Heckin' phone tips

Last update : 3/8/2024 (Expect random new contents, even I'm not sure if this can ever be complete)

Introduction

It's... some common tips on using phones? Yeah, I guess I suck at intros... but, uh... why does this need an intro again? Oh yeah - some intelligently challenged users & all that.

Longevity

• Get a good case - it makes your device thicker, but it helps reduce (and/or even negate, in some cases) damages from drops. Also, depending on the case, it might also improve your grip on the device. Also, here are some notes on cases, just in case.
• Full clear silicone cases
Decent options in a pinch, but aesthetically questionable in the long term since it inevitably turns yellow.


• Soft cases (this includes the silicone cases above)
Flexible & not as tough as hard cases. Better for protection, but let's just say modifying it to expose back panel for cooling will require a stronger & rougher approach (like cutting).


• Hard cases
Physically tough & inflexible, clips on to device with friction. Easier to mod (drill & sand) for back panel exposure (which should help in cooling) but I'm not exactly sure on its protection (if it doesn't fully cover the back).


• Soft / hard hybrid cases (such as the XUNDD clear cases?)
Combines flexibility of soft case for the corners & rigidity of hard case for the back. For the aforementioned XUNDD clear cases (which has hard clear plastic back & soft silicon sides), I have one case story for my F1. It attaches tight & well, but will press all buttons & force a reboot if not attached correctly.


• Backless bumper case (such as Rhinoshield Crashguard)
The type of case I'd like to have, if case makers make these for my devices. Without the added stuff covering the devices' back panel, it could help with thermal dissipation as long as you don't mind it being exposed to the elements. But alas, those case makers couldn't help but cover up the back; and I'm forced to settle for drilling hard cases (or soft/hard hybrid's hard backs) and/or roughly sanding the cases' inner corners in hopes detaching & attaching would be easier. Oh yeah, as I mentioned Rhinoshield Crashguard, I might as well note this one out - last I used these, it was on the 6z (yes, the same 6z that reboots as soon as camera is opened or it feels like it). It is definitely overpriced for a case & is a bitch to remove (which I frequently had to do in order to access my microSD), but at least the exposed back can be used to help with device cooling, if I could fit my BlackShark cooler up the 6z+case (or if I have a fan blow its back, which also helps me cool off on those hot days).
• Cases with dedicated kickstands
Those dedicated kickstands could help in propping the device up, but I'm not really sure on relying on it long-term - hard moving parts & all that.


• Cases with flippy covers (a.k.a. flip cases)
Flippy covers do help in covering your device's display & works as a stand in a pinch with limited angles, not to mention storing cards (if the cover has slots for it) and/or helping device wake/sleep (assuming both device & case could); but those covers do interrupt the grip when using the device in a way I don't like.


• Magnetic cases
Literally a snap to attach & detach, but I'm not keen on its durability, especially when it's paired with glass (which they often are). May also interfere with networking due to magnets.


• A good screen protector will also help keep your display damage-free (and maybe save money on display repairs too). However, with the various types of screen protectors, it might be wise to read up which one's the best, so I'll provide some notes on them.
• Regular tempered glass (such as Nillkin H / H+ Pro)
It's a flat slab of glass that electrostatically adheres to the display, retaining the original clarity. Offers impact protection (at least as long as the screen protector itself isn't cracked) & scratch protection matched by display glass (unless it's real sapphire like the one on some limited variant of HTC U Ultra). Might be an eyesore on displays with curved edges / bezels, especially if it doesn't fully cover the screen (which especially sucks for gesture navigation addicts). Otherwise, I'd generally recommend this option (especially the aforementioned Nillkin H (or H+ Pro if you don't mind paying extra for thinner glass), at least for Poco F1 & X3(N/P) as it covers the display well enough & feels good, though a bit expensive for a tempered glass).


• "Full Cover" (sometimes with extra words like 3D) tempered glass (such as Nillkin CP+ Pro)
The allegedly wider cousin of the previously mentioned regular tempered glass. Sure, it does cover more of the display, but the painted on "bezels" cuts your display's effective size (it's only a few milimetres (random; depends on brands), but it's noticeable). For severely curved (but not so curved the display distorts at the edges) bezels (like the LG V30), this option is a no-go as the corners are flat (particularly on the sides), leaving it far too free to farm dust & interrupt grip with its flat sides; not to mention its adhesives stick on the devices' edges, leaving an air gap between display & protector, interrupting clarity & sensitivity. And good luck on those with curved displays.
As for the ones with mostly flat displays (like Poco F1 & X3(N/P)), the only difference is the adhesive - electrostatic instead of tape on the device's edges. But still, those edges.


• UV-glue tempered glass (such as Whitestone Dome Glass)
This is basically the best tempered glass variant you can get (especially for curved screens), combining untampered clarity offered by regular tempered & full coverage closer to what the "3D Full Coverage" offers. However, attachment process is more involved (especially with the UV glue) & time-consuming (mainly on drying & curing that glue - in which you can't really use the device since it has to be exposed under UV light, which should be included in the pack).
Unproven hypothesis for "DIY" UV tempered glass : Pick a tempered glass that fits your phone's screen, and pry off its electrostatic adhesive layer without breaking the glass to hell. Then use them like you would use UV tempered glasses.


• Hydrogel / TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) plastic
Hydrogel's probably the most obscure type of screen protectors (probably thanks to the bot-written sites?). Flexible & covers curved edges better than UV glass. However, it can't protect against falls, doesn't resist scratches as well as glass, and its flexibility also brings in potential issues such as edge peeling & persistent air bubbles. In addition, its rubbery feel may not feel good for some. Not bad for starters (especially for curved screens), but I recommend using tempered glass unless it's your only choice. One thing I absolutely can't stand from hydrogels are that permanent crease (which seems to never fade) in the middle of the protector, which can be obvious under the right conditions.


• Good old thin plastic
Hydrogel's not-rubbery cousin (or is hydrogel good ol' plastic's rubbery cousin?). As with hydrogels, it's only good for keeping scratches off the display.


• "Ceramic" screen protectors
Actual ceramics shouldn't scratch from razor blades (not sure on mohs level ≥6) & shouldn't fold without shattering (kinda like tempered glasses, but harder to scratch & more brittle). But let's just say some shameless dealers decide to harden up some plastic protector & call it "ceramic" (even though it does the opposite of whatever I said), and add in those painted-on "bezels" like those from "Full Cover" glasses... and we got this abomination. It might be cheaper, but I'd avoid these in lieu of actual tempered glasses (or hydrogels in a pinch, but even then that's a stopgap measure until I upgrade to tempered glass; at least for non-curved displays). No experience on actual ceramic screen protectors yet (if one even exists).


• Antiglare / matte
Reduces reflections & fingerprints at the cost of some clarity (and a different feel from most screen protectors). Especially good at bright environments.


• Go commando / no screen protector
Well, that's an option. However, with the display glass exposed, you definitely want to be careful on storing your device (especially if you want a scratch-free display, which is on hard mode for this option) - for example, making sure whatever pocket your device's going into contains nothing but your device - no keys, no coins, not even a speck of dust (good luck with that).


• Prepare to stock up on spare parts, preferably from reputable sources (that you agree with). You'll probably need them sooner than you think.
Here are a few notes regarding spare parts :


• First off, any important parts that come soldered to the motherboard (which includes CPU, RAM, storage & any other board connectors) should not be hoarded unless you can apply them and/or know someone who can apply them for you. Speaking of the motherboard; it's pretty much the devices' brains, not to be hoarded unless you're fine with repeating all of your modifications (in some cases, unlocking bootloader on account-dependent brands such as Xiaomi can be painful).
• Back cover (regardless of whether it's stick-on panel or shell) : Safe to hoard... or craft (if you have a 3D printer, manufacture).
• Battery : The component that inevitably breaks itself every few years, especially if the user constantly charges overnight every day. Despite being a consumable component, it is unfortunately the least viable to hoard as you have to preserve it as well (in a nutshell, batteries are a bunch of reactive solid chemicals). And when you're looking for a new battery, there's also the issue of having to browse through a large amount of 3rd-party battery brands (and sellers) in the market - all with mixed viability & reputation. I'll just say "good luck" for this one. 15/7/2024 Update : I've found success in Hippo & Rakkipanda batteries, but their availability seems to be limited to Indonesia AFAIK (we're fortunate in having Lukas as a battery supplier).
• Buttons : Viability depends on your device's build. On back-shell units like the Poco F1, mostly safe to hoard especially if you fucked one up while attaching back shell. On sandwich builds (X3(N/P), Samsungs ≥S6) it depends on how the button's attached to the midframe, but you're probably better off getting the frame with them on (and the display too).
• Cameras : Not sure how a camera gets damaged (aside from unlucky fall and/or painted lens), so probably no need to hoard them unless you want and/or need them.
• Charging port : One of the component that gets inevitably worn down every few years, especially if the user charges often and/or use them to replace their missing headphone jack, expandable storage, and/or additional peripherals. Depending on the device (as some solders them to the motherboard - in which case good luck), a safe to hoard item.
• Fingerprint scanner : Probably worn down by use & cleanups, so probably safe to hoard. However, if it's an in-display fingerprint scanner, I'm not sure on hoarding these, especially if it needs recalibrations (which often needs some proprietary "service" for it).
• Headphone jack (if available) : Not sure how often it gets worn down (especially considering my 4+ years old Poco F1 still has a functioning jack despite it being soldered up the motherboard). Might be safe to hoard if the jack is its own replaceable module, though if it's stuck with the charging port (and the ports are not soldered to motherboard) chances are you're already hoarding them.
• Middle frame (the metal / plastic thing between display & back cover) : Not likely to take damage unless it's from an unlucky fall and/or from attempting to remove display, which are usually glued to middle frame. Probably safe to hoard, especially if it comes with the screen (though you'll want the latter tested).
• Screen : The most expensive component of phones (aside from the motherboard); gets damaged by a fall, dusty storage(?), burn-ins (if OLED), and/or in an attempt to repair something else (Pixels (except 3 & 4) & most Sony phones (before the 1 II AFAIK) are notorious for this). The former 2 can be mitigated with a screen protector, the 3rd is inevitable (not sure when, but it'll eventually happen), & the 4th depends on the design (mostly mitigated by being careful, though screen protectors cannot remain attached for this one). Generally cheaper to put a screen protector than stocking up for displays, but hoarding might be viable (check for defects before using / storing & be careful when storing them).
• SIM (and/or microSD) tray : Unlikely to get damaged unless inserted roughly, so there's probably no need to hoard these unless you managed to regularly break them.
• SIM (and/or microSD) reader : Unlikely to get damaged unless the SIM (and/or microSD) tray is inserted roughly, but might be soldered to main board depending on device.
• "OEM" (aftermarket) parts : Mixed quality (usually worse), but cheaper & more common. Apply caution when buying and/or using these.
• Original parts : Best possible quality (for the device) but rarer & more expensive. Be careful when getting these, especially since some "OEM" sellers sometimes mark these as originals.
• Sometimes, buying an extra phone for donor parts can be a good idea, especially since you'll be getting actual original parts. However, this is commonly the priciest option, only viable for older phones whose displays cost as much as (or more than) the phone itself. Also, you do have to make sure the donor phone's parts are in a condition you can accept (preferably perfect, but that's a bit difficult at secondhand phones).
• For gluing up stuff (back panel, battery, cables, display), I tend to use Zhanlida B7000 since they just work (at least in my case) regardless of that bucket-translate English splattered all over the entire thing's description. Also, isopropyl alcohol is good to have when facing with adhesive tough enough you feel like you could break whatever you're detaching as long as you have a pipette (or non-medical syringe) to apply it. Heat also works in detaching whatever the glue's holding on.
Also, I recommend getting a thin double tape (0.3mm) with clear red cover - those things are better off for back panels than Zhanlida B7000 - easier to remove & all.


• Learning to repair your devices is always recommended, especially if you would rather not pay the extra service bill imposed by service centers (which usually offers questionable quality for what can only be described as overpriced). iFixit ('Tube channel), Hugh Jeffreys, JerryRigEverything, & PBKReviews are good examples of where to start.
• Keep your phone away from water. Just because it had an IP rating (let alone any functioning ingress protection) does NOT mean you can just dive with it into a pool of water, let alone take (or expose) it to a shower. Especially important - NEVER take your phone out anywhere close to seawater. EVER (don't ask me how I knew this). Unless you want to kill it then whatever, though there are dumber (and/or nastier) ways to kill a phone.

Security

• Never leave your device laying around, unless you can trust everyone in the area to leave it alone. Physical access is always going to be the 1st & most common security issue.
• As much as I'd like to put "always update" here, recklessly putting on updates does ruin usage experience (especially on Android - ever wondered why I don't bother testing OOS11 ROMs on OP6 and/or ≥A14 anywhere else; at least for now?), so research before updating it is (maybe test the update / upgrade on some spare device if you have one). Don't just rush in for the latest stuff, especially if it could break usability to an intolerable degree.
In fact, this tip also applies to every custom ROM developers & maintainers. Just because there's the latest Android doesn't mean you have to drop support for the battle-tested older versions if you could. Seriously. But still, human resource are inherently limited (because at the end of the day most custom ROMs are community / enthusiast / hobby work), so maybe leave maintenance to auto-build bots?


• Related to the point above - disable ALL auto-updates & auto-upgrades. Every updates & upgrades must be done at the user's responsibility - YOUR responsibility. We all know why automatic updates suck, so I won't delve deep here.
• If applock is available, make sure root-dependent apps are locked behind it. Also, hide those apps from the launcher so anyone borrowing (and/or physically accessing) your device (which ideally should be nobody, not even the dude who called himself Nobody) hopefully doesn't get to see them.
And yes, this also applies to apps with access with your own personal data, though hiding those are optional.


• Android verified boot is good for security, and it requires a locked bootloader. Most custom ROMs don't support relocking bootloaders (except for security-focused ones but you should still see if the device they support allows it), so here's the obvious TL;DR : Don't fucking relock your bootloader on custom ROMs, unless it's explicitly supported by both device & ROM.

Apps

• Uninstall all apps you don't use. Seriously, it bloats things (if not storage, launcher space), so do some spring cleaning. Oh yeah - this also applies as a security tip as it also serves as attack surface reduction.
• If an app needs internet access, disable it unless you think it is absolutely necessary.
• List of apps you definitely won't need :
• Banking / online wallets : Trusting some hipsters to provide you with a "convenient" access to your bucks (which you place in their hands) is like trusting CloudFlare to be a decent hosting service. If any place you'd like to transact with demands these (and refuses cold hard cash, which you should use if direct barters are unavailable), do yourself a solid & boycott them (if you haven't already). But then again, you should start by boycotting everything by default, whitelisting whoever treats you well, and re-boycotting whoever treats you like shit.
• Benchmarks : Boasting 69,000,000,000 on AnTuTu and/or 69,000,000 on Geekbench (or insert any arbitrary high numbers on whatever local benchmarking tool)? Nice, but pointless & unimportant. Just as pointless as those "tech enthusiast" 'tubers who can't stop yapping about cameras... making it like 9/10 of their reviews (expected on DEDICATED camera reviews, not so much on GENERAL reviews). By the way, those scores don't really matter in real life usage, and your device won't sustain those scores for hours of constant usage one way or another.
Yes, those scores are blatant bullshit. But still, I just had to.


• Bible / Qur'an / any other religion textbooks : Just use the textbooks themselves. Sure, it's less convenient, but chances are you're not opening those books all that often, let alone opening those textbook apps (which might come with unwanted tracking, if you got them from Play Store).
• Flashlight : There's quick settings toggle for it, so why bother?
• Online marketplaces : Use their site if you must use them. If they demand using their "app" and/or phone-based 2FA (depending on whether you tolerate this one), seek local (and/or more accessible) alternatives. Or just don't buy them (the stuff you're about to buy) if you don't absolutely need them. Also apply tip from banking / online wallets above.
• Social media : My condolences, especially if you're tied to these things (either on your own accord and/or others not switching / quitting for whatever reason; in turn binding you to said social media to remain in contact with them)
• Water alarm : Your body will remind you if it starts feeling thirsty; in which case don't hold it & drink, unless toilet is inaccesible. Going on water therapy? Maybe set a timer with prebuilt clock?
• Apps you might need :
• Survival manuals : Can & will be useful if your lifestyle opens you up to the situations these guide covers, though having a handbook for this one is probably better.

Uncategorized

• You're trying to look for tips on buying phones? Welp, there's a page for it... so you can just go there instead.

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