15. How to make a call
Okay, so you just put Ubuntu Touch on your phone and you are ready to go. It is a phone, so how about we make a phone call?
Unlock your device, swipe from the left edge to open the app drawer and search for a green icon with a white phone. Tap lightly on that. The Phone app will open.
Helpfully, it says 'Enter Number' and you can do just that with the keypad. With the number complete, tap the big green button and it will connect and turn red.
Top right you will see a star. That always means 'favourites' and will show your most used numbers. The head and shoulder icon will show all your numbers. Tap on the entry your want and dialling will start.
The gear-wheel thing is always 'Settings' of some kind but there actions hidden in there! If you are in a call and another one comes in, you can answer and say “ring you back in 5” or whatever. You can also pass a caller to another number, such as a work phone or a colleague.
Oddly, this is also where you can check your balance or access voicemail. In other words, not Settings at all. Time we found a better icon…
In a call, you have the normal option of using the volume up and down to change in-call volume. The speaker icon is obvious. Tap and untap to switch from holding up to your ear or listening and speaking at arm's length.
At the bottom of the dialling screen you will see a shallow up arrow. That is always a hint that you can swipe up. Do it here and you will find your call history.
Press the big red button to end the call and it will turn back to green. So, with the call ended, how do you get rid of the dial page? A pro hint here. The 'correct' answer is that you swipe inwards from the right edge of the screen. However, if you have a message list in an app, you can slide each message either left or right, to find 'Delete', 'Reply' etc. Sometimes the phone gets confused between Slide and Swipe. Understandable. So get into the habit of making your Swipe from the right edge at 45°. Across and down together. Then it will never be confused.
A minimised version of the Phone screen will appear. Just flick that either up or down to close the app.
Okay, so you just put Ubuntu Touch on your phone and you are ready to go. It is a phone, so how about we make a phone call?
Unlock your device, swipe from the left edge to open the app drawer and search for a green icon with a white phone. Tap lightly on that. The Phone app will open.
Helpfully, it says 'Enter Number' and you can do just that with the keypad. With the number complete, tap the big green button and it will connect and turn red.
Top right you will see a star. That always means 'favourites' and will show your most used numbers. The head and shoulder icon will show all your numbers. Tap on the entry your want and dialling will start.
The gear-wheel thing is always 'Settings' of some kind but there actions hidden in there! If you are in a call and another one comes in, you can answer and say “ring you back in 5” or whatever. You can also pass a caller to another number, such as a work phone or a colleague.
Oddly, this is also where you can check your balance or access voicemail. In other words, not Settings at all. Time we found a better icon…
In a call, you have the normal option of using the volume up and down to change in-call volume. The speaker icon is obvious. Tap and untap to switch from holding up to your ear or listening and speaking at arm's length.
At the bottom of the dialling screen you will see a shallow up arrow. That is always a hint that you can swipe up. Do it here and you will find your call history.
Press the big red button to end the call and it will turn back to green. So, with the call ended, how do you get rid of the dial page? A pro hint here. The 'correct' answer is that you swipe inwards from the right edge of the screen. However, if you have a message list in an app, you can slide each message either left or right, to find 'Delete', 'Reply' etc. Sometimes the phone gets confused between Slide and Swipe. Understandable. So get into the habit of making your Swipe from the right edge at 45°. Across and down together. Then it will never be confused.
A minimised version of the Phone screen will appear. Just flick that either up or down to close the app.
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16. Common actions in lists
Many UT apps do use lists to display data. Those lists do have some common actions that might not be known to new users:
- tap an item to trigger an action
- swipe a list item to the left or right to reveal more options, not all lists provide options on both sides (for example replying to messages or starting secret chats in Teleports)
- tap & hold a list item, this can trigger multiselect mode or allow to move items (if implemented in the app)
Many UT apps do use lists to display data. Those lists do have some common actions that might not be known to new users:
- tap an item to trigger an action
- swipe a list item to the left or right to reveal more options, not all lists provide options on both sides (for example replying to messages or starting secret chats in Teleports)
- tap & hold a list item, this can trigger multiselect mode or allow to move items (if implemented in the app)
17. How to enable developer mode
Open System Settings → scroll down, open About → open Developer mode, toggle Developer mode to on, reboot the device
Open System Settings → scroll down, open About → open Developer mode, toggle Developer mode to on, reboot the device
18. How to open and use the app spread?
The app spread is the view of all open apps. They are shown as a kind of arranged cards.
The app spread is accessed by doing a long swipe from the right edge towards the middle.
In the app spread you can:
- swipe one or several apps up or down to close them
- select an app
The app spread is the view of all open apps. They are shown as a kind of arranged cards.
The app spread is accessed by doing a long swipe from the right edge towards the middle.
In the app spread you can:
- swipe one or several apps up or down to close them
- select an app
19. Contact search in dialer app
Dialer app does have an advanced search feature:
Type two or more numbers and it will use the corresponding letters underneath of the number to search for contacts.
For instance
Alternatively you can press the addressbook icon on the right side of the header to pick a contact from address book.
Dialer app does have an advanced search feature:
Type two or more numbers and it will use the corresponding letters underneath of the number to search for contacts.
For instance
32 will bring up Dan or 37 will give you Franco.Alternatively you can press the addressbook icon on the right side of the header to pick a contact from address book.
20. How do I see missed calls?
Missed calls appear in the notification ✉️ icon in the indicator. Swipe down there to see missed calls and other notifications.
Also dialer app will show an icon in the launcher and display a number corresponding to the number of missed calls. Open dialer app, swipe up from the bottom edge (small arrow up icon) and choose the tab with missed calls. There, as in other lists, you can swipe left/right for further actions.
Missed calls appear in the notification ✉️ icon in the indicator. Swipe down there to see missed calls and other notifications.
Also dialer app will show an icon in the launcher and display a number corresponding to the number of missed calls. Open dialer app, swipe up from the bottom edge (small arrow up icon) and choose the tab with missed calls. There, as in other lists, you can swipe left/right for further actions.
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21. How to copy a command or output in Terminal app?
- press & hold somewhere on the screen for the context menu
- press "select" to enter selection mode
- then drag the selection around your command or whatever you want to copy
- press "exit selection mode" at the bottom
- press "copy" in the menu
The selected text is now in the clipboard.
- press & hold somewhere on the screen for the context menu
- press "select" to enter selection mode
- then drag the selection around your command or whatever you want to copy
- press "exit selection mode" at the bottom
- press "copy" in the menu
The selected text is now in the clipboard.
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22. How do I import and sync calendar events?
You can sync contacts via NextCloud/ownCloud. Google or generic CalDAV.
Simply head for system settings -> accounts. Add the desired account details there.
Now they will be accessible for other apps as well. So calendar app should pick the account up, sync the calendar list and your events
You can sync contacts via NextCloud/ownCloud. Google or generic CalDAV.
Simply head for system settings -> accounts. Add the desired account details there.
Now they will be accessible for other apps as well. So calendar app should pick the account up, sync the calendar list and your events
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23. How do I find out if a bug has already been reported? How do I report bugs?
Some general information are written down in our docs. To sum it up:
You can find out about existing bugs in the corresponding bug tracker.
- All apps should give links on their OpenStore page.
- All core apps "live" here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/development/apps.
- If the issue involves a core component, not an app, you can look at the issues in the core repositories here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/development/core.
- If the issue is device specific or targeting a specific port, you can file bugs on a device level here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/porting. Best use the search box to find the repository for your device.
To report a bug, head for the repository that fits best and open an issue there.
Please provide the following information:
- device name with all details like PRO or XL or such
- the channel you are running (stable, Release candidate, devel)
- the full error message if there are some
- a description of what you have done so far
- a description what happens
- a description of what you would expect
Ideally provide logs.
Some general information are written down in our docs. To sum it up:
You can find out about existing bugs in the corresponding bug tracker.
- All apps should give links on their OpenStore page.
- All core apps "live" here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/development/apps.
- If the issue involves a core component, not an app, you can look at the issues in the core repositories here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/development/core.
- If the issue is device specific or targeting a specific port, you can file bugs on a device level here: https://gitlab.com/ubports/porting. Best use the search box to find the repository for your device.
To report a bug, head for the repository that fits best and open an issue there.
Please provide the following information:
- device name with all details like PRO or XL or such
- the channel you are running (stable, Release candidate, devel)
- the full error message if there are some
- a description of what you have done so far
- a description what happens
- a description of what you would expect
Ideally provide logs.
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24. How can I set 24h format for times?
The time format used is currently tied to the selected system language. In order to get a 24h time format, one needs to choose a language which uses 24h times for instance British Englisch or German. Wikipedia provides a map which shows the usage of 12h or 24h times worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_and_time_representation_by_country#/media/File:12_24_Hours_World_Map.svg.
The time format used is currently tied to the selected system language. In order to get a 24h time format, one needs to choose a language which uses 24h times for instance British Englisch or German. Wikipedia provides a map which shows the usage of 12h or 24h times worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_and_time_representation_by_country#/media/File:12_24_Hours_World_Map.svg.
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25. How can I delete all contacts in one step?
We assume you did make a backup of your contacts (how to)! 🧐
If not, don't blame us when it works and they are all gone. 😉
- open contacts app
- press & hold one of the contacts (anyone will work)
- in the header now some icons will appear
- press the box with the tick icon to select all contacts
- press the bin icon to delete them all
Done, all should be gone now.
We assume you did make a backup of your contacts (how to)! 🧐
If not, don't blame us when it works and they are all gone. 😉
- open contacts app
- press & hold one of the contacts (anyone will work)
- in the header now some icons will appear
- press the box with the tick icon to select all contacts
- press the bin icon to delete them all
Done, all should be gone now.
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