There are numerous tech devices that are useful to business owners and managers – one of the most being tablets. While there are many different kinds of tablets, those running Android are among the most popular. One reason for their popularity is the apps, which can be found on the Google Play store. While Play is great, there is a bit of optimization required if you want to get the most out of it.

The main way you can optimize Google Play is to go into the Settings panel, and tinker with the options available.

This article is an overview of that panel, along with some recommendations on how you should set it up.

How to access Settings in Google Play

Settings can be accessed by opening Google Play on your tablet and logging in if need be. From the main screen you can tap on the three vertical squares in the top-right of your device’s screen. In the drop-down menu that opens, select Settings and you should see the below screen:

The Settings panel can be accessed from anywhere in the Google Play store, as long as you are on your device. Here’s an overview of the three main sections of Settings and each option.

General

• • Notifications – When ticked will notify you when you have updates available for installed apps. You will see the Google Play icon in the black bar at the top of your device. When you pull it down, you should select the apps and update them. It would be a good idea to tick this, as it makes it easier to upload and control your apps.

• • Auto-update apps – Tap on this to enable auto-update of apps or set when auto-update will run. When you tap on this option you should see a pop-up window with three options. If you are on a data plan, we strongly recommend that you select Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only, as this will not take up any of your data.

• • Auto-add widgets – Some apps have widgets – mini apps that go right on your device’s home screen, e.g., Gmail has a widget that allows you to read your email directly from your home screen. If you tick this, any app with a widget will automatically be added to your home screen. It would be a good idea to turn this off if you have lots of apps, as you could quickly find your home screen full of things you don’t use.

• Clear search history – Pressing this will clear your Google Play search history. It would be a good idea to clear this on a regular basis, say once a month if you download or search for a large number of apps.

User Controls

• • Content filtering – Tapping this allows you to set or restrict what apps can be found. Because Google rates the apps, you can limit them by this. The ratings include apps for: Everyone, Low maturity, Medium maturity, High maturity and Show all apps. Tick which apps you feel are appropriate; we recommend unticking High maturity at the very least. When you select OK you will be able to set a pin you will need to enter the next time you want to change the filtering settings.

• Password – Allows you to set a password that you will need to enter in order to purchase apps. Essentially, every time you spend money on Google Play, including in-app purchases, you will need to enter your password. When you enable this, you will have to enter your Google Account password, and press Ok. You will also need to enter your password to disable this.

About

• • Open source licenses – Because Android is open source (meaning anyone has access to the code that built it), developers need to include the license when they use it. Think of this option as similar to a Terms of Service that users have to agree to (and should read, but don’t) when they install new software.

• Build version – Is the current version of Google Play. If you are having problems with the app, and need to contact Google’s Support desk, you will likely need to give them the build version of Google Play.

If you are looking for more information on Google Play, or any other Android tablet apps please contact us today.