Android 13 is Google’s next phone OS, and while it will bring many new and exciting features, like better UI customization and improved privacy controls, there are still settings and tools to discover on Google’s current mobile operating system, Android 12.Read more: How to Download Android 13 Beta 2 on Your Phone NowAnd it’s these hidden features that can completely change how you use your Android device, whether you own a Pixel 6 Pro or a Samsung Galaxy S22. In this story we’ll show you how to recover accidentally deleted notifications, use your phone with only one hand and more. Check out what Android 12 has to offer below. Now playing: Watch this: Android 13: Our Favorite New Features 6:54 If you want to learn more about how you can improve your Android experience, check out these seven tips to improve your Android’s performance and how to save battery with Android’s built-in dark mode. Android 12 keeps your notification history a tap awayDo you ever clear out a notification without reading it? I do it all the time. Android has offered device notification history for some time now, but you either had to know where to look, or you had to install a third-party app to see it.  In Android 12, all you have to do is scroll to the bottom of your notification shade, where you’ll see a new History button. Tap it, and you’ll see recently cleared notifications as well as alerts from the last 24 hours.  If you see Manage instead of History, that’s because Notification History isn’t turned on. Enable it by tapping on Manage, then select Notification History and slide the switch to the On position.  You now have quick access to your past notifications.  Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET Android 12 makes big phones feel smallerA new one-handed mode in Android 12 may not be a headlining feature, but it’s one that could make a big difference in how you use your phone. This is especially true if you’re using a phone with a big display, like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.The new one-handed mode moves the top half of whatever’s on your screen to the bottom half, making it easier to tap a quick settings tile or a notification. To use it, place a finger on the small bar at the bottom of your phone’s screen and swipe down. It may take a few tries, but once you get the gesture figured out, it’s easy to reproduce.Before you can do that, though, you’ll need to turn it on by going to Settings > System > Gestures > One-Handed Mode and slide the switch to the On position. Below the switch to enable the feature, you have two options: Pull screen into reach or Show notifications. Select the first option and then close out the Settings app.Use the new Game Mode in Android 12 to boost performance or live stream on YouTube.  Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET There’s a dedicated gaming mode in Android 12If you play a lot of games on your Android device, you’ll be happy to know that Google added a dedicated gaming mode to Android 12. When it’s turned on, your phone will do things like automatically turn on do not disturb when you start playing.  But you’d never know the mode existed if you didn’t venture deep into, of all places, your notification settings. More specifically, go to Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb > Schedules. Once there, check the box next to Game Mode to turn it on. Next, tap on the Settings gear icon to and toggle both items.In my experience testing it, game mode doesn’t work in every game (looking at you, Asphalt 9). It does work in Call of Duty Mobile, however. When it’s active, you can do things like force your phone to optimize itself for gaming in a single-tap or view your device’s current frames per second.Read more: The 8 Best Android Apps Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET Android 12 has a new app layout option, but it might be Pixel-onlyThe app grid on your phone’s home screen normally ranges for a 4×4, 5×5 or 6×6 grid (or similar combinations). However, in Android 12 on the Pixel 5, there’s a new app grid option that’s downright funny at first glance — 2×2. I assume this is limited to just Pixel phones, but hopefully, other phone-makers adopt it, as it’s a huge accessibility feature for those in need of larger app icons.  Switch to the new 2×2 layout with a long-press on your home screen, then select Styles & Wallpapers > Grid > 2×2.  For more, check out the best Android phones and Samsung phones to buy in 2022, every reason why you should give Pixel phones another chance and how the Pixel 6 with its Tensor chip is more exciting than the iPhone 13.

If you just cringed after typing something into Google Search on your phone, there’s no need to worry. Google offers a quick way to delete your search history in the app from the last 15 minutes. (And your search history isn’t the only data Google has on you. Here’s an in-depth guide to viewing Google’s record of your online activity and minimizing the personal information it can track.) Brett Pearce/CNET This quick-delete feature, which the search giant unveiled at its Google I/O developers conference in 2021, is among a handful of options designed to protect user privacy.  While Google didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of the various reasons why someone might want to expunge the record of their search history, the company did demonstrate how to do it, along with hiding select pictures from Google Photos.  You can watch how to do it in the video below, or scroll down for instructions on how to delete your recent search history.  Now playing: Watch this: Google now lets you delete recent search history and… 7:12 How to quick-delete your Google search history from the last 15 minutes Step 1: Tap on your profile picture to access your menu. Step 2: Click Delete last 15 minutes. That’s it! When you’ve done that, Google will erase all your search history from the previous quarter of an hour. For more, check out how to control what information your apps can access in Android 12 and six hidden Google Maps tricks. 

OnePlus started providing a physical alert slider on its smartphones since the launch of the OnePlus One. Located on the upper left edge of the phone, it allows the user to set sound profile of the phone as silent, vibrate, and ring without unlocking the screen. According to a tipster, this practice will change soon and the company will limit the popular alert slider to its flagship models. As per the leak, the recently unveiled OnePlus Nord 2T was the last mid-range device to feature an alert slider. From this point, the alert slider will only be offered in the Pro models along with Oppo flagships. The upcoming OnePlus 10T is said to launch without the alert slider.Known tipster Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh), on Twitter, suggested that few OnePlus phones will feature the alert slider from now on. As per the tweet, the OnePlus Nord 2T that debuted in May was the last handset to carry an alert slider and from now on, the feature will be more available in Pro models and some Oppo flagships. Meanwhile, the company’s rumoured OnePlus 10T is also tipped to drop the alert slider. A render for the smartphone leaked online also shows the alert slider missing. However, OnePlus is yet to confirm the news, so the reported details should be taken with a pinch of salt.Recently, Yogesh Brar in association with Onsitego leaked the renders and key specifications of the OnePlus 10T. The leaked renders show the handset in black colour without the alert slider. It is shown with a hole-punch display design as well. The OnePlus 10 is expected to feature a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC under the hood. It is said to sport a triple rear camera unit headlined by a 50-megapixel main sensor. For selfies, the phone could get a 32-megapixel front camera. It is tipped to sport a 4,800mAh battery as well.