Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0): 8 Tips and Tricks, Then and Now
Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), released in 2011, brought many of the tricks Android users still rely on, from the screenshot shortcut to swiping away recent apps. Here are 8 essential Ice Cream Sandwich tips from 2012, with notes on which still work on Android phones today and what replaced the rest.
Quick answer: Several Android 4.0 tricks still work, including holding Power and Volume Down for a screenshot and swiping away apps in the recent apps view. Others, such as Face Unlock training, pattern recovery with your Google account and the Wi-Fi sleep setting, were removed in later versions. Android 4.0 itself is far too old to use safely online today.
Table of Contents
Why Android Ice Cream Sandwich mattered
Since version 1.0 in 2008, Android had made great use of hardware advances in the screen, camera, Wi-Fi, accelerometer, GPS and gyroscope. But there were so many changes and enhancements that most users had no idea how powerful the OS could be. Ice Cream Sandwich unified the phone and tablet versions of Android and added many features that later versions built on.
This guest post covered a few things the average user might not know about Android 4.0.
8 Android Ice Cream Sandwich tips and tricks
1. Take a screenshot
Incredibly, Android 2.3 and earlier had no built-in screenshot feature, and you had to root your device and install an app. Android 4.0 added it: hold down the Volume Down and Power buttons together, and the image appears in your gallery. Today: this shortcut still works on most Android phones.
2. Swipe to call and text
In the contacts, call log and message lists of that era, you could swipe left across a contact to send a text, or swipe right to call. Today: swipe gestures depend on your phone’s dialer and messaging apps, so check their settings.
3. Improve Face Unlock
Android 4.0 introduced Face Unlock, which was not always quick or accurate at first. On later 4.0 releases you could go to Settings > Security > Improve face matching and capture your face at different angles. Today: this option is gone. Modern phones use their own face or fingerprint unlock, set up in the security settings.
4. Avoid being locked out of your phone
If you forgot your unlock pattern on Android 4.0, you could try any pattern 5 times, tap “Forgot pattern?” and sign in with your Google account to get back in. Today: this recovery option was removed in later Android versions. Remember your PIN or pattern, and know that Google’s Find Hub (formerly Find My Device) can locate, lock or erase a lost phone.
5. Stop new app shortcuts on the home screen
The Android Market added a home screen shortcut for every app you installed. To stop it, you opened the Market’s settings and unchecked Auto-add shortcuts. Today: on many phones you long-press the home screen, open the home settings and turn off the option to add new app icons (names vary by phone maker).
6. Swipe to close apps
Ice Cream Sandwich let you open the recent apps list and swipe apps off the screen to close them. Today: open the recent apps view and swipe an app card away. Android manages memory well, so you rarely need to do this.
7. Use the Power button to hang up
An accessibility setting, Settings > Accessibility > Power button ends call, let you hang up by pressing the Power button instead of hunting for the end-call button. Today: many Android phones still have this option in the accessibility settings.
8. Save battery with Wi-Fi sleep settings
Android 4.0 let you control whether Wi-Fi stayed on while the phone slept, under Settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced. Today: this setting was removed, and modern Android manages battery automatically. Use Battery Saver when you need more life.
Is Android Ice Cream Sandwich safe to use today?
No. Android 4.0 has not received security updates for many years, and most current apps and websites no longer support it. If you still have an Ice Cream Sandwich phone, use it offline only, for example as a music player or alarm clock. The same applies to later old releases such as Android KitKat.
FAQ
When was Android Ice Cream Sandwich released?
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was released in 2011.
How do I take a screenshot on Android?
On most phones, press and hold Power and Volume Down together for a moment.
Can I update an Ice Cream Sandwich phone?
Only if the phone maker released an update, and old devices no longer get one. A newer phone is the safe option.
What came after Ice Cream Sandwich?
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean followed, then KitKat, Lollipop and later versions.
Originally written by guest author Bryan Hunter, founder of PhoneTipsAndTricks.com, a database of tips and tricks for smartphones and tablets, based in London, UK. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.
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guys can you please help me, i’ve installed ics and i dont have that buttons when u pull down that ‘scroll’ bar from the top of the screen. its really neccessary for me because i have mobile internet and i have to, every time when i want to turn it on, to go into settings bla bla…
wow nice tips, i am using android 4.2 from 1year and i dont know the screenshot feature until now. thanks
I’m confused: you say that WiFi is a big strain on the battery and then tell us to turn wifi permanently on, even during sleep; do you mean that WiFi is less strain on the battery than cell network data usage? What if there is no wifi in the area, won’t leaving wifi on drain power as it attempts to locate a connection?
I do not understand this either