Utilities for your Android or iOS phone that you may not know about

Some advanced functions for mobile devices with Android or iOS operating systems, They make our daily lives easier and safer during the holidays and help us discover new possibilities to enjoy, as shown. Veronica CatidianoFrom the technology company SPC.

“For example, we can type ‘wasaps’ without using our hands using voice dictation; use the voice assistant as a ‘hands-free device’ in the car if our car doesn’t have Bluetooth; or translate text instantly with Google Lens by pointing a camera.” Mobile phone towards him, says Katidiano.

“We can press the power button 5 times to make an emergency call; Activate the “Warning” function to avoid tripping or crossing the road while walking with a mobile phone; Or discover interesting places using the augmented reality function in Google Maps.

During the summer holidays it is advisable to disconnect digitally, reducing the time we use our mobile devices, to take advantage of the pleasure that the real world offers us instead of seeing ourselves overly immersed in the hypnotic and often addictive environments offered by social networks and the Internet. The virtual world, as it happens throughout the year.

But this does not mean giving up a series of very useful functions, which are available on mobile phones but are unknown to many users of these devices, and which can make our lives easier during the summer holidays and make them more enjoyable and relaxing, according to specialists from the consumer technology company SPC.

Type WhatsApp without using your fingers.

“Voice recordings in WhatsApp are frequent, but there are situations when we cannot hear the audio and, sometimes, we need to type a long text message in a few seconds. “In “In these situations, voice dictation comes in handy, as it converts what we’re speaking to into text.”

“The WhatsApp keyboard includes, in the top bar, an icon with a microphone that allows us, when pressed, to dictate what we want to write, while we see how those written words appear on the screen,” Katidiano says.

“In this way, we can send a written message in just seconds, without having to type, use our fingers or send a voice,” he points out.

Use your voice assistant as a hands-free device in your car.

“If your car does not have Bluetooth, you can use the built-in virtual assistant built into Android phones, with which you can interact with your device by speaking,” says an SPC spokesperson.

“Simply activate the Assistant by saying ‘Hey Google’ and you can start talking to manage many of the device’s functions or ‘apps’ without having to type,” he adds.

He points out that you can also ask the assistant to read the texts that appear on the screen, simply by saying “Read my text messages”, through which the assistant will automatically read them, allowing you to listen to them.

“When we are behind the wheel, this system will allow us to interact with the mobile phone without looking up from the road, ask the assistant to call someone from our contact list, and will also provide us with the possibility to search for routes, play music and activate other functions, without having to Touch the device screen.

Translate text by pointing the camera.

“Google Translate is one of the tools we use a lot when we travel, as it helps us understand new words, decipher a restaurant menu, or be able to communicate with other people, but it can be boring if we have to type words or phrases in a language,” Catidiano says. Others are long and complicated to copy.

According to this speaker,Android It offers us a much faster and easier way to translate text, which seems like magic: point the mobile phone camera at it and use lTo the Google Lens app.

He points out that Google Lens is built into the Google search engine (there’s a camera icon next to the search bar), as well as into the translator and phone camera “apps.”

“After selecting this function, if we point the camera at the text we want to translate, its meaning in Spanish or the language we have selected appears, superimposed on the original content. In addition, we can copy the translated text to use it in other applications, such as Google Maps or WhatsApp.”

Launch SOS in case of emergency.

Android phones include an SOS calling function, which few people know about but which can be life-saving, which is easy to activate and allows a quick and discreet help signal to be sent in dangerous situations, explains Veronica Katidianu.

He explains that by pressing the phone’s power button five times in a row, this can be done automatically. Call 112, the emergency help number for citizens in the European Union, Switzerland, Colombia and other countries.

He adds that this action activates a silent alert, which transmits the user’s status and location to emergency services without alerting potential attackers.

To make this tool available, “it is important to configure it in advance on the mobile device by entering the “Emergency” section in the “Security” section of the “Settings” menu, according to Catidiano.

Use the “Warning” function to avoid tripping while walking.

Using your cell phone while walking down the street can be dangerous, as you may trip or accidentally enter the road where vehicles are driving.

To avoid these distractions and risks, Katidiano suggests activating the “Heads Up” safety feature, built into Android devices, which allows you to set reminders that help you never forget to look where you are walking.

This feature is configured by tapping the “Look forward” option under the “Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls” section of Android’s “Settings,” as shown.

Discover interesting places in unknown environments.

job Augmented Reality (AR) in Google Mapsan innovative tool that is transforming the travel experience, for travelers who enjoy exploring new cities or tourists looking for a guide without having to interpret a traditional map, according to an SPC expert.

He explains that by activating this function, available on devices with Android or iOS systems, for a series of selected major cities, the “smartphone” instantly superimposes navigation directions and points of interest on the image of the mobile phone camera, allowing you to orient yourself in unknown environments in an intuitive and visual way.

When walking around the city, AR displays arrows and signs on the screen indicating which direction to go, as well as providing information about notable places, such as restaurants, museums and other places of interest, helping to discover “hidden gems” and making it easier to travel on vacation, he points out.

To activate it, you have to open the app on your smartphone, select the “navigate on foot” option and touch the “augmented reality” or “live view” button, concludes Catediano.