Getting a new smartphone is an exciting experience. There’s nothing like opening up the box to reveal the goodies within — or the anticipation of turning the phone on. Once you get your phone turned on, though, you still need to set it up. Most of your information gets imported from the previous phone without a hiccup, but there are still some features that don’t transfer. You still need to set up your voicemail, decide which apps you want, choose your background image, and get your ringtones up and running. Following are tips on how to do all these things so that you can get your phone set up the way you want it.
Set Up Voicemail
Image via Flickr by Rodrigo Ghedin
Voicemail is still a necessary tool in the realm of communication. Not everyone is comfortable emailing or texting information. Some prefer to talk over the phone in order to get ideas across and information clarified. These people are going to want to leave voicemail no matter how you might feel about it. And when it comes down to it, a little bit of human interaction is a good thing. It’s easy to set up using voicemail instructions from T-Mobile to walk you through each step, including recording a greeting you like. As the famous saying goes, just do it. You’ll find it’s not such a bad thing in the long run.
Download Your Apps
Android makes it easy for you to move your apps from one phone to the other by graying out the icons. You have the option to download each app and have its information transferred from the cloud, or to delete it entirely. And this is a good time to figure out whether you want to keep some apps and get rid of others so that you have a fresh start on your new phone. iOS requires you to go to Apps and Data for transfer but gives you options on where you want to source the apps from.
Customize Your Phone’s Wallpaper
Your wallpaper image, also known as your background, might not automatically transfer from your previous phone to the new one. The new phone is a blank canvas on which to place on a new image or get your old favorite and give it renewed pride of place. One way to get the old wallpaper is to find the folder where the image is stored and send the image to your cloud account if it isn’t there already. Then download the picture from the cloud to your new phone and set it as your background. Another option is to connect the old phone to your computer, upload the image, then connect the new phone and download the image. Either way, your image is also backed up.
Customize Your Ringtones and Alerts
Stock settings for alerts and ringtones are convenient until you realize that everyone else in your office is using them and no one knows whose phone is ringing or alerting. Don’t let this confusion happen to you. Take the time to go through the menus and sample the tones. It won’t take long to find one that appeals to you and stands out from the crowd.
You can also create your own ringtones and alerts using any of the free sound editing software programs available online. Audacity is one of the easiest editors to use, as it lets you select a piece from any audio file and turn it into a .mp3 file for a ringtone. Clip out a part of your favorite song or edit a piece from someone talking. It’s quick and easy, and you get a truly unique ringtone or alert. If you don’t want to go the route of editing, check out the app store for files that meet your needs.
The more time you spend customizing your new cellphone, the more it becomes an extension of yourself. Sit down, go through the phone, learn about its details, and put your own stamp on it. Setting up your voicemail, installing new ringtones and alerts, and cleaning up your apps gets your phone tuned to your specifications.
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