Smartphone Encyclopedia

Useful smartphone tips from PCCW-HKT, helping your to solve smartphone common issues.

Question：

Handset:

1. How do I add an Octopus function to my smartphone?
2. Can I use Octopus Mobile Payment Service if my smartphone's battery is flat?
3. How do I transfer a file from my smartphone to an SD card?
4. How do I use the voice-recording function on a smartphone?
5. My handset's built-in memory is full. What can I do?
6. How do I transfer data from old to new handset?
7. What is the difference between mobile data and Wi-Fi?
8. How do I check the memory balance on my phone?
9. When flight mode is switched on, can my phone still access the Internet and make phone calls?
10. Can I use network sharing (tethering) when connecting my smartphone to Wi-Fi?
11. How do I share a number of photos with a friend all at once?
12. A square frame appears on my smartphone screen when I open the camera function. What is its purpose?
13. What's the difference between Samung Hub and Google Play Store?
14. Why does my smartphone's battery run out of power so rapidly?
15. How do I make a conference call on my smartphone?
16. How do I use call forwarding?
17. How do I cancel call forwarding?
18. Is conference calling free on a smartphone?
19. Is video calling possible on a Sony smartphone?
20. What is lite mode on a Redmi handset?
21. What is Mi Cloud service?
22. When the download booster is enabled on a Samsung GALAXY S5, will the handset use Wi-Fi or a mobile network?

Settings:

1. When using a built-in handwriting input function, how do I write simplified Chinese to output traditional Chinese?
2. How do I sync the contact list on my smartphone with my Google account?
3. How do I mute the camera shutter sound effect when taking a photo?
4. How do I create a Google account?
5. How do I change text input method?
6. My smartphone screen switches off automatically. How do I extend the screen timeout period?
7. How to zoom when taking photos?
8. How do I disable the data roaming function?
9. How do I set a password for screen lock?
10. How do I save a photo to an SD card from my smartphone camera?
11. What is the difference between "PCCW" and "PCCW1x" Wi-Fi networks?
12. Do I need to transfer my existing Octopus card info to Octopus SIM before using it?
13. Can I use Octopus Mobile Payment Service while the smartphone is switched off?
14. Does my smartphone need to connect to the Internet to use Octopus Mobile Payment Service?

Apps:

1. Will watching myTV app consume much mobile data?
2. Must the Google Translate App be used with an Internet connection?
3. Can I download a drama from TVB myTV and GOTV app to my smartphone?
4. Will the KingKing app work if I use a SIM from a mainland China operator?
5. Will the Newsic app consume lots of data if I listen to music?
6. Does Google Map support Cantonese voice navigation?
7. How do I read an MS Office document on my smartphone?
8. How do I check my mobile data usage?
9. How do I use the video call function on WeChat? Does the other party need to use WeChat to converse with me?
10. Can I use the iPhone mailbox function on an Android phone?
11. Is "KingKing" free? Is there anything I need to pay attention to?

The question list will update regularly. Keep it touch with us.

Answer:

Handset:

1. How do I add an Octopus function to my smartphone?
PCCW-HKT co-operated with Octopus Holdings Limited to launch the unique Octopus payment service on smartphone by combining SIM and Octopus on one card. Simply insert the Octopus SIM in a designated smartphone model and switch on the NFC feature so you can make purchases and check your Octopus balance. Please visithttp://e.pccw-hkt.com/octopusmpto find out how to apply, and get service details.

2. Can I use Octopus Mobile Payment Service if my smartphone's battery is flat?
You cannot use Octopus Mobile Payment service if your phone is powered down. Please note that you must switch on your phone's NFC function to use Octopus Mobile Payment service.

3. How do I transfer a file from my smartphone to an SD card?
Go to "Apps > My File" and tick the file you need to copy or transfer. Then press the menu button on your phone and choose "move or copy", selecting SD card as your destination.

4. How do I use the voice-recording function on a smartphone?
Most smartphones have a built-in voice recording function. Simply open the feature and click the start button to record your voice. If you need to send a voice message via WhatsApp, you can click the buttonnext to the typing box.

5. My handset's built-in memory is full. What can I do?
Most smartphones support an external memory card, so you can save or move a large multimedia file to an external memory card. Alternatively, you can store files in a cloud storage facility such as uHub or Dropbox. However, it is advisable to delete unneeded files or apps to make sure the built-in memory is sufficient for daily use.

6. How do I transfer data from old to new handset?
PCCW-HKT customers can utilize our free Ultimate Data Safe data transfer service at our shops and service centers. Ultimate Data Safe facilitates high-speed direct transfer of phonebook, SMS, video, photo, audio files and ringtone from one handset to another – all in the comforting knowledge that no data or records will be kept in the device itself.

7. What is the difference between mobile data and Wi-Fi?
Mobile data service is provided by a mobile operator on a celluar network and can be used when your smartphone detects a mobile signal. Wi-Fi provides a more stable and faster browsing experience. However, you can only use Wi-Fi when in range of a Wi-Fi hotspot. PCCW-HKT provides more than 13,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Hong Kong and is the first operator to provide 1000Mbps^ Wi-Fi to enable customers with appropriate devices to enjoy even faster Internet surfing performance.
Remark: ^Wi-Fi 1,000Mbps is the network specification for 802.11ac and is applicable only to certain PCCW-HKT Wi-Fi hotspots at a limited number of locations. Actual speeds experienced by customers using those hotspots are considerably less than the network specifications and will be affected by a user's mobile device (eg number of internal antenna a handset is equipped with), network coverage, international bandwidth and other extraneous factors.

8. How do I check the memory balance on my phone?
Android: Settings > Storage
iPhone: Setting > General > Usage

9. When flight mode is switched on, can my phone still access the Internet and make phone calls?
No. In order to avoid interfering with electronic apparatus on an aircraft, flight mode suspends many of the device' s signal transmitting functions and therefore disconnects your mobile phone from the Internet and mobile network. You can still view or use documents or apps installed on your phone.

10. Can I use network sharing (tethering) when connecting my smartphone to Wi-Fi?
No. You must connect the phone to a mobile network to enable network sharing functionality.

11. How do I share a number of photos with a friend all at once?
Tick all the photos you want to share in the photo album, then click the "Share" button.

12. A square frame appears on my smartphone screen when I open the camera function. What is its purpose?
This has a focusig function. Simply press the screen to focus on the image.

13. What's the difference between Samung Hub and Google Play Store?
Samsung Hub is Samsung's self-developed digital entertainment store, offering music, film and TV, games, books and educational content. All content is optimized for playback on Samsung devices. The Google Play Store is developed by Google and allows all Android mobile device users to browse, download or purchase apps, music, magazines, books, films and TV programs via the built-in Play Store on a device or website.

14. Why does my smartphone's battery run out of power so rapidly?
We suggest switching off the smartphone functions you don't need to lengthen battery life. You can also dim your screen and switch on the power-saving mode to reduce consumption.

15. How do I make a conference call on my smartphone?
While connected with one party, click "Add call" then dial a third party. You can then start a conference call after connecting with the third party.

16. How do I use call forwarding?
Press "**21* + Tel number+ #" then dial.

17. How do I cancel call forwarding?
Press ##002# then dial.

18. Is conference calling free on a smartphone?
This service is free to PCCW-HKT mobile service Ultimate Mobility plan subscribers.

19. Is video calling possible on a Sony smartphone?
You can use video calling via a third-party app such as KingKing, Skype, WeChat, Viber or Tango.

20. What is lite mode on a Redmi handset?
This mode is designed for senior citizens. Icons and text are enlarged for easier reading.

21. What is Mi Cloud service?
Mi Cloud is cloud service provided by XiaoMi. Users can backup a XiaoMi handset's contact list, SMS and call records to MI Cloud.

22. When the download booster is enabled on a Samsung GALAXY S5, will the handset use Wi-Fi or a mobile network?
This depends on network signal strength. If a Wi-Fi signal is stronger, then the download booster will use Wi-Fi or vice versa. Users cannot adjust manually.

Settings:

1. When using a built-in handwriting input function, how do I write simplified Chinese to output traditional Chinese?
This depends on the smartphone model and brand.
Samsung smartphone:
Settings > Language and Input > Samsung Chinese IME > Handwriting setting > Switch on
Sonysmartphone:
Settings > Language and Input > Xperia Chinese Keyboard > Chinese text input settings > Set Chinese mode to "Simplified" and tick "Simplified to traditional".
If your phone doesn't support this function, you can download a third-party app such as GO Keyboard.

2. How do I sync the contact list on my smartphone with my Google account?
Android handset: Settings > Accounts > Google > Click "Sync all". Then you can sync all info on your handset with Google. If you click the "Gmail account", you can select the item you want to sync with Google, such as contact or calendar.
iPhone: Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Choose Google and input the login account and password > Choose the item to sync.
If you need to import the contact list from an iOS device to Google directly, you need to export the contact list in vCard format (.vrt) from your device, using a desktop PC, and import the vrt file to Google.

3. How do I mute the camera shutter sound effect when taking a photo?
Set the shutter sound under camera settings to "off", or set the smartphone to silence mode.

4. How do I create a Google account?
1.) When you start up the Android handset for the first time, press "Google Account registration" while the system is requesting an Android account
2.) On your handset: "Settings > Accounts > Add Account > Google > New"
3.) Access www.gmail.com

5. How do I change text input method?
You can change this at "Settings > Language".

6. My smartphone screen switches off automatically. How do I extend the screen timeout period?
Android: Settings > Display > Screen timeout.
iPhone: Setting > General > Auto-Lock.
Most battery power is consumed by the screen, so we would not recommend extending the screen timeout period.

7. How to zoom when taking photos?
You can zoom by pressing the volume setting button or sliding your fingers apart on the screen.

8. How do I disable the data roaming function?
Android: Settings > mobile networks > untick data roaming.
iPhone: Setting > General > Cellular > set data roaming to off.

9. How do I set a password for screen lock?
Android: Settings > lock screen > screen lock > set the password.
iPhone: Setting > General > Cellular > Password Lock

10. How do I save a photo to an SD card from my smartphone camera?
Go to "Settings" > storage device > choose SD card. You can also move photos to an SD card by accessing "Apps > My File" and tick the file you need to copy or transfer. Then press the menu button on your phone and choose "Move or copy", selecting the SD card as your destination.

11. What is the difference between "PCCW" and "PCCW1x" Wi-Fi networks?
If you are a PCCW-HKT customer, please use the "PCCW1x" SSID. You can also download "PCCW-HKT Wi-Fi" to set up the AutoConnect function. When within PCCW-HKT Wi-Fi hotspot coverage, turn on Wi-Fi and your smartphone will be connected automatically to the "PCCW1x" Wi-Fi network. "PCCW" is for prepaid card and NETVIGATOR subscribers.

12. Do I need to transfer my existing Octopus card info to Octopus SIM before using it?
No need. The Octopus SIM is a separate Octopus card and has the same function as a normal Octopus card. You don't need to transfer info from your existing Octopus card to Octopus SIM.

13. Can I use Octopus Mobile Payment Service while the smartphone is switched off?
If the smartphone is switched off, the service cannot be used. You need to enable your smartphone's NFC function before using Octopus Mobile Payment Service.

14. Does my smartphone need to connect to the Internet to use Octopus Mobile Payment Service?
No. Simply insert the SIM to supporting devices and enable the NFC function to use the service.

Apps:

1. Will watching myTV app consume much mobile data?
Watching a 45-minute drama in SD or HD will consume around 220MB or 450MB, respectively.

2. Must the Google Translate App be used with an Internet connection?
If you are using Google Translate App version-3 or newer, you can download the language package from "Settings" to use the translation function while offline.

3. Can I download a drama from TVB myTV and GOTV app to my smartphone?
The drama can be viewed only by streaming. We suggest using Wi-Fi to watch the drama because this will avoid mobile data usage.

4. Will the KingKing app work if I use a SIM from a mainland China operator?
The KingKing app can only be used via Wi-Fi with a PCCW-HKT SIM in your smartphone.

5. Will the Newsic app consume lots of data if I listen to music?
Consumption will be about 9-10Mb per song. Better to connect via Wi-Fi if you want to reduce your mobile data usage.

6. Does Google Map support Cantonese voice navigation?
Depends on handset settings. If your phone supports this function, go to "Language" and input > Speech > Voice recognizer > Voice Search > Cantonese. Download the offline Cantonese voice pack, then select the Google text-to-speech engine.

7. How do I read an MS Office document on my smartphone?
Most smartphones have a built-in MS Office document preview function. You can also download an Office app, such as Office 365, to edit documents.

8. How do I check my mobile data usage?
PCCW-HKT customers can download the My Account Check app to view the last 3 months'bills, as well as unbilled mobile data usage and voice minutes.

9. How do I use the video call function on WeChat? Does the other party need to use WeChat to converse with me?
If both parties are using WecChat, click "+ > voice call" in the chatroom to use the video call function.

10. Can I use the iPhone mailbox function on an Android phone?
Any message automatically downloaded to the phone can be played back and/or deleted. If you are using Android 4.0 or newer, you can apply for PCCW-HKT's "Smart Visual Voicemail" service. Using the built-in Android OS Visual Voicemail feature, a message in the mailbox can be automatically synced to your phone. You don't need to listen to the voicemail in sequence. Furthermore, you can view the name and profile picture of the caller on your phone.

11. Is "KingKing" free? Is there anything I need to pay attention to?
You can connect your smartphone to a Wi-Fi network while overseas and use free voice call minutes for making calls to any Hong Kong number, or receiving calls via the KingKing app. Please note that you must insert the PCCW-HKT SIM in your smartphone when using King King. Also, IDD charges will be incurred if you dial an overseas number via the KingKing app.

Remark: The settings may vary due to brand, model and software version of your smartphone.