Center For Practice Management

Android Tips for Lawyers

According to the 2017 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report iPhones are the mobile devices in the hands of most lawyers at nearly 75%. However, around 23% were using Android devices. While some advice on best practices and tips for smartphones are the same, there are some apps and tips unique to Android that are worth noting.

Quick Tips for Smart Phones (Android or iOS):

  • Read reviews of new phones before you upgrade. For instance, the Samsung S20, while less expensive, was panned by tech critics.
  • Treat your phone as a disposable device. While your phone does have local storage, if you lose it or need to switch to another device because it has become unusable any data stored on the phone may not be easily recoverable. Backup text messages, voicemails, and photos to the cloud.
  • Be choosey about apps you download and check reviews. Make sure you are getting the official app from the manufacturer and don’t get apps from anywhere but from the Play store or the provider’s website.
  • Uninstall apps you don’t need; they take up space and potentially bandwidth. If you can’t uninstall it, disable it. If you don’t know what it is Google it.
  • Don’t neglect patches and updates for the phone’s operating system (Android or IOS) and the apps. If your phone is too old to get the updates it is time for a new phone.
  • Not getting a good signal from your mobile carrier? Try switching to airplane mode and back again to force your phone to look for the nearest tower. Or switch to WiFi calling.
  • Check what permissions your apps have (location, access to contacts, access to other apps, access to audio and video, etc.). This Wired article has a great step-by-step guide for iPhone, Android, Windows and MacOS to check permissions and disable them. Lifehacker also has a step-by-step guide on shutting down location tracking (and the implications).
  • Turn off NFC (Near Field Communication), GPS, and Bluetooth unless you are actively using them. This also helps with battery life!
  • Know how to remotely locate and wipe your phone. On Android phones:
  1. Go to android.com/find and sign into your Google Account.
    • If you have more than one phone, click the lost phone at the top of the screen.
    • If your lost phone has more than one user profile, sign in with a Google Account that’s on the main profile. Learn about user profiles.
  2. The lost phone gets a notification.
  3. On the map, you’ll get info about where the phone is.
    • The location is approximate and might not be accurate.
    • If your phone can’t be found, you’ll see its last known location, if available.
  4. Pick what you want to do. If needed, first click Enable lock & erase.
    • Play sound: Rings your phone at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
    • Secure device: Locks your phone with your PIN, pattern, or password. If you don’t have a lock, you can set one. To help someone return your phone to you, you can add a message or phone number to the lock screen.
    • Erase device: Permanently deletes all data on your phone (but might not delete SD cards). After you erase, Find My Device won’t work on the phone.
      Important: If you find your phone after erasing, you’ll likely need your Google Account password to use it again. Learn about device protection.

For Androids Only

Apps (some of these may be available for iOS too)
  • Use the Swype keyboard on your Android device. You will never have to tap individual keys again.
  • Try the DuckDuckGo Privacy browser 
  • Device Care is an app that will help optimize battery usage, clean up storage and make more memory available
  • Lookout – app with features like locate my device, scream, lock and remote wiping, plus it scan snewly installed apps. It also scans your phone for malware, chargeware, root access, spam, adware, trojans, and toll fraud. The Premium version includes safe browsing, safe wifi, and other privacy features. Other security apps from PCMag Editors’ Choice include Bitdefender Total Security, Kaspersky Security Cloud, Norton 360 Deluxe, and McAfee AntiVirus Plus.
  • or Microsoft 365 subscribers install Outlook, Office, and Teams
Features
  • Edge screen on newer Samsung Galaxy models gives you easy access to everything from weather to contacts to screenshots to flashlight to a compass. You can add, remove, and organize the edge screen functions and features
  • Use the Magnifier (or get an app) to illuminate, magnify and take a picture
  • Add any website to your home screen. In Chrome open a website. Click the snowcone (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner, choose “add to home screen”. This is useful if you don’t want to spare the storage for a new app
  • Use Digital Wellbeing Features
    • It is not the healthiest thing in the world to stay up all night texting.  Android 11’s Bedtime (or Wind Down mode) mode is part of the Digital Wellbeing features. Not only does it silence your phone at a set time, but it also changes the screen to black-and-white, in case you do have to look at the screen after hours. There is a Pause option in the drop-down menu if you need more time before retiring.
    • Another recommended Wellbeing feature is Focus mode, which silences noisy apps’ notifications. Some phones, including recent Pixels and Motorola, turn on Do Not Disturb mode when you set them down with the screen facing down—a quick and effortless way to get relief from disturbances. Finally, using Work Profile hides all those productivity apps when it’s time to relax.
  • Display settings – there are blue light filter and auto adjust for screen brightness to help protect your eyes
  • In Android you can close all open apps with one click.
  • The native SMS (text) application lets you search texts, create categories, and auto categorize.
  • Your Phone desktop app for Windows 10
    • Android users can get just as much continuity with their desktop computer. It is easiest to start setup from your PC. Go to the Your Phone settings, choose Add a Phone, and you’re off and running. You’ll be able to make calls, send texts, and instantly see and use photos from the phone on your PC.
    • Recent Samsung devices and the Surface Duo phone get even more possibilities with the Link to Windows option, including running multiple Android apps on the desktop in the Your Phone app.
    • It also is the easiest way to cast your phone screen
    • You can check and respond to text messages from your computer.

Conclusion

No matter which type of smartphone you use there is always more to learn. For more Android and general smartphone advice tune into episode AiL038 of Brett Burney’s Apps in Law Podcast with guest Catherine Sanders Reach. And learn How to Collect, Preserve, and Produce Text Messages with Brett Burney from the June Learning Objectives webinar watch the video recording.