Nexus 7 Features
How To: Tired of the Stock ROM on Your Nexus 7? Install CyanogenMod Instead
You've gotten used to your brand spankin' new Nexus 7 and finally have a feel for Android, but now you want more features. Well, user Juan Mercator was in that predicament, and asked how to install the ever popular CyanogenMod ROM on his Nexus 7 over on our Nexus 7 SoftModder forum.
How To: Get Google's Latest Play Store Redesign on Your Nexus 7 Tablet Right Now
What's the most installed Android app in the world? Facebook? Gmail? Maps? While those all have well over 100 million installs, the one that takes the cake—and always will—is Google Play.
How To: Unlock the Hidden "Notification History" Feature on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
If you're really popular, like myself, then you're constantly receiving a steady flow of notifications on your Android device. This is either a nuisance, or a reassurance of your popularity. Sometimes you get too many notifications at one time to view, or you accidentally swipe an important alert away, rendering it lost forever.
How To: Turn Your Nexus 7's Screen Off & On Faster Using Gravity
Sometimes... no, most of the time, I don't want to do anything, so I was excited to find a developer teaming up with Sir Isaac Newton to create an application that encouraged my slothfulness.
How To: Boost the Stock Volume Levels on Your Nexus 7 for Louder Sounds All Around
The volume is maxed out, but that doesn't stop me from hitting the volume key on my Nexus 7 in hopes that it will magically get louder. This happens to me everyday as I watch videos or play music. The simple fact is that a Nexus 7 tablet just doesn't get very loud. At least, not loud enough for me.
How To: Install Snapchat on a Nexus 7 or Any Other Android Tablet
Snapchat users upload a whopping 150 million pictures a day—which are deleted as just quick as they're sent. However, none of these images are coming from Android tablet users. If you try downloading Snapchat from Google Play on your Nexus 7 or other Android tablet, you'll get the "Your device isn't compatible with this version" message. Even those with the new Nexus 7 tablets that have the front and rear cameras are out of luck. Unless you're a softModder.
How To: Install the Xposed Framework on Your Nexus 7 for Insane Customization
Customization of our Android devices, outside of what Google and mobile carriers allow us to do, used to mandate that our devices were rooted and running a custom ROM.
How To: Prevent the Screen on Your Nexus 7 from Shutting Down on You While You Read
For being an inexpensive tablet, the Nexus 7 packs a 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution into a relatively small display, offering a very sharp-looking 216 pixels per inch. What does that mean? It's one of the best e-readers on the market.
How To: Make Your Nexus 7's Brightness Auto Adjust to Your Preferred Levels in Different Environments
When it comes to our smartphones and tablets, we're always on the lookout for ways to beat the oh so common rapid battery depletion problem that affects practically every mobile device. We'll do anything and everything to keep our battery life at an optimum, from turning off certain features (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) to removing widgets and applications that use an exorbitant amount of CPU. One of the most popular and efficient ways of saving battery is to lower the screen brightness. Usually, we...
How To: Kick People Off Your Wi-Fi Network Using Your Nexus 7
One thing I absolutely cannot stand is lag when I'm gaming. Every time I'm about to beat my killstreak record on Call of Duty, my internet connection drops and I'm a goner. It never fails. This usually happens because someone else on my Wi-Fi is streaming a movie or downloading a huge file.
How To: Set Up WhatsApp on Your Nexus 7 Tablet—Without Rooting
WhatsApp is one of the most well-known and most utilized cross-platform chat applications available today. It's free for one year, and only $0.99 a year after, which is chump change when you realize there are no hidden costs like international charges. Basically, it creates an easy to use forum for you and your friends to chat, regardless if they're an Android or iPhone user.
How To: Set Different Wallpapers for Home & Lock Screens on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
There are countless things you can do to your lock screen to customize it, including adding app shortcuts that adapt to your time and location or custom widgets with DashClock. However, one thing you can't easily do in KitKat is change your lock screen background to be different from your home screen wallpaper.
How To: Root Your Nexus 7 Tablet Running Android 4.4 KitKat (Mac Guide)
Just because you have a Mac doesn't mean you can't root your Nexus 7 tablet. In fact, rooting Android 4.4 KitKat on both the 2013 and original 2012 N7 models is easy, if not easier than rooting it using a Windows PC.
How To: Back Up Your Nexus 7 Without Rooting or Adding a Custom Recovery
At some point, we all need to back up our device. Maybe it's time to take it in for repairs or maybe you're just cautious and paranoid. Maybe you're trying out a new ROM on your Nexus 7—then you definitely need to back up. The most secure way would be to use a custom recovery like ClockworkMod or TWRP, but if you're not rooted or planning to root, then you'll need an easy alternative.
How To: Put Your Nexus 7 in Deep Sleep Mode to Conserve Battery Power Throughout the Day
Battery life is precious to all mobile device users, and nothing is worse than running out of it. The only thing that can save a device from the dreaded low battery warning is the charger, but who carries those around?
How To: Use Spotify's New Free Mobile Streaming on Your Nexus 7 Tablet or Other Android Device
What can be said about Spotify that most of us don't already know? It's the most popular digital music streaming service out there, giving you access to millions of songs on your computer. However, the mobile service was once an exclusive feature for paid subscribers. Not anymore, suckers.
How To: Get Full-Screen "Immersive Mode" on Android Without Rooting
Rooting is a great way to unleash your device's full potential, but not everyone's comfortable with it. Rooting can void a warranty, cause issues with certain apps, and the process itself can be tricky for older devices. Alas, most of the great apps or mods out there require root access, like the ability to utilize a built-in KitKat feature known as Immersive Mode.
How To: Turn Any Nexus 7 Tablet into a Samsung Galaxy Tab Running TouchWiz
Samsung is currently dominating the Android market with their line of Galaxy devices, including the GS3, GS4, Note 2, and Tabs. All of these devices run Samsung's TouchWiz, which is something every softModder should try out eventually. The only thing is that Samsung devices are pretty expensive, and many of you don't actually need (or want) another Android tablet.
How To: Remove the Navigation & Status Bars on Your Nexus 7 Tablet to Make the Screen Feel Bigger
The Nexus 7 is a huge jump in screen size when coming from a phone, but obviously this tablet is still smaller than some of the major players such as the Nexus 10, Galaxy Tab, etc. One way to squeeze out a little more space is to eliminate the navigation and status bars.
How To: Hide Your Nexus 7's Soft Keys to Maximize Usable Screen Space
I know all of you softModders love these little modifications, like enabling the hidden battery percentage on the Nexus 7 or getting the exclusive Google Launcher on your Nexus, so here's an easy one that lets you hide the soft-keys from your tablet, which will actually expand your screen to look a little bit longer.
How To: The Definitive Guide to Android Malware
Android enthusiasts have their own opinion as to whether you need antivirus software on an Android device. This debate will never end, provided that Android malware is in existence. This guide is not here to say, "Yes, you need antivirus," or "No, you don't." It's to give you all the facts, so that you can make a decision as to whether or not you need antivirus on your Nexus.
Warning: Your Nexus 7 Tablet Is Not Actually a "Tablet" (But Here's How You Make It One)
If the Nexus 7 wasn't your first Android tablet, you may have noticed something different with the user interface when compared to other Jelly Bean tablets. You may not know exactly what it is off the top of your head, but it's there.
How To: Unlock the Hidden Battery Percentage Status Bar Icon in KitKat on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
Much like the built-in screen recording tool on Android 4.4 KitKat, hidden features like the new battery Status bar icon must be manually unlocked on your Nexus 7 tablet. This is both exciting and annoying.
How To: Watch YouTube Videos Offline on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
Almost any video you could want is on YouTube for free, including those very high quality 1080p music videos. You just have to put up with a few ads. But what happens if you're going on a trip and won't have any Internet access? How will you enjoy your favorite YouTube vids?
How To: Enable the Hidden Number Row in Google Keyboard on Your Android
If you utilize strong passwords—which you absolutely should be—you've probably had to go back and forth between keyboard screens multiple times to input various letters, numbers, and symbols.
How To: Play Your Favorite Game Boy Advance Games on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
How do you begin to explain the nostalgia that's felt when you play a game from your childhood? You can't. The only thing that will alleviate this feeling is experiencing it again.
How To: Mod Real Racing 3 for Higher Quality Graphics on Your Nexus 7
Real Racing 3 is by far one of the best racing simulators available on Google Play, and best of all—it's free! If you're playing this game on your Nexus 7, you've probably noticed that the graphics just don't look anywhere near as good as the in-game screenshots floating around on the web.
How To: Find Only the Best Tablet-Specific Apps for Your Nexus 7
Apps sure do run great on Android tablets! If you caught that little whiff of sarcasm, you probably already figured out I was lying. There is a definite lack of good, high-quality apps specifically made for Android tablets. If you've ever tried Facebook or Twitter on a tablet, you know exactly what I mean.
How To: Easily Root Your Nexus 7 Tablet Running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (Mac Guide)
The new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been out for a while already, and most of you already have it installed on your Nexus 7 tablets. Many of you softModders have also probably rooted your tablet so you can take advantage of some of the more popular root-only softMods, like speeding up performance, installing WhatsApp, increasing internet speeds, getting Beats Audio, etc.
How To: Rotate Your Favorite Wallpapers on Set Schedule for Any Android Device
When it comes to wallpapers, I'm no monogamist. I have a lot of wallpapers that I'm committed to, but they don't always get their fair share of time with me—and that's where the problem lies. I'm too lazy to go out of my way to make sure they all feel loved. I'd rather them to come to me when it's their turn, and thanks to Wallpaper Changer, they can do just that.
How To: Play Sonic the Hedgehog & Other Classic Sega Genesis Games on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
A blue hedgehog runs at high-speed through fantasy environments collecting rings. Sounds a bit loony, but I’m of course taking about the Sonic adventure series that was made popular on the Sega Genesis. The days of cartridge 16-bit gaming has long been eclipsed, but nostalgia can get the better of the old generation of gamers. Many of you probably don’t even own a working Genesis anymore, but don’t hop on eBay for a used console just yet!
How To: Play Almost Any Old School Arcade Game for Free on Your Nexus 7 Tablet
If you've spent enough time in an arcade like me, you're probably well acquainted with the dreaded "ran out of quarters syndrome." Just when you're about to beat the last boss in Marvel vs. Capcom, or make it to the next level in Donkey Kong, you're all out of quarters to continue the level.
How To: Unlock and Root Your Google Nexus 7 Tablet
Google's Nexus 7 tablet has just been released, and for only $199, it seems like a great deal. Now, some of you are probably immediately thinking that you're going to want to root this thing as soon as possible to install all of your tweaks. Luckily, some clever hackers have already developed a fairly automated solution to rooting the device. Here's how it works. A word of caution however, rooting your tablet will very much void the warranty and there's no 100% guarantee that this procedure w...
How To: Customize Your TWRP Custom Recovery on Your Nexus 7 Tablet with Free Themes
If MacGyver had a Nexus 7, he'd most definitely have TWRP installed. It's the softModder's Swiss Army knife for all things modding. You can flash custom ROMs, install add-ons, recover from a disaster, and much more.
How To: Add Back the "Clear All" Option for Notifications on Android L for Your Nexus 5 or Nexus 7
Android L hasn't made its official release yet, but if you installed the early release using the Windows or fastboot method, you may have noticed some minor inconveniences, like the lack of a battery percentage icon and the absence of a Clear All option in your notification tray.
How To: The Easiest Way to Access Recent Files & Photos on Your Nexus 7
If you use your Nexus 7 like me, then you're constantly downloading APKs, installing new games from Google Play, taking a million photos, and using multiple apps at the same time.
How To: Turn Your Nexus 7's Home Screen into an Ambient Audio Visualizer
Remember the good old days of Winamp? It was one of the first mainstream media players to support music visualizations, graphics with intricate designs that react to the tempo and pitch of the audio playing.
How To: Perform Quick Calculations & Google Searches on the Fly
Numbers are everywhere in life, and some are better at doing the math than others. Unless you're Gert Mittring, it's safe to say you use the calculator app on your tablet just as much as I do, and it's often disrupting your other tasks.
How To: Install Flash Player on Your Nexus 7 Tablet to Watch Streaming Web-Based Flash Videos
You've probably see this a million times on your Nexus 7 tablet: On some streaming sites it's "You need to upgrade your Adobe Flash Player to watch this video," and on others it may be "You need to install the Adobe Flash plugin." Whatever it is, you have the same problem—Flash does not work on your Nexus 7.
How To: 5 Ways to Reduce Android Lag, Increase Speed, & Enhance Your Nexus 7's Overall Performance
No matter what device you have, Android lag will get you down. It's our little green robot's only major downside, and you've probably noticed it quite a bit on your Nexus 7 tablet. Apps open slowly, actions stutter or pause, and loading files takes forever.