Android tips: use long press to discover app widgets and shortcuts

November 19, 2009 | by Andrew Kameka

Widgets are always available for download in the Android Market, but many of the “regular” apps that you download come with built-in widgets. I’ve been getting several questions from new Android owners recently that all seem to deal with similar issues. Is there an easy way to change Google Voice settings? How do I get my to-do list on the home screen? I often have to tell people, “Long press is your friend.”

As I mentioned in our Android FAQ, long pressing on the homescreen is the way to load widgets. It can also be the path to discovering other shortcuts available to maximizing your Android experience.

1) The Set-Up

Press and Hold a blank area of a homescreen panel. After a couple of seconds, you should see this image:

2) Widgets

Press widgets and you’ll see what options you have for adding to the screen. Depending on what apps are installed, you’ll see options for complementary widgets. I am a frequent Astrid user, so I elect to add an Astrid widget to show my upcoming tasks.

I also add a ZAGAT widget that suggests interesting restaurants and Handcent to show unread text messages.

3) Shortcuts

Repeat the long press technique and press “Shortcuts” to see more options. I added a Toggle Google Voice shortcut that quickly switches between the four GVoice calling options. You can also add Contacts, Bookmarks, and links to files on an SD card (if you have a file browser/manager like Astro installed).

4) Folders

Try long press once more and click Folders. You may find special contact shortcuts, or in my case, a folder showing my stations on Pandora. This allows me to pick which station to play before opening the app and waiting to switch from the default station.

The widgets, shortcuts, and folders each user sees will always differ. But the one common way we load them is long pressing on the home screen. Tap around and see what you discover.

Be mindful of which widgets you install. Some widgets constantly update or run and can negatively affect battery life or performance. If you notice a sizable drop in battery life or speed after installing a widget, check to make sure it isn’t eating too much of your phone’s resources. Perform the check by long press > Shortcut > Settings > Battery Use. You can also use apps like Taskiller or Advance Task Manager to determine how much memory is used by background services.

Android Tricks, Android Tutorials, home screen, Tips, widgets

11 Comments

merddyn2002 says:

November 19, 2009 at 10:12 pm

well i gotta ask, what's the item in your to-do list that you didn't want us to see? LOL
- AndrewKam says:
  
  November 20, 2009 at 2:26 pm
  
  I can neither confirm nor deny that such a task exists.
@gomezr says:

November 20, 2009 at 10:37 am

How to get this TASK Widget? Never seen bevor..
Alex says:

November 20, 2009 at 11:05 am

The widegt is from Astrid. A To-Do-Manager.
@gomezr says:

November 20, 2009 at 11:51 am

Ok, thx! Installing right now…
@MisterGlass says:

November 20, 2009 at 3:57 pm

How do you make a shortcut to a specific pandora station?
@__Selleck says:

November 20, 2009 at 4:12 pm

If you have the Pandora application downloaded (which I'm sure you do), go ahead and long-press on the screen where you have some available room. When that opens, press on "Folders". it will be an automatic option right there, near the bottom. It's called 'My Stations', and it will have the familiar "P" for Pandora right to the left of it.
- @__Selleck says:
  
  November 20, 2009 at 4:15 pm
  
  That is, unless you have a phone running Sense UI, like the Hero. If that's the case, then follow these steps: Long-press on a screen with available room –> Select Folder –> Live Folder –> My Stations. There won't be any icons this time around.
- Laverne says:
  
  January 24, 2010 at 2:05 am
  
  One word of warning. When you see your stations, I noticed that when I selected a created station such as 'cole porter', another station 'peaceful holiday' plays instead. I selected a different station, same 'peaceful holiday' station plays. I think it is a bug. Contact Pandora if you have this problem.
Marc says:

November 20, 2009 at 6:04 pm

Um, yeah, where did you get that awesome picture at?
traviscampbell says:

December 9, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Excellent post. I'm considering an Android phone, and wasn't aware of these widgets and such. Interesting to note a lot of customers troubled with the battery life (short), but it seems the upside outweighs any battery life issues. We shall see! Thanks again for publishing this article. -Travis My recent post How to Sync Your Android Phone with ACT and Other Contact Management Software

Android Apps and News

Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and Unpacked 2013

Diztronic case review for LG Nexus 4

Why I decided to purchase the Nexus 4

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 - Verizon Remix Version

HTC DROID DNA Review

Samsung Galaxy Note II Review

Tips