Am Learning Operation Of My Smartphone

Discussion in 'Gadgets & Tech Talk' started by Hal Pollner, Oct 7, 2021.

  1. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    I'm in the same boat. My daughter bought me a Samsung Galaxy A02s and I want to use it for music at night.
    But I haven't figured it out yet. I see places, like Walmart, where I can buy earbuds, but I don't know how to hook it up yet.

    If anyone can help me, please explain how. I think I have go to settings, and use an app, but that's all I know.
     
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  2. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Go to settings, @Hugh Manely , then Bluetooth . It will show anything that you have connected, and will search for “other devices”. Once it finds the earbuds, then it will connect with them.
    Once you have bought the earbuds, there should be directions in the box that tell you how to connect them, and what you have to do to turn on pairing so that Bluetooth can find them. Some connect easier than others, so look for a pair that says it is easy to connect on the box.
    Also, if you are going to be listening to music, then spend a little more money and get a set of earbuds with good sound quality. What works fine for just listening to a video, is not going to do as well for when you want good stereo sound for your music at night.

    Also, go to youtube, look for tutorials for the Samsung model that you have, and they should tell you more about using the phone. Some earbuds have tutorials on youtube as well.

    Here is how it looks on my iPhone when I go to Bluetooth in settings. You can see that it shows devices that I have connected, and some that have been connected, but are not in use right now. Once you have paired and connected your new earbuds, then they should show up in the list and connect automatically when you use them.

    D23B9A9C-3095-4DBD-A47F-8D070679A185.jpeg
     
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  3. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I commented elsewhere that I bought these ear buds at Walmart. Hooking them up is very straight forward. Instructions are included and we can help. I only just started streaming music on my phone, but I have a Sirius XM account for that...so I cannot make any recommendations on that process on your phone.

    I would only make 2 general observations that more technical people can comment on:

    1-Unless you have Unlimited Data on your phone, make sure you stream music through your WiFi internet so as to not consume the entirety of your phone's monthly data allotment in a short period of time.

    2-Those wireless earbuds I linked to (and others) have touch-controls, so you want to be careful which model you choose for your specific need. You touch the side to Pause/Play/Fast-Forward/Reverse...there is no button or switch. The touch on these is highly sensitive. Some of the other buyers commented that having their hair brush against the buds causes the buds to pause or to change channels. There is no way to disable the touch controls on the ear buds I linked to. If you wear these to bed, every time the pillowcase (or anything) brushes against them, your music will be interrupted. Keep that in mind when shopping.

    Lastly, in addition to our input, your carrier may be able to walk you through all of this (in person or over the phone.) Doing this in an interactive manner will get the job done for you.
     
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  4. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Thanks very much for your responses. I will do that.
     
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  5. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    You should be able to tell when your phone is connected to your Wifi, @Hal Pollner . Since your modem has an antenna, that is a Wifi antenna, and it just needs some other device that connects to Wifi, like your smartphone or your wife’s tablet. You have your desktop wired to the modem, so it would not be connecting with your Wifi signal; but if you look at your phone (or the tablet) then you can see if there is a Wifi icon turned on.
    The Wifi icon looks like an upside down triangle, or it may be a series of curved lines rather than a solid block.

    On the top right of your phone should be 3 symbols/icons. The one on the left is the Wifi signal, and it means that your phone is connected to Wifi. The one in the middle shows how strong the signal connection is, and the one on the right shows how much battery is left on the phone so that you know when to recharge it.
    Here is a picture to help you identify everything. I put an arrow to the Wifi symbol.

    6FD6FF8D-B744-44DF-9DE8-1F785A695E6C.jpeg
     
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  6. Joanna Newton

    Joanna Newton Very Well-Known Member
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    I've had Smartphones the last few years, but don't really like them. I preferred knock-off brands of Blackberry- the style that was regular QWERTY keyboards.
    I don't do internet on my phone, and the only app I've used is the weather report/forecast.
    I use phone almost entirely for texting, and calls if absolutely necessary. Oh, and the camera, too.
     
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  7. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Hal probably needs some technical help from his provider. Most wifi has a password so unless he knows what it is, he can't connect even if it is available.
     
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  8. Janice Lynne

    Janice Lynne Well-Known Member
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    So much work!

    I haven't come to that impasse yet, since I'm still clinging fearfully to a non-smart flip phone that you can load up with the same music files that you'd put in an iPod. Simple simple!
     
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  9. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    If you can use an iPod, you can use an iPhone, @Janice Lynne . They are basically both a tiny handheld computer, but the iPhone also allows you to make phone calls.
    Smartphones can do so many functions that it can look overwhelming, but the basic usage of one is very simple and easier for me than the flip phone ever was.
     
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  10. Janice Lynne

    Janice Lynne Well-Known Member
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    I admit that I've not used an actual iPod either, just a generic version of it made by Coby that was non-smart, and easy to load music files into offline. But for some reason it wouldn't stay charged! )-:

    My brief smart-phone experience a few months ago was with an Android that gave me a meltdown due to vision issues and labyrinthine settings and too many 'features.' But mainly it was the vision issues that did me in.

    Had to send the thing back to the place, and then was forced to go all Karen on them for a couple of weeks, in order to get the full refund their ad promised!

    Still exhausted from that mistake, and fearful of making an even worse one. (-:
     
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    Last edited: Nov 5, 2021
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  11. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Well, my daughter was able to help me download Spotify, which is a free music app.
    So, now I mainly use my phone for checking newsbreaks, making calls, and listening to various relaxing music at night, when I lay my phone beside my ear.

    Last night I was able to use a sort of white noise, and all I remember is thinking that it was very soothing. In Spotify, one can create a library of tunes to save, and its very easy to access them.

    I am also going to buy my next hearing aids that make use of my phone to help me hear better, by using what they call a built-in telecoil, so that in a large room or auditorium, the sounds go to my phone the then into my aids. That may not be the correct definition, but anyway, the technology for hearing aids has advanced far beyond what it was a just 5 or 6 years ago.
     
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  12. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    For all the downsides, technology sure improves life in so many ways. I was blown away by the sound quality and features of those $20 ear buds I bought at Walmart.

    Since those hearing aids you are looking at can wirelessly receive ambient sound through your smartphone, they are essentially ear buds. The right App will let you hear phone calls and music through them as well. You may want to keep those features in mind when it comes time to choose an App.
     
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  13. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    How do I do dat?

    There ain't no USB ports on the phone.

    Hal
     
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  14. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Supreme Member
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    The charging cord that plugs into your phone should have a USB port on the other end. If it doesn't, get one that does. When you plug the USB port into the pc, the phone should show up as another storage device on the pc. Just move files from it to a folder on the pc. Drag and drop with the mouse, or transfer a bunch using copy and paste.
     
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  15. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    If all else fails, send the pic as an attachment on an email (from your phone) to yourself. Then open the email on your computer and download the attachment.
     
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