Setting up your
new Android tablet
This course guides you, step by step, through setting up your new or reset Android tablet. While the setup process is easy to follow, this course lets you know which options you must agree to, and which you can safely ignore or set up later.
If you have been given a pre-owned Android tablet on a permanent basis, you’ll need to remove the previous owner’s settings by completing the Resetting your pre-owned Android tablet course prior to starting this course.
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Transcript
Welcome to the "Setting up your new Android tablet" course.
A new Android tablet is one that has not belonged to someone before you or a tablet that has been reset so it's safe to use. Before you start setting up your new Android tablet, ensure you have ready access to your home Wi-Fi name and password. You'll also need a mobile phone and to know the phone number for it. Google will send a text message to this mobile phone to verify your identity.
There are many types of Android tablets. If your Android tablet is a different model to the one shown in this demonstration, the steps might be slightly different, but you can still follow along.
To begin, switch on your Android tablet by holding the power button. Depending on your tablet model, you might see the manufacturer's logo or a Welcome screen with a Start button. Tap the button to begin. The Language screen will appear with a list of available options. Scroll the list to find your preferred language. For this demonstration, we'll select English Australia. Then tap Next.
On the Country screen, select your country from the list. We'll choose Australia. And tap the Restart button.
[eSafety tip] It's safe to tell your tablet that you live in Australia. This doesn't give out your home address and makes sure you receive the right updates and information.
Once your tablet has restarted, you'll see the manufacturer's logo followed by some terms and conditions. You'll need to agree to some of these before you can continue setting up your tablet. You can tap Details next to each option to read the agreements in more detail. It is safe to agree to the End User Licence Agreement and the Privacy Policy. So, when you're ready, tap the circle next to each of these and a tick will appear. The other option is about sending data to Google or your tablet's maker. You can leave this unticked. Tap Agree.
This next screen lets you use an existing tablet to help set up your new Android tablet automatically, but for this demonstration, we're going to continue to set up the tablet manually.
Next, you'll be asked to connect to your home Wi-Fi. Find the name of your home Wi-Fi network in the list. It will most likely be at or near the top. Just tap your network name to start connecting. Type the password for your home Wi-Fi. If you haven't changed it, the password will probably be written on the bottom of your home router. Use the keyboard to type in the password. Type it carefully so that any upper and lowercase letters match exactly. When you're done, tap Connect. Now you're connected to Wi-Fi.
Tap the blue Next button. Your tablet might take a few minutes to do some set up in the background. If you have an existing Android tablet and have completed a backup of your information, you can tap Next to copy its settings, apps, photos, and other content to your new Android tablet. For this demonstration, we'll tap Don't copy.
Now, you'll be asked to sign in with your Google Account. Use your existing Gmail username and password if you have one. If you don't have a Google Account, tap Create account. And from the options that appear, tap For my personal use. When you create a Google Account, you'll get a free email address. What's more, you'll be able to track your tablet and even erase it remotely if it gets lost.
Tap First name and the keyboard will appear. Type your first name. And then tap Surname and type your last name into the box.
Now, tap Go on the keyboard. It's okay to provide your personal information during the Google Account set up as this ensures that only you can use your Google account.
Tap the first box and the number pad will appear. So, you can enter your birthday. Then tap Gender and some options will appear. If you don't want to enter your gender, select Rather not say. Tap Next.
To create a Google Account, you'll need a username, which will double as your Google email address. You'll use this username to sign into your Google Account to access any Google services, including email. Google email is called Gmail, and your Google email address will end with @gmail.com. Your tablet will recommend some usernames, or you can tap Create your own Gmail address and type a username into the box below. If the address is already in use, you can try another or tap on one of Google's suggestions.
Tap Next to create your Google password. It's important that you create a strong password.
[eSafety tip] A strong password should have at least eight characters including letters, numbers, and capitals. When choosing a password for your Google Account, don't use the same password as any other email or account. This makes it harder for other people to guess it and get access to your information. You should also keep a record of your Google Account username and password in a safe place in case you ever need it.
Use the keyboard to enter your password and tap Next. To add your mobile phone number to your Google Account, tap Yes, I'm in or tap Skip to do this at a later time. You can then review your account information and if this is correct, tap Next. In order to finish setting up your Google account, you'll need to agree to Google's Privacy and Terms. Once you've read through these, tap I agree.
Now, let's look at Google services. Google services automatically backs up your data so you'll have a copy in case your tablet gets lost, broken, or stolen. Google services also helps apps use your location so they can provide more accurate local weather and traffic reports. They can even help you find your tablet if you lose it. We look at how this is done in another Be Connected course, so for now, scroll through the settings on this screen to read them all. If you're happy, tap Accept.
It's important to protect your tablet so others can't access it without your permission. There are a few different ways to do this depending on your tablet. For this demonstration, we'll protect our tablet by setting up a password. So, tap this option to continue. This is the password you'll need to enter to unlock your tablet, so make sure it's easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. It should also be different to the Google Account password you just created. Enter the password you want to use to protect your tablet and tap Continue. You'll need to enter the password again to confirm it. When you're done, tap OK.
This screen provides some information about Google Assistant. This is a handy feature that lets you control your tablet using your voice. We'll look at this in more detail in another course, so we'll tap More and then Skip to set this up later.
This screen explains how you can access Google Assistant while your tablet is locked. For this demonstration, we'll tap Skip. You can always change these settings later.
Now, this screen lists some of the free apps that you can install on your tablet. These include handy apps for weather, photos, and web browsing. It's a good idea to install these now, so tap OK. Your tablet may take a few minutes to get set up and ready. Once it's done, it may ask if you want to sign into an account with the tablet's maker. For this demonstration, we'll tap Skip.
Your tablet might display some of the features you can use if you create an account with the tablet's maker. Some of these things can be handy but we can always do this later, so we'll tap Skip for them all.
This screen tells you which apps and permissions the tablet maker requires for some features. They are switched on by default but for this demonstration we'll turn them all off. When you're done, tap More. Then tap Agree.
At the display preference screen, you can choose how you want your tablet to appear. Light mode is default and keeps menus all white, while Dark mode does the opposite and turns menus black. For this demonstration, we'll stick with light mode and tap Next.
Once you're all set up, you can tap Finish. The Home screen will appear and you're ready to start exploring your tablet. To check the tablet is connected to the internet look for the Wi-Fi symbol. If the symbol is white, your tablet is connected to Wi-Fi and ready to use.
If you're unsure about any steps, you can rewind the video. If you're ready to move on, there are many other courses to explore on Be Connected to help you get the most from your Android tablet.