Galaxy S7 Guides

Update: Samsung moved the Google settings back to the standard location in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in a May update. You can access Google settings in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge as in other Android devices at Settings–– Google.

What is Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Google settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is a centralized app for you to set almost everything related to your Google account and Google services on the phone. These include:

• Your Google account: Account sign-in, and security, personal info and privacy, and account preferences;
• Google services: Ads, connected apps, data management, Google Fit, Google Photos backup, location, Nearby, Play Games, Search & Now, Security, setup nearby device, and smart lock for passwords.

Some Google settings can also be accessed from individual apps.

For example, Google Photos backup settings can be done in Google Photos app.

Search and Now settings can be set in Google app (Google Now app, or Google Search app).

But a centralized location for most Google settings is convenient for most Android users.

In previous versions (since Android Jelly Bean), Google tried to put more and more settings into this centralized Google Settings.

Prior to Android Marshmallow, you can find the Google Settings app icon (shown above) in the apps screen (app drawer)

Where is Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

But when you get your Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you may immediately find you cannot find the Google Settings icon for as shown in the beginning of this page.

It is not in Galaxy S7 Apps screen.

It is not in Galaxy S7 Home screen.

It is not in any app folders.

Then, where is Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? 

Yes, some nerds may tell you Google Settings has a dedicated entry in the Settings in Android Marshmallow.

But when you check Galaxy S7 Settings, you still cannot find Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

If you try to Search Galaxy S7 settings, it will not return Google Settings either.

Did Samsung remove Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Of course, not.

Samsung put Google Settings entry under Settings–Applications on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

You can find Google settings after Samsung apps settings.… Read the rest

The post How to access Google Settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are Galaxy S7 wallpapers?

Galaxy S7 wallpapers are just background images in Galaxy S7 home screen, apps screen and lock screen.

And it is the easiest part when you want to customize your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.  You can simply use your photo or your dog’s photo to make the phone “yours”.

But you should not overdo it.

Because app icons are overlaid on Galaxy S7 wallpapers, you may try to choose wallpapers so that it should not be difficult to see the app icons.

Some Galaxy S7 owners may prefer dark wallpapers to save battery because of the Super AMOLED display in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. But do not expect too much.

Anyway, choose Galaxy S7 wallpapers you like so that you can enjoy your phone. Don’t think too much on battery consumption: the difference is very marginal.

However, some poor designed live wallpapers may drain battery in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge noticeably.

So, you need to check battery usage by live wallpapers only.

How to set Galaxy S7 wallpapers for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

You can set Galaxy S7 wallpapers for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge by following these steps.

Step 1: Enter edit mode of Galaxy S7 home screen.

In Galaxy S7 home screen ,you can tap and hold (aka “long tap”) any empty area to enter edit mode of Galaxy S7 home screen (aka, access Galaxy S7 home screen options) as shown below.

You can also enter home screen edit mode through pinching to zoom in in the home screen.

In the Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (aka home screen options), tap Wallpapers as shown below to customize Galaxy S7 wallpapers.

Step 2: Select wallpaper for home screen or lock screen or both

By default, the wallpaper setting is for Galaxy S7 home screen.

The preview of home panel of Galaxy S7 home screen is shown (marked in green box in the screenshot above).

Tap Home screen as shown above.

Now you have 3 options:

• Home screen.
• Lock screen.
• Home and lock screen.

These options let you choose which screen(s) you want to apply the wallpaper.

For example, you want to use the same wallpapers for Galaxy S7 home screen and lock screen.

Tap Home and lock screens as shown below.

The preview windows for the home panel of home screen and lock screen will be shown as illustrated in the green box below.… Read the rest

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Why you need manage Galaxy S7 camera modes?

Samsung pre-installed 15 camera modes (10 for rear camera, 5 for front camera) in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

In addition, you can download and install 6 additional Galaxy S7 camera modes for other scenarios.

This means you may end up with more than 20 Galaxy S7 camera modes on the phone.   You may find it is not easy to find the camera modes when you want to use them.

One way to solve this problem is to add Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcuts to home screen so that you  can launch camera app in the specific camera mode directly from Galaxy S7 Home screen.

Another way to solve the issue is to manage the items in Galaxy S7 camera modes page.

For example, you can relocate Galaxy S7 camera modes so that the most frequently used camera modes are in the top 10 spots. Normally, you can access these 10 camera modes without scrolling.

You can also uninstall some downloaded  camera modes if you no longer use them.

Anyway, when auto mode is not sufficient for you, it is time to consider to manage Galaxy S7 camera modes so that you can use them more efficiently.

How to manage Galaxy S7 camera modes?

To manage Galaxy S7 camera modes in your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you may follow the following steps.

Step 1: Start Galaxy S7 Camera app

You can use any of these 4 methods to launch camera app on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

Step 2: Enter Galaxy S7 camera mode page

In Galaxy S7 camera preview screen, tap MODE as shown below.

Step 3: Enter edit mode of Galaxy S7 camera modes

In Galaxy S7 camera mode page, tap MORE as shown above.

Tap EDIT as shown below to enter the edit mode for Galaxy S7 camera modes.

In Edit mode, you can relocate the icon locations of all camera modes in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

You can also uninstall the Galaxy S7 camera modes that are downloaded (as shown in this guide).

Step 4: Manage Galaxy S7 camera modes

In edit mode, you can re-arrange spots for the icons.

Usually, you may want to put the frequently used camera modes in the top 10 spots so that you can access them without scrolling.

To move and relocate a Galaxy S7 camera mode, you can tap and hold the icon.  … Read the rest

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What is Galaxy S7 lock screen?

Galaxy S7 lock screen is the door between the phone and outside world.

To avoid unauthorized access to your private data saved on Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you should consider to lock the door (set lock screen security).

Essentially, Galaxy S7 lock screen is a security feature that:

• blocks unauthorized access to the phone.
• avoids inadvertent tapping the phone.

Together with Galaxy S7 Home screen, Apps screen, Galaxy S7 lock screen is one of the most essential components of using Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

As shown below,  in Galaxy S7 lock screen, by default, there are at least 5 components:

1. Clock.
2. Notifications. You can choose whether notifications are shown on the lock screen, and how they are shown.  Please read on for how to customize notifications in Galaxy S7 lock screen.
3. App shortcut in bottom left. The app shortcut can be customized: you can turn it off or choose your own apps instead of the default phone app. Please read on for how to customize app shortcuts in Galaxy S7 lock screen.
4. App shortcut in bottom right. You can also fully customize this app shortcut.
5. Help message telling you how to unlock the lock screen. If you swipe in any direction, you can then unlock Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge (if lock screen security is set as swipe) or enter password/PIN/pattern depending on your lock screen security settings (read on).

How to lock and unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen

You can lock the screen in different ways:

• When screen is on, press power button once. This will turn off the Galaxy S7 screen and lock it.
• When screen is off (for example, display timeouts because of inactivity), screen will be locked automatically.

To unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen, you need:

1. Turn on the Galaxy S7  screen.  You can press Power button or Home button to turn on Galaxy S7 screen.
2. Swipe your finger across the Galaxy S7 lock screen to unlock it.
3. If you have set up a Galaxy S7 screen lock, you will be prompted to draw the pattern, enter the password or PIN, or scan your fingerprint

Some apps can also turn on the screen.

You can also use smart lock to keep phone unlocked when Galaxy S7 or S7 edge is connected to certain accessories, or in certain locations.

How to set Galaxy S7 lock screen security?

… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 lock screen appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

From time to time, you may want to silence Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, for example, when you are in library or during an important meeting.

This guide tries to help you understand how to silence Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in different scenarios and different ways.

Please note, there are 5 types of sound in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge:

• Ringtone;
• Notifications (notification tone);
• Media;
• System (alerts);
• Alarm.

So, when you try to silence Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you need to know which are to be silenced, and which are not.

How to silence ringtone in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

If you do not want the phone to ring, you can silence Galaxy S7 ringtone with any of the following methods:

• Put Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in mute mode (silent mode) or vibrate mode.
• Turn on Do not Disturb.
• Set ringtone as Silent.

Method 1: Use mute mode or vibrate mode to silence Galaxy S7 ringtone.

You can put Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in mute mode (silent mode) or vibrate mode using Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons as shown below.

You can tap the icon to cycle through the 3 sound modes:

• Sound mode.
• Vibrate mode. No ringtones, no notifications tones and no system tones. But the phone may vibrate depending on your settings.
• Mute mode. No sound, and no vibration for ringtone, notification tone and system tones.

You can also set sound mode in Settings—Sounds and vibration—Sound mode.

If you want to quickly enter vibrate mode, you can hold volume down button until phone vibrates.

You can also use on-screen volume settings by tapping volume down (or volume up) button to set volume for ringtones, notification tones, media and system sound individually.

As shown below, when you drag the volume slider to the leftmost side, it will automatically enter vibrate mode for ringtone and notification tones.

You can also access Galaxy S7 volume settings in Settings— Sound and vibration — Volume.

Method 2: use Do not Disturb (DnD) to silence Galaxy S7 ringtone

Do not Disturb is an Android feature since Android Lollipop.  It was further polished in Android Marshmallow.

You may refer to this guide on detailed usages of Do not Disturb in Android Marshmallow.

However, in Galaxy S7, Do not Disturb was implemented in a slightly different way.… Read the rest

The post How to silence Galaxy S7 and S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is tasks edge in edge screen of  Galaxy S7 edge?

Tasks edge in Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ is similar to apps edge in the edge screen.

The major difference is that tasks edge is for shortcuts of individual tasks, not individual apps.

These tasks are similar to widgets: they are both special functions of some apps.  But tasks are only from apps developed by Samsung currently. In other words, you cannot simply add a widget to tasks edge currently.

Since Android Nougat 7.1, app shortcut was introduced in stock Android. Samsung supports app shortcuts on the home screen in their Android Oreo firmware. But the tasks edge does not support app shortcuts of third-party apps.

Tasks edge also supports file shortcuts. You can add a file to the home screen (pin a file to the home screen) as explained in this guide. Such file shortcuts will be available for tasks edge.

Please note, tasks edge in edge screen is identical among Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+. So, this guide applies to all of these devices.  In this guide, we use the screenshots from the Galaxy S7 edge for the illustration.

Two ways to access settings for tasks edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge

You can access tasks edge settings in Galaxy S7 edge in two ways:

• from the edge panel.
• from edge screen settings page.

As shown below, you can launch edge panels, then navigate to tasks edge, which, by default, is the second panel, next to the apps edge.

In tasks edge panel, you can tap the + button to add more tasks to this edge panel. Tap settings icon to go to edge panel settings page.

You can also access edge panels settings in Settings — edge screen –edge panel.

As shown below, you can tap the check icon (marked as 1) to turn on or turn off tasks edge.

Tap pencil icon (marked as 2 in the screenshot below) to edit (manage) tasks edge.

So, these two ways to access tasks edge settings are interlinked.

To enable/disable tasks edge, you must go to edge screen settings (edge panels settings) as mentioned above.

How to add and remove tasks for tasks edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge?

… Read the rest

The post How to use tasks edge in Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Why you should back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge regularly?

Samsung Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge) is an electronic device. This means it may fail at any time!

Even if your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge is still under warranty, or if you bought extended warranty for your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, only the “phone” is insured.

Your data are NOT protected. You can get a replacement of Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge). But your data may be not recovered/restored.

Actually, there are no warranty plans for your data on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge currently.

This is why you should back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge regularly.

It is your responsibility to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge so that you can restore them in case the phone is lost, or is reset, or replaced.

Anyway, backup is about your data.

Luckily, most of your data in Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) can be automatically backed up to the cloud.

Of course, you should always keep a local copy of your Galaxy S7 backup data.

What cannot be backed up in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Before I show you how to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge manually or automatically, you should know some items generally cannot be backed up including:

• Account password. When you back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, account (e.g., Google account, Samsung account, Facebook account…) passwords cannot be backed up.
• Lock screen security and smart lock settings. When you restore a phone from a backup, it should NOT modify your lock screen security settings. And in Galaxy S7 backup, lock screen security and smart lock settings are NOT included.
• Some app data. Not all app data can be backed up. This is app-dependent. Some apps can be fully backed up, a few may not.

How to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

The best way to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is using Samsung’s Smart Switch on your PC.

As discussed in this guide, you can use Smart Switch to transfer data from old phone to Galaxy S7 or S7 with or without a PC.

But to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge with Smart Switch, you need a PC.

Actually, if the data in your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge are important for you, you should regularly back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge and keep at one copy locally.… Read the rest

The post How to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Touch button light in Galaxy S7 can be a problem sometimes

Galaxy S7 and S7 edge still use two capacitive buttons for Recent app and Back respectively.

As explained in Galaxy S7 layout, Recent button is in the lefty side of Home button and Back button is in the right side of Home button.

When you touch either of the two buttons, both button will light up. This is useful when you are using Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in a dark environment.

But this can also be the problem. In some situations, you may simply not want to see the light because it can be too bright.

For experienced owners, you may know the location of the buttons well without the light.

Unfortunately, there are no options for you to disable of adjust touch button light in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

So, in this guide, I will show you how to use a simple app to disable touch button light in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and how to adjust the lighting duration.

How to disable and adjust touch button light duration in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

As mentioned, Samsung removed the options for configuring touch button light from Galaxy S7 settings.

But the touch key light and its duration are still fully adjustable and controllable. The settings are simply hidden without a corresponding user interface.

What you need is a simple app named Galaxy Button Lights 2.

Step 1:  Install Galaxy Button lights 2

You can search for “Galaxy Button lights 2” in Play store as shown below.

The app is free without ads and any bloatware.

Once you find the app, tap Install to install the app to Galaxy S7 as shown below.

You will get normal waning messages on app permissions.

But this app is very clean. As shown above, it does not require any special permissions.

So, you can tap Accept as shown above to proceed the installation.

Step 2: Configure Galaxy S7 touch key light

Once the app is installed, you can find it in apps screen (app drawer) or Home screen if you chose to hide apps screen in Galaxy S7.

You can start the app to configure Galaxy S7 touch button light as you want.

As shown above, the app is simple to use.

There are 4 options:

1. Time to remain on. This is for you to set the duration of the button light.

… Read the rest

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What’s new in Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update in S7 and S7 edge?

With Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge,   Samsung also updated their camera app.

Again, this update brought some confusions among many owners. It seems Samsung lacks a clear roadmap for their apps.

This page was prepared to help owners of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge who have questions on using Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update. If your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge is still running Android Marshmallow, please check this guide.

First, here is the list of major changes in Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update:

• New Galaxy S7 camera preview screen.
• 2 New gestures to switch front/rear camera. This is an additional way to switch camera in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.
• You can only use the gesture to access Galaxy S7 camera modes. The button was removed in this Android Nougat update.
• New gesture to access Galaxy S7 camera effects. Again,  this is the only way to access Galaxy S7 camera effects after Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.
• Quick settings are now camera mode aware.

Please note, the changes are more or less on usability only. There are no changes in features of the Galaxy S7 camera and Galaxy S7 edge camera.

How to use the new preview screen of Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update in S7 and S7 edge?

The new preview screen of Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update looks cleaner. The old preview screen under Marshmallow can be found here.

But if you are a seasoned Samsung phone user, you may find it is confusing.

As shown below, the new preview screen of Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update have 8 functional parts (the numbers are corresponding to those shown in the screenshot below):

1. Take a photo. 

You need tap it to take the picture.

Please note, Samsung camera app does not support tap to take photos by default (you need manually enable it for front camera).  But if it is not convenient for you to tap this button, you can use many other ways to take a photo in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge including:

• use your voice to take photos in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. This works for both front and rear cameras.

… Read the rest

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What is camera timer in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Galaxy S7 camera timer in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge allows you to capture photos on a delay after the shutter button is tapped.

The delay is most useful when you want to include yourself in the photo and you can put Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in a tripod.

Essentially, the camera timer in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge is similar to self timer in your normal camera.  Photos will be taken after the specified period (delay).

But in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, in addition to tapping the shutter button, Galaxy S7 camera timer supports other shooting methods as well.

This means you can also use voice control  or volume keys together with the timer for the rear and front cameras.  Front camera even supports more methods.

In addition, in stead of taking one photo, you can let Galaxy S7 and S7 edge take 3 photos consecutively after the timer elapses.

How to set camera timer in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

By default, Galaxy S7 camera timer is turned off.

You need turn it on and set it before you can use the timer on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

Please note, camera timer settings for front camera and rear camera are independent. In other words, you need to set timer for front camera and rear camera independently.  But the procedures are identical.

In Galaxy S7 camera preview screen,  as shown below, tap the timer icon.

You can find the following Galaxy S7 camera timer options:

• Off.  This is the default setting.  Time is off.
• 2 seconds. The delay will be 2 seconds.
• 5 seconds.
• 10 seconds.
• Take 3 shots. This option is available only if timer is NOT off, i.e., if timer setting is 2 or 5 or 10 seconds.  If selected, Galaxy S7 or S7 edge will take 3 photos one by one after the timer elapses.

For example, as shown in the screenshot below, you can set timer to 10 seconds and enable the option to take 3 photos.

How to use camera timer in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Timer in Galaxy S7 camera will start after you tap the shutter button (or other shooting methods are activated).

Once Galaxy S7 camera timer is triggered, countdown will be shown on the camera preview screen as shown in the screenshot below.… Read the rest

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Why you may want to hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

As you may know, iOS does not have an apps screen (aka app drawer). All apps are put in the home  screen. Owners has no control on this.

Android gives more options. All Android phones come with home screen and apps screen (aka app drawer). You can only put frequently used apps  and widgets (btw, iOS does not have widgets) to home screen. In Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, you can tap the apps icon (9 dots) to navigate to apps screen. Tapping home button (see Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge layout page) to navigate back to home screen.

Some Android phone owners often laugh at iOS users for lacking such flexibility.

But some Android users may feel it is confusing when you have two locations to hold your apps.

Especially for new Android users, they may try to launch all apps from  apps screen. This means it requires at least one more tap.

Now, Samsung offers a new feature that allows you to hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge through Galaxy Labs. All apps will be placed in Galaxy S7 home screen.

Please note, this feature of hiding apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge may be not available in some regions/carriers.

How to hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

To hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, please follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to Settings

You can enter Galaxy S7 Settings using one of the following two methods:

• Tap Settings app icon in Apps screen or home screen (if you put the app in Galaxy S7 home screen).
• Swipe down from top of the screen (status bar), then tap the Gear icon.

Step 2:  Enter Advanced features.

In the Settings page, you can find Advanced features entry as shown below.

Tap Advanced features.

Step 3: Enter Galaxy labs

As shown below, under Advanced features, you can find Galaxy Labs.

Tap Galaxy Labs to try some new (and maybe experimental) features.

If you cannot find Galaxy Labs in Advanced features page, it means your carrier chose to disable this feature. You cannot use hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Step 4: Start Galaxy Labs.

Tap Start button as shown above to check available features in Galaxy Labs for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.… Read the rest

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About Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to guides

Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to Guides will help you to explore and better use some important Galaxy S7 features.

All these Galaxy S7 guides include very detailed step-by-step instructions. All Galaxy S7 owners can easily follow these Galaxy S7 how-to guides.

We release new Galaxy S7 how-to guides regularly. So, bookmark this page because this Galaxy S7 guides page will be updated regularly.

All Galaxy S7 how-to guides are tested vigorously before they are released. This makes sure these guides should work on most Galaxy S7 devices (Galaxy S7  and Galaxy S7 edge) in all regions .

You may also check Galaxy S7 online user manual page for using some common  features in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

If you want to download the official Galaxy S7 user guide (in PDF) in your own language, you may check this Galaxy S7 user manual page and Galaxy S7 edge user manual page.

If you cannot find the Galaxy S7 how-to guides you are looking for, please feel free to leave you questions or problems in the comment box below. The community will try to find a solution or an answer for you.

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to guides

1. Meaning of Galaxy S7 notification icons and status icons?

2. Switch to Galaxy S7: how to transfer data from your previous device to Samsung Galaxy S7 with Smart Switch?

   It is very easy to switch to Galaxy S7 thanks to Smart Switch.  You can even migrate old phone data to Galaxy S7 without installing any apps. This Galaxy S7 how-to guide shows you how to use USB cable to connect your old phone (Android, iPhone or BlackBerry) to Galaxy S7, and migrate all your data and apps to Galaxy S7.  This is the easily one to migrate phone data to Galaxy S7. Read on….

3. How to use Galaxy S7 always-on display (AOD)?

   Galaxy S7 always on display (AOD) allows you to choose an image or a clock or other information to display instead of turning off the screen for your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Without waking up the phone, you can check time, notifications and calendar. This Galaxy S7 how-t0 guide shows you how to enable and customize Galaxy S7 always-on display (AOD). Read on.…

4. How to hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge and show all apps on Galaxy S7 home screen?

… Read the rest

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to guides appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Update 2, added section: new features for Galaxy S7 always-on display. Recently updated Galaxy S7 always-on display now allows you to enable always on display on S View Window when a S View cover is snapped on Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.  Clock face now is renamed as layout with more clock faces.

Update 1, added section:  Limitations of Galaxy S7 always-on display.

One of the best features in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is the always-on display.

This post tries to explain to you what Galaxy S7 always-on display (AOD) is  and how to configure and use Galaxy S7 always-on display in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Please note Galaxy S7  always-on display is available in both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.  In the post, I will just refer them as Galaxy S7.

What is Galaxy S7 always-on display (AOD)?

Very often, we check our smartphones just for time or for notifications. In this situations, we may have no intention to unlock the phone and use it.

But to check time or notification on Galaxy S7 lock screen, we must wake up (turn on) the display by pressing power button or home button (see this page for Galaxy Sy7 layout of buttons).

Now, Galaxy S7 always-on display, if enabled, can display clock, notifications and a image all the time except when Galaxy S7 is in your pocket.

It is a cool feature for some Galaxy S7 owners.

The super AMOLED display in Galaxy S7 does not drain battery significantly if you choose black background.

The Galaxy S7 always-on display is different from Galaxy S7 lock screen.  Galaxy S7 always-on display will disappear automatically when you wake up the screen.

In other words, you get the lock screen when you wake up the phone.  Galaxy S7 always-on display is activated only after screen is timed out and phone is locked.

When will you need Galaxy S7 always-on display?

In many situations, you may find Galaxy S7 always-on display is useful, for example,

• During a meeting,  you can just glimpse on Galaxy S7 screen to know the time, the missed calls, the incoming messages…
• In your office or cubicle, you can easily check time and notifications when your hands are not free.
• In kitchen, your hands are busy with other things.
• In the bed, when you want to check time.

Anyway, although Galaxy S7 always-on display looks like another gimmick, it actually is very useful for some Galaxy S7  and Galaxy S7 edge owners.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 always-on display? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Galaxy S7 home screen is an essential part for using Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge. Nobody can skip home screen to use an Android phone.

But different Android vendors may customize the Android home screen in own ways. Samsung is not an exception: it is TouchWiz skin and launcher actually give you quite unique experience,

In this guide, you will get to know Galaxy S7 home screen, how to use app folders on Galaxy S7 home screen, how to remove apps/widgets/app folders from Galaxy S7 home screen, and how to customize Galaxy S7 home screen.

The home screen for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is identical except the edge screen handle (see below). So, this guide applies to both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge home screen although Galaxy S7 is used in  the text.

Get to know Galaxy S7 home screen

A typical layout of Galaxy S7 home screen is shown below.

There are 8 fundamental components on Galaxy S7 home screen:

• apps

You can put any apps installed on the phone to Galaxy S7 home screen.  You can tap the icon to start the corresponding app.

Android allows you to add one app multiple times in Galaxy S7 home screen.

By default, all installed apps are listed in Galaxy S7 apps screen.

• app folders

It is impractical to keep 200 apps in the home screen individually. Galaxy S7 allows you to organize these apps in folders.

You can put similar apps into one app folder in Galaxy S7 home screen.

So, app folders give you a cleaner galaxy S7 home screen.

You can also add app folders from Galaxy S7 apps screen directly to home screen, just like adding an app to home screen.

• widget

Widget allows you to check specific info through the app without opening the app. For example, nobody wants to open weather app to check weather. You want weather info, not app icon, to be displayed.

Some widgets allow you to re-size them. So, you can easy fit them in Galaxy S7 home screen. Of course, it is up to individual app developer to decide whether the widget is realizable..

Please refer to this guide on how to add, use and manage widgets in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

• screen indicator

When your Galaxy S7 have multiple home screen panels (aka home screen pages),  home screen indicators (corresponding to each Galaxy S7  home screen page/panel) are very helpful for you to know where you are.… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 home screen appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Update: if you Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 has been updated to Android Nougat, you may find there are some new features for quick setting buttons. You can even customize the layout of quick setting buttons in Android Nougat. For details, please check this guide.

As shown in Galaxy S7 notifications panel, there are by default 10 visible quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge actually correspond to quick settings panel in most other Android phones.

As Samsung’s TouchWiz modify many default features of the quick settings in stock Android OS, many new Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge owners may get confused on using the quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

This guide will show you how to access, use and manage (rearrange) quick settings buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.  You will also learn how to disable or enable Quick connect on Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

How to access quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

There are two ways to access access quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Method 1: from notification panel

Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons always occupy one row in notification panel.

You can access Galaxy S7 notification panel by swiping down from top of the screen (status bar).

By default, there are 5 quick settings buttons are shown in notification panel.  You can swipe horizontally to access another 5 quick settings buttons as shown below.

So, in total, the notification panel accommodates 10 Galaxy S7 quick settings buttons.

To show all quick settings buttons on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, tap the V icon as shown below.

You can also swipe down again on notification panel to show all Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons.

Method 2: Directly access all quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

You can directly access ALL Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons by swiping down from top of the screen (status bar) with two fingers.

This is a new touch screen gesture in Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, although it is a default gesture for quick settings in stock Android.

Anyway, it is good that Galaxy S7 and S7 edge now accept this gesture to access all Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons.… Read the rest

The post Use and manage quick setting buttons on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Difference between Samsung Galaxy S7 apps screen and home screen

Galaxy S7 apps screen, aka Galaxy S7 app drawer, is a special page that displays icons of all apps installed on your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

Galaxy S7 home screen is the entrance for all phone features. Normally, selected apps and widgets are placed in home screen for quick access.

You can imagine the role of Galaxy S7 home screen and Galaxy S7 apps screen in this way: Galaxy S7 home screen is the storefront for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and Samsung Galaxy S7 apps screen is the warehouse of apps you have on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

For new Android users, especially, iPhone users (because iPhone does not have apps screen), it can be very confusing: why do you need two places to hold apps?

If there is no Galaxy S7 apps screen, then you have to put all apps on the home screen. This may be inconvenient fro some owners:

• most users you actually want to put frequently used apps and widgets in the home screen.
• if all apps are placed in the home screen, you cannot remove it. Otherwise, it is hard to track all apps installed although you can manage them in the application manager.
• if all apps are placed in the home screen, you cannot have more than one copy of the app icons in the home screen. For example, you may want to put Gmail app in two or more different app folders.

Anyway, up to know, no Android vendors try to remove apps screen, simply because it exists for its reasons. It is also a symbolic feature of Android OS.

How to use Galaxy S7 apps screen?

You can access Galaxy S7 apps screen by tapping the apps icon (9 dots) in favorite tray in Galaxy S7 home screen.

Once in Galaxy S7 apps screen, you can find these items (as shown below) in the apps screen:

• icons for apps. These corresponds to individual apps installed. You can launch the app by tapping it just like in home screen. Tap and hold the app icon to add the app to the home screen.
• app folders.  You can group apps into app folders in Galaxy S7 app screen.
• search button (1). Tap Search button to search apps.
• sort button (2).  You can tap sort (A-Z) button to re-arrange apps in alphabetical order in the apps screen.  

… Read the rest

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 apps screen appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Android Nougat udpate for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge allows you to adjust the screen zoom levels so that you can adjust size of both icons and text.

What is screen zoom in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

In Android Nougat, Google introduced a feature named display size (aka display scaling).

Prior to Android Nougat, you can only set font size to adjust the size of text. You cannot adjust the size of icons.

Also the size of some texts, for example, lock screen keypad/keyboard, notification messages, and menu items in some apps, is fixed.

In other words, changing font size will not change these text.

This is the reason why Android Nougat brought this new setting so that you can further customize the interface of Android.

Luckily, Samsung did not remove this feature in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

But Samsung, as usual, wants to confuse other non-Samsung users with a new name: screen zoom.

So, screen zoom in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge equals to display size (or display scaling) in other Android Nougat devices.

The difference between font size and screen zoom in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

As mentioned above, screen zoom is different from font size. Actually, it solves the problem that font size cannot handle.

Font size only can affect the size of “adjustable” text.

But unfortunately, size of some texts in Android is not adjustable through font size, including, notifications, lock screen text.

For example, a lot of users complained about the size of the keypad in the lock screen, or the size of notification text.

In addition, some apps may also do not allow you to use font size settings to overwrite its default settings.

Screen zoom works with all text and icons. It works just like you zoom in  to the screen.

So, the major different between screen zoom and font sizer in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge include:

• Screen zoom works with all text. You can adjust the size of notification text and lock screen keypad.
• Screen zoom can adjust the icon size of the quick setting buttons.
• Screen zoom works with all apps.

You can use screen zoom together to get desired display.

If you need further customization, in addition to font size and screen zoom, you may try Galaxy S7 themes.… Read the rest

The post How to use screen zoom to adjust the size of icons, notifications, and lock screen keypads in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are Galaxy S7 themes?

Galaxy S7 themes allow you to change the look and feel of the phone (mainly Galaxy S7 home screen and apps screen) in a systematic and consistent way.

Actually, this is not a new feature because Samsung introduced themes to Galaxy phones since Galaxy S6.

Although the implementation is similar, Galaxy S7 themes are NOT compatible with Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 7.

The compatibility is maintained only in the same generation of Galaxy S or Galaxy Note series. In other words, Galaxy S7 themes are compatible with Galaxy S7 edge only. And Galaxy S6 themes are compatible with Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ only.  It is unclear why Samsung fails to maintain a “universal” theme for all Galaxy devices..

You can use Galaxy S7 themes to customize Galaxy S7 home screen in following aspects:

• Wallpapers for home screen and lock screen.
• App icons for native (and pre-installed) Samsung apps.
• Modifications to app icons of all other apps.
• Font size and color in Galaxy S7 home screen.
• Customization for the default (native Samsung) phone app, contacts app and message app.
• Always-on display (for some Galaxy S7 themes).

How to download and apply new Galaxy S7 themes?

You can download and apply new Galaxy S7 themes in your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge by following these steps.

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

If you want to customize Galaxy S7 home screen, you need to enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (aka, access Galaxy S7 home screen options).

You can tap and hold (aka, log tap) any empty area in Galaxy S7 home screen (in any home screen panels), or pinch in any home screen panels, to enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (or to access Galaxy S7 home screen options) as shown below.

Step 2: Enter Galaxy Theme store

In Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode, tap Themes as shown below.

In My themes page, all themes under your account are listed here.

Before you install any Galaxy S7 themes, only default theme is listed as shown below.

Step 3: Select and download new Galaxy S7 themes

Tap the More themes button in My themes page as shown above to enter the theme store.

In the Theme store, you can search and browse available themes for your Galaxy S7.

You can also search Galaxy S7 themes with always-on display (AOD) customization as shown below.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 themes to customize Galaxy S7 home screen? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge also enabled Galaxy S7 blue light filter, which makes night reading more comfortable.

Actually, the recalled and now deceased Galaxy Note 7 actually already got blue light filter.  Google also introduced a similar feature in Pixel and Pixel XL phones.

What’s blue light filter in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Android Nougat update?

Blue light is not a new thing. It is part of the visible light from day one.

But in recent years, there are growing concerns on the impact of blue night on our eyes due to the prolonged use of LED devices, which usually are considered as a major source of blue light in modern age.

Although it is still arguable whether blue light from smartphones and other LED devices may cause any eye health issues, we all can feel it is more comfortable in night reading if blue light is partially filtered.

Galaxy S7 blue light filter allows you to filter some blue light to reduce the strain of your eyes, especially in dark or low-night environment.

Of course, you should never consider blue light filter as an excuse to use the phone excessively. It is more or less for comfort.

How to turn on and turn off Galaxy S7 blue light filter in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Android Nougat update?

You can quickly turn on and turn off Galaxy S7 blue light filter at any time with one tap.

In Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons,  you can find blue light filter button as shown below.

You can tap the button to turn on it immediately if the filter is off now; turn off the filter if it is currently one

If you need to use blue light filter frequently, you may relocate the button to one of the first 6 spots as explained in this guide if your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge was updated to Android Nougat 7.0.

If your phone is still on Android Marshmallow 6.0, you may check this guide on how to customize the quick setting buttons.

Similar to other Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons in Android Nougat 7.0, if you tap and hold (i.e, long tap) the blue light filter button, you will be directed to the corresponding settings page as discussed later.

Another way to enable or disable blue light filter in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is from phone settings.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 blue light filter in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Android Nougat update? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

When you may consider to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size?

Most Galaxy S7 owners and Galaxy S7 edge owners may just use the default settings for picture size (resolution) and video size.

But you may consider to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size:

• when the storage is a consideration.
• when you need specific aspect ratio for the photo or videos.

Both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge support micro SD card up to 200GB.  It seems this gives you “enough” storage for your photos and videos.

But for dual SIM versions of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, if you use two SIM cards, there will be no slot for micro SD card as explained in this page.  This means you only have 32GB storage (actually less than 25GB are usable) if you use the dual SIM feature. You probably have to be mindful on the storage and consider to reduce Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size whenever possible.

In some cases, you may want photo or video with 16:9 or 1:1 aspect ratio, not the default 4:3.

So, in these scenarios,  the default settings can not meed your needs and you have to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size.

But before we jump to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size, we should know what are the “good enough” size for photos and videos based on your needs.

What are the “good enough” Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size?

For Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size, you need consider two parameters:

• Aspect ratio. Galaxy S7 camera offers 3 aspect ratio: 4:3 (default), 16:9 and 1:1 for both photos and videos.
• Resolution. The resolution depends on whether front camera or rear camera is used.

For aspect ratio, you may consider:

• 16:9 if the photo or video are mainly viewed in PCs and TVs, or shared through online services like YouTube.
• 4:3 if you may print photos on standardized photo papers.
• 4:3 if the video will be mainly viewed in very old TVs, or shared through MMS or email.
• 1:1 if you will use it for design.

For the resolution of photo, you may consider

• 12M (4032*3024, 4:3) if you plan to print the photo in 8R or larger photo papers,
• 6.2M (2880*2160, 4:3) if you plan to print the photo in a 4R or smaller photo paper
• 9.1M (4032*2268, 16:9) if you mainly view photos on PC or TV or share them on social networks.

… Read the rest

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