Vivo’s smartphone portfolio, including models from the iQOO sub-brand, run an Android skin called FunTouch OS, at least for their global versions.
In China, the brand’s phones use a slightly different skin called Origin OS, but we haven’t had much experience with that.
The latest version is called FunTouch OS 13 and it’s based on Android 13, though the majority of these tips will apply to older FunTouch versions, too.
So, if you’re looking to get the most from your Vivo phone, here are some of the most useful tips, tricks and features that we’ve found.
Essential settings
There are a few settings that we’d recommend changing when you first get a Vivo phone. Firstly, fast charging tends to be disabled by default, so if you want to take advantage of Vivo’s excellent FlashCharge technology, you’ll want to enable that. Go to Settings, select Battery, and then toggle Fast charging on. While you’re in this menu, you might want to turn on the battery percentage, too.
Next, you’ll want to turn off the watermark in the camera app, here’s how you do that. Open the camera, tap the settings cog at the top-right, then tap More settings. The top option is Watermark, tap that and toggle watermarking off for both photos and videos.
For some reason, Vivo phones tend to omit wi-fi from the quick settings menu in the notification shade, when it’s easily one of our most frequently used settings. To add it, just tap the pencil icon at the bottom left of the quick settings menu, then hold and drag the wi-fi icon into the menu.
How to activate split-screen mode
We love split-screen mode, especially when we need to copy information from one app to another, or when we want to send a message without interrupting a YouTube video.
On Vivo phones, all you need to do is open an app, place three fingers on your screen, and swipe up to split the screen. On the bottom half of the screen, you’ll see a selection of apps that you can open. If you like, you can rearrange these apps for easier access by holding and dragging the icons, the same way that you can rearrange icons on your home screen.
How to use one-handed mode
One-handed mode is available on FunTouch OS, but it works a little differently than you might be used to. To activate it, you’ll first need to go to the Settings menu, and then to Shortcuts and accessibility. Scroll to One-handed and turn it on.
An animation will show you the correct gesture, which is a little more complicated than usual, and involves swiping from the right-hand side of your screen to the left and back again without lifting your finger. Performing the same gesture on the opposite side of the screen will do the trick for left-handed people.
When active, your entire screen will be shrunken down to the bottom right (or left) corner, and you can more easily access everything with one hand. Tapping the X icon will take you back to the normal view, and tapping the other icon will allow you to resize the one-handed window.
How to schedule phone functions
A very powerful feature that’s often overlooked is FunTouch OS’ ability to schedule phone functions. You can use this to automatically turn your phone off while you’re sleeping, and turn it back on before you wake up. In times when energy prices are through the roof, this could not only save you battery life, but save you money, too.
You can also make your phone switch to vibrate during your working hours, or schedule silent mode for the duration of a cinema trip using the countdown timer.
To activate scheduling, you again need to make a trip to the Shortcuts and accessibility menu and choose Task timer to access the controls. From there it’s pretty self-explanatory.
How to use Smart Motion
Another awesome feature in the Shortcuts and accessibility menu is Smart Motion. Within the Smart Motion menu, you can access a variety of settings to make using your phone more convenient.
Some of our favourites include Raise to wake, which is accessed in the Smart Screen menu, and allows you to unlock your phone just by picking it up off your desk. Another is Smart Switch, from the Smart Calling menu, which lets you switch from a Bluetooth hands-free device back to your phone by simply holding the handset up to your ear.
The are also a bunch of gestures that you can draw on your locked screen to activate various features, you can find all of these in the Smart Wake menu. Our personal favourite is drawing an “M” shape to start playing music, it’s super handy.
Become a power-user with Easy Touch
Still craving more power? Then it’s time to get familiar with Easy Touch. This is also activated from within the Shortcuts and accessibility menu, just tap Easy Touch to turn it on.
Once active, it adds a small floating circular icon to the right side of your screen, and it tucks itself off to the edge when not in use. Tapping on the icon opens a small menu with quick access to tools and frequently used apps.
This menu is highly configurable, and you can add even more shortcuts by interacting with the closed menu. For instance, you can map the torch to a double tap of the Easy Touch icon, or start a screen recording by tapping and holding the icon. The possibilities are almost endless.