remain off for a general user and can be enabled when mod Chrome on Android happens.

Don’t get me wrong. It is not about installing a modded version of Google Chrome instead it is about enabling some developer settings that are disabled as they are in an experimental state from Google’s side.
So today, I’ll be guiding you on how to mod Chrome on Android and making your Chrome experience even better.
So what’s the wait for, let’s get started!

What are Chrome Flags

Chrome Flags is what the developer mode is to Android. It has various ongoing experimental features that are enabled/disabled as per the version of Chrome your device is running. Here are the steps on how to open the flags page on your Google Chrome.

In the URL bar, type the following command, ‘chrome://flags‘ which will open the flags page.
To search for a specific feature, type the keywords in the search bar located above.
Select the flag and tap the drop-down menu, where you will see many options to enable it.
Select the option that suits you best.
Restart your browser.

Some Helpful Mods To Enable

These are some of the experimental features that I’ve been trying out using the Chrome flags, which I felt were quite impressive, so I thought you should give it a try. Now it is possible that some of the features that have been mentioned below might not be available.

New Chrome UI

#Enable Chrome Modern Design

A Fresh Look To Tabs

#Enable Accessibility Tab Switcher

Much Better Looking Menu Section

#Enable Custom Context Menu

One-Click Auto-fill Option

#Single-Click Autofill

Speed Boost On Browsing & Efficient Performance

These are the flags that work in the background to provide a snappy browsing experience and increase Chrome’s performance. These are purely experimental features so this can be optional to be enabled.

Raster Threads

#Number of Raster Threads

Canvas Features

#Experimental Canvas Features

Only Reload Visible Tabs Option

#Only Auto-Reload Visible Tabs

TCP Fast-Opening

#TCP Fast Open

QUIC Protocol

#Experimental QUIC Protocol

Conclusion

Go ahead and give these flags a shot and tell us which one you like the most. Obviously, there are more than these and you can always try them as per your choice and share them with us. Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.

How to Transfer Files from an Android TV to a PC or Smartphone – 5 Easy Ways

By

Punkaj Kumar

-

January 21, 2021

How to Transfer Files from an Android TV to a PC or Smartphone With Five Easy Ways — Image courtesy: Reddit

Have you ever wanted to transfer files from your Android TV to your PC or a smartphone but don’t know how to do that? Well, in this article, we have explained various methods and ways with which you can send or transfer files from an Android TV to a PC or smartphone. To be specific, we have brought you five ways with easy-peasy steps. Try out any one method among the following that you feel comfortable with.

Transfer Data from Android TV to PC or Smartphone

Before jumping to any of the methods, you should know that both your devices, the Android TV and the PC/Smartphone, need to connect with the same Wi-Fi network. Although, we have discussed a method without needing to connect to a ‘common’ Wi-Fi too. Use any of the following methods to transfer files from Android TV to your laptop, PC, or smartphone.

METHOD #1: Using Solid Explorer App

One of the easiest ways to transfer files from Android TV to any other device, including laptop, PC, Android smartphone, iOS, or others. The method involves the creation of an FTP server using the Solid Explorer app on your Android TV. Follow these steps:

1.. First, install the free Solid Explorer app from Play Store on your Android TV.

2. Next, open the app and go to the hamburger menu. Now scroll down and expand the “Toolbox” menu to find “FTP Server.”

3. Open the FTP server and click “Start.” You’re set.

4. Now, open any web browser, such as Google Chrome, on any device that’s connected to the same network. Enter the FTP address (eg., ftp://192.168.0.106:9999) shown on the Android TV in the address bar of your web browser.

5. That’s it. Once the page loads, you’ll see a list of all directories available on your Android TV. Simply, click/tap on the file you want to download. The file will now start downloading to your PC or smartphone, whatever you have used for this process.

Note that your FTP address may be different. Use the one that appears on your Android TV FTP server.

METHOD #2: Using SFTV App

It’s also a very easy way to bring files from Android TV to your smartphone or laptop. This method needs the SFTV app (download here) on both of your devices, i.e., the Android TV and your PC/smartphone. Like before, this method also needs both of your devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Note that this app is not available on iOS so, this method won’t work for iOS devices. Follow these steps:

1.. Firstly, install the free SFTV app both on the Android TV and PC/smartphone.

2. After that, open the app on both these devices and click on “Send” in Android TV. On the next page, select the file you want to send.

3. Now, the SFTV app will automatically detect the recipient device. Just select the device, and the file will transfer to your device (PC or smartphone, whichever you used) within seconds.

4. That’s all. You can keep the apps to transfer files from your Android TV to your other devices in the future.

METHOD #3: Using Cloud Service Like Google Drive

This method requires access to cloud services, such as Google Drive via the internet. If your devices are not sharing a common Wi-Fi, then this method is for you. First, set up a cloud service on your Android TV with the help of the Solid Explorer app. Follow these steps:

1. Install and open the Solid Explorer app on your Android TV and click the hamburger menu.

2. Next, click the 3-dot menu and select “Storage Manager.” Now, choose any cloud service, like Google Drive, from the next page.

3. Follow the asked steps and then sign on to your Google account. Give required permissions and click “Connect.”

4. Once connected successfully, Google Drive will now appear in your menu. Just upload the files from your Android TV to Google Drive.

5. When the upload is complete, you can access and download that file from any device by signing in to Drive. Simple!

METHOD #4: Using a USB Drive

This is a simple method to transfer files from your Android TV to your PC, similar to the way you’d transfer from your one PC to another. Just plug in the USB drive to your Android TV’s USB port. Now, use the same app, the Solid Explorer, to copy files from the TV to the USB drive. Later, you can copy them from the USB drive to your PC or use an OTG cable to move them to your smartphone.

METHOD #5: Using ADB (Advanced method)

ADB is an advanced and a bit technical method to transfer files from an Android TV to your PC or laptop. This method also requires your devices connected to a common local network. Note that this process will work only on your desktop computer or laptop, not on smartphones. Follow these steps:

1.. Firstly, set up ADB on your desktop computer or laptop. Also, note down the IP address of your Android TV by going to Settings » Network and Internet » Your WiFi Network.

2. Next, run the following command: run adb connect <ipaddress> to connect to your Android TV from your computer wirelessly. In the <ipaddress> above, make sure to replace it with the actual IP address of your Android TV noted earlier. Now just hit enter. It will connect your PC to your Android TV wirelessly via ADB.

3. Now that it’s connected, run the following command to pull files or folders from your Android TV to your PC or laptop. Run adb pull /sdcard/filename or adb pull /sdcard/FolderName/filename to pull files from the Android TV. If you want to transfer the complete folder, then run adb pull "/sdcard/FolderName". That’s all.

Now that you have learned five methods or easy ways to transfer files from Android TV to a PC or smartphone, you can use any one of them that’s suitable for you. You can see that among these five methods, three require your devices to connect to a common Wi-Fi network. And the rest two, they don’t need the same local network to connect.

As said before, the SFTV method won’t work for the iOS devices. So for iOS devices, you can go for the FTP server method using the Solid Explorer or USB drive method.

Images courtesy: Beebom.com

Also Read:
How to Back Up and Restore Chats on Signal in Android
How to Enable Always-On Display on any Android Smartphone
How to Set Up and Enable Two-Step Verification on Telegram