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

The post Use Galaxy S7 wallpapers to customize Galaxy S7 and S7 edge appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Galaxy S7 Guides Community is a dedicated community for owners of Samsung Galaxy S7, which was  announced and released in 2016.

Mission

To help Galaxy S7 owners use the device effectively.

Logo

S7 indicates the community is for Galaxy S7. GGO indicates that we are part of the GadgetGuideOnline network.

Community

Galaxy S7 Guides community is totally free and open.  No registration is required. No personal information is required.

All contents (Galaxy S7 how-to guides, Galaxy S7 user manual, Galaxy S7 online manual)  are publicly accessible.

As Galaxy S7 Guides community is for Galaxy S7 owners to help Galaxy S7 owners, you are free to post your comments in relevant pages to ask questions, to answer questions, and to share your thoughts.

Content organization (navigation)

To make the navigation easier, contents in this site are organized in following sections:

• Official Galaxy S7 User Guide (PDF)

This section offers the official Galaxy S7 user guide (user manual) in different languages. All Galaxy S7 user manuals are in PDF format and are free to download and print.

• Galaxy S7 How-to guides

This section hosts many detailed how-to guides for Galaxy S7. These guides are suitable for all Galaxy S7 owners.

The detailed step-by-step Galaxy S7 guides will show you how to use certain features of Galaxy S7, or change/customize  certain configurations on your Galaxy S7.

• Galaxy S7 online manual

Galaxy S7 online manual section hosts Galaxy S7 guides for new Galaxy S7 owners. These section covers commonly used Galaxy S7 features and show you how to use them

• Galaxy S7 camera guide

Galaxy S7 has the best smartphone camera you can get in 2016.  Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guide will show you how to use the Galaxy S7 camera. Some tips and tricks of Galaxy S7 camera are also covered.

• Galaxy S7 buyer guide

Is Samsung Galaxy S7 a right phone for you? Which sizeof Galaxy S7 is for you?  Do you need a Galaxy S7 case?

Galaxy S7 buyer guide will help you decide whether Galaxy S7 is a right phone for you. We also introduce you some affordable Samsung Galaxy S7 accessories in Galaxy S7 buyer guide.

• Galaxy S7 reviews and update

The reviews and update of Galaxy S7 will be posted on the website regularly to hep you better understand the pros and cons of Galaxy S7.

Reach Us

If you want to contact us for any Galaxy S7 questions, or want to advertise on this site, you can reach us through:

• Facebook page
• Google+ community
• Email (contact us form)
• follow Simon (the main contributor) on Google+

Enjoy yourself in  Galaxy S7 Guides Community.… Read the rest

The post About Galaxy S7 Guides Community 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.

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.

Why I cannot uninstall some apps in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge?

When you get your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you can find there are some apps pre-installed (in both home screen and apps screen) before you start to install your own apps.

Like in other Android phones, the pre-installed apps in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge can be classified into 3 categories:

• System essential apps. These apps usually do not have icons (or user interfaces).  It is not necessary for Galaxy S7 owners to play with these apps at all.
• Pre-installed apps offering basic functions. For example, phone app and messaging app let you use Galaxy S7 immediately without installing any apps. Of course, many Google apps can fall into this category.
• Bloatware. These are apps that most Galaxy S7 owners hate. The app publisher paid Samsung or local distributor or your carrier to installed their crappy apps into Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The bloatware in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge is usually different in different regions (or different carrier models).  For example, in most regions, a few Microsoft apps were pre-installed as bloatware. Flipboard briefing is another example of bloatware.

For any of these pre-installed apps, you cannot uninstall them without rooting Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

If you do not want to use these apps, you may disable (turn off) some of these apps if they are not essential.

Please note, you cannot move any of the pre-installed apps to micro SD card in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

What’s the difference between uninstalling apps and disabling apps in Galaxy S7?

For apps installed by you, you can uninstall them from Galaxy S7 or S7 edge at any timewithout any issues.

But for pre-installed apps, you can only disable such apps. You cannot “uninstall” them.

The difference between “uninstall” and “disable” (turn off) is that when you disable apps in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, these apps still occupy your internal storage.

Of course app data are removed. But the files for the app are still in the internal storage.

So, disabling apps in Galaxy S7 essentially prevent them from starting. You cannot fully claim back the storage used by such apps.

When you uninstall apps in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, they are removed from the phone. Both app files and app data are removed and therefore you can claim back the storage.… Read the rest

The post How to disable and uninstall apps in Galaxy S7 ans S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

If you cannot find the brightness control after getting Android Nougat udpate for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, or if you want to show brightness control above notification panel, this guide will give you the answer.

Where is the brightness control in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Many owners of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners find they cannot locate brightness control in the notification panel as shown below.

Of course, you can adjust brightness in Settings— Display — Brightness.

But it would be more convenient to adjust brightness in notification panel.

So, where is the brightness control in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Why did Samsung hide the brightness control?

The answer is that, in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, by default,  brightness control was moved below the quick settings buttons, not above notifications.

This is somewhat similar to phones with stock Android, which requires 2 swipes (or swipe with 2 fingers) to access brightness settings.

So, as shown below, if you swipe down again in the notification panel (or swipe down from status bar with 2 fingers) to show all quick settings buttons.

Below the quick settings buttons, you can find brightness control as shown below.

The good news is you can move the brightness control above notifications. Read on…

How to show brightness control above notification panel in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

As shown above, you can tap the arrow down button right to brightness slider to access all settings for brightness.

You can now find the option to show control in top as shown below.

Tap the switch to enable it.

Then tap Done as shown below.

Now, you can check again in the notification panel.

The brightness control now is moved above notifications. This would save you one swipe to access it.

Of course, it is very annoying that Samsung make such unnecessary changes.

Can you show brightness control above notification panel in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

If you still have any questions on encounter any problems on showing brightness control above notification panel in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, please let us know your questions or problems in the comment box below.

The community will try to help you.… Read the rest

The post How to show brightness control above notification panel in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Number badge is part of Samsung TouchWiz launcher.  You can find it in almost all Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets. But it is not easy to clear number badge prior to Android Nougat update,

In Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you can now quickly clear number badge without opening the app.

What is number badge in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Number badge is a small number shown next to app icons in Galaxy S7 home screen and apps screen, as shown below.

The number in the number badge indicates total number of unread messages inside the app.

In Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, only pre-installed apps and Samsung apps may have the number badge.

The number can remind you on any  unread messages. It is a useful feature.

But to clear number badge, it is not easy prior to Android Nougat update.

You have to open the app and read all messages to clear the number.

Sometimes, the number is not cleared properly if the messages is stored in remote locations (servers) due to syncing frequency and caching.

For example, your voicemail messages are stored in your carrier’s server. You may find the number is not cleared even after you read all messages. It may have a few hours delay in updating.

This can be annoying.

Now, in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you can easily clear number badge from Galaxy S7 home screen without opening the app, and without reading the messages.

Read on……

How to clear number badge in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge with Android Nougat update?

As mentioned, the “old” method to clear the number badge is to read the messages!

Once you finish reading all unread messages, the number will disappear.

In Android Nougat udpate, Samsung allows you to clear number badge from Galaxy S7 home screen directly without reading them.

Step 1: Tap and hold the app icon

In this example, you want to clear the badge for Facebook, which has 25 notifications.

But you do not want to read them.

You can tap and hold (aka long tap) Facebook app icon as shown below.

You now should get the context menu as shown below.

Of course, you can remove this app from home screen or move it to other home screen panels as explained in the linked guides.

Step 2: Tap Clear badge as shown below.

… Read the rest

The post How to clear number badge in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge with Android Nougat update? 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

The post How to disable and adjust touch button light in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post Use Galaxy S7 camera app with Android Nougat update in S7 and S7 edge appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Why you get mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

By default, when you take a selfie with the front camera in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you will get mirrored photos.

In other words, the photo saved in the phone is different from what you seen in the Galaxy S7 camera preview screen. It is flipped horizontally.

Such an implementation is very common in other smartphone front cameras as well.

Of course, just like other features, some users like it, some don’t.

Luckily, Samsung allows you to configure the camera settings so that you can avoid mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera (if you want).

Even if you get mirrored photos, you can easily flip them in Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

How to avoid mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

As mentioned, by default, Galaxy S7 or S7 edge front camera will save mirrored selfie.

To avoid mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Start Camera appp.

There are many ways to start Camera app in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge:

• use Galaxy S7 camera quick launch (double tap Home button);
• tap camera app icon in Galaxy S7 home screen;
• tap camera app icon in apps screen;
• use Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcuts;
• use apps edge or tasks edge from edge screen (for Galaxy S7 edge only).

Step 2: Switch to front camera

After launching camera app, you should be in the Galaxy S7 camera preview screen as shown below.

In the preview screen, tap camera switch button (in green box in the screenshot below) if rear camera is active.

Step 3: Enter camera settings and enable “Save pictures as previewed”.

Once front camera is active (i.e., you can see yourself in the preview screen), tap the settings icon as shown above.

In Camera settings page, you can find one entry “Save pictures as previewed” as shown above.

You can tap the switch to enable it.

If you cannot find this option, very likely, you forget to switch to front camera.

From now on, all your photos taken with front camera will be saved as what you seen in the preview screen, instead of mirrored photos (or flipped photos).

This setting is persistent. You only need to do this once.

How to edit (flip) mirrored photos in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

… Read the rest

The post How to avoid mirrored photos in Galaxy S7 selfie (front camera)? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have the best camera you can find in smartphones in 2016 according to DxOMark. Period.

Although using Galaxy S7 camera is not complicated for most Galaxy S7 owners, some owners who do not use smartphone camera frequently may get confused on the camera features offered in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

To help all owners of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge use the camera effectively, a series of Galaxy S7 camera guides are prepared.

This is a live page. New Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guides will be released once they are tested.

So, do check this page periodically if you want to read more Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guides.

If you have any questions on using Samsung Galaxy S7 camera, you can post your questions in comment section in this page or other relevant pages.

Here is the list of Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guides

1. How to launch Galaxy S7 camera app? How to use Galaxy S7 camera quick launch?

   You can launch Galaxy S7 camera app in several different ways. This Galaxy S7 camera guide shows you the following 5 methods: use Galaxy S7 camera quick launch; launch Galaxy S7 camera app from Galaxy S7 lock screen; launch Galaxy S7 camera app from Galaxy S7 Home screen; launch Galaxy S7 camera app from Galaxy S7 Apps screen and launch Galaxy S7 camera app from other apps. This Galaxy S7 camera guide also shows you hot to enable or disable Galaxy S7 camera quick launch.  Read on.…

2. Use Galaxy S7 camera preview screen

   This Galaxy S7 camera guide explains the functions of all buttons and icons in Galaxy S7 camera preview screen (Galaxy S7 camera app interface), and touch screen gestures that can be used in Galaxy S7 camera preview screen. Read on…

3. Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings

   If the default settings for Galaxy S7 camera are not sufficient for you, you can change and tweak some Galaxy S7 camera settings on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. This Galaxy S7 camera guide gives you detailed explanations of all entries of Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for both rear (main) camera and front-facing camera. Read on.….

4. How to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

   Do you know how to decide what are the “good enough” Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size for your needs?

… Read the rest

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guide appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are edge panels on  Galaxy S7 edge?

As mentioned in this page, when Galaxy S7 edge screen is off, you can access edge feeds by swiping up and down in the edge screen area.

When Galaxy S7 edge touch screen is on, by default, you can drag the edge panel handle towards the center of the screen to access another feature of edge screen: edge panel, as shown below.

Once edge panels are accessed, the first edge panel is shown. For example, as shown above, Apps edge is in the first spot (by default) and therefore, you get apps edge as shown above.

You can tap app shortcuts (marked as 3 in the screenshot above) added to apps edge to launch them quickly without navigating to Galaxy S7 Home screen or Galaxy S7 Apps screen.

Please refer to this guide on how to add, remove, rearrange apps in apps edge in the first edge panel, and this guide on using tasks edge in edge panel.

You can swipe left and right o access other edge panels. The location of the current panel is indicated as a white dot (marked as 2 in the screenshot above).

You can tap gear icon (marked as 1 in the screenshot above) to access edge panel settings directly.

So, edge panels (part of edge screen) are actually place holders for frequently used apps and tools. It is not just a software gimmick. It can be a very useful productivity tool for Galaxy S7 edge owners if used properly.

This guide also applies to Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ with Android Marshmallow update.

How to enable edge panels on Galaxy S7 edge?

By default, edge screen and edge panels are enabled on Galaxy S7 edge.

To enable or disable edge panels, you can go to Galaxy S7 Settings— Edge screen.

In Edge screen page as shown below, tap Edge panels.

In edge panels page, you can tap the switch button to turn on or turn off this feature as shown below.

Please note, edge feeds, edge panels and edge lighting all work independently in edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge. You can turn on/off them individually.

How to manage edge panels on Galaxy S7 edge?

As shown above, you can enable or disable individual panels for edge panel by selecting it (marked as 4 in the screenshot).

You can have up to 9 active panels.… Read the rest

The post How to use edge panels on Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

About Samsung Galaxy S7 Online Manual

Samsung  Galaxy S7 Online Manual is an extension (with more details) of the official Samsung Galaxy S7 user manual (in PDF) and official Galaxy S7 edge user manual (PDF) .

Samsung Galaxy S7 online manual as created for Galaxy S7 owners to use commonly used feature of Galaxy S7.

If you want to download the PDF version of Samsung Galaxy S7 user manual in your own language, you can find them in this page for Galaxy S7, and this page for Galaxy S7 edge.

If you need some detailed Galaxy S7 how-to guides  for some advanced features, please check this Galaxy S7 how-to page.

More pages will be added to Samsung Galaxy S7 online manual regularly after they are tested. So, this is a live page. You may check this page later if you cannot find the page you want.

Of course, you can leave your questions in the comments section below, and the community will help you find the solution/answer.

You can use the following links to navigate through Galaxy S7 online manual.

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 online manual pages

1. Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout

   This Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout page will show you the functions and features of all buttons, ports and components in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Read on…..

2. Galaxy S7 physical buttons?

   Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have 4 hardware buttons (keys), Home, Power, Volume up and Volume down,  and 2 capacitive buttons, Recent and Back. This Galaxy S7 online guide explains you the functions of these 6 Galaxy S7 buttons and how to use the combinations of these Galaxy S7 buttons.  Read on...

3. Galaxy S7 SIM card guide

   This Galaxy S7 SIM card guide page explains to you 1). the correct SIM card size (nano SIM) for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7; 2). how to use the 2 slots in Galaxy S7 SIM card tray; 3). the differences in Galaxy S7 SIM card slot between Galaxy S7 dual SIM model and single SIM model; 4). how to install SIM card for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and 5). how to remove SIM card from Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Read on.…

4. Charging Galaxy S7 battery

   Do you really know how to charge Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge properly? Do you know the differences among normal wall charger, fast (adaptive) charger, wireless charger and fast wireless charger for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

… Read the rest

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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.

With the release of Samsung Galaxy S7 Android Nougat update, new features and improvements were introduced in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge running Android Nougat 7.0.

Hence, you need these updated official user manual for Galaxy S7 with Android Nougat update.

The updated official user manuals in this page cover both Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge with Android Nougat update.

If your Galaxy S7 is still running Marshmallow, you should check these Galaxy S7 user manuals in your own languages.

If your Galaxy S7  edge is still running Marshmallow, you should check these Galaxy S7 edge user manuals in your own languages.

For detailed how to guides for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge with Android Nougat update, please check  Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Android Nougat update guides.

1. Samsung Galaxy S7 User Manual with Android Nougat update in English language for International versions (Android Nougat 7.0, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, SM-G930)

This English version of Galaxy S7 User Manual is for Samsung Galaxy S7 sold in Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia with Android Nougat 7.0. The model number of the corresponding  Galaxy S7 includes SM-G930, SM-G930F, SM-G930FD, SM-G930X.

If you cannot find the Galaxy S7 User Manual with Android Nougat udpate for your Galaxy S7, you can try  this user guide.

Download link (in PDF): Samsung Galaxy S7 User Manual  with Android Nougat update in English for International versions (Android Nougat 7.0, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia)

2. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge User Manual with Android Nougat update in English language for International versions (Android Nougat 7.0, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, SM-G935)

This English version of Galaxy S7 edge User Manual is for Samsung Galaxy S7 edge sold in Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia with Android Nougat 7.0.  The model number of the corresponding  Galaxy S7 includes SM-G935, SM-G935F, SM-G935FD, SM-G935X, SM-G935C.

If you cannot find the Galaxy S7  edge user manual with Android Nougat udpate for your Galaxy S7 edge, you can try  this user guide.

Download link (in PDF): Samsung Galaxy S7 edge User Manual with Android Nougat update in English language for International versions (Android Nougat 7.0, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, SM-G935)

3. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge User Manual with Android Nougat update in Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil) (Android Nougat 7.0, Brazil)

This Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil) version of Galaxy S7 edge user manual is for Samsung Galaxy S7 edge sold in Brazil with Android Nougat 7.0.… Read the rest

The post Official user manual for Galaxy S7 with Android Nougat update appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Purpose of Galaxy S7 Guides community

It is time to talk about Samsung Galaxy S7, which will be announced just in a few weeks in early 2016.

Will Galaxy S7 be the best Android phone in 2016?

Will Galaxy S7 save Samsung in 2016?

Is Galaxy S7 the right smartphone for you?

How to use the new features in Galaxy S7?

All these will be answered in this Galaxy S7 Guides community. At least, we will try to answer all of them.

If you are familiar with us, you probably already know that we have created many high-quality guides for Samsung smartphone and tablet in following sites already:

• Galaxy S4 (for Samsung Galaxy S4 owners)
• Galaxy S5 (for Samsung Galaxy S5 owners)
• Galaxy S6 (for Samsung Galaxy S6 owners)
• Galaxy Note series devices (for Samsung Galaxy  Note devices owners, including Galaxy note, Note II, Note 3, Note 4, Note 5, Note 10.1, Note 8.0, Note Pro)

So, this Galaxy S7 Guides community  is a natural expansion of our efforts of offering best quality guides for Galaxy S7 owners.

It is a community for Galaxy S7 owners to help Galaxy S7 owners.

Please note, this site/blog/community is NOT affiliated to Samsung. Please contact Samsung for any warranty issues or for requesting official technical support of Galaxy S7.

What will be offered in Galaxy S7 Guides community

As a blog dedicated offering detailed Galaxy S7 guides for all Galaxy S7 owners, the following contents are offered in  Galaxy S7 Guides community:

• Official Samsung Galaxy S7 User Guide (PDF)

You can find the official Galaxy S7 user guide (user manual) in your own languages. All these official Galaxy S7 user manuals are in PDF format and are free to download and print.

• Galaxy S7 How-to guides

High-quality Galaxy S7 how-to guides are the core of the community.

The detailed step-by-step Galaxy S7 guides will show you how to use some important features of Galaxy S7, or to change/customize certain settings on your Galaxy S7.

• Galaxy S7 online manual

You can find the HTML (and extended) version of Galaxy S7 user manual (Galaxy S7 user guide) for all Galaxy S7 owners. Most commonly used Galaxy S7 features are explained, and the usage are shown in detail.

• Galaxy S7 camera guide

Galaxy S7 has the best smartphone camera you can get in 2016.  Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guide will show you how to use the Galaxy S7 camera.… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 Guides community appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is Galaxy S7 S View cover?

Galaxy S7 S View cover (and Galaxy S7 edge S View cover) , as shown left is a special folio-type flip cover with a special plastic window, S View window. It is one of the official accessories for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung first introduced S View cover for Galaxy S4 in 2013. Initially the S view window was a small rectangle. Since Galaxy Note 3, the S View window became larger (close to a square) as shown in this guide.

Different from other brands of flip covers, S view cover offers additional features through the plastic S View window. The features offered in S View window changed with time and phone models.

Prior to Galaxy S6, you have to remove the back cover to use S View cover.  Because Galaxy S6 (and S6 edge), Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) have non-removable back panel, Galaxy S7 S View cover have to snap on the phone.

Galaxy S7 S view cover (and Galaxy S7 edge S view cover) offers the following special features:

• Auto sleep and auto wake. When you close the front lid of S view cover, Galaxy S7 or S7 edge will automatically sleep. The screen will wake up once you open the front lid. If you lock screen security is set as swipe or none, opening the front lid will direct you to Galaxy S7 home screen.
• Answering and rejecting calls from S View window. You can answer or reject calls by swiping on the S View window as instructed.
• Take photos or record videos from S View window.
• Check notifications from S View window. This follows your lock screen notification settings.
• Share same app shortcuts in S View window as Galaxy S7 lock screen.
• Control music playing in S View window.
• Check time, weather and status icons from S view window.
• Use quick setting buttons (first 10) in S view window. You can use the first 10 quick setting buttons from S View window to change phone settings and features.
• Set separate wallpaper for S View window.

So, in addition to protecting the phone (and the screen), Galaxy S7 S view cover offers these exclusive features.  These features can be very useful for some Galaxy S7 or S7 owners.

Please note, in the market, only Samsung’s Galaxy S7 S view cover offers such features.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 S View cover (for S7 and S7 edge)? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are the 6 Galaxy S7 buttons?

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 have only 4 hardware buttons (hardware keys) as shown in Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout page:

1. Home button
2. Power button
3. Volume up button
4. Volume down button

In addition, Galaxy S7 has 2 capacitive buttons:

1. Back button
2. Recent button

So, in total, there are 6 Galaxy S7 buttons for you to use to control Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

This guide will explain to you the functions of these 6  Galaxy S7 buttons and Galaxy S7 edge buttons. In addition, functions of combination of Galaxy S7 buttons are also explained so that you can use Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge effectively.

Galaxy S7 buttons are identical to Galaxy S7 edge buttons. The functions are also identical.

So, in this page, although only Galaxy S7 buttons are mentioned most of the time, this guide applies equally to Galaxy S7 edge buttons.

Galaxy S7 Home button

Galaxy S7 Home button  is below the screen as shown in the Galaxy S7 layout page.

Galaxy Home button is a combination of hardware button and fingerprint sensor.  Please check this guide (coming soon) on how to use fingerprint on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

The Galaxy S7 Home button has different functions depending on the state of Galaxy S7, and the way you press the button.

• When the screen (display) is off, you can press Galaxy S7 Home button to turn on the display.
• When you are using an app, you can press Galaxy S7 Home button to push the app to background and navigate to home screen.
• When you are in apps screen (app drawer), you can press Galaxy S7 Home button to return to Galaxy S7 home screen.
• When you are in Galaxy S7 home screen, but you are not in the Home panel, tapping Galaxy S7 Home button will bring you to the home panel of Galaxy S7 home screen.
• In any screen except lock screen, you can press and hold Galaxy S7 Home button to launch Now on tap, by default. Now on tap is essentially a tailored Google Now card for your specific screen. You can turn off Now on tap feature if you want.
• In any screen including lock screen, or even when the screen is off,  you can press Galaxy S7 Home button twice to launch camera app, by default.

… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 buttons appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Why micro SD card support is still relevant and important?

Most flagship smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S7 has quite large internal storage. Most 2015 flagship Android phones started with 32GB internal storage.  This trend will continue in 2016.

Android system and the essential apps take about 4-5GB storage. Vendors may pre-install their own apps and some bloatware. These apps usually consume about 1-4 GB storage.

So, among the 32GB storage, owners can use about 23-27 GB depending on your region and your carrier. This is actually sufficient for at least 80% smartphone users.

But consumers always want more.

This doe not necessarily means consumers actually need more internal storage.

It is more or less a psychological demand, not a real (physical) demand.

But do not overlook such a psychological need. This can be one of the decisive factors when purchasing smartphones.

Apple successfully exploits such psychological demands with iPhone 6 and 6s storage configurations. They managed to sell more 64GB iPhones to buyers who initially may only budget for a 16GB iPhone.

But for Samsung Galaxy S6, the 32GB model is still the most popular model. Actually, some distributors even do not renew the 64GB inventory at all because of the weak demands.

Samsung is not Apple.

If you are a iPhone user, you have no choice: get it or forget it.

However, for Samsung smrtphone users, if you want a SD card slot (although you may never use it), you have many other alternatives: LG, Motorola, Huaiwei and may other vendors are waving their Android phones with a micro SD card slot.

Why did Samsung remove micro SD card support in Galaxy S6?

Samsung does have a valid reason for removing micro SD card support in Galaxy S6 (and Galaxy Note 5):  performance.

When you transfer files or update Google apps, you will find out that Galaxy S6 is significantly faster than any other Android phones if your network connection is good.

For file transfer, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5  are both significantly faster than any iPhones.

In addition, you may notice many new phones were fast when you bought them. But it becomes slower and slower gradually. This did NOT happen to Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 5.

Why?

Samsung is the first smartphone vendor  who adopted Universal Flash Storage (UFS 2.0) memory and ditched the old eMMC storage since Galaxy S6.

UFS 2.0 in Galaxy S6 is about 3 times faster than the latest eMMC 5.1 storage.  … Read the rest

The post Will Samsung Galaxy S7 support micro SD card? why micro SD card support matters? 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

The post How to set Galaxy S7 camera picture size and video size on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.