Reviews for HTC's newest smartphone, the HTC One M8, have been overwhelmingly positive since it was first introduced to the world and went on retailers' shelves late last month.

While it may be way too early to tell if the new HTC device will live up to its predecessor, which was awarded Mobile World Congress' "Smartphone of the Year" in Spain this past February, there are quite a few features the M8 has that some might not know exist.

The online publication, Digital Trends, provided a list of 10 tips and "hidden tricks" that is supposed to make the M8 experience even better.

The first tip Trends had was skipping the phone's lock screen which can be done by simply swiping right to left to get to the default home screen, or swiping left to right to get to BlinkFeed.

To answer the quickly answer the phone, users can do one of the two things: They can either swipe down on the lock screen during an incoming phone call or put the phone up directly to the ear without touching any buttons; it will automatically answer. To make sure the phone can perform the option, users first need to go into Settings, then Call, followed by Auto Answer Call, according to Trends.

M8 users who do not like the default theme on BlinkFeed have the option of customizing their own theme. To do so, Trends instructs that users go to the Settings tab to find the Personalize menu before selecting Theme. From there users can make any changes they wish.

Opening the HTC TV app on the phone can also turn the M8 into a TV remote controller at home. Users should follow the instructions it gives to set up the connection between the phone and the TV.

Users can choose to hide unwanted apps and other bloatware the phone comes with. A feature in the app drawer called "menu" will show the user the option to Hide/Unhide specific apps.

For those with kids who may want to borrow and play with the phone, parents can access Kid Mode by holding the Power Button down and selecting Kid Mode when the option appears. To get out of Kid Mode, the parent or babysitter has to input the PIN number.

The icon tray, which comes standard on every Android phone, can be accessed through the lock screen on the M8. The user tapping the app's icon and swiping up can access any missed notifications from apps in the icon tray.

Related