Modern Android phones have a number of built-in utilities aside from the ones we’ve all heard of and used, like the torch. Some of these tools allow you to convert any photo (as well as webpages and emails) into a PDF file, extract text from photos, and more.
Directly in the camera app on Samsung phones or with Google Lens on Pixel devices
Most newer Android phones come with a feature that lets you extract text from photos. Since I own a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and a Google Pixel 10 Pro, I’ll show you how to use the OCR feature on Samsung Galaxy and Pixel phones.
On Samsung Galaxy phones, all you have to do is open the camera app and point it at any text. Once you do that, you should see the “T” icon appear. Tap the icon and wait for the phone to recognize and process the text. Once processed, the phone will highlight the text in the photo. You can now select text by pressing and holding it and copy or share it, or select the entire text at once.
The feature works similarly in the Gallery app if you’ve already taken the photo. Just open a photo containing text in Gallery, press the “T” icon once it appears, and you’ll be able to select and copy text just like in the camera app.
On Google Pixel phones, you can do the same with Google Lens. The Google Lens icon should be visible on the search bar located at the bottom of the home screen. Tap the icon, grant the necessary permissions if you haven’t already, and then either select a photo you’ve already taken or open the camera app. You can now place the text in the viewfinder and then tap the Select text button. The phone will analyze the text and let you select and copy it, have an AI voice read it aloud, or translate it if it’s in a foreign language.
You can turn any photo into a PDF in seconds
As well as web pages and emails
Another useful built-in feature on most Android phones is the ability to convert any photo into a PDF. Most gallery apps have a PDF conversion feature that works similarly across different devices and Android versions. Just open any photo, press the three-dot menu, and tap the Print icon. Now just select the Save as PDF option, tap the PDF button, and choose where you want to save the file.
To save a web page as a PDF in Google Chrome, open the web page, tap the three-dot button, then tap Share, and finally tap Print. Now, all you have to do is save the web page as a PDF.
To save an email as a PDF in Gmail, open the email you want to save, press the three-dot menu, tap the Print button, and save the email as a PDF.
Newer Android phones have a built-in QR code scanner
Or you can just use the camera app
Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
Most Android phones come with a built-in QR code scanner. You can use it directly in the camera app or use the built-in QR scanner found in the Quick Settings panel.
The fastest way is to open the camera app and point it at a QR code. The system will immediately recognize the code and offer to open the link it contains or perform an appropriate action, depending on the QR code—like opening a specific app (the Steam app, for instance, if you use Steam Guard to log in to your Steam account). Alternatively, find the QR code scanner icon in the Quick Settings panel (or add it if it isn’t there), open it, and point the camera at the QR code to scan it.
To add the QR scanner shortcut to the Quick Settings panel on Pixel phones, pull down the Quick Settings panel, press the Edit button and add the icon.
Samsung Galaxy phone owners can access the QR scanner tile the same way. If the tile isn’t present in Quick Settings, pull down the Quick Settings panel, press the Edit icon, tap Edit to tweak the toggle grid, add the QR scanner tile, and press Done.
You can even measure things with your phone’s camera
But there’s a catch
Another cool thing you can do with your phone is use it as a measuring tape. This is possible on most newer Android phones, since many support the ARCore Depth API needed to use AR (augmented reality)-based measuring apps. If you don’t find your phone on the list of supported devices, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not supported. For instance, my Pixel 10 Pro isn’t found on the list of ARCore-supported devices, but I can use Google’s Measure app without issues.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can download the Quick Measure app from the Galaxy Store. Samsung doesn’t offer the app in all markets, so if you live in a country where Quick Measure is region-locked, you can download the .apk installation file from APKMirror. Once you download the file, you will need to sideload it, which is very straightforward.
Now open the app, grant it the necessary permissions, move the phone around as prompted, and then press the large Plus icon to start measuring. To measure an object or a person, just move the phone across the item and press the Plus icon again to finish measuring.
Older Pixel devices had access to Google’s Measure app, but Google removed it from the Play Store in 2021, effectively abandoning it. That said, newer Pixel phones can still use the Measure app, which is available on APKMirror. Download the installation file and install it. You may be required to allow sideloading, which is a very simple process. Once you install Measure, open it, and the measuring process will be pretty much the same as with Samsung’s Quick Measure.
Now, there are third-party AR measurement apps on the Play Store, but I recommend downloading Google’s Measure app from APKMirror if you own a Pixel device instead, because it’s free and won’t ask you to subscribe or bombard you with ads like many third-party apps do. Many newer Android phones are compatible with Google’s ARCore standards as well, so you can try using the Measure app even if you don’t own a Pixel. That said, Samsung phone owners should use Quick Measure because it works slightly better than the Measure app.
You Don’t Need a Thermometer to Measure Temperature, Your Pixel Phone Can Do That
Save your lips from burning.
Your Android phone has a number of tricks up its sleeve
As you can see, your Android phone hides a number of very useful features, most of which are built-in. Aside from the features I’ve covered here, you can also turn it into a minimal phone in just a few taps, share your Wi-Fi password via QR code, and much more.
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Google Tensor G5
Looking to upgrade to a Pixel but not sure if you need all the bells and whistles of the more expensive models? You won’t be disappointed with the standard Pixel 10 model. Coming in striking colors, Gemini features, and seven years of updates, you can’t go wrong with this purchase.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
