First 12 things every LG V10 owner should do

The LG V10 is the latest and greatest flagship phone from LG. Often times we like to say a phone is “built like a tank,” but nothing has ever embodied that phrase like the V10. If you want to get the most out of this hefty phone, you’re going to have to look underneath the layers of armor. We’ll get you off to the right start with these 12 things you should do. Our model was graciously provided by AT&T, but these tips will apply to all models.

1. Switch the Settings to List View

Before we really get started, let’s do one thing that will make this guide much easier to follow. By default, the Settings on the V10 are organized by tabs. The idea is to better organize the settings, but it actually makes it harder to find things. We’ll be using the list view for this guide, and we think you should, too.

Go to Settings
Tap the three-dot menu icon
Select List view

2. Set up the Second Screen for quick access to shortcuts

The most notable feature on the LG V10 is the new “Second screen.” It’s a little display at the top of the main display. This area is used to show the time, date, battery, and notifications when the main display is off, but it can be even more useful when the main display is on. You can use it for shortcuts to your favorite apps, contacts, music controls, and more.

Add shortcuts

Go to Settings > Second screen
Tap Show when main screen on (make sure it’s toggled on)
Check the App shortcuts box and tap the settings gear icon
Tap the gear icon on an app to choose your own
Drag and drop the apps to rearrange the order
Tap SAVE

Add contacts

In the same way as above, you can add your favorite contacts to the Second screen

Go to Settings > Second screen
Tap Show when main screen on (make sure it’s toggled on)
Check the Quick contacts box and tap the settings gear icon
Tap the (+) icon to add a contact
Drag and drop the contacts to rearrange the order
Tap SAVE

Add more to the Second Screen

There are a few other handy things you can do with the Second Screen. They can be enabled by going to Settings > Second screen > Show when main screen on.

Signature – Show words or a phrase
Recent apps – Show the five most recently used apps
Music player – Control the music you are listening to
Upcoming plans – See upcoming events and tasks from the calendar

You can also adjust what the Second Screen shows when the main display is off. Go to Settings > Second screen > Show when the main screen off. Choose to show the Date & time or your Signature.

3. Use your fingerprint to unlock the phone

LG finally has a (non-Nexus) phone with a fingerprint sensor. The power button on the back of the V10 doubles as the fingerprint sensor as well. It can be used for a few things, such as Android Pay and Google Play Store purchases, but the most common use is unlocking the phone. You can press and hold your finger down on the button to bypass the lock screen entirely. First, you have to add your fingers.

Go to Settings > Fingerprints & security
Tap Fingerprints
You’ll be asked to create a form of lock screen security if you haven’t already
Tap Add fingerprint
Follow the instructions to get your finger scanned

4. Unlock the phone with a unique KnockCode

If you don’t want to use your fingerprint to unlock your phone there are other options for you. Android phones come with a bunch of different ways to lock your device, but the V10 has one you’ve never seen before. KnockCode allows you to set up a pattern of taps to unlock your phone (and it can still work as a back-up to fingerprints). Here’s how to do it.

Go to Settings > Lock screen > Select screen lock
Tap on Knock Code
Tap the square 3-8 times in a pattern you can remember
Tap Continue and then confirm the pattern again
Next you will create a backup PIN number in case you forget the KnockCode

5. Set up Smart Settings to make your phone work for you

One of the newer software features on LG phones is called Smart Settings. With this feature, you can have the V10 automatically adjust settings based on your location or connected accessories. For example, when you’re at work you can have notification sounds turned off, or when you get home WiFi can automatically be enabled. It’s an incredibly handy feature you’ll want to use.

Go to Settings > Smart Settings
You’ll see a list of toggles for “Home, Away,” and “Accessory.”
Simply toggle the settings you’d like to have enabled in each section

Note: In order to use the “Home” settings you’ll have to turn on “My Places” in Settings > General > Location.

6. Launch apps with the rear buttons

One of the most iconic features of LG phones has become the infamous buttons on the back of the phone. No one else is putting buttons on the back of phones, and it really does make a lot of sense. LG takes advantage of these buttons to perform a few tasks besides just adjusting the volume. You can use them to quickly launch the camera or take notes when the display is off.

Go to Settings > Shortcut key
Switch the toggle to On

Double tapping Volume Up will launch the QMemo app for taking notes. Double tapping Volume Down will quickly launch the camera. On that same page in the settings you can choose to have the camera automatically take a photo as soon as it’s launched from the shortcut.

7. Add shortcuts to the lock screen

Adding shortcuts to the lock screen can make it easy to quickly open your favorite apps. LG allows you to add five shortcuts to the lock screen. The shortcuts will only appear on the lock screen if you use the “None” or “Swipe” screen lock methods.

Go to Settings > Lock screen
Scroll down to Shortcuts
Simply tap on a shortcut and choose the desired app from the list
Just swipe up on the shortcut from the lock screen to quickly launch

8. Arrange the Quick Toggles to your liking

When you swipe down to see your notifications you’ll notice a bunch of toggles across the top. These toggles are called “Quick Settings,” and you can scroll left-to-right to see more. All of these toggles can be customized to your liking.

Swipe down to show the Quick Settings and scroll all the way to the right
Select the Edit toggle
On this page you can enable or disable any toggle, and drag to re-organize the placement

9. Take advantage of the micro SD card slot

The LG V10 is a member of a dying breed: phones with microSD card slots. Samsung, Motorola, and HTC have dropped physical storage from most of their devices (to the dismay of many Android fans), but LG is sticking with what the people want. You can easily upgrade your storage capacity without buying any cloud storage subscriptions and relying on a data connection.

10. Remove useless carrier bloatware

Some carrier models of the LG V10 will come with a lot of apps pre-installed. There could be over 20 apps already on your device that you have no intention of ever using. The good news is we can uninstall, or at least disable, most of the bloatware. Let’s do it.

Open the app drawer to see all of your apps
Tap the three-dot menu and select Edit/Uninstall apps
Tap the red (X) on an app to remove it
Tap Uninstall or Disable on the pop-up

If you would like to revive a disabled app you can go to Settings > Apps. Swipe over to the Disabled tab and find the app.

11. Organize the app drawer with folders

Creating folders on your home screen is a good way to organize apps, but LG takes that idea one step further. With the default LG launcher you can create custom folders inside the app drawer. The app drawer is the area that shows all of your installed apps. Folders can really make it easier to find apps if you have a lot installed.

On the home screen tap the app drawer icon (looks like a circle with 6 dots inside it)
Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner
Select View apps by and choose Custom
Still in the app drawer, tap the three-dot menu icon again
Select Edit/Uninstall apps
Now you can drag apps on top of each other to create folders
Tap the checkmark in the upper right corner when you’re done
Tap on the folder and tap “Folder” to rename and choose the color

40 Tips & Tricks for the LG V10

12. Explore Android Forums for even more!

If you already own the LG V10, or plan on picking one up, a great resource to check out is AndroidForums.com. There you will find a dedicated forum for the LG V10. Other users can share their experiences, ask questions, and participate in the community. It’s a great place to go if you want to get the most out of your phone. Here are a few threads to check out.

First 12 things every LG V10 owner should do

1. Switch the Settings to List View