How To: Fast Search Gives You Quick Access to Everything on Your Android

Google Now is great for looking up movie times or finding your parking spot, but if you need to track down a file you downloaded, you're relegated to using a file explorer and, depending on your organizational skills, this can either be extremely easy or a huge pain in the ass. Unfortunately I land in the latter category, which is why I started using Fast Search by developer Mohamad Amin.

With Fast Search, you can quickly search your entire device for any contact, application, or file that you have downloaded. So it works a lot like Spotlight Search does on an iPhone. The app indexes your phone periodically so you can rest assured that you will be able to find files quickly, whether you downloaded them a few seconds or a few months ago.

Step 1: Download & Install Fast Search

Fast Search isn't available through the Google Play Store, so you'll need to enable app installation from "Unknown sources", then download and install the APK manually on your device.

• Download Fast Search (APK)

Step 2: Perform a Search

When you enter a search term into Fast Search, it will immediately search your phone and break the results down into 6 different fields: Applications, Contacts, Files, Music, Photos, and Videos.

Tapping a result will automatically open the file with the appropriate application, or the application itself if you are searching for an app.

By default, Fast Search will display an ongoing notification that allows for quick searching, but if that bothers you, it can be disabled by tapping Cancel Notification from the app's slide out menu.

Know of any other handy Android utilities? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below. Also make sure to follow Android Hacks over on Facebook and Twitter, or Gadget Hacks over on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, for more Android tips.