Free Computer Courses for Beginners
How to Access Settings on Your Smartphone or Tablet (Android & iOS)
[yoast_breadcrumb]
Device Settings on a Smartphone or Tablet (Android or iOS)
Settings allow you to adjust almost everything on your tablet or smartphone: ringtones, notifications, apps, storage management, WiFi and Bluetooth settings… But sometimes, after an accidental tap or swipe, the Settings icon may no longer be easily accessible. Here’s how to open your device’s settings and how to restore the Settings icon if needed.
The steps described here work for Android tablets and smartphones (Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo…), as well as iPhones and iPads (Apple devices running iOS). Screenshots were taken on an iPhone and an Android tablet.
Table of Contents
1. Open Settings on Your Smartphone (Android) or iPhone (iOS)
2. Open Settings on an Android Tablet
3. Open Settings via the Status Bar
4. Open Settings via the App List
1. Open Settings on Your Smartphone or iPhone
To open your phone’s settings:
1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to display the full list of apps.
2. Then swipe horizontally from right to left to see all installed apps.
3. Finally, tap the “Settings” icon to open your smartphone or iPhone settings.
You can enlarge the screenshots below if needed.
Tutorial: Open Settings on Your Smartphone
Here, the settings are opened on an iPhone running iOS 16.
Another way to open settings on an Android phone is through the system icons: swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick settings panel, then tap the gear icon to open settings 🙂 Screenshots are shown below!
2. Open Settings on Your Android Tablet
To open your tablet’s settings:
1. Swipe the screen to the left to view additional screens.
2. Press and hold on the screen, then swipe left:
Open Settings on Your Tablet
Look for the Settings icon, the app is called “Settings”.
It’s possible that you don’t see the Settings icon here. This usually happens after an accidental tap, or on some devices where the icon isn’t displayed by default. We’ll show at the end of this guide how to restore the Settings icon as a shortcut.
Simply tap the icon to open Settings.
3. Open Settings via the Status Bar
Another way to open Settings is through the status bar.
1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick settings panel:
Example: Adjust the brightness on your tablet or smartphone.
2. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner:
Example: Remove the password request on your tablet.
This is usually the method I use to open settings on all my Android devices because I find it the fastest!
4. Open Settings via the App List
Finally, a third method allows you to open Settings and restore the icon on one of the main pages if it has disappeared.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to display the full list of apps.
The Settings icon will definitely be there:
Take this opportunity to add the Settings icon to your main page by pressing and holding the icon and selecting “Add to Home”.
If your tablet is new or its icons are completely misarranged, see our guide on how to organize your home screen and rearrange icons.
Let’s see this in a picture !
With a smartphone or tablet, swipe down from the top of the screen. The quick access panel for main functions will appear :
Then simply tap the gear icon to open your device’s settings :
This is the fastest way to open the settings! (Android, iPhone, iPad). Exemple with a Samsung Z Flip 7 :
Thibaut MATHIEU
🔹 Computer Basics
🔹 Windows Basics
- Empty Recycle Bin
- Recover deleted files
- Create and organize folders
- Create desktop shortcuts
- Pin a programm on the taskbar
- Compress a ZIP file
- Decompress a ZIP file
- Make file and folder icons bigger
- Open a downloaded file
- Change Windows Wallpaper
🔹 Internet and Email
- Creating a Gmail email
- How to send emails and attachments
- Browsing history in Chrome, Edge or Firefox
- Browsing download history
- Delete history in Chrome, Edge or Firefox
- Delete cookies and browsing data
- Set Google Chrome Homepage
- How access Netflix from Phone, PC or Tablet
- What is a VPN ?
🔹 Computer Protection
🔹 Troubleshooting & Practical Life
📱 Mobile & Tablet Tutorials
Thibaut MATHIEU
Editeur de Premiers Clics
Editor and writer of Premiers Clics, and author of the book “Getting Started with Computers” (only avalaible in french), I share all my computer knowledge to help you learn, using the Premiers Clics computer courses.
Also the manager of a computer support and repair company, I fully understand your needs in computer training and assistance. Every day, I answer my clients’ questions about their computers, phones, or tablets.
This experience has given me extensive knowledge in consumer digital technology, allowing me to separate fact from fiction in device protection, identify the most common user mistakes, and provide numerous tips to make the best use of PCs, smartphones, and tablets.
0 commentaires