Android phones come with apps

Your smartphone comes with apps

When you purchase a new or used Android phone, it comes with a set of apps designed by Google to get you started, and to help you take advantage of your Android phone's features. You'll also get some apps from your phone's manufacturer, but for this course we'll be focusing on the Google apps only.

A suite of Google apps is already installed

Usually, apps need to be downloaded and installed from the Google Play Store before you can use them. But several Google apps are ready as soon as you finish setting up your Android phone.

eSafety tip

An Android tablet will include a similar set of pre-installed Google apps as an Android smartphone. They might look slightly different or have different features, but they should work in the same way.

How to find the Google apps

All installed Google apps have icons. Some of these are on the Home screen, while others can be found in the Apps screen – also known as the Apps drawer.

You can tap any icon to launch that app. Depending on your Android phone model, you may need to swipe left on the Home screen to see more of the Google app icons.

eSafety tip

Your Android phone model might not come with all the Google apps pre-installed. You can still download these apps from the Play Store for free, and because you're signed into your Google account.

To make sure you're getting an official Google app, look for Google LLC under the title on the app's Play Store page.

Google apps are also available from the Apple App store, so you can install them on an iPhone or iPad.

Google apps covered in this course

This course will cover the following useful Google apps:

• Google Wallet
• Google Calendar
• Keep notes
• Chrome web browser
• Google Chat
• Google Meet
• Gmail
• Google Podcasts
• Google Files
• Google Photos
• Google Maps
• Find My Device.

Keeping Google apps up to date

It's important to keep your Android phone's apps up to date, so they're secure, and have the latest features. By default, apps are updated automatically by the Play Store. To check this in the Play Store settings:

1. On the Play Store app main screen, tap the profile circle in the top right corner
2. From the panel that pops up, choose Settings
3. Tap Network preferences to expand some more options
4. Tap Auto-update apps, and a pop up will appear. Tap the option you'd like to use.

The Auto-update options

The different options available are:

1. Over any network means apps will update automatically even when your phone is using mobile data
2. To save your mobile data, select Over Wi-Fi only
3. Don't auto-update apps turns off automatic updates, and this is not recommended.

How to check an app is up to date

To check apps yourself using the Play Store:

1. Tap the profile circle in the top right of the Play Store main screen
2. From the menu that appears, choose Manage apps and device
3. The Overview screen shows some information about your apps
4. The Updates available option appears whenever any of your apps can be updated
5. Tap Update all, and your phone will download and install all the available updates.

When updates are finished, your phone will show All apps up to date.

Advantages of using Google apps

Google apps work on all Android phones, regardless of brand or model. They're kept up to date by Google and are used by millions of Android users around the world. They are reliable and safe to use, and there's lots of information available online about how to use them.

In the following activities, you'll learn how some of the most popular Google apps work and how they can be useful to you.

Well done!

This is the end of the Android phones come with apps activity. You've learned about the Google apps that are available for free on Android phones, and how to keep them up to date.

Up next, you will learn about Android apps for everyday life and how they can help with such things as making payments, taking notes, and even staying up to date with the weather.