Huawei Ascend Mate 7 User Manual & Setup Guide

If you need a manual or help with the setup of your Huawei Ascend Mate 7, check out our user guide to start using your handset, connect to the internet and more!

1. Unboxing and assembling your Huawei Ascend Mate 7
2. Set up your phone for the first time
3. Connecting to Wi-Fi and mobile networks
4. Find out how to add your email accounts
5. How to add and import contacts to your Ascend Mate 7
6. Using the Play Store to find new apps
7. Securing your Ascend Mate 7 a with a lock screen
8. How to make phone calls on your Huawei Ascend Mate 7
9. Send text & picture messages from your Ascend Mate 7
10. Sending emails and attachments on your Ascend Mate 7
11. How to set alarms on the Ascend Mate 7
12. Read our tips to learn more about your phone

Click here for the official Huawei Ascend Mate 7 user manual.

Unboxing and assembling your Huawei Ascend Mate 7

What's in the box?

Inside the box* you should find:

• 1 x Huawei Ascend Mate 7
• 1 x Mains power adapter
• 1 x USB lead
• 1 x In-line earphones
• 1 x Information pack

*some box contents may vary

The Mate 7 takes a micro-SIM card, which goes into a tray slotted into the side of the handset. If you wish to expand the storage space available by adding a microSD (memory) card, you'll need to have that to hand as well.

Insert the SIM and memory cards

The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is a unibody handset. This means that there is no separate back cover and the battery is also not removable. Instead of residing under the back cover, the SIM and memory cards will need to be placed into holders which slide into the left-hand edge of the phone. In order to remove these holders you will need to locate the SIM tool, which is a metal clip with a pin one end of it attached to the underside of the information pack in the box.

Put the Mate 7 on a flat surface, with the screen facing up and the left-hand edge facing you. At the top end of the handset you should see the outlines of two drawers, each with a pinhole at one end to facilitate removal.

The micro-SIM card should be inserted into the drawer nearest the top of the handset. Using the SIM tool, press the pin through the hole in the end of the drawer against a spring pressure to release the drawer. This can then be eased out of the handset. The SIM should be placed into the tray with the gold-coloured contacts facing down, and correctly orientated so that the cut-off corner is inserted first. Insert the drawer containing the SIM and slide it home until it is flush with the edge of the phone.

If you wish to install a microSD (memory) card, this goes into the drawer furthest from the top of the phone. Use the SIM tool to remove the memory card drawer in the same way as you did for the SIM card drawer. Once the drawer is out, place the microSD card carefully into it, with the gold-coloured contacts facing down and the card aligned to that it slides in narrow end first. Carefully slide the tray into its slot, and press it home so that it is flush with the handset's body.

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Set up your phone for the first time

The setup wizard will help configure some basic settings on your new Ascend Mate 7 and get the handset ready for use.

1. If your SIM card is inserted and active, you may be asked to choose your network operator from a list to set up mobile Internet access. If you see this screen, tap on the correct network name to install the settings.
2. Choose your language by scrolling up or down then tap the right arrow.
3. You will then be asked to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Locate and tap on your home wireless network name from the list displayed on screen. You can Skip this step if you wish to do this later, but your handset will try to download updates once the setup has completed which can use a substantial amount of data, so we would always recommend connecting to Wi-Fi.
4. Enter your wireless password when prompted. You can check it by tapping the Show advanced options circle to tick it and display the characters you have entered. When you are ready to proceed, tap Connect.

5. You will have to accept the terms and conditions in order to proceed. You can inspect them by tapping About this project, and when you are ready tap Agree to put the blue dot in the circle.
6. When you have agreed to the terms and conditions, tap Next.
7. Next you have the option of adding a Google account, which is always a good idea on an Android phone. A Google account (an @gmail.com or @googlemail.com email address) will help back up your data securely and allow you to download apps from the Google Play Store. If you already have a Google account, tap Yes to sign in. If you don't already have a Google account, tap No and complete the onscreen form to create a new account for free.
8. To sign in, enter your existing Google Gmail address and Password and tap the right arrow to continue. If you are creating a new account, complete all sections of the on screen form to complete the sign-up for a new Google account.

9. There is an on-screen advisory about the various Terms of Service, which you can inspect by tapping on each link in turn. When you are ready to proceed, tap OK.
10. You will be invited to Join Google+, which is Google's social network. Tap Get started to join, or if you choose not to, tap Not now; you can always join later on.
11. The next screen is all about Google services. There are tickboxes regarding Backup & restore, which uses the Google account to back up your phone and allows you to restore data back to your phone (which is why we recommend connecting to Wi-Fi during the setup) and also Location, which allows the phone to use your GPS location to give accurate mapping, and localised searching. Untick any box to opt out of that service, then tap the down arrow.

12. The final Google service concerns Communication, where you can opt out of receiving promotional email from the Play Store. We would recommend ticking all the boxes to make full use of your handset, again you can always opt out of the email later. Tap the right-facing arrow to move on.
13. You will then be asked about adding a payment method to your Google account to make purchasing premium content easier, but many items are free so this is not mandatory. You can link a credit or debit card, redeem a Google Play voucher, and if your mobile network allows it you can opt to be billed through them. Select your chosen method of funding your purchases then tap Continue, or if you wish to do this later tap Skip.
14. That's the initial phone configuration completed! Tap Begin to exit the wizard.

Now that you have completed the setup wizard, you will be looking at your home screen. At the bottom of the home screen is the navigation bar, which displays virtual buttons to help you navigate around your phone. The Triangle is a back button when pointing left, or when pointing down it will drop the onscreen keyboard out of the way. The Circle is the Home button, which will always return you to the home screen view of your phone, and the Square is the recent apps button which allows you to quickly switch between open apps.

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Connecting to Wi-Fi and mobile networks

Connect to Wi-Fi networks

1. From your home screen, swipe across the screen right-to-left to open your Apps, then locate the Settings icon and tap on it.
2. In the Wireless & networks section, tap Wi-Fi.
3. Check that the Wi-Fi switch is turned on (blue). If not, tap it to turn it on. In the list of network names that appears, locate and tap on your chosen Wi-Fi network name.

4. When the keyboard appears, enter your Wi-Fi password in the box provided. Your password can usually be found on a sticker on the side or the underneath of your router, and may also be referred to as a WEP key, WPA key or wireless passphrase. Please ensure you replicate any capital letters as passwords are case-sensitive. You can check your typing by ticking the Show advanced options box, and when you are ready to proceed, tap Connect.
5. When you see Connected under the network name (which should now be in blue) and the Wi-Fi symbol appears next to the signal bars, then you've been successful.

Set up mobile Internet access

To see whether your Mate 7 can connect to mobile data, you need to turn off Wi-Fi with the switch as described in the above section, then check for the data indicator after each step. The mobile data connection is indicated by the letters G, E, 3G, H or 4G appearing next to the signal bars on the top line of the display. When you see this, your mobile data should be working.

1. From your Home screen, swipe across to get to your Apps.
2. In the Apps list, locate and tap on Settings.
3. Take a look at the two tabs at the top of the screen, General and All. We need to be in the All tab, so tap it to continue. Once the All tab is highlighted, tap the Wi-Fi line.
4. Tap the switch to turn off Wi-Fi (the Wi-Fi indicator should then disappear) and check for a data indicator letter next to the signal bars. Tap the Back button to return to the previous settings screen.

5. To look deeper into the mobile Internet settings, tap More.
6. Tap on the Mobile networks entry on the list to check your network settings.
7. At the top of the page is Data enabled. This needs to be turned on (blue) in order for your mobile data connection to work, so if it isn't already, tap it to turn it on, and then check for a letter next to the signal bars.
8. Tap Access Point Names. These are the settings that configure your handset for Internet access. Enable your network setting is active by tapping the circle at the end of the line to select it. Check again for the letters near the signal bars.

9. If your network settings do not appear in the list of available APNs, then a reset may be required. Tap the Menu button (3 bars at the bottom of the screen) and then tap Reset to default.
10. This should cause more settings to be pulled down from the SIM card, displaying a list of available networks. If you see your network name in the list, tap it to select it, then check for the data indicator.

If all these steps fail, then you can enter your network's Access Point Name settings manually. Tap the Menu button and choose New APN from the list which appears.

On the new page (shown above right) we can type in the settings for your network. We have produced the Geek Squad guide to APN settings to assist you with these. When you've finished typing in the boxes, tap Save at the bottom of the screen.

If you are still struggling to get your handset connected, then you can ask your mobile network to send some configuration messages through to your phone, or take a look at our support options to help you get set up.

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Find out how to add your email accounts

Your new Huawei Ascend Mate 7 can manage multiple POP, IMAP and Exchange email accounts with a minimum of fuss. Follow the steps below to add your accounts.

Add a Google (Gmail) account

We covered setting up a Google account in the initial setup, but if you didn't complete it then you can add one now.

1. From the home screen, swipe across to open your Apps.
2. Within the Apps list, locate and tap on the Settings icon.
3. At the top, tap the All tab, then scroll down to the Accounts section which will show any accounts which are already set up on your Mate 7. Tap Add account.
4. On the list of account types, tap Google to start adding a Gmail account to the phone.

4. Tap Existing to sign in with your existing Google account, or if you are new to Android tap New to set up a free Google account.
5. To sign in, enter your existing Gmail address and Password into the spaces provided then tap the right arrow. If you are creating a new account, complete all the boxes on the onscreen form in order to set the account up.
6. You must agree to the Terms of service and Privacy Policy in order to use the Google account on your new handset. Tap a link to inspect any which you would like to look at, then tap OK to proceed.

7. You will be invited to join Google+, which is Google's own social network. It's free to join, so if you'd like to see what it's about tap Get started. If you wish to leave this for the time being, you can revisit it later so tap Not now to continue.
8. The Google account can be used to back up your apps and settings, and Google would like to update you with information from the Play Store. If you'd like to opt out of either of these, untick the box then tap the right arrow.
9. You will then be asked to set up some payment details in order to purchase apps and other media from the Play Store. This is optional, as many apps are free. Select your billing option and tap Continue, or tap Skip to leave this for later.

The newly-added Google account should now show in the Accounts section, and your emails will start to arrive in the Gmail app very shortly.

Add another type of email account

1. From the home screen, swipe across to access your Apps.
2. Locate and tap on the Settings icon.
3. At the top, tap the All tab, then scroll down to the Accounts section and tap Add account.
4. If you have an Exchange email account (often used by employers, or education providers) choose Corporate. For all other account types, tap Email.

4. Some mail providers have pre-configured settings to make life easier, so if your account is one of these then tap the correct account line to proceed. If your account is an Exchange account tap that option, and for all other email account types tap Others.
5. Most email accounts can be configured quite quickly, simply type in your email address and password, then tap Next to continue.
6. If all goes well and the account sets up, you will be able to alter the account options to choose how often your handset checks for new mail, and whether you wish to be notified about mail arriving. When you are happy with the settings, tap Next.
7. You will then be asked to give the account a name, and also enter your name which will appear on outgoing emails. Tap Done to finish the setup.

You should now see an E-mail line in the Accounts section. Email from your account will now be delivered to the Email app, which you can find on the home screen, or in the Apps tray.

If your account failed to set up automatically, you will be returned to the main email setup page with the boxes completed with your email address and password. In order to add your email account to the Ascend Mate 7 you will have to do a Manual Setup. You will need to know the type of account you have (POP3, IMAP or Exchange) and additional, account specific information.

This additional information will include the account Username, Password, and also incoming& outgoing mail server settings, all of which will have to be entered onto the onscreen form. If your account is an Exchange account, you will need to know domain and Exchange server information.

We have written a guide to email server settingsfor most of the popular UK email providers to help you complete these, but if your mail provider is not listed, or your Exchange email account is provided by your company, you may need to contact them directly for detailed assistance.

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How to add and import contacts to your Ascend Mate 7

Check out our guide to importing your contacts from your previous smartphone to your new Huawei Ascend Mate 7, which will help you transfer your address book from your iPhone, Windows Phone, Android phone or BlackBerry handset.

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Using the Play Store to find new apps

Looking for new apps to enjoy on your Ascend Mate 7? Why not check out our handy guide to the Google Play Store, your one-stop shop for apps and games on your Android smartphone. We'll help you download through the Play Store app on your phone, and also show you how to use your Mac or PC to send apps straight to your handset!

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Securing your Ascend Mate 7 with a lock screen

Your Huawei Mate 7 has a lot of valuable information on it, and will probably be signed into apps and accounts such as your email, social media and file sharing apps to name but a few. The best way to keep all of this data from prying eyes is to secure your Huawei with a PIN or Password, and you can unlock it easily by using your fingerprint.

How to secure your Huawei Mate 7

1. Drag down from the top of the phone screen to access your notification bar, then tap on Shortcuts at the top to view your Quick Settings. Tap on the Cog icon to go to your Settings menu.
2. Scroll down the settings menu to the General section.
3. If you want to set up the screen lock on its own, tap Security. To add fingerprint unlocking, tap Fingerprint ID.

4. If you're setting up fingerprint unlocking, you will have to add a PIN or Password as a backup anyway. Choose which type of unlock method you'd like to use by tapping PIN or Password.
5. We're entering a 4-digit PIN, but a password is set in much the same manner. Enter your chosen code via the keyboard, then tap Continue.
6. Confirm your PIN or Password by entering it again, then tap OK.

7. If you haven't added a fingerprint yet, you must add one now. Tap on the Enrol button to start adding a fingerprint!
8. The fingerprint sensor is found on the back of the phone, beneath the camera. To register your print, place your finger or thumb onto the square panel. You will need to do this several times before your print is fully captured. Tap OK once the phone has a complete picture of your fingerprint.
9. If you wish to rename your print, tap the line with its name on and edit it. To add more prints, tap new fingerprint.

When you're happy, tap the Home button to return to the home screen. You're now ready to try out fingerprint unlocking!

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How to make phone calls on your Huawei Ascend Mate 7

Making a phone call is one of the most important functions of any smartphone, but it's easy to get distracted with everything else your Mate is capable of! Find out how to make and receive calls on your new Huawei Mate 7 with these short steps.

How to make a phone call

1. The first step to making a phone call is to open the Phone icon from the home screen by tapping on it. This is in the bottom-left corner by default.
2. The first screen you'll see is your Contacts list. You can browse your contacts here and tap on one to dial them, or tap your finger on the Dialler tab at the top of the screen to view the number pad.
3. To make a call, dial a number and press the green button to start the call. If you want to call a contact in your phone, you can use the keypad to spell out their name. There are letters below each number, tap the numbers to spell the name (for example, spelling out "Danny" by tapping "32669") and the Mate 7 will find them in your contact list! If you know more than one person with the name you're searching, you'll need to tap the correct contact from the suggestions.
4. If you prefer, you can search your contacts directly from the Contacts screen by tapping into the search box at the top. Contacts can be found at the top of the phone screen.
5. Whenever you have the contact you'd like to call on screen, tap their name and the Mate 7 will automatically dial them!

If you tap on the people icon you will see a full list of all your contacts. Scroll down the list and tap on a contact to start calling them.

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Send text & picture messages from your Ascend Mate 7

With so many ways of getting in touch with people, it's easy to forget that texts are a big part of any smartphone. To find out how to send text and picture messages from your Mate 7, check out the following steps.

How to send an SMS text message

1. Find and tap the Messaging app from your home screen. The icon looks like blue and white speech bubbles, and if you have unread messages, you will see a badge in the corner showing you have unread items.
2. To compose a new message, tap on the new message button.
3. Now you're looking at a blank text message. Pick the recipient by tapping in the To box.
4. You can enter a mobile number directly using the numeric keyboard, or you can start to type a contact's name. If you're entering text, matching contacts will appear below as you type. Tap on the contact you're trying to text to select them as the recipient.

5. Now you've chosen who you're messaging, it's time to type out what you want to say. Tap into the type message box and type your message.
6. If you're just sending a text message, tapping the grey arrow to the right of the text box will send your message. If you want to add an attachment, such as a picture, video or sound recording, tap the plus button to the left of the text box.
7. Options will appear in place of the keyboard to allow you to choose what you'd like to attach to your message. You could take a new photo using the camera, attach a picture that's already on your phone or one of many other options, each of which can be selected by tapping on the icon. (If you're sending a picture or video, it will be sent as a Multimedia message and you'll see MMS appearing in the text input box to advise you).
8. Once you've attached your item, it will display in the body of the message, allowing you to add further text before you send it by tapping the grey arrow to the right of the message box.

How to delete a message thread

If you'd like to delete a thread of messages from your handset, open the Messaging app and locate the thread you'd like to delete by finding the other person's name in the message list.

Touch and hold on their name, and a tickbox will appear beside it. When you see this, look in the top right-hand corner of the screen and tap the bin icon to delete the thread.

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Sending emails and attachments on your Ascend Mate 7

If you've set up your email account you're probably already receiving emails on your Huawei Mate 7, but you may be wondering how to send emails and attachments to other people. Find out how with these short and helpful steps!

Sending an email

To send an email, you must have already set up an email account on your Mate 7. If you haven't added your account yet, please check out the section on adding an email account for more information.

1. Find and open the Email app on your smartphone, which can be found on your home screen. When you can see your email inbox, tap the compose button in the bottom of the email inbox screen.
2. New emails will always send from your default email account (which is usually the first one you've added). If you have more than one account on your Huawei Mate 7 and wish to send it from a different account, tap the down arrow at the right of the From line and change the email address you're sending from.
3. Tap into the To line to select the intended recipient. Type their name using the keyboard, and any matching contacts will appear. Tap on the correct contact to add them to the recipient list.
4. You can add further recipients, send copies to yourself or others, and also enter a Subject for your email by tapping into the respective fields and entering the information. Once you've entered all the information in the header, scroll down if necessary and tap Compose email.

5. Using the keyboard, type your message. If you just want to send a text email, then you can send it once you've finished typing by tapping the right-facing arrow on the title bar.
6. To add an attachment, tap the attach file button below your email. When the menu opens, you can choose from where to attach the item.
7. Attach file allows you to send a file that is already on your Mate 7. This may be a sound recording, a photo or video you've taken, or a file you've downloaded. Inserting from Drive lets you attach an item you have stored online in your Google Drive, as long as you've added your Google account to your handset. Navigate through the on-screen menu to find the item you want, and tap it to add it to your email.
8. Add further attachments if you wish, and compose your message. To send, tap the right-facing arrow.

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How to set alarms on the Ascend Mate 7

Setting an alarm is a popular occurrence on most phones, as you tend to always have it with you, turned on and telling the correct time. Read on to find out how to set an alarm on your Mate 7.

Unsurprisingly, the Alarm is found in the Clock app of your Mate 7. You can access it by tapping the clock on your home screen.

1. Open the clock app by tapping on the clock.
2. The buttons across the top of the app allow you to select Alarms, World Clock, Stopwatch and Timer functions. Tap alarm to set an alarm.
3. You will now see all the alarms that are currently programmed, along with switches to activate them. To edit an existing alarm, tap on it. To set a new alarm, tap the add alarm button with the + sign in the bottom of the screen.
4. On the alarm setting screen, you can set the time of the alarm by dragging your finger up or down on the hour. Once you've picked an hour, it's time to repeat the process for the minutes.

5. To set your alarm for repeating days, tap on Repeat. Here you can pick whether to ring once, only during the week, every day, or on days that you pick.
6. You can now customise your alarm with custom alarm tones, as well as a label to distinguish it from other alarms you might have set. Tap the tick at the top of the screen when you're finished to save your alarm.

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Read our tips to learn more about your phone

Now you've set up the basics on your Huawei Ascend Mate 7, let's finish off by giving you a couple of tips to help you get the most out of your new phone.

Control your phone with simple movements

Motion control has been around for a while now, and the Ascend Mate 7 integrates many motions and gestures to simplify common tasks.

• Flip - Mutes sound and stops vibrations from incoming calls, text messages and alarms simply by turning your phone over.
• Pick up - This reduces the volume of calls, messages and alarms when you pick up the handset.
• Raise to ear - If your phone is ringing, you dont need to press a button to answer it, just raise it to your ear. If you are looking at a contact on your screen, lifting your phone to your ear will call that person.
• Shake - When you're in the home screen editing mode, shaking your phone will rearrange the icons.
• Tilt - Used in the home screen editor, this allows you to move icons between screens by tilting your handset to one side. When you have a keyboard onscreen, tilt the phone to slide the keyboard to one side to allow one-handed typing.

To turn on any of these motion functions, go to Settings> All> Motion control and then enter each setting individually to enable it.

Customise your notifications

As you add more apps to your phone, and connect your phone to online accounts and services, you will inevitably get a lot more notifications coming through. Sooner or later most of us will become a little annoyed with all the 'chirps' letting us know something else requires our attention.

Huawei have included a really useful tool to help prevent you becoming overloaded. This allows you to choose which apps can send notifications, ensuring you're not driven to distraction by constant sounds from your phone!

To choose which apps you'd like to see notifications from, tap on Settings> All> Notification manager. Tapping on the box to the right of an app's name allows you to choose Allow, Notify or Restrict for each individual app.

Now that's a breath of fresh air!

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