[Tips] 10 Cool Features of Samsung Galaxy Smartphones to Show Off
If you have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone (such as S4, S6, S7, etc), phablet (such as Note 5, etc) or tablet, this topic might be interesting for you. Today in this article, we are going to list a few cool features which are present in almost all Samsung mobile phones and tablets but most of the people are not aware of these features. If you learn about these features, you can show off these features to your friends and other people to get their attention.
Please note that:
- Some of these features may also present in other Google Android mobile phones
- Some of these features may not be available in some models of Samsung Galaxy devices
- Some of these options may be available in different locations in different devices based upon the installed firmware version
So without wasting time lets share these cool features in Samsung Galaxy devices which might be very useful for you:
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Related Read: [Tip] 5 Awesome Hidden Secret Features of Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phones
Table of Contents
Split Screen View:
This feature allows you to use 2 apps simultaneously on the screen. This feature has been actually planned for the upcoming Android N version but it is already available in Samsung Galaxy devices. You can see in following image, web browser and file manager apps are running in split screen view on screen:
Just press Left (Recent apps) button on your device for a few seconds and it’ll show you the split screen page. It contains apps list on the bottom. You can tap on any desired apps and they’ll open in the split screen view area. You can even adjust the divider to increase/decrease app screen size. Its a very useful feature for multitasking.
It’s one of my favorite features. You can double-press the Home button anytime and it’ll immediately launch Camera app even if the phone is locked. Its a very handy feature to take photos urgently. If you want, you can disable this feature by opening Camera settings and disabling “Quick Launch” option.
Did you know you can take photos in Camera app by pressing any Volume button? By default, if you open Camera app and press Volume up or down button, it’ll immediately take photo. No need to tap on the Camera icon to take photos. If you want, you can customize this feature by opening Camera settings and change “Volume keys function” to take pictures or record video or zoom.
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Smart Stay:
Its another cool feature which detects your face using front (selfie) camera and keeps the screen on while you are looking at the screen. As soon as you move your face and stop looking at the screen, the screen goes blank. Its another cool feature to show off. You can enable/disable it by going to Settings -> Display -> Smart Stay option. Its icon is also available in notification panel for easier turn on/off.
Motions and Gestures:
Samsung provides some cool gestures to quickly perform some operations such as:
Direct call: You can call a contact whose details or call log, message are opened currently on the screen by bringing the device close to your ear
Smart alert: Your device can vibrate when you pick it up and there is any missed call or message
Mute: You can silent the incoming call or alarm by placing your hand on the screen or putting the device face down
Palm swipe to capture: You can capture the screen by swiping the edge of your hand across it from side to side
You can turn these gestures on/off by going to Settings -> Motions and Gestures.
Related: [Fix] Palm Swipe to Capture Screenshot Not Working in Samsung Smartphones
Themes:
That’s an awesome addition in new Samsung Galaxy devices. Samsung has enabled themes support in its devices and now you can download and install several free as well as paid themes from Samsung Theme Store to completely change your phone’s look-n-feel.
These themes will not only change the Home and Lock Screen wallpapers but also change icons, menus style, notification panel color and everything else. You can completely transform your mobile phone using these themes. There are many themes available to convert your Galaxy device look into Stock Android.
You can install themes by going to Settings -> Themes.
That’s another feature to show off. It really feels cool when you just unlock the phone using your fingerprint. This feature is available in almost all new Samsung Galaxy smartphones. You can enable Fingerprint security feature from Settings -> Lock screen and security -> Fingerprints.
You can add multiple fingerprints according to your requirements.
[Now Some Tips for Samsung Galaxy Note Users]
If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note phablet, following tricks might help you in grabbing attention of others:
Screen Off Memo:
That’s another favorite feature of mine. With the help of Screen Off Memo, even if your device is locked and the screen is turned off, you can just detach the S Pen (stylus) and start writing on the screen, it’ll save the typed content as a memo which can be accessed later in S Note by unlocking the device.
You can enable/disable Screen Off Memo option by going to Settings -> S Pen -> Screen off memo.
PS: If the Screen Off Memo feature doesn’t work instantly in your Note device and if it takes a few seconds in activating the screen to start writing, try to disable “S Pen power saver” option in Settings -> S Pen page. If it still takes time in turning on the screen, ask the dealer or service center to replace the device. Some devices have this particular problem of detection delay in S Pen due to some sensor hardware issues.
Air View:
You can quickly preview information, photos, videos, S Planner details, hyperlinks on webpages or scroll up/down in the list by hovering S Pen over the screen.
You can enable/disable Air View option by going to Settings -> S Pen -> Air View option.
One Handed Operation:
If you feel your Note size is a bit larger for your hands and you feel uncomfortable while using it, you can enable “One Handed Operation” options by going to Settings -> Display -> One-handed operation.
Here you can enable “Reduce screen size” option which will allow you to reduce the size of the screen anytime by just pressing the Home button 3 times quickly.
You can also enable “One-handed input” option to reduce size and change position of the keyboard and other input methods such as Calculator for easier input using one hand.
That’s all for now. If you know about any other cool feature which can be used to impress others, feel free to share it in your comment.
Also Check:
[Tip] Enable Hidden Secret Features and Menus in Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
Pretty average article. Most of these so called features are available on several android phones (not just on samsung).
I didn’t know about Split screen view and double-press for Camera features of my Samsung phone. Thank you for letting us know.
Good compilation of the seemingly simple but actually useful features, thanks Mr Gupta.
Your directions enabled me to get color back on my phone. Thanks for the tip, plus some of the other features I didn’t know about.