Using your smartphone
Using your smartphone
What's coming up?
This activity will show you the basics of using your smartphone. You’ll learn how you can control your device and issue commands based on a series of gestures.
Start activityControlling your smartphone with gestures
The touchscreen on a smartphone (just like on a tablet) is very sensitive and can be used with basic gentle touches of your fingertips, known as gestures.
The next few panels have short demonstration videos of key gestures including how to tap, swipe and scroll. These videos demonstrate gestures on a tablet, but they are exactly the same as you would use on a smartphone.
How to tap
The tap is one of the most common finger movements you can use on a touchscreen. Tapping on the screen with any finger can open an application, photo or website.
On the next panel is a short demonstration of tapping on a touchscreen. Note that the video uses a tablet to demonstrate the gesture, but the action is still the same on a smartphone screen.
How to tap on a touchscreen - demonstration
How to swipe
Another common touchscreen gesture is the swipe. To turn a page, you might swipe with one finger across the screen in the direction to want to turn the page. You can think of it like turning the page in a book.
The swipe can also be used to browse through a gallery of photos or images.
How to swipe on a touchscreen - demonstration
How to scroll
Just like on a laptop and desktop computer, sometimes a document or web page is too tall to fit on the screen. This is where you can use a finger to scroll the page up or down.
To scroll a page, gently place your finger on the screen and slide it up and down to scroll.
How to scroll on a touchscreen - demonstration
eSafety tip
If you are used to scrolling a page on your laptop or desktop computer with the mouse, you will be familiar with clicking the down arrow or rotating the mouse wheel down to scroll the page down.
On a smartphone, to scroll a page down you move your finger up the screen. Think of it as pushing a long piece of paper away from you, so the bottom of the paper comes into view.
Well done!
This is the end of the Using your smartphone activity. You’ve learned some basic gestures that will help you make the most of your device.
Up next, you can find out about paying for your smartphone service, in the Selecting a mobile plan that’s right for you activity.