HTC 10 tips and tricks: 5 tricks to get the most out of the new flagship

The HTC 10.HTC US website

HTC has just released its new 10 flagship lineup. Although the HTC 10 is much like other user-friendly devices, there are still a number of hidden tricks that users can check out to optimize the new iteration.

Wake-up shortcuts

Most devices can be woken up from sleep standby mode by pressing physical buttons like the volume rocker or a short press of the power button. In the HTC 10, however, other user-friendly shortcuts are also available. Owners can immediately wake up the HTC 10 just by tapping the fingerprint sensor – turning on the feature in Settings > Fingerprint scanner > Wake up screen options; or by double-tapping the screen itself. There is also a Smart Lock feature, where the phone wakes up and unlocks automatically when the HTC 10 senses it is in a trusted network like at home or office, or connected to a trusted device.

Motion launch gestures

The HTC 10 can also be customized to use the interface via motion gestures. Setting it up in the Settings > Display & gestures > Motion Launch gestures will open options for left to right/right to left swipes, up-down swipes, and vice-versa. Motion launch gestures can open the Blinkfeed, Home widget panels, and even custom sound and notification options.

Freestyle theme

The HTC 10 takes customization one step further, as it discards the grid layout that is a signature for the Android platform. Similar to the iOS, the freestyle theme lets users place widgets and app icons anywhere on the homescreen.

Voice controls for the camera

Some users – particularly for selfie shots – tend to quiver their hands when pressing the camera button, which make for blurry images. The HTC 10 has onboard voice controls for the camera, so users can customize and just say "cheese" or "camera" for an automatic image capture.

Custom keyboard options

The HTC 10's keyboard has a number of custom options that lets users change the way the keyboard looks like, or placed on the screen. The keyboard can also be split into two for those who are more familiar with two-thumb typing.