Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [67]
Android Devices
Installing Google+ on most any Android phone is a quick process. Open the Market app on your phone, and then tap the magnifying-glass icon in the upper-right corner. Search for “Google+” or “Google Plus,” then choose the app that sports the Google+ icon (probably the top-most option).
NOTE
As of this writing, the Google+ app runs perfectly fine on Android-based tablets, too. The tablet app has a few small tweaks to make it a bit more tablet-friendly, it’s still basically the same as the phone app, just with more space to work in. The instructions in this chapter are based on the Google+ Android phone app, but they work on Android tablets, too.
A potentially easier way to search find and install the Google+ app is to open a browser on your laptop or desktop computer and head to the Android Market (www.android.com/market), search for “Google+,” and then click the Install button to send the Google+ app over to your phone wirelessly. You’ll need to sign into the same Google account your phone is set up to use, but once that’s done, you’ll have the app on your phone, and have saved yourself some tiny-screen typing.
NOTE
On the right side of that Android Market page shown here, there’s a small +1 button. If you’re logged into your Google account (and you probably are, if you’re in the Android Market), you can click this button to give the app a +1 if you’ve tried it out and have a positive opinion of it. When friends in your circles visit this page, they’ll see that you gave this app a +1, so you can serve as a kind of endorsement. The privacy details of these global +1 buttons—ones that appear on sites other than Google+—are covered on Signing In and Joining Up; you’ll start seeing +1 buttons in more places as Google+ gains popularity.
If you have more than one Google account syncing with your Android device, Google+ will ask you to choose the account you want to use with Google+ when you first launch the app. After that, you’ll be asked if and when you want to have photos you take on your phone sent to Google+ automatically via Instant Upload (covered in detail on Uploading photos automatically from an Android phone or tablet). After you make your choice, you should arrive at the Google+ Home page.
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Want a little more help with your Android device? Check out The Complete Android Guide, a front-to-back how-to guide on Android phones and tablets, written by your humble author. You can order printed and ebook versions from www.completeandroidguide.com.
iPhone/iPod Touch
Open up the App Store on your iPhone or iPod Touch and search for either “Google+” or “Google Plus.” Then tap Free, and then tap Install to, well, install the app.
Alternatively, you can find the app by using iTunes on your Windows or Mac computer. On the left side of the iTunes window, choose the iTunes Store category. Then, type google+ or google plus into the Search Store box in the upper-right corner of iTunes. Look for the result that has the official icon with the “g+” in the middle.
Click the Free button next to the icon, and you’ll start downloading the app (you may have to enter your iTunes/App Store password first). With the app installed in iTunes, Google+ should now install itself on your iPhone or iPod Touch if you’re running the latest version of the iPhone/iPod operating system (iOS5). If you’re running an older version, the app will be installed on your device the next time you plug it into your computer for syncing.
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Need a primer on how to grab apps for your iPhone in iTunes or through the App Store? Check out iPhone: The Missing Manual, Fifth Edition, by David Pogue (O’Reilly).
After you tap the Google+ icon on your phone or iPod for the first time, you’ll be asked to sign into your Google account. Enter the email address connected to your Google account and your password, allow or disallow Google+ to display push notifications (pop-up messages) on your device when you have new notifications (an option you can change at any time in your iPhone or iPod