The LG Optimus G Pro isn’t as complex as the Galaxy Note 3 to learn, but it’s still a big phone (bigger, actually). Yesterday, we went through some common problems with the G Pro, and today we’ll take you through a few easy tips and tricks to understanding LG’s premiere phablet.
How to customize the G Pro’s theme
Tap Menu and you’ll see three entries that allow you to quickly customize your Optimus G Pro’s aesthetic. There’s Theme, Home screen settings, and Lock screen settings. You can also tap and hold on any space on your home screen and you’ll get a menu pop up at the bottom which allows you to add app or download shortcuts, widgets, or choose wallpapers. To get rid of a home screen just pinch on your home screen and then drag the one you don’t want into the trash.
How to use Quick Memo
Pull down the notification shade and tap QMemo and you can draw directly on the screen. You can tap the top left icon to keep your drawing on top of the screen and navigate around as normal. Going left to right along the top, the next icon sets your memo as the background, then you’ve got back and forward steps, pen and color selector, eraser, share options, and save at the top right. The eraser also gives you the option to “Clear all.” There’s also a key lock option at the bottom that locks the touch keys under the display. To get rid of Quick Memo you just have to tap the Back key.
How to change a ringtone or notification
Tap Menu and choose System settings. You can also access Settings by dragging down the notification shade and tapping the gear icon at the bottom center. Scroll down to System settings and choose PC connection then USB connection type and select Media sync (MTP).
Connect your Optimus G Pro to your PC with the USB cable and open Computer on your PC and you should see the G Pro listed. Double tap to enter your device and go into Internal storage > Ringtones. Now you can drag and drop any audio file from your computer into that folder. If you want to change a notification sound, drag and drop the audio file into the Notifications folder on your phone.
Once you have copied the audio files over, go back to your phone and bring up Settings, scroll down to Device, and choose Sound. Scroll down again and you’ll see Phone ringtone and Notification sound options. Tap on either and you’ll see the audio file you copied over. Select it and hit OK and you’re done.
How to use QSlide
LG’s multitasking feature is very easy to use. Pull down the notification shade and you’ll see your QSlide apps listed along the second row. Tap the one you want and it will pop up on top of whatever else you are doing. You can expand it or make it smaller by dragging the bottom right corner. The slider can be used to minimize it, but keep it on screen. You can drag it around by tapping and holding on the top left corner. The X at the top right closes it. You can have two QSlide apps open at the same time if you want, but two is the limit. If you want to change the QSlide apps order, or change which apps appear, swipe to the far right on the QSlide apps list in the notifications shade and choose Edit. Once you’ve changed the order and selected the apps you want, just tap Back to see your changes.
How to use QuickRemote
Doubling up your smartphone as an infrared remote control is becoming a standard feature with premium devices and the Optimus G Pro is no exception. Open up your apps drawer and choose the QuickRemote app. It’s pretty simple to set up, just choose the room profile you want and then add a device. You’ll need to choose the type and brand of device you want to control and follow the instructions. It’s worth sitting close to the device you want to pair when you first set this up.
You can also access the controls from the quick settings in the notification shade or from your lock screen. If you set up the lock screen option then you can just tap the home button twice when your phone is asleep and the controls will pop up.
How to set your default browser
If you’ve installed Dolphin, or Chrome, or another browser, and you want it to be the default option for any Web-related content then you can make it so. Go to Settings > Apps, scroll to All apps, and choose the current browser (usually called Internet). Tap on it and select Clear defaults. The next time an action that requires the browser occurs it will give you a choice of installed browser. You can choose the one you want and tap Always to make it the default going forward.
How to customize Home Button LED
The Optimus G Pro has an LED light around the Home button and the latest Value Pack update added the ability to customize your colors. To make sure you have the latest update, go to Menu > All settings > General > About phone > Software update > Update now. You can also use the LED with third-party apps. Go to Settings > Display > Home button LED and you can set the brightness and decide on what events you want the LED to light up for. Check Downloaded apps if you want to use it with third-party apps.
How to use NFC tags
With NFC tags or stickers you can tap your phone to automatically change settings or start apps. It can be handy to have one on your car dashboard, for example, so your Optimus G Pro automatically goes into car mode, connects via Bluetooth, starts up your Maps app, or whatever else you want it to do when you get in the car. You turn NFC on via Menu > All settings > Share & connect > NFC.
You can actually program NFC tags using the LG Tag+ app, which you should find pre-installed on your Optimus G Pro. Fire up the app and tap the + icon to create a new tag, configure it the way you want, and then hit Write on NFC tag when you’re done. You’ll also need blank NFC tags to write to. The official LG stickers are going to be more expensive than other options, so it’s worth shopping around.
How to set quiet time
You can tell your LG Optimus G Pro to turn sounds off at night or during office hours if you like. Go to Settings and choose Sound and then tap on Quiet time to specify the quiet hours you want. It will turn off all sounds except alarms and media, and you can just tap the toggle to turn it on and off.
That’s it for LG Optimus G Pro tips, but if you have one of your own you’d like to share then please post a comment.
