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11 things every HTC One M9 owner should do

The HTC One M9 might just be the best Android device on the market, but if you go in flying blind you could very likely miss out on some of the key features that make your device great. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, here are the top things every new One M9 owner should know.

HTC One M9: Read our full review

1) Migrate data from your old Android device

If you wish to transfer data from your old smartphone to your new One M9, you can easily accomplish this in one of several ways. Your first opportunity arrises during initial setup, when you will be prompted to use Android Lollipop’s Tap & Go functionality to restore settings and data from another Android phone (note that your old Android device will need to have NFC compatibility for this operation to function successfully).

Tap & Go during initial setup

To use Tap & Go, you will place the two devices back-to-back when prompted (make sure both are on, unlocked, and with NFC enabled). You will then be asked to sign in to your Google account and agree to Google’s terms of service, after which data will be copied to your One M9.

Restoring data after initial setup

If you skipped over your chance to restore data with Tap & Go, if your old Android device does not have NFC, or if you are restoring data from an iPhone or other cellular device, HTC makes this process fairly straight forward as well. To do so:

  1. From Settings, navigate to Get content from another phone
  2. Choose the type of phone from the menu
  3. If using an HTC or other Android phone, choose whether to do a quick or full transfer
  4. For an iPhone, choose whether to restore from iCloud, iTunes, or to transfer contacts over Bluetooth
  5. For all other phones, follow the onscreen prompts

For each type of phone the process will be slightly different, but your One M9 will guide you through the entire process.

2) Sign up for HTC Uh Oh Protection

With the One M9, HTC has made the bold move of including so-called Uh Oh Protection with every device. HTC One M9 owners are entitled to a one-time, free replacement of their phone should it suffer water damage or a busted display.

Even if you are pamper you phone and throw it in an indestructible case there is still reason to register for HTC’s warranty program. Uh Oh Protection will also cover the cost of a new One M9 should you switch carriers after buying your new phone. If you never need a replacement, HTC will give you $100 towards the purchase of next year’s One model. Simply put, signing up for Uh Oh Protection is a must for any new One M9 owner.

You will be prompted to do so during initial setup by logging into your HTC account (or creating a new one using your Google ID). If you skip this step, you can visit HTC’s Uh Oh Protection landing page for more info on how to contact HTC support to get started.

…and protect yourself should your One M9 be lost or stolen

If you want to protect your One M9 from prying eyes or keep your personal data safe should it be lost or stolen, you will definitely want to enable one of several screen lock options. To do so, navigate to Settings > Security > Screen lock. You can change the default lock screen with no security measure, no lock screen at all, or PIN, password, or pattern locks.

Should your phone be misplaced or even stolen, you will want to log into Google’s Android Device Manager, where you can track it, ring it, lock it (and change to a new password) or erase its contents from afar. Visit the Android Device Manager web portal to make sure your current device is set up. You can also download the Android Device Manager app.

3) Take it easy if you need it

If you are new to using a smartphone (or if you are setting up a phone for an older or inexperienced user), you can quickly change the One M9’s homescreen launcher to what HTC dubs Easy Mode.

Easy Mode features a straightforward homescreen with big, easy to see icons and text. Menus also feature larger fonts for easy reading. This mode does strip out some of the functionality of the One M9, but it provides just enough to ease newer users into the experience.

To enabled Easy Mode, navigate to Settings > Personalize > Change Home screen launcher and select ‘Easy Mode.’ Do the same to return to the standard Sense 7 interface.

4) Choose your theme and personalize your experience

HTC has made changing the look of your One M9 easy with the included Themes app. The app functions as showcase for HTC and user-created themes that alter everything from wallpaper and color scheme to icons and navigation buttons. You can browse a selection of pre-installed and downloadable themes for the one that fits your mood, then simply tap apply and say hello to your new homescreen.

If none of the included options fit your fancy, the app also offers individual downloads of wallpapers and icon packs, allowing you to build your own custom themes in no time. The app will even generate a custom color theme based on your wallpaper image should you have a hard time deciding.

To create your own theme:
  1. Open the Themes app
  2. Tap the menu icon in the upper lefthand corner
  3. Scroll down and tap “My themes”
  4. Tap the ‘+’ in the upper righthand corner
  5. Choose a wallpaper to start building your theme

Upon choosing a wallpaper you may either choose from a selection of of pre-made bundles that pair fonts, icons, colors, and sounds, or you can tap ‘Edit’ to customize the individual aspects of your theme. Once you have settled on the perfect look, give the theme a name to save it to your library for quick access in the future.

You can access further customization settings by navigating to Settings > Personalize.

5) Customize your navigation bar

Sense 7 on the One M9 offers for the first time the ability to rearrange, change, and add to the software navigation buttons found in Google’s Android OS. Don’t find yourself using the multitasking key very often? Replace it with a quick settings shortcut. Or go with both. You have options.

To customize the navigation bar, navigate to Settings > Personalize > Change navigation buttons. From this screen you can check the boxes next to the items you wish to see appear in the navigation bar and also drag to re-order them.

6) Configure BlinkFeed (or remove it completely)

BlinkFeed is HTC’s all-in-one landing for your news feeds, social updates, and new location-based suggestions, all easily accessed with a simple swipe to the left from your homescreen. Configuring BlinkFeed to work the way you want is easy.

To add or remove items from BlinkFeed:

  1. From your homescreen, swipe all the way to the left to access BlinkFeed
  2. Tap the menu icon in the upper lefthand corner
  3. Tap the three vertical dots to access the expanded menu
  4. From the menu tap Add content or Remove content

You will now be able to choose the content you wish to view in your BlinkFeed by choosing from a selection of news sites and blogs (or alternatively unselecting the sources you no longer wish to receive updates from).

To link a social network like Twitter or Facebook:

  1. From your homescreen, swipe all the way to the left to access BlinkFeed
  2. Tap the menu icon in the upper lefthand corner
  3. Tap the three vertical dots to access the expanded menu
  4. Tap Services & Apps
  5. Select the desired service from the menu and follow the prompts to log in

To enable to disable location-based suggestions

  1. From your homescreen, swipe all the way to the left to access BlinkFeed
  2. Tap the menu icon in the upper lefthand corner
  3. Tap the three vertical dots to access the expanded menu
  4. Tap Settings
  5. Select Notification on lockscreen
  6. Check or uncheck Meal time bundle

Remove BlinkFeed from your homescreens

If you wish to remove BlinkFeed from your homescreen rotation altogether, you can do that as well. Simply navigate to the BlinkFeed settings menu as described above, select Manage home screen panels, select your BlinkFeed panel, and tap Remove. You can restore BlinkFeed at any time by navigating to Settings > Personalize > Manage Home screen panels.

7) Access apps continually tailored to your location

Sense Home is designed to learn the apps you use and where you use them, presenting them to you in a neatly organized homescreen widget for easy access when you need them. It does work, but it’s going to take some time for Sense Home to learn your habits. You can speed this process up by adding and organizing your apps manually.

Simply select the location view you wish to modify by tapping the dropdown menu in the widget then drag and drop your selected apps from the homescreen or app drawer. It’s that simple.

Should you decide you have little use for Sense Home, you can remove the entire widget, too. Much like any other widget, simply long-press and drag to the trash can when it appears. Likewise, if you want to re-add the Sense Home widget, do so by long-pressing a blank area of the homescreen, tapping “Add Widget,” and selecting Sense Home.

8) Master top features of Android Lollipop

Along with the numerous features HTC has included in the One M9, you also get access to a host of Android Lollipop functions that turn your phone into a truly powerful device. Here are a few features that are essential for the new smartphone owner.

Lock device access to a single app with screen pinning

If you let a friend borrow your One M9 to read an article, or if you are the type that has small children around who enjoy watching videos or playing games on any smartphone within reach, Android Lollipop has the feature for you. Screen pinning locks you phone to one app, and that app can only be exited with a special button combination combined with your security code (if you so choose).

To pin an app:

  1. Enable screen pinning by navigating to Settings > Security > Screen pinning
  2. Tap the overview (formerly multitasking) button to open your recent apps
  3. Tap the pin icon on the app you wish to pin (note: you will only be able to pin your most recently opened app, so you might need to open the app again and then return to the overview view to pin)
  4. Choose if a lock code will be required to exit the app

To exit a pinned app, simply press the overview and back buttons simultaneously and hold for a second or two.

Give notifications custom priority levels

In Lollipop, Android users can give any app that serves notifications a priority level based on how and when they want to receive alerts. To alter settings, either long-press a given notification and tap the (i) icon, or navigate to Settings > Sound & notifications > App notifications.

Your options include Block, Priority, and Sensitive, which prevent notifications from showing on the lockscreen.

Google Now and voice commands

Google Now is your personal assistant wrapped inside the One M9. It offers intelligent suggestions and feedback based on your usage habits, calendar events, and email. Google Now can serve up scores for your favorite sports teams, help you track a package, or remind you of your next meeting suggest when you will need to leave to get there on time.

To launch Google Now, press and hold the home button and drag up to the Google icon or tap the Google Search widget on your home screen. The first time you launch Google Now you will need to opt in and give it access to location data.

Beyond simply providing smart suggestions in its useful card interface, Google Now is also great for voice commands. Try asking one of the following commands:

You can also issue direct commands:

Check out our full list of Google Now voice commands for more.

9) Improve HTC One M9 battery life

The HTC One M9 has a big enough battery to get you through the typical day, but should you find yourself in that precarious situation where no outlet is nearby and your power is dwindling, you have some options.

As with all Android Lollipop devices, the One M9 comes with a built-in battery saver mode. It will trigger automatically when your phone drops down to 15%, but it can be manually enabled by navigating to Settings > Power and flipping Power saver to the On position. An Ultra power saving mode can be enabled using the same process.

10) Get help direct from your device

If you should find your device acting strange, or if you are just plain lost, help is close at hand. As in, in your hand thanks to HTC’s Help app. The app can be found in your app drawer and features a searchable database of help topics as well as troubleshooting and diagnostic tools to help you determine exactly what the issue is.

If all else fails, you can use the Help app to directly contact HTC support, even allowing them to remotely access and control your device to help you fix and lingering issues or otherwise show you how to accomplish whatever task is stumping you.

11) Visit the HTC One M9 forums

If the HTC Help app doesn’t help you find what you are looking for, we know one place that surely can: Android Forums. Our dedicated HTC One M9 forum is your go-to resource for the latest news, tips, tricks, accessory reviews, and other discussion all about HTC’s latest flagship device. Here are just a few examples of the sort of threads you will find:

Be sure to sign up for an account if you haven’t already, and head over to join in on the discussion.

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