HTC Desire 12s User manual

User guide
HTC Desire 12s

Contents
Features you'll enjoy
Android 8.0 8
Truly personal 9
Unboxing and setup
HTC Desire 12s overview 10
Inserting the nano SIM and microSD cards 11
Charging the battery 13
Switching the power on or off 13
Setting up your phone for the first time 14
Adding your social networks, email accounts, and more 15
Choosing which nano SIM card to use for your data connection 16
Choosing which SIM card to use for sending SMS and MMS 16
Managing your nano SIM cards with Dual network manager 16
Fingerprint scanner 16
Your first week with your new phone
HTC Sense Home 18
Turning Sleep mode on or off 18
Lock screen 18
Touch gestures 19
Getting to know your settings 22
Using Quick Settings 23
Capturing your phone's screen 24
Travel mode 24
Restarting HTC Desire 12s (Soft reset) 24
Notifications 25
Selecting, copying, and pasting text 27
Entering text 28
Updates
Software and app updates 31
Installing a software update 31
Installing an application update 32
Installing app updates from Google Play Store 32
Home screen layout and fonts
Adding or removing a widget panel 33
Changing your main Home screen 33
Home wallpaper 34
Changing the default font size 34
2 Contents

Widgets and shortcuts
Launch bar 35
Adding Home screen widgets 35
Adding Home screen shortcuts 36
Grouping apps on the widget panel and launch bar 36
Moving a Home screen item 37
Removing a Home screen item 37
Sound preferences
Changing your ringtone 38
Changing your notification sound 38
Setting the default volume 38
Taking photos and videos
Camera basics 39
Taking a photo 40
Taking continuous camera shots 40
Recording video 41
Taking a photo selfie 41
Taking a video selfie 42
Using the Beautify feature 42
Taking photos with the self-timer 42
Taking a panoramic photo 42
Google Photos
What you can do on Google Photos 44
Viewing photos and videos 44
Editing your photos 44
Trimming a video 45
Phone calls
Making a call 46
Receiving calls 47
Emergency call 47
What can I do during a call? 47
Setting up a conference call 48
Call history 49
Switching between silent, vibrate, and normal modes 49
SMS and MMS
Sending a text or multimedia message via Android Messaging 50
Contacts
Your contacts list 51
Adding a new contact 51
Editing a contact’s information 52
Grouping contacts into labels 52
3 Contents

Battery
Tips for extending battery life 54
Using battery saver mode 56
Displaying the battery percentage 56
Checking battery usage 56
Checking battery history 56
Battery optimization for apps 57
Storage
Freeing up storage space 58
Types of storage 58
Should I use the storage card as removable or internal storage? 59
Setting up your storage card as internal storage 59
Moving apps and data between the phone storage and storage card 60
Moving an app to or from the storage card 61
Copying or moving files between the phone storage and storage card 61
Copying files between HTC Desire 12s and your computer 62
Unmounting the storage card 62
Backup and reset
Backing up HTC Desire 12s 63
Resetting network settings 64
Resetting HTC Desire 12s (Hard reset) 64
Installing and removing apps
Getting apps from Google Play Store 65
Downloading apps from the web 66
Uninstalling an app 66
Working with apps
Accessing your apps 67
Arranging apps 67
App shortcuts 68
Switching between recently opened apps 69
Working with two apps at the same time 69
Using picture-in-picture 70
Controlling app permissions 71
Setting default apps 71
Setting up app links 71
Disabling an app 72
HTC apps
Boost+ 73
HTC BlinkFeed 73
HTC Themes 73
Mail 73
Weather 73
Clock 73
4 Contents

Sound Recorder
Recording voice clips 74
Internet connections
Turning the data connection on or off 75
Managing your data usage 75
Wi-Fi connection 77
Connecting to VPN 78
Installing a digital certificate 79
Using HTC Desire 12s as a Wi-Fi hotspot 79
Sharing your phone's Internet connection by USB tethering 80
Wireless sharing
Turning Bluetooth on or off 81
Connecting a Bluetooth headset 81
Unpairing from a Bluetooth device 82
Receiving files using Bluetooth 82
Using NFC 83
Common settings
Do not disturb mode 85
Location settings 87
Airplane mode 87
Automatic screen rotation 88
Setting when to turn off the screen 88
Screen brightness 88
Adjusting the display size 88
Touch sounds and vibration 89
Changing the display language 89
Security settings
Assigning a PIN to a nano SIM card 91
Setting a screen lock 91
Setting up Smart Lock 92
Turning the lock screen off 93
Accessibility settings
Accessibility settings 94
Navigating HTC Desire 12s with TalkBack 94
Trademarks and copyrights
Index
5 Contents

About this guide
We use the following symbols to indicate useful and important information:
This is a note. It provides detailed information for setup, common questions, and what to do in
specific situations.
This is a tip. It will give you an alternative way to do a particular step or procedure that you may
find helpful.
This indicates important information that you need in order to accomplish a certain task or to
get a feature to work properly.
This is a warning. Take note to avoid potential problems or prevent damage to your hardware.
Information contained in this guide may have changed. For the most up-to-date information,
including the latest version of this guide, go to HTC Support.
6 About this guide

Important note on recoverable data
Files and other data that have been deleted, cleared, removed, or erased from your device
may still be recoverable by third-party data recovery software. Even a factory reset may not
permanently erase all data from your mobile device, including personal information.
7 Important note on recoverable data

Features you'll enjoy
Android 8.0
Android™8.0 brings new features that make working with apps and settings even more convenient.
Here's an overview of some of its new features.
Picture-in-picture
Want to watch a video while using another app at the same time?
Use the picture-in-picture feature to minimize the video into a
small window. For details, see Using picture-in-picture on page
70.
Snooze notifications
Temporarily dismiss notifications to free your Notifications panel or Lock screen from clutter.
For details, see Managing app notifications on page 27 or Lock screen on page 18.
Icon badges
Know right away if you have pending notifications for an app with icon badges. A small dot appears
on an app icon which indicates there is a notification that you may have missed. Dots appear on app
icons in both the All apps screen and on the Home screen. Press and hold the app icon to show a
condensed version of the available notifications. See Turning icon badges on or off on page 27.
8 Features you'll enjoy

Revamped Settings screen
The main Settings screen has been reorganized to make it shorter and simpler. Tap a category and
navigate to the setting that you want.
Looking for a setting but can't remember where it is? Just do a search. Tap and then type the first
few letters of the setting you're looking for. In the results list, tap the item that you want to go
directly to its screen.
Other features
§Feel more secure when installing apps from sources other than the Google Play Store.
Granting permission for downloading and installing apps from unknown sources is now on a
per app basis. See Downloading apps from the web on page 66.
§There's a built-in file manager app that currently lets you do simple things with your media
files, such as copy, move, and delete. From the Home screen, swipe up and then find and tap
Files.
Truly personal
Designed with you in mind, HTC Desire 12s is loaded with HTC apps that make your phone unique
and truly personal.
With HTC Themes, personalize your phone by creating your own theme that has your selected
wallpaper, icons, ringtone, and fonts. To learn more about these and other apps, see HTC apps on
page 73.
9 Features you'll enjoy

Unboxing and setup
HTC Desire 12s overview
After taking HTC Desire 12s out of the box, familiarize yourself first with the location of the card
tray, controls, and sensors.
1. POWER button
2. Speaker
3. micro USB connector
4. Microphone
5. VOLUME control
6. nano SIM and storage card tray
7. Front camera
8. Proximity and light sensor
9. LED flash
10. 3.5mm headset jack
11. Notification LED
You need a 4G/LTE™plan to use your operator's 4G/LTE network for voice calls and data services.
Check with your operator for details.
§If you want to use a case or screen protector, don’t cover and block the proximity sensor.
Purchase a case or screen protector designed for HTC Desire 12s.
§Avoid liquid or dust from entering the microphone hole to prevent damage to the microphone.
§Avoid connecting third-party headsets or accessories with metallic charms that dangle near the
headset jack. Using these may affect signal reception.
§Don’t disassemble any part of the phone. Don’t try to open the phone or remove the battery by
force. This may damage the phone or its electronics and will invalidate the warranty.
10 Unboxing and setup

Back panel
1. LED flash
2. Camera
3. Fingerprint scanner
Inserting the nano SIM and microSD cards
§Use a standard nano SIM card. A modified card that is thicker than the standard nano SIM card
will not fit properly on the tray and may damage the card slot.
§The microSD™card is optional and sold separately.
1. Hold the phone face up.
2. Insert the tip of the tray eject tool that came with your phone—or a small bent paperclip—
into the tray eject hole.
When inserting the eject tool into the tray eject hole to remove the card tray, do not obstruct
the tray to avoid damaging the eject mechanism inside the slot.
11 Unboxing and setup

3. Push the tip all the way into the hole until the tray ejects, and then pull the tray out.
4. Do the following to place your nano SIM and microSD cards into the tray:
With the gold contacts facing down, place two nano SIM cards into the SIM 1 and SIM 2
holders of the tray. Make sure to align the cut-off corners to the notches on the holders.
Both SIM 1 and SIM 2 cards can be 4G LTE
cards. To find out how to set the preferred card
for your mobile data connection, see Managing
your nano SIM cards with Dual network
manager on page 16.
When you need to use a microSD card, remove your second nano SIM card and then place the
microSD card on the SIM 2/SD holder. You cannot have both the second nano SIM card and
the microSD card inserted at the same time.
5. When reinserting the tray, make sure it is facing up so that your cards don't fall out. With the
outer card holder between your fingers, steadily slide the tray all the way into the slot.
6. Make sure the tray is fully inserted and doesn't protrude from the slot.
Follow the same procedure above to eject the tray and remove your cards. Before ejecting the tray,
make sure to unmount your microSD card first. See Unmounting the storage card on page 62.
12 Unboxing and setup

Charging the battery
Before you turn on and start using HTC Desire 12s, it is recommended that you charge the battery.
§If the battery has been fully drained, you may need to charge HTC Desire 12s for several minutes
before powering it on.
§Use HTC's power adapter and micro USB cable to charge the battery. When the battery power is
too low, make sure to use the power adapter to charge, not the USB cable connection with your
computer.
1. Insert the small end of the micro USB cable into the micro USB connector.
2. Insert the other end of the micro USB cable into the power adapter.
3. Plug in the power adapter to an electrical outlet to start charging the battery.
4. After you finish charging, unplug the USB cable from your phone first. Hold the part of the
power adapter that's close to the USB port when you unplug the adapter from the outlet.
§Avoid charging the battery in hot environments. As a safety precaution, the battery may stop
charging to avoid overheating.
§When you're using battery-intensive apps such as games or video streaming apps while charging
the battery, your phone may become warmer. This is normal.
§It is strongly recommended to unplug the power adapter from the electrical outlet when not in
use.
Switching the power on or off
Switching the power on
Press the POWER button until HTC Desire 12s vibrates.
When you turn on HTC Desire 12s for the first time, you’ll need to set it up.
13 Unboxing and setup

Switching the power off
1. If the display is off, press the POWER button to turn it back on.
2. Press and hold the POWER button for a few seconds.
3. Tap Power off on the options menu.
Setting up your phone for the first time
When you switch on your HTC phone for the first time—or after you've done a factory reset—you’ll
need to set it up.
If you have data from a previous phone that you need to copy over to HTC Desire 12s, back up the
previous phone's data first. Or use the HTC Transfer Tool to transfer content from your previous
phone after you've finished setting up HTC Desire 12s. For guidance, go to htc.com/support/
backup-and-transfer/.
1. If you need to navigate by voice feedback, turn on TalkBack by pressing and holding two
fingers on the first screen until you hear a message and then a beep.
Or if you accidentally enabled TalkBack, follow the onscreen tutorial to turn it off.
2. Choose the system language you want to use, read and agree to the terms of use, choose your
Internet connection, and sign in to your Google®Account.
3. On the screen that asks you which device to restore from, do one of the following:
§If you backed up your old phone using your Google Account, tap the phone name. Tap
to select the apps to install, and then tap Restore.
§If you want to start fresh, tap Don't restore.
4. On the Google services screen, make sure the Back up to Google Drive option is turned on to
enable Auto Backup. It's also recommended to have the options under Location and Device
maintenance turned on.
5. Set up Google Assistant, or do this later. For details, visit support.google.com/assistant/.
6. Sign in to your HTC Account to use the same login credentials for HTC services such as
Themes.
7. Follow the remaining instructions to finish your phone setup.
Some features that need to connect to the Internet such as location-based services and auto-sync
of your online accounts may incur extra data fees. To avoid incurring data fees, disable these
features under Settings. For more information on location services, see Location settings on
page 87.
14 Unboxing and setup

Adding your social networks, email accounts, and more
You can sync contacts, calendars, and other information from your social networks, email accounts,
and online services on HTC Desire 12s. Depending on the account type, signing in to your online
accounts lets you sync updates between HTC Desire 12s and the Web.
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings Users & accounts.
2. Tap Add account.
3. Tap the account type you want to add.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to enter your account information.
You can add several Google Accounts.
Syncing your accounts
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings Users & accounts.
2. Tap the Automatically sync data On/Off switch to turn automatic sync of all your accounts
on or off.
3. To manually sync individual accounts, tap an account, tap Account sync, and then tap
Sync now.
On the Account sync screen, you can also change the sync settings for your Google Account.
Removing an account
Remove accounts from HTC Desire 12s if you no longer use them. Removing an account does not
remove accounts and information from the online service itself.
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings Users & accounts.
2. Tap an account.
3. Tap Remove Account.
Some personal data may be retained by the third-party app after you have removed the account
from HTC Desire 12s.
15 Unboxing and setup

Choosing which nano SIM card to use for your data
connection
When you have two nano SIM cards inserted on your phone, only one card can be used to connect to
the Internet at a time.
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings SIM cards.
2. Tap Cellular data.
3. Choose the card to use for connecting to the Internet.
Choosing which SIM card to use for sending SMS and
MMS
You can set which default SIM card to use for sending SMS and MMS.
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings SIM cards.
2. Tap SMS messages.
3. Choose the card you want to use for sending SMS and MMS.
Managing your nano SIM cards with Dual network
manager
From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings SIM cards. You can turn either card on or
off, change the card names, and more.
Fingerprint scanner
You can quickly wake up and unlock the HTC Desire 12s using your fingerprint. You can add up to 5
fingerprints.
When setting up and using the fingerprint scanner, follow these tips:
§Make sure your finger and the fingerprint scanner are dry and clean.
§Use the entire pad of your finger, including the sides and tip.
§When recording your fingerprint, touch the scanner until it vibrates.
§The fingerprint scanner has 360° readability—you can touch a recorded finger at any angle to
the scanner to turn on the screen or unlock the HTC Desire 12s.
You may not be able to set the fingerprint scanner to unlock HTC Desire 12s, if you've signed in
to an Exchange ActiveSync®account that requires you to set a different screen lock option (such
as password). Check with your Exchange Server administrator if your Exchange ActiveSync
account supports the fingerprint scanner.
16 Unboxing and setup

Adding a fingerprint the first time
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings Security & location.
2. Tap Fingerprint Next.
If you haven't already set up a screen lock, you'll be asked to set one up. See
Setting a screen lock on page 91.
3. Touch the Fingerprint scanner or tap Next.
4. Place your finger or thumb on the Fingerprint scanner to start scanning.
5. Repeatedly touch the scanner until the fingerprint has been successfully recorded. You'll get
the best results if you hold your finger in the same direction when touching the scanner.
6. After you've successfully recorded your fingerprint, tap Done.
You can now use your fingerprint to wake up and unlock your HTC Desire 12s.
You'll need to input your backup lock screen pattern, PIN, or password if the scanner doesn't
identify your fingerprint after five attempts.
Adding, removing, or editing fingerprints
1. From the Home screen, swipe up and then tap Settings Security & location.
2. Tap Fingerprint.
3. Enter your pattern, PIN, or password.
4. Do any of the following:
§Tap Add fingerprint to add another fingerprint.
§Tap a recorded fingerprint to rename it.
§Tap next to a recorded fingerprint to delete it.
17 Unboxing and setup

Your first week with your
new phone
HTC Sense Home
After you've turned on and set up HTC Desire 12s for the first time, you'll see the Home screen.
§Swipe right and you'll find HTC BlinkFeed™. You can customize HTC BlinkFeed to show
posts from your social networks, headlines from your favorite news media, and more. For
details, see http://www.htc.com/support/apps/blinkfeed/.
§Swipe left and you’ll discover space for adding your favorite widgets, apps, and more so
they’re just a tap away. You can also add panels. For details, see Adding or removing a widget
panel on page 33.
§You can change the apps on the launch bar at the bottom of the Home screen. See Launch bar
on page 35.
While you're in another screen or app, press to return to the last Home screen you visited.
Turning Sleep mode on or off
Sleep mode saves battery power by putting HTC Desire 12s into a low power state while the display
is off. It also stops accidental button presses when HTC Desire 12s is in your bag.
§To turn off the display and switch to Sleep mode, briefly press the POWER button.
HTC Desire 12s also automatically goes into Sleep mode when it’s left idle for a while. You
can change the time before HTC Desire 12s sleeps by setting the screen timeout.
§To wake up your phone from Sleep mode, press the POWER button.
Lock screen
Here's what you can do on the Lock screen:
§Swipe up on the lock screen to unlock the screen.
§Tap twice on a notification to go directly to the related app.
§Swipe left or right on the notification to remove it.
§Slide left or right on a notification until you see and . Tap to snooze the
notification.
18 Your first week with your new phone

§Press and hold a notification, and then tap All categories or More settings to customize the
notification settings.
If you don't want notification content to appear on the lock screen, go to Settings Security
& Location Lock screen preferences On the lock screen, and then tap Don't show
notifications at all.
§If you want to set up a screen lock or Smart lock, see Setting a screen lock on page 91 for
details.
Touch gestures
Use touch gestures to get around the Home screen, open apps, scroll through lists, and more.
Tap
Tap the screen with your finger when you want to select onscreen items
such as application and settings icons, or press onscreen buttons.
Press and hold
To open the available options for an item (for example, a contact or
link in a webpage), just press and hold the item.
19 Your first week with your new phone

Swipe or slide
Quickly swipe your finger horizontally across the screen to go to
other Home screen panels. Swipe vertically to scroll through a list,
document, and more.
Drag
Press and hold your finger with some pressure before you start to
drag. While dragging, don't release your finger until you have
reached the target position.
Flick
Flicking the screen is similar to swiping, except that you need
to swipe your finger in light, quicker strokes, such as when
moving right and left on the Home screen, or flicking through
a contacts or message list.
20 Your first week with your new phone