built-in dark mode

Google's official Android dark mode is expected to arrive with the upcoming Android Q release, but in addition to finding apps that support dark mode already, you can actually activate a kind of system-wide dark mode right within the operating system today.

It's part of an accessibility feature called color inversion, and true to its name, it inverts the coloring on your device to create a sometimes-eerily dark look all throughout your interface — including on every app and website you open.

This isn't a true dark mode, and its results may or may not please your peepers (there's definitely a bit of occasional fright-night stuff, especially when it comes to photos) — but if you're using your phone in a dim environment and really want a break from the bright interfaces present through Android, it might just be a nice way to give yourself an occasional toned-down touch.

8. A system speed-up trick

Last but not least, whether you're looking to make an old phone feel new again or just feeling the need for extra speed on your current device, shift your phone into turbo mode by flipping on a power-packed setting buried in Android's Accessibility settings menu. It's called "Remove animations," and it does exactly what you'd think: It disables all animations throughout the Android interface (and doesn't require you to activate and poke around in Android's developer settings, either, as the more common method of animation disabling does).

Sounds a little strange, I realize, but take it for a spin, and you'll see what I mean: Without all those transitions in place — the sliding from one screen to another, fading from this element to the next one, and so on — you feel like you're absolutely flying around your phone at the speed of light. You do give up on a bit of the polished and cohesive feel that comes with having animations in place, but you might find the snappy satisfaction gained in return is worth the tradeoff — at least some of the time.

Best of all? Just like any of these features, if you try it out for a while and then decide it's not for you, all you've gotta do is flip a switch to turn it back off and get back to the way things were before. Presto change-o, indeed.