S20Guide@GadgetGuideOnline is an owner-help-owner community for owners of Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra phones.
We provide detailed step-by-step guides on how to use Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra for FREE.
No registration is needed. You can check all guides anonymously.
If you have any questions on Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra, you can let the community know in the comment box on relevant pages.
Of course, all users are welcome to share their solutions and experiences with other owners in the comment box on every page.
In short, S20Guide@GadgetGuideOnline is a free and open community for Galaxy S20 (including S20+ and S20 Ultra) owners around the world.
If you need to get the “official” support or have any warranty-related issues, you should check with the local Samsung office or distributor.
The community offers many detailed guides on new features of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra and how to use Galaxy S20 effectively.
The community also tries to answer questions you may have related to Galaxy S20 phones.
We offer the best quality step-by-step guides for Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra.
All guides on S20Guide@GadgetGuideOnline were thoroughly tested individually on one of our Galaxy S20 phones.
So, all these S20 guides should work on your Galaxy S20 without issues. All steps and requirements are clearly listed in each guide.
Of course, we are unable to cover all the topics.
If you cannot find the guide for your needs, you can always ask in the comment section. We will try to release them as early as possible because we may have been working on them already.
If it is a specific problem or question, the community usually can find a solution for you quickly in the comments sections.
The Galaxy S20 Guides are organised in 5 categories/sections:
The guides in this section explain the new features (compared to Galaxy S10 or Galaxy Note 10) and show you how to use them.
A few reviews/comments on the S20 new features will also be included.
Galaxy S20 Guides in this section show you how to use Galaxy S20 for some specific tasks, e.g., how to charge Galaxy S20, how to use SIM card on S20, how to customise the Galaxy S20 Home screen, how to use the quick setting, how to back up and reset Galaxy S20,…
This section covers all aspects of using the Galaxy S20, except the camera.
Galaxy S20 camera guides explain the technical details of the new camera features in Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
Detailed guides on how to use the Galaxy S20 camera can be found in this section.
We also provide some guides on how to use the official Samsung Galaxy S20 accessories, e.g., Galaxy Buds+, LED cover, and clear view cover.
Some reviews and guides on other Galaxy S20 accessories are also included in this part.
You can read and down the official Samsung Galaxy S20 user guide (in PDF) in your own language in this section.
Here is a list of recent Galaxy S20 guides. For a complete list of Galaxy S10 guides, please check the Galaxy S20 guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the reasons why there is no Android 14 update for Galaxy S20 and summarizes the Galaxy S20 update history (Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13) to help you use the key features of these updates.
This guide applies to all Galaxy S20 models: Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 FE, and S20 Ultra.
Unfortunately, the Galaxy S20 will not be receiving the Android 14 (One UI 6) update. This was confirmed by Samsung in November 2023 after an initial error on their official website indicated it would receive the update.
Samsung has committed to providing a minimum of three years of Android updates (and four years of security updates) for all its flagship devices released in 2019 and 2020. Flagship devices released after 2021 (e.g., Galaxy S21, S22, and S23) would get four years of Android updates (and five years of security updates).
The Galaxy S20 was released in 2020, so it has already reached the end of its guaranteed update period for major Android versions. Three major Android updates for Galaxy S20, Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13 updates, have been rolled out in almost all regions.
Besides, by not updating older devices, Samsung encourages users to upgrade to newer models. This helps drive sales of new devices and keeps Samsung competitive in the market.
Like the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S20 will very likely stop receiving security updates in the middle of 2024.
You can continue to use your Galaxy S20 beyond the last security update. But the security issues, unless extremely serious ones, will not be patched.
Samsung released two major Android 13 updates: One UI 5 and One UI 5.1.
The One UI 5.1 update, which is the second Android 13 update for Galaxy S20, includes many “exclusive” features of Galaxy S23.
This post summarizes and explains the 21 new features in the Android 13 (One UI 5.1) update for Galaxy S20, including:
The post The End of the Road: No Android 14 Update for the Galaxy S20 appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide first covers the differences between status icons and notification icons on Galaxy S20, then explains the meaning of Galaxy S20 status icons and notification icons in Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
Because Samsung uses slightly different icons in different regions or for some carriers, you may get notification icons or status icons that are different from those shown in this guide. It is normal. If you cannot figure out the meaning of those icons, you may share the screenshot on our FaceBook page so that others can help you identify them.
All Android phones including Galaxy S20 use the top part of the screen as the status bar to display some icons indicating the system status, alerting you to possible issues, and notifying you about incoming notifications.
Traditionally, a status icon refers to the icons telling you the phone status (e.g., mobile network status, WiFi status, battery percentage, or battery charging status), They are typically displayed on the right side of the status bar and aligned to the right side of the screen.
The status icons on the Galaxy S20 are always shown on the left side of the status bar, as shown below. These notification icons include notifications from all apps(system apps and normal apps).
Since Android 9, Google has moved the time to the left side of the status bar. The notch or hole-punch for the front camera usually are located in the status bar. So, the space for notification icons becomes very limited.
To avoid the overcrowded notification icons, Galaxy S20 allows you to customize how the notifications are shown (all notification icons, the 3 most recent icons, or just the number of notification icons) as explained in this guide.
The differences between status icons and notification icons on Galaxy S20 include:
The post Meaning of status icons and notification icons on Galaxy S20 appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
Although most owners do not need to change mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20, it is crucial to understand the options for the mobile networks so that you can solve some mobile network related issues when it happens suddenly.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20, shows you when and how to use them, and illustrates how to check the mobile network status and SIM card status on Galaxy S20.
Most of the mobile networks settings on all three Galaxy S20 models are almost identical. So, this guide applies to all Galaxy S20 phones (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra).
The default mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20 are usually sufficient for most owners. They may never touch the mobile network settings at all.
But from time to time, due to some carrier's configurations or some software glitches, you may have to change or check the mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20.
Here are a few example scenarios when you need to head to the mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20
Data roaming can be costly if you do not have a particular roaming plan with your carrier.
By default, data roaming is disabled. But once you enabled it, it will be on until you disable it. When your phone is roaming, you should see the roaming icon (R added to the signal strength), as explained in here.
APN (Access Point Name) is essential for mobile data connections. In addition to internet access, MMS also relies on correct APN settings.
If you need to edit or add APN settings, you need to access Galaxy S20 mobile networks settings. Read on.
If your SIM card can use more than one mobile network, you can manually choose one. This also has to be done under mobile networks settings on Galaxy S20.
When your Galaxy S20 is roaming, your carrier may have multiple local roaming partners. Some may offer better coverage. Some may offer a better connection. Some may offer a lower roaming price.
You can access Galaxy S20 mobile networks settings from Galaxy S20 Settings.
As shown in the screenshot below, tap … Read the rest
The post Master Mobile Networks Settings on Galaxy S20 appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
Of course, you can use Galaxy S20 without a SIM card (you can use WiFi/Bluetooth/USB for connections). But it does not make sense to buy a Galaxy S20 if you plan to use it without a SIM card. You can get a WiFi-only tablet at a far cheaper price.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the size of the SIM card on the Galaxy S20, possible configuration for the SIM card tray, how to use the SIM card on Galaxy S20 with or without a micro SD card, and how to use two SIM cards and eSIM on Galaxy S20.
A detailed explanation of eSIM support on Galaxy S20 can be found here.
Please note 5G support is available on Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, S20+ 5G, S20FE 5G, and S20 5G UW. But none of them support 5G SA.
Like most other phones released in recent years, Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra all use nano-SIM cards only.
A nano-SIM card is the smallest one among the 4 possible SIM card sizes for mobile phones:
Most carriers now issue 3-in-1 SIM cards (as shown below). In this case, you can detach the largest part as a mini-SIM. Then you can get a micro-SIM card from the mini-SIM. A nano-SIM card can be detached from the micro SIM card.
You should keep the “waste” because they can be used as an adapter for micro-SIM (from nano-SIM card), or mini-SIM adapter (from micro-SIM). Some old tablets and MiFi (mobile router) may still require a larger SIM card.
If you are using a phone bought within the last 10 years, very likely, that the phone is using a micro SIM card or a nano-SIM card.
It is possible (and simple) to trim a nano-SIM card from a micro-SIM card. But it is recommended to do it in the handphone shop using a properly sized clipper. Do not use scissors.
Here is a list of some popular phones that use nano-SIM cards already. If you want to migrate to Galaxy S20 from these phones, you can keep using the existing SIM card.
The post How to use and manage SIM card on Galaxy S20? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains what eSIM is, the advantages of using eSIM on Galaxy S20, how to check eSIM support on Galaxy S20, how to add eSIM Profiles on Galaxy S20, and how to use eSIM on Galaxy S20 together with physical SIM cards.
Galaxy S21 also supports eSIM. This guide also applies to Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra.
You may check this guide on how to use the SIM card tray and the physical SIM cards on Galaxy S20, and this guide on how to use SIM cards on Galaxy S21.
Please note 5G support is available on Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, S20+ 5G, S20FE 5G, and S20 5G UW. But none of them support 5G SA. Galaxy S21, S22, and S23 support both 5G SA and 5G NSA. You may check this guide on the technical terms related to 5G.
Traditionally, you need to get a SIM card from your phone company to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and use mobile data.
The SIM card is your ID. It is unique in the whole global mobile network. The mobile operators use the SIM card to identify the company that issued the card, whether this card can connect to their network or not, and what resources (mobile plan) they can use if they can connect to the network.
As the SIM card is unique, you have to get the physical card from the carrier. When you change carrier, you cannot use the old SIM card, and you have to get a new SIM card from the new carrier.
The process can be painful. Sometimes, you have to visit a physical store and queue there for one or two hours for the tiny SIM card. Or sometimes, you have to wait a few days before it is delivered to your mailbox.
It is even more painful for some frequent travelers who prefer using a local SIM card (to avoid exacerbating roaming charges). Every time you reach the destination airport, you have to walk around the airport to get a local SIM card. In some countries, the SIM card sold in airports is usually not good for value.
eSIM, embedded-SIM (or, more officially, embedded universal … Read the rest
The post Everything about eSIM support and use eSIM on Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the role of Galaxy S20 Home screen, 11 items and their meaning and usage on Galaxy S20 Home screen, and supported gestures on the Home screen.
Please note that although Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 ultra differ significantly, the Home screen is identical for all these 3 phones. So, in the guide, Galaxy S20 refers to these three phones.
After unblocking the Galaxy S20 lock screen, the first screen you will use is the Home screen.
Of course, if you unlock Galaxy S20 with face recognition, you have the option to stay on the unlocked lock screen or directly navigate to Home screen, as explained in this guide.
Galaxy S20 Home screen is the centre of the phone. Most of the functions and apps are accessed from the Home screen.
On Galaxy S20 Home screen, you can:
Anyway, the home screen is so important that you cannot avoid it!
Generally, there are about 11 types of items on the Galaxy S20 Home screen, as shown in the screenshot below:
We will explain them one by one.
Please note, if you enable Assistant Menu, you will see the floating Assistant menu button on all screens.
You may also lock the Galaxy S20 Home screen layout to avoid unintentional changes.
The status bar is an integrated part of the Android UI. It is
It will always be shown when on the Home screen or using any apps except in the full-screen immersive mode. In the immersive mode, you can swipe the screen to call out the status bar.
On the left side of the status bar, you can find the current time and a few notification icons whose style can be customized, as explained in this guide.
On Galaxy S20, the status icons are on the right side of the status bar and aligned … Read the rest
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Although Android 10 introduced the full-screen navigation gestures, Galaxy S20, by default, uses the traditional three navigation buttons for you to interact with the phone.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the three navigation systems on Galaxy S20 (navigation buttons, Android 10 full-screen navigation gestures, and Samsung navigation gestures) and the functions and usage of Galaxy S20 navigation buttons (Recents, Back, and Home). It also shows you how to customize the layout (order) of Galaxy S20 navigation buttons.
The navigation buttons are identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, although we used Galaxy S20 in the guide.
When you interact with Galaxy S20, you can use one of the following three navigation systems to navigate through different apps, or within an app, or through pages of Home screen, Apps screen, and lock screen:
The full-screen navigation gestures remove all buttons (including the Home button). This guide explains these gestures and illustrates how to use them on Galaxy S20.
On the contrary, Galaxy S20 navigation buttons keep and use the traditional 3 navigation buttons.
Although navigation buttons look old-fashioned, they can be more efficient for many Galaxy S20 owners. This is the main reason why Samsung keeps Galaxy S20 navigation buttons as the default option when you set up Galaxy S20.
Please note, since Galaxy S8, Samsung ditched the hardware capacitive navigation buttons and adopted the software-based navigation buttons.
In other words, Galaxy S20 navigation buttons are NOT physical buttons (see Galaxy S20 layout). They are generated by the Android system when needed. Therefore, it is possible to disable/hide them and switch to full-screen navigation gestures without using any of these buttons.
As shown in the screenshot below, there are three navigation buttons on the Galaxy S20 navigation bar:
Please note, the screenshot shown below is the default navigation button layout on Galaxy S20 (and all Samsung phones), which is opposite to the layout on other Android phones.
In the stock Android, the Back button … Read the rest
The post How to use and customize Galaxy S20 navigation buttons? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the differences between Galaxy S20 navigation buttons and Galaxy S20 navigation gestures, the two types of navigation gestures on Galaxy S20, and how to switch between navigation buttons and Galaxy S20 navigation gestures.
The navigation buttons or gestures are identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. This guide applies to all of these three Galaxy S20 models.
Traditionally, Android phones used hardware navigation buttons (3 buttons), then switched to software navigation buttons until Android Oreo (Android 8). In Android 9 (Android Pie), Google partially introduced navigation gestures (2-button navigation) and removed the Back button.
In Android 10, Google removed all three navigation buttons and evolved into full-screen navigation gestures, as explained in this guide.
Samsung adopted different navigation gestures in Galaxy phones with Android Pie (Android 9) since Galaxy S10. It was ported to all Galaxy phones with Android 9 (e.g., Galaxy S9 and Note 9)
In Galaxy S20, Samsung still uses the navigation buttons as the default setting. You can switch to Galaxy S20 navigation gestures at any time.
As explained in this guide, Galaxy S20 navigation buttons include Home, Back, and Recents buttons. You need to tap one of the buttons to navigate among pages.
If you switch to Galaxy S20 navigation gestures, there will be no buttons. You will have to use gestures to return to the previous screen (Back), to jump to the Home screen, or access the Recents screen.
Please note, Galaxy S20 Assistant Menu can still offer navigation button even after you switch to navigation gestures. You may check this guide for details of Assistant Menu on Galaxy S20.
The differences between using Galaxy S20 navigation gestures and navigation buttons are substantial, for example:
The post How to use Galaxy S20 navigation gestures? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains why you should update Galaxy S20 regularly, when and how to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11 (and One UI 3.0), and how to enable and play the Android 11 Easter egg game (Neko Cat) on Galaxy S20.
Android 11 (with One UI 3.0) update has been rolled out to a few Samsung Galaxy devices, including Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy Note 10, in addition to Galaxy S20. This guide applies to all these phone models.
Update: in most regions, Android 12 (One UI 4) and Android 13 (One UI 5) updates have been released to Galaxy S20 as well. You can update your Galaxy S20 to Android 12 to try these new features. Android 13 (One UI 5) update brought even more exciting new features that you should try.
Many Galaxy S20 owners may be scared by updates, possibly due to poor user experiences in the past, for example, losing personal data or customisation. Therefore, some owners may refuse to update Galaxy S20.
This is dangerous.
You may be unaware that there are many prying eyes (through apps) on Galaxy S20. Some bad guys may use some exploits or bugs to gain unauthorized access to your personal or sensitive data on the device.
Android monthly security update patches and fixes some exploits and bugs to keep your Galaxy S20 relatively safer.
Of course, the update cannot stop apps from collecting data because you granted permission. But it can prevent unauthorized data collection.
In some regions, Samsung issued the update monthly. In other areas, the update may be delivered quarterly, depending on your region. Samsung has a good record of updating Galaxy S phones for about 3 years.
In the past, some users might encounter some issues after the update. Some data went missing mystically. Some customisations were lost under your nose.
Sometimes, the update might break your favourite apps.
These issues have become rarer in recent years, thanks to the improved and matured Android update system.
Each version of Android adds some new features and … Read the rest
The post How to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
Of course, in a few regions, owners have to wait and will get the update in January or February 2021.
Galaxy S20 Android 11 update brings a refreshed One UI 3.0 with most (not all) Android 11 features. This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 11 new features in the Galaxy S20 Android 11 update to help you jumpstart with the new UI and new features.
This guide applies to all Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra) because the new features and the new UI are almost identical on all these phones.
Please follow this guide to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11.
In most regions, Android 12 (One UI 4) and Android 13 (One UI 5) updates have been released to Galaxy S20 as well. You can update your Galaxy S20 to Android 12 to try these new features. Android 13 (One UI 5) update brought even more exciting new features that you should try.
Samsung now updates One UI with each Android update. With Galaxy S20 Android 11 update, One UI was updated to version 3.0 with a refreshed visual design.
You will find One UI 3.0 offers generous space (empty region). But there are fewer wasted spaces compared to One UI 2 and One UI 2.5. So, most users will feel more relaxed when using the phone.
One UI 3.0 also introduced a few new visual effects to help you quickly focus on what matters most.
But they are controversial. Some owners probably will not like some of them. For example, the blurred effect for notifications may irritate some users depending on the wallpaper used. Unfortunately, Samsung did not offer the option to turn them off, at least up to now.
Overall, aesthetic improvements in One UI 3.0 are obvious. They make the UI modern and stylish.
Please note Samsung removed the feature of customising the app icon shapes in this Android 11 update.
Some major improvements and new features in Android 11 are notification-related. They make notifications very convenient to use, intuitive and interactive.
Samsung implemented almost all of them and added a … Read the rest
The post Top 11 new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains when you need to enable developer options, how to enable and use the options, and a complete list of Galaxy S20 developer options. Examples of using Galaxy S20 developer options to add developer tiles to the quick settings panel and to customize the default USB configurations are also included.
Please note, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all three Galaxy S20 models: Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, because the developer options on these three phones are identical.
Update: After you update your Galaxy S20 to Android 12, the developer options will be slightly different, with a few new entries. For example, you can enable Suspend execution for cached apps to save resources and battery on Galaxy S20, as explained here. You may check this guide instead.
If you have updated Galaxy S20 to Android 13, you may find some additional developer options. Please check this guide on the meaning of all developer options in Galaxy phones with Android 13 (One UI 5/ One UI 5.1).
Traditionally, Android hides with some special additional features for developers so that they can test their apps on any supported Android devices while normal users may never notice such features.
Some beta, experimental, and even legacy features were also hidden in Andriod devices. Google has to make sure that such features are visible only to users who are aware of such features,
Developer options in Android devices is a collection of these features. Some Android vendors may add or remove a few entries on their devices.
Galaxy S20 developer options are very similar to those in stock Android 10. Only a few new entries were added by Samsung.
Update: After you update Galaxy S20 to Android 11, you may notice there are minor changes in the developer options. For example, you cannot find the option to customise the app icon shapes.
If you are an Android developer, surely, you can use the developer options to test apps on Galaxy S20, instead of the virtual machines of Pixel or Nexus devices.
Samsung is the largest Android vendor. So, it is necessary to test apps on the latest … Read the rest
The post How to enable and use Galaxy S20 developer options? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains all items of Galaxy S20 camera settings and shows you how and when to use them to shoot great pictures and videos with the Galaxy S20 camera.
The camera settings on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are identical. This guide applies to all these 3 Galaxy S20 phones, although we use “S20” in the text.
You need to open the Galaxy S20 camera app to access the Galaxy S20 camera settings. There are no camera setting shortcuts in Galaxy S20 Settings page.
There are a couple of ways to launch (open) the Camera app on Galaxy S20, for example:
Once you are in the Camera app, you can tap the Settings (gear icon) as illustrated here to access Galaxy S20 camera settings.
By default, after tapping the gear icon in the camera app, you will see the following 19 items in Galaxy S20 camera settings.
Please note, if you are using the Easy mode (Galaxy S20 Settings— Display —Easy mode), some settings are not available. By default, the Easy mode is off on Galaxy S20.
The Galaxy S20 camera settings are grouped into 4 groups: intelligent features, pictures, videos, and useful features.
Now, let's go through all of the 19 items one by one.
After updating to Android 13 and installing Camera Assistant on Galaxy S22, you can find the additional entry of Camera Assistant. The features of Camera Assistant are discussed in… Read the rest
The post Understand and use Galaxy S20 Camera Settings appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the functions of the Galaxy S20 Side key, how to remap the functions to different gestures and how to use the side key on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
This guide applies to all three models of Galaxy S20.
Samsung introduced the Bixby key on Galaxy S8. It was located below the volume keys on the left side of the phone as explained in Galaxy S8 layout.
This configuration was maintained in Galaxy Note 8, S9, Note 9, and S10 with the hope of increasing adoption of Bixby services.
But unfortunately, it did not work well. Most owners do not use Bixby and don't like the useless physical button.
Since Android Pie update, Samsung finally allows owners to remap the Bixby key to other functions. It becomes one of the most welcomed features in Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S8.
In Galaxy Note 10, Samsung eventually gave up the efforts of pushing Bixby key.
So, in Galaxy Note 10, Samsung combined the Power key and the Bixby key into one and named it Side key.
But Samsung put the new Side key in the left side of Galaxy Note 10. This created unnecessary confusions among the owners because the Power key of all previous Galaxy phones was on the right side.
So, in Galaxy S20, Samsung relocated the Side key into the right side (together with the Volume key) as explained in Galaxy S20 layout.
Essentially, Galaxy S20 Side key is still a combination of the Power key and the Bixby key. And the owner can customize the functions.
As a hardware button, Galaxy S20 Side key supports 4 gestures:
The first gesture (single press) is not customizable. It is reserved for wake up/turn off the screen, just like what the old Power key does. You can also configure it to lock Galaxy S20 instantly as explained in Galaxy S20 lock screen settings.… Read the rest
The post How to remap and use Galaxy S20 Side key? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains everything you need to know about the Galaxy S20 Recents screen, shows you how to access, navigate, and customize the Recents screen on Galaxy S20, and demonstrates how to use Galaxy S20 Recents screen to launch apps in the multi-window mode.
The Overview screen (Recents screen) on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is identical. So, this guide applies to all these 3 models of Galaxy S20, although we use S20 in the text.
In the Android 13 (One UI 5) update for Galaxy S22, S21, and S20, gestures were added to let you open apps in the split-screen view or pop-up view in the Recents screen, as explained in this guide.
Like in other Android phones, Galaxy S20 Recents screen is a system-level UI component that lists recently accessed apps on Galaxy S20. It does not depend on individual apps or third-party launchers.
In other words, unless you root the phone, the Recents screen is always there. You cannot hide or disable it.
App developers cannot exclude their apps in the Recents screen. Instead, they can register some tasks of their apps as individual “apps” in the Recents screen. For example, if you open two documents in Google Docs, then you can find two entries in the Galaxy S20 Recents screen.
The Recents screen is designed for productivity. It is intended to help you switch among apps quickly.
Since Android Nougat (Android 7.0), Google finally introduced multi-window (split-screen view) into the stock Android. You have to launch apps in the split-screen view from the Overview screen in the stock Android.
Samsung added the multi-window feature since Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) with different ways to launch the app in the pop-up view or the split-screen view. But since Android Oreo, Samsung gradually streamlined the multi-window feature into the Recents screen.
So, the second common usage of Galaxy S20 Recents screen is to launch apps in the multi-window mode (split-screen view or the pop-up view).
Of course, you can also quickly manage the apps… Read the rest
The post How to use the Galaxy S20 Recents screen on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the meaning and usage of all items in Galaxy S20 lock screen settings including screen lock type, smart lock, secure lock, always-on display, wallpaper services, clock style, roaming clock, faceWidgets, contact info, notifications, and app shortcuts.
These settings are identical on all three models of Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), although Galaxy S20 is used in the text.
You can access Galaxy S20 lock screen settings from Galaxy S20 Settings — Lock screen.
There are a couple of different ways to access Galaxy S20 Settings, including:
As shown in the screenshot below, you can customize the settings for Galaxy S20 lock screen.
Here is the explanation of each item of Galaxy S20 locks screen setting. Each item matches the number in the following two screenshots.
By default, when you set up the new Galaxy S20, you need to choose lock screen security type as one of the following:
Normally, the PIN is recommended. It offers moderate security for the phone. You can also choose to confirm PIN without tapping OK button. You can also hide PIN or password on Galaxy S20 when typing them.
If you set the lock screen type as pattern, PIN, or password, then you can use secondary biometrics to unlock Galaxy S20:
Galaxy S20 will asks you to use PIN/Password … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 lockdown mode is, when to use it, how to enable and exit the lockdown mode.
The lockdown mode is available in all Samsung Galaxy phones with Android Pie (Android 9), Android 10, or Android 11. So, this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 phones but also Galaxy phones with Android 9 and later versions, including Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20.
You may check this updated guide on the lockdown mode if your Galaxy S20, S21, or S10 has been updated to Android 12.
Android 9 (Android Pie) introduced the lockdown mode to boost phone security on-the-fly. And Samsung implemented it in all of their Galaxy phones with Android 9 or later Android OS.
Galaxy S20 lockdown mode, once activated, blocks all biometric security (face unlock and fingerprint) and smart lock. In the lockdown mode, the only way to unlock your Galaxy S20 is by using the primary PIN, Pattern or Password.
Voice recognition (Bixby and Google Assistant) will also not work when the lockdown mode is activated.
Besides, all notifications that would usually be displayed on the Galaxy S20 lock screen will be hidden, and you can only read them after you unlock the phone.
In a nutshell, Galaxy S20 lockdown mode:
Therefore, it is a security feature, not a convenience feature.
Please note, Galaxy S20 lockdown mode is a one-time feature. It means it will return to normal once you unlock Galaxy S20 with PIN, pattern or password. If you need the mode again, you have to activate it again.
If you want to use the lockdown mode permanently, you may set the phone in this way:
The post How to use Galaxy S20 lockdown mode? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains why you should manage location services on Galaxy S20, how to turn on and turn off location services, how to manage location services for individual apps, and how to hide or remove location info when sharing photos through Google Photos or Samsung Gallery app.
As privacy settings (including location services) are almost identical on all Galaxy phones with Android 10, this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 phones (including Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, and S20 FE) but also Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy Note 9.
For most phone owners, the location info is part of the critical private data. It reveals your whereabouts. It reveals your movement path and history. Smart guys or some AI apps can even figure out what you were doing based on the location information.
Of course, you do not want spammers, scammers, and bad guys to get such information.
Even for close friends or family members, occasionally, you may be reluctant to share such sensitive information.
But you cannot just turn off location services on Galaxy S20. Many apps need the info to function properly.
For example, most banking apps require location info for any transactions. Some shopping apps may also demand such info to reduce fraud. Of course, location-based apps or games, like Pokemon Go, Google Maps, or the weather widget on Galaxy S20 Home screen, rely on your location info to provide functions or services. Smart lock on Galaxy S20 also needs precise location info if the trusted places are enabled.
So, it is important to manage location services on Galaxy S20 so that only apps that genuinely require location info get the access. Other apps will be limited for accessing such info.
You can categorically turn off location services on Galaxy S20 in Settings — Location, as shown in the screenshot below (marked as 1).
In this case, some apps, for example, the camera app, will remind you that the location is not available and ask you to enable it.… Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains how Galaxy S20 single take camera mode works, the limitations of the single take camera mode on Galaxy S20, how to use this camera mode to take single take photos and videos, and how to manage photos taken in the Galaxy S20 single take camera mode.
Because Samsung has backported the single take camera mode to Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 in One UI 2.1 update, you can use this camera mode not only on Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), but also Galaxy S10 (S10, S10e, and S10+) and Galaxy Note 10 (Note 10, Note 10+).
In this guide, Galaxy S20 is used as an example. You can use the single take camera mode on all support phones.
Galaxy S20 single take camera mode uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analysis the scene and takes up to 10 photos and up to 4 videos automatically for you in 3-10 seconds.
You can simplify the single take camera mode into the following three stages.
In stage 1, Galaxy S20 camera uses scene recognition and optimization to get the “optimal” settings first. The primary camera, ultra-wide camera and telephoto camera are all used to take some snapshots.
In stage 3, the photos or video generated are usually not the “original” one. Some original photos may be merged and cropped to form a “final” photo. Panorama photos and GIF animations may also be created if Galaxy S20 thinks they are relevant to the scene. A few camera effects may also be applied to the output photos.
Anyway, the Galaxy S20 single take camera mode was designed to help you capture the important moments automatically with the optimal settings.
Samsung has backported the single take camera mode to Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 in the One UI … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 dark mode is, how to use and customize the dark mode on Galaxy S20, and how to force all apps to use dark mode on Galaxy S20.
Galaxy S20 dark mode works identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. So this guide applies to all these three Galaxy S20 phones.
Galaxy S20 dark mode turns on a dark theme at the system level to alleviate eye strain, especially under low-light conditions. In the past, it was called night mode sometimes.
To avoid confusions with the camera night mode, Samsung followed the Android convention of the dark theme and named it officially as the dark mode since Android 10 update.
So, essentially, Galaxy S20 dark mode is the dark theme in other Android phones noticeable improvements.
The dark theme will try to use dark (black or grey) background and white text. This usually makes your eyes more comfortable when staring at the screen, especially when the light condition is not good.
Individual app developers may choose to implement the Android dark theme, or ignore it, or implement their own dark theme. So, by default, some apps may ignore the dark mode. In Android 10, you can force all apps to use the Galaxy S20 dark mode (read on).
One beneficial side-effect of applying Galaxy S20 dark mode is noticeable power saving (without changing Galaxy S20 power mode). Because Galaxy S20 uses super AMOLED. The black pixels consume almost no power. So, when you switch to the dark background, the screen will utilize less power. For most owners, power saving is noticeable, and it is helpful to extend the battery lifespan slightly.
For most Galaxy S20 owners, there are three benefits of turning on the dark mode on Galaxy S20:
You can enable or disable Galaxy S20 dark mode at any time manually, or use it automatically based on your schedule.
With the Android 12 update for Galaxy S21, S20, and S10, you can use Extra Dim to further reduce the brightness of the screen … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains to you everything you need to know on charging Galaxy S20 battery: two ways to charge Galaxy S20, how to use USB charging, how to use wireless charging, typical charging time for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The guide also answers questions you may have on charging Galaxy S20 battery.
Charging Galaxy S20 battery is identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The only difference is that Galaxy S20 Ultra supports 45W super fast-charging; while Galaxy S20 and S20+ only support up to 25W.
No, it is unnecessary to charge Galaxy S20 battery for 8 hours for the first time.
You can disconnect the charger once the battery is fully charged.
The old textbook may teach you to charge the new battery for 8 hours. It is outdated.
When you open the Galaxy S20 box, the battery level on your Galaxy S20 should be normally around 50-60%. You can use the phone immediately.
In some regions, Samsung does not offer a 1-to-1 exchange. You have to power on the phone on the spot to check the phone before you leave the counter.
You can charge Galaxy S20 battery in two ways:
In Galaxy S20 box, a 25W charger and a USB-C cable are included. You can use them to charge Galaxy S20 battery.
Of course, you can use other wall chargers, power banks, or USB hub to charge Galaxy S20. But the charging speed may be affected. For example, if you use a USB port on your PC or laptop to charge Galaxy S20, you may find it is too slow.
Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra all support Quick Charge (QC) 2.0, USB Power Delivery (PD) 3. As explained in this guide, all three Galaxy S20 models support super-fast charging. Galaxy S20 and S20+ … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains everything you need to know on using and customizing Galaxy S20 Quick Settings: what the Galaxy S20 Quick Settings is, how to access it, how to customize the quick setting button order, and how to customize the layout of the quick settings panel.
The Galaxy S20 Quick Settings is identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all of these three phones.
Like in other Android phones, Samsung Galaxy S20 Quick Settings allows you to turn on/off some features, e.g., WiFi, mobile data, flight mode, without diving into the Galaxy S20 Settings.
The quick setting buttons are also easier to understand and use, compared to the menu and page navigations in Galaxy S20 Settings. So, it is the most efficient way to turn on or turn off some features on Galaxy S20.
By default, in the notification panel, 6 quick setting buttons (with text below them) appear, as shown below.
FYI, you can access Galaxy S20 notification panel by swiping down from the status bar.
If you need to check the meaning of any of the status icons or notification icons on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, you may check this guide.
These buttons are just the first 6 buttons in the Galaxy S20 quick settings. You can find all quick setting buttons if you swipe down again from the notification panel.
Galaxy S20 Quick Settings (or quick settings panel) usually refers to this full-page buttons, as shown above.
Please note, the quick setting buttons include two parts:
They have different functions.
Most of the quick setting buttons accept the following gestures:
A few quick setting buttons may only accept one or two of the gestures.
In addition to the two-page quick setting buttons, in the Galaxy S20 Quick Settings page, you can also find:… Read the rest
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But you need to familiarize yourself with the Galaxy S20 camera app first to realize the full potential of Galaxy S20 camera.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains each item on the Galaxy S20 camera app interface, shows you how to use gestures in the camera app, and how to use Galaxy S20 camera quick launch.
Please note, the camera app on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is identical, although the camera systems on these 3 models differ significantly (as explained in the differences among Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra). So, this guide applies to all Galaxy S20, S20+, S20FE, and S20 Ultra.
By default, when you start the camera app on Galaxy S20, it is in the Photo mode, as shown in the screenshot below.
In this mode, you can find the following items:
Now, let's go through them one by one.
You can preview the photo before tapping the shutter button.
The size of the preview screen depends on the photo aspect ration chosen (read on).
Please note, you can tap and hold anywhere on the preview screen to lock the autofocus (AF) and exposure.
You may pinch or spread on the preview screen to zoom in or zoom out. You can switch front and rear cameras by swiping upwards or downwards on the preview screen
By default, the thumbnail of the latest photo is shown. It is a shortcut to the Gallery app.
Once in the Gallery app, if you tap the Back button to exit the Gallery app, then you can return to the camera app.
Please note, if you are using the Assistant Menu, you can use Assistant Plus to add the shortcut to Gallery.
Normally, you need to tap the shutter button to take a photo with Galaxy S20 camera.
Of course, you can also use the volume key, floating shutter button, voice control, or gestures (show palm) … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains when to use Galaxy S20 burst mode, how to enable Galaxy S20 burst mode, how to take burst photos on Galaxy S20, and how to manage photos taken in the b burst mode.
Galaxy S10 with Android 10 update also use the same gesture to take photos in the burst mode. So, this guide applies to both Galaxy S20 (all three models) and Galaxy S10 with Android 10 update.
Galaxy S20 burst mode can take up to 100 photos successively to help you capture the important moments.
Normally, you can later select a few of the burst shot photos that capture the moment you want to.
You may use the burst mode during an event when the object is moving, or the background is changing, or the scene is brief.
Some Galaxy S20 owners may use the burst shot photos to make animations or even videos, which usually look better than the recorded video for the same event.
Please note, all photos taken in the Galaxy S20 burst mode are always saved in the phone storage even you set the photo storage location to the SD card in Galaxy S20 camera settings.
Galaxy S20 burst mode ios NOT listed with other Galaxy S20 camera modes because it requires a special gesture.
In old Galaxy phones, you can hold the shutter button to take burst shot photos.
But this is not the case for Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra.
If you hold the shutter button on Galaxy S20 camera app, it will start to record a short video. The complete list of gestures on Galaxy S20 camera app is explained here.
On Galaxy S20, you have to swipe down from the shutter button to enter Galaxy S20 burst mode. Galaxy S20 will stop taking burst shot photos once you release your finger from the screen.
The gesture feels like swipe down the shutter button, then hold, as shown below.
Please note, if you are using navigation buttons, and swipe down too much to the Home button, you may end up returning to the Galaxy S20 home screen or … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains why you may need to confirm PIN without tapping OK, then shows you how to enable and disable this feature. Some FAQs related to conforming PIN without tapping OK on Galaxy S20 are answered.
This feature is available in most Samsung Galaxy phones including all 3 models of Galaxy S20 (Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9 and many others.
Please also note, this feature works only for screen lock type as a PIN
. If you set the screen lock type as a password, you always have to manually confirm the password.By default, when you unlock Galaxy S20 with a PIN, you have to type the PIN, then tap OK on the keypad to confirm.
Many owners think this is “natural” because they have done this from day one of using a smartphone.
If you want to unlock the phone more quickly without tapping the OK to confirm the typed PIN, then the solution exists on Samsung Galaxy S20 and many other Galaxy phones.
In other words, you can just type the PIN and unlock the phone instantly. When typing, if the typed PIN matches the lock screen PIN, then Galaxy S20 will be unlocked automatically.
Obviously, this is a more efficient way to unlock the phone with a PIN.
Unfortunately, this feature is not enabled by default. You can enable it when setting up the phone, or you can enable and disable it at any time. Read on.
Of course, this feature is not for everyone. But it can be beneficial if you can confirm PIN without tapping OK for many Galaxy S20 owners.
Without tapping OK not only save you one tap but also save the time for you to switch from tapping to mentally confirm the PIN.
It is a bad practice to use an identical PIN on all devices.
But if you use totally different PINs, it is a … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 recovery mode is, when you need to use it, how to reboot into the recovery mode, and how to navigate and exit the recovery mode.
The Galaxy S20 recovery mode is identical on all 4 Galaxy S20 modes: Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 FE, and S20 Ultra. So this guide applies to all these phones.
All Android phones and tablets come with a recovery mode. Galaxy S20 is not an exception. Android vendors may add or remove some features in the recovery mode.
On Galaxy S20, you can use the recovery mode to (as shown in the picture below):
We will explain some of them later on.
Galaxy S20 recovery mode is NOT designed for normal users. Most Galaxy S20 owners … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains why you may need to hide password when typing it, how to hide password on Galaxy S20.
In this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all three Galaxy S20 models, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
By default, the password or PIN field on Galaxy S20 will display *s or dots, instead of the actual characters, to protect your password or PIN from prying eyes.
But when you type the password or PIN on Galaxy S20, the last typed character will show briefly on the screen.
It was designed for you to check the typed the password or PIN.
But this could be a big concern when you need to type password or PIN in the crowded public places. For example, in the crowded subway, it is hard to prevent others from seeing your screen.
So, you may want to hide password on Galaxy S20 even when typing, i.e., make the password invisible when typing.
Please note, if you use a PIN to unlock the phone, you can hide the PIN and confirm PIN without tapping OK on Galaxy S20. But for the password, you can only hide it when typing, and you have to tap OK or enter to confirm.
As mentioned, by default, the last typed character of the password or PIN is visible on the screen briefly.
You can follow these steps to hide password on Galaxy S20 when typing.
You can access Galaxy S20 settings in different ways, for example,
You can even use voice command to launch Galaxy S20 settings.
On Galaxy S20 Settings page, tap Biometrics and security, as shown in the screenshot below,
In the Biometrics and security settings page, tap Other security settings, as shown above.
Now, on the other security settings page, you can … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 how-to guide explains the requirements for you to unlock Galaxy S20 without a password or PIN, steps to unlock Galaxy S20 if you forget the password or PIN using Samsung FGind My Mobile, and how to remotely lock and secure your phone with Samsung Find My Mobile services.
In most regions, you can unlock Samsung Galaxy phones if you forget the password or PIN using Samsung Find My Mobile service. So, this guide applies to most Samsung Galaxy phones, including Galaxy S21, Galaxy S20, S10, Note 20, Note 10, S9, Note 9, S8, Note 8, and other popular Samsung Galaxy phones.
No, Google removed the remote unlock and password reset features from Android Device Manager (now, Find My Device) in 2016.
So, if you forget the password or PIN on Galaxy S20, Google Find My Device can only help you erase (reset) the phone, i.e., factory data reset (FDR), or lock up the phone.
Google Find My Device will never unlock Galaxy S20, or reset the password/PIN. It can lock the phone (if it is unlocked) remotely. Some users confuse the “lock” and “unlock” feature in Google Find My Device.
Please note, the factory data reset will erase all of your data and settings. This is only useful if your phone is lost or stolen. You can reset Galaxy S20 in the recovery mode as well.
If your Galaxy S20 is still in your hands and you only forget the password or PIN for the lock screen, then probably it is not necessary to reset the phone.
Currently, for Galaxy S20 and other Samsung Galaxy phones, only Samsung Find My Mobile can unlock Galaxy S20 without a password or PIN.
If you need to unlock Galaxy S20 and you forget the password or PIN, you need to meet the following requirements:
The post How to unlock Galaxy S20 when you forget the password or PIN (without resetting the phone)? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
Many Galaxy S20 owners want to reach the Home screen without swiping on Galaxy S20 lock screen when using face recognition to unlock Galaxy S20.
As Galaxy S20 uses the inferior and inconvenient in-display fingerprint sensor, most Galaxy S20 owners find the face recognition (face unlock) is the most convenient way to unlock Galaxy S20 quickly.
This Galaxy S20 guide shows you how to unlock Galaxy S20 to Home screen directly without swiping on Galaxy S20 lock screen when using face recognition on Galaxy S20.
The face recognition on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra works identically. So, this guide applies to all of these 3 Galaxy S20 models although only “S20” was used in the text.
Besides, the default face recognition (face unlock) settings are similar on all Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10. This guide also applies to most other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 update including Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy Note 8.
When face recognition is enabled, you may inadvertently unlock Galaxy S20.
For example, you may pick up the phone just to check the time. But the face recognition is activated and may unlock Galaxy S20 automatically whenever the screen is wakened up.
To mitigate this side effect of face recognition unlocking method on Galaxy S20, Samsung, by default, lets you stay on the lock screen if the phone is unlocked by face recognition. If you actually want to unlock the phone, you need to swipe on the Galaxy S20 lock screen to go to the Home screen. In other words, by default, it adds a layer of “swipe to unlock“.
As shown in the screenshot below, after unlocking Galaxy S20 with face recognition, you are still on the lock screen page. The open lock icon on the top of the lock screen and “Swipe to open” text on the bottom tells you that the phone is unlocked. You can open the Home screen by swiping on the Galaxy S20 lock screen.
Of course, you can change this setting (read on) so that … Read the rest
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Because the in-display ultrasound fingerprint reader on Galaxy S20 ( and S10) is hard to use and is slow, many Galaxy S20 owners have to use face recognition to unlock the phone and find that face recognition (face unlock) is faster than the fingerprint.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 face recognition is, how to use and manage face recognition to unlock Galaxy S20, how to register your facial features for face unlock, and the limitations of Galaxy S20 face recognition.
Galaxy S20 face recognition (face unlock) works identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. So this guide applies to all of these three models.
Other Samsung Galaxy phones, e.g., Galaxy S21, also use identical face recognition settings and technology. Therefore, this guide also applies to other Galaxy phones with Android 10, Android 11, and Android 12.
In addition to using a PIN or password, you can use your biometrics to unlock Galaxy S20 (and other Android phones as well).
Galaxy S20 implements two biometrics features:
Please note, Samsung stopped using (the most promising) iris scanner since Galaxy S10. You can find the iris scanner on Galaxy S8, S9, Note 8 and Note 9.
So, you can use your fingerprint and face to unlock Galaxy S20 if you want. By default, both fingerprint and facial recognition is not enabled.
Android included face unlock since Android 4.0 (Icecream Sandwich). Of course, it is less accurate than a fingerprint reader. Prior to Android Nougat (Android 7.0), it is easy to fool the phone with a photo.
In recent releases, Android has greatly improved facial recognition. It is fast enough so that you do not need to wait too long. It is accurate enough so that you cannot cheat it with a photo.
Of course, the face unlock on all Android phones is still considered as “less” secure than the fingerprint.
When Samsung ditched the iris scanner (and the intelligent scan), Samsung did NOT add an IR camera. So, on Galaxy S20, face unlock purely relies on the selfie camera. It is NOT comparable to Apple Face ID.
You may consider the Galaxy S20 facial recognition if you need an alternative to the inferior in-display … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the unique features of the Galaxy S20 LED View cover, shows you how to use the cover (including assign and customise LED cions, accept and reject calls, control music), answers some questions you may have on this cover. A no-nonsense review of Galaxy S20 LED View cover is also included to help you decide whether this cover is for you.
The LED View cover works identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, although there are some differences among these three Galaxy S20 models. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all of these 3 models.
LED View cover, which is a successor of LED Flip cover, was first introduced with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Samsung changed the design and materials over the years.
But the fundamentals are still the same.
All Samsung LED covers, including the old LED Flip cover, LED View cover (LED Wallet cover in some regions), and the LED back cover, work through NFC technology.
There is no battery in the LED cover. The LED cover get power through NFC, NOT through wireless charging. But it does affect wireless charging (for safety reasons). When you charge Galaxy S20 battery with a wireless charging pad, the wireless charging will be paused automatically when LED icons are shown. And it resumes once the LED disappears.
The communication between the phone and the cover does NOT rely on the NFC settings. It is hardcoded in the firmware. Even you turn off NFC on your phone, the LED cover still works normally.
So, this is totally different from how S Pen on Galaxy Note devices works. S Pen does NOT use NFC.
The old S Pen (until Galaxy Note 8) does not have a battery. You do not need to charge it. These old S Pens get power from the screen (through electro-magnetic grid under the screen) when you use it.
The new S Pen in Note 9 has a supercapacitor and the S Pen in Note 10 has a real battery. Both of them will be charged when you put them in the S Pen slot. The “wireless charging” is … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what the enhanced processing is, how to enable it from Settings and quick settings panel and how to use enhanced processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 update.
The enhanced processing option is available after you upgraded Galaxy S20 (and Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20) to Android 11. If your Galaxy S20 is still running Android 10, please check this guide on how to use and customise the power mode.
As mentioned here, Samsung revamped (simplified) the power modes and added the enhanced processing option in Android 11 (One UI 3.0) update for Galaxy S20, S10, Note 10, and Note 20.
But Samsung hasn't offered a detailed explanation of this feature, except stating:
Get faster data processing for all apps except games. use more battery.
There are some wrong inceptions on this feature on the internet. Some mistakenly thought the enhanced processing is simply the old high-performance mode.
So, what is enhanced processing?
First, the enhanced processing, once enabled, can unleash the full CPU (and GPU) power so that the app can run faster.
Second, the enhanced processing works with power saving mode. In other words, you can use this feature even in the power saving mode.
It sounds confusing. But it makes sense.
Apparently, the enhanced processing actually unleash the CPU power on demand. When you are using an app in the power saving mode, in the past, the CPU speed is capped. Now, with the enhanced processing, the limit can be removed on demand with other restrictions (e.g., brightness) in place. Of course, it does not affect background apps.
Third, enhanced processing is a standalone feature.
Galaxy S20 Android 11 update simplified the power modes to 2 modes only: default mode and power saving mode. The enhanced processing adds the option to speed up the CPU speed on demand for active (foreground) apps. This addressed the battery consumption issue in the old performance mode.
At the same time, there are many complaints about the old medium power saving mode, which slows down the apps noticeably. Some owners question the rationale of limiting the speed for the foreground apps. The enhanced processing addressed this … Read the rest
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But most owners may not be aware that Galaxy S20 wallpapers are not just a few pictures. You can also use videos, random photos, or Samsung curated photo packs as Galaxy S20 wallpapers.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the differences between Galaxy S20 Home screen wallpapers and lock screen wallpapers, the advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers (multi-pack, live wallpapers, video wallpapers, dynamic lock screen, Samsung Global Goals), and how to customize Galaxy S20 wallpapers with these advanced features.
Samsung made some changes on the wallpapers on the home screen and lock screen on Galaxy S20. Other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 (e.g., Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10) also have identical wallpaper settings.
The major differences between Galaxy S20 lock screen wallpapers and home screen wallpapers include:
In a nutshell, without using a third-party app, you can only use one static image for the Galaxy S20 Home screen wallpaper. For the lock screen, you have many options.
If you just migrated from an old Galaxy phone, you may find the live wallpapers are missing from the Galaxy S20 Home screen.
Samsung tried hard to improve the wallpapers on the lock screen. But at the same time, they keep removing features from the home screen wallpapers. It is a very confusing move.
Most of the advanced features of the Galaxy S20 wallpapers discussed here are mainly for the Galaxy S20 lock screen. Only the dark mode for wallpapers is for both the Home screen and lock screen.
Here are the five (5) noteworthy advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers.
Galaxy S20 dark mode is excellent. It may significantly reduce your eye … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the importance of using the proper power modes on Galaxy S20, what are the 4 power modes on Galaxy S20, when and how to use each of these four power modes. The guide also shows you how to manage, customize, and limit battery usage (and background activities) for individual apps from app power management and application managers.
Samsung adopted almost identical power modes (power-saving modes) on all Galaxy Phones with Android 10. So, in addition to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, and Galaxy S20 FE, this guide also applies to most of the recent Galaxy phones, including all variants of Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 20, and Galaxy Note 10.
Update: Samsung introduced the Enhanced processing option under battery settings in Android 11 update for Galaxy S20.
Battery life is a major concern for many Galaxy S20 owners, although Galaxy S20 supports up to 45W super-fast charging and fast wireless charging 2.0.
Most of Galaxy S20 owners expect the phone worked when they want to use it. Running out of battery can be very disturbing nowadays, especially if you pay more than $1000 for the gadget.
Unfortunately, current Li-ion battery technologies still pose a hard limit on the battery capacity given the limited available space in the phone and possible and safety considerations.
So, one way to extend battery life so that you have enough battery before you can access a charger is to “save ” battery, i.e., reducing or optimizing the usage of the battery.
Basically, it is not necessary to let the Galaxy S20 run at its peak performance. For more than 90% of owners of Galaxy S20, the phone offers more processing power than what you need.
Even for heavy gamers, the high processing power is only needed when you play some large games. You do not need to keep the phone running in its peak state all the time.
Power mode in Galaxy S20 lets you balance the performance and battery life.
On Samsung Galaxy S20, there are 4 power modes:
The post How to use and customize power mode on Galaxy S20? appeared first on Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains how the lock screen protects your data, the layout of the lock screen, and shows you how to use gestures on the Galaxy S20 lock screen.
Like in all other Android phones, Galaxy S20 lock screen is an essential part to secure your phone.
Basically, it is a door to your contents and private data. You are holding the key. And the key is your lock screen PIN/password/pattern.
So, Galaxy S20 lock screen protects your data from unauthorized access.
If anyone can bypass your Galaxy S20 lock screen, then he/she can access almost all data saved on the phone.
For Galaxy S20, if you forget the password or PIN, you can only unlock the phone with Samsung Find My Mobile as explained in this guide. If you forget to enable it on Galaxy S20, you have to perform a factory data reset (you will lose all of your data) and then set it up again with your Google account existed on the phone before the factory data reset.
By default, when you unlock the lock screen, there is unlock sound. You can disable it in Settings — Sounds and vibrations — system sound/vibration control — screen lock/unlock, as explained in this guide.
As shown in the screenshot below, typically, there are 7 components on the Galaxy S20 lock screen.
The status bar on the lock screen shows the name of the current mobile network provider and other status icons. You can find the meaning of status icon on this page.
There are no notification icons in the status bar of the Galaxy S20 lock screen. Notifications, if enabled on the lock screen, will be shown below.
By default, a clock, whose clockface can be customized, is shown here.
But this is also the place holder for faceWidgets. You can swipe left or right in this region to switch to different faceWidgets.
Galaxy S20 allows you to enable up to 5 faceWidgets on the lock screen.
Please check this guide on how to enable, customize and use faceWidgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and always-on display screen.
Update: … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) is, the differences between AOD and lock screen, how to enable and customize AOD on Galaxy S20, and how to use AOD with Galaxy S20 clear view cover.
The always-on display (AOD) feature on all three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra) is identical. This guide works identically on these three phones although Galaxy S20 is used in the guide.
Galaxy S20 always-on display allows you to customize Galaxy S20 screen to show time, date, battery status, notifications, screen savers, faceWidgets, pinned image, today's schedule after the screen times out.
Always-on display (AOD) is not new. But Samsung did remove some features from the Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD).
For example, you cannot pin a note, or a memo, or a reminder, or a future calendar event on Galaxy S20 AOD screen, if you migrated to Galaxy S20 from older Galaxy phones.
Anyway, the Galaxy S20 always-on display was designed to show some useful info when it seats on the desk. You can quickly peek the time, notifications, or battery status on the screen without stopping your work.
By default, when the screen times out (no activity on the screen), the display will be turned off automatically to save battery and maximize the lifespan of the screen. For this reason, the maximum screen timeout on Galaxy S20 is 10 minutes.
The Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD), if enabled, will turn on the screen without waking up the phone after the screen is turned off.
Because the AOD does not wake up Galaxy S20, it will not consume battery excessively. The added battery consumption is mainly for lighting up part of the screen. For Galaxy S20, the AMOLED display is very power efficient and does not consume power for black pixels.
So, Galaxy S20 AOD will only slightly affect battery life (screen-on time) on Galaxy S20.
Although Galaxy S20 AOD screen usually displays after the lock screen times out and shares the same faceWidgets and a few other settings with the lock screen, it is different from … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what the faceWidgets are, how to customize the faceWidgets on Galaxy S20-, and how to access and use these widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and always-on display (AOD) screen.
As faceWidges are also available on other Galaxy phones with Android Nougat (7.0) or later, this guide applies not only to Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), but also other Galaxy phones including Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy Note 8.
Update: Android 11 update for Galaxy S20 revamped the faceWidgets and renamed them as widgets. If you have updated your Galaxy S20 to Android 11, you may check this guide on how to access, use, and customise widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen. This guide applies to Galaxy S20 with Android 10.
The FaceWidgets lets you get quick access to useful information on the lock screen and always-display screen without unlocking the phone.
Surely, Galaxy S20 faceWidgets is not a new feature. Samsung introduced faceWidgets on Galaxy S8.
Over the years, Samsung added Bixby routine and weather info the faceWidgets.
The purpose of faceWidgets is for you to quickly get some useful info from the Galaxy S20 lock screen (without unlocking the phone) and from the Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) screen (without waking up the screen).
On Galaxy S20, you can use the following five widgets on both the lock screen and AOD screen:
You can customize them by enabling/disable them individually or recording them.
But you cannot add your own widgets to the faceWidgets
On all supported Galaxy phones, faceWidgets is under the lock screen settings.
As shown in the screenshot below, in the Galaxy S20 Settings, tap Lock screen first.
In the Galaxy S20 lock screen settings page, as shown above, you can find the FaceWidgets entry.
Tap on the entry to access Galaxy S20 faceWidgets settings.
In the settings page, as shown below, you can:
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the changes in using and customizing widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and always-on display (AOD) screen, shows you how to use gestures to access widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen.
This post is an update to the Galaxy S20 faceWidget guide, which applies to Galaxy S20 with Android 10. If you have updated Galaxy S20 to Android 11, you should follow this guide.
Please note, widgets screen on Galaxy S20 is a feature of One UI 3.0, not an Android 11 feature. So, this guide applies to other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 11, e.g., Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20.
Android 11 update for Galaxy S20 not only upgrades the Android OS version from 10 to 11 with most Android 11 features but also bumps the UI from One UI 2.5 to One UI 3.0.
As explained in this post, there are some new features and improvements in the Android 11 update for Galaxy S20, including the revamped widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen.
Here is the list of major changes regarding the widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen if your Galaxy S20 is running Android 11.
Samsung renamed the faceWidgets as widgets in Android 11 update.
Actually, It is not just a change in name. Samsung upgrades the faceWidgets to normal widgets. You can use these special widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and lock screen.
Previously, you can access one faceWidget at one time. You may have to swipe a few times to access the desired widget.
Now, in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update, all widgets are on the same screen. You can access all widgets at the same time. So, these widgets work just like normal ones.
You can now just tap or swipe in any directions in the clock area (faceWidget area) to open widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen.
So, … Read the rest
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This guide shows you how to change the app icon shape on Galaxy S20, the available shapes, the limitations and caveats for the new icon shapes.
Samsung added the icon shape customization feature in all Galaxy phones with Android 10. So, this feature is also available on other Galaxy phones including Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, and a few other models.
Update: In Android 11 update (with One UI 3.0), Samsung removed the option of customizing icon shape. You have to use third-party themes or launcher if you do not like the squircle icons.
Before starting to change the icon shape on Galaxy S20, you should be aware of the following 5 caveats and limitations.
When you change the app icon on Samsung Galaxy phones like Galaxy S20, the change is limited to app icons on the Home screen, apps screen, and lock screen if app shortcuts are used.
The icons in the quick settings panel, or other system UI, will not be affected.
Almost all Samsung apps (e.g., Phone, Messages, Gallery, Camera) were shipped with only one icon shape: squircle.
So, the icon shape will NEVER change for these apps on Galaxy S20.
Except for apps from Google, some third-party apps may not support some icon shapes.
For example, a lot of third-party apps do not support the teardrop shape.
Please note, whether an app icon shape is supported or not is defined in the app (by the app developer).
On Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10, app icon shape customization is hidden in the theming section of Galaxy S20 developer options.
So, you need to enable the developer options before you can customize the icon shape.
After changing the icon shape on Galaxy S20, you cannot preview it. You need to reboot the … Read the rest
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For example, Galaxy S20 Ultra offers up to 100x super-resolution zoom and up to 10x hybrid zoom.
But many Galaxy S20 owners are a bit confused on choosing the correct camera lens and set the proper zoom levels.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the differences among the three main (rear) cameras, the link between zoom and camera lenses, how to choose different camera lenses, and how to zoom in and zoom out properly.
In this guide, we mainly use the Galaxy S20 Ultra rear cameras as an example. When there are any differences, we will highlight whether the feature is for Galaxy S20 Ultra, or Galaxy S20 (and S20+). All camera software features on three Galaxy S20 models are identical, although Galaxy S20 Ultra has better hardware specs for the primary wide-angle camera and the telephoto camera.
Besides the depth sensor camera on Galaxy 20+ and S20 Ultra, on all three models of Galaxy S20 phones, there are three camera lenses for different purposes:
Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 FE, and Galaxy S20+ share the identical hardware of these three camera lenses. Galaxy S20 Ultra has an upgraded camera system. But the camera app is identical on all these phones. You can also use different shooting methods as well on all of these phones.
The 12MP (or 108MP on Galaxy S20 Ultra) wide-angle camera is the primary shooter. By default, you will take photos and record videos (except 8K videos) with this camera lens. Of course, you can choose other lenses if you want (read on).
On Galaxy S20 Ultra, you can choose to save the pictures as 12MP (at the aspect ratio of 4:3) after combining pixels, or as 108MP (which take s far more storage). Usually, you should save the photo as normal 12MP in indoor or low-light conditions. You may consider the108MP option when lighting is excellent (e.g., outdoor in sunny days).
The 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera is identical on all three Galaxy S20 models.
With a field of view (FoV) of 120˚, this camera allows you to capture … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 safe mode is, how to enter the Galaxy S20 safe mode, use the safe mode, and exit the safe mode on Galaxy S20.
Because the safe mode is one of the standard Android features, this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, S20FE, and S20 Ultra) but also other Android phones including Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9, and many others.
Galaxy S20 safe mode is a special mode with all third-party (non-preinstalled) apps and services suspended temporally. All system settings and pre-installed app settings and data can be used normally.
So, safe mode does not reset your Galaxy S20 to the factory state. And therefore, it is “safe” for your data.
Of course, the real meaning of “safe” is that your Galaxy S20 is shielded from any third-party apps and services.
Under Galaxy S20 safe mode, you can figure out whether some weird issues are caused by any third-party apps, or pre-installed apps (and system settings). Normally, you should try safe mode before trying to wiping the cache partition in the Galaxy S20 recovery mode.
Safe mode is a built-in feature of Android. You can actually find it in almost all Android devices. And it works almost identically on all Android devices.
In a nutshell, Galaxy S20 safe mode allows you to check whether a problem is caused by third-party apps or services installed by you, or caused by system and pre-installed apps.
There are at least two ways to boot the phone into Galaxy S20 safe mode.
This method works if your Galaxy S20 can still boot up to at least the lock screen.
After the phone is booted to Galaxy S20 lock screen, or to Home screen, you can hold the side key (as illustrated below) for about 2-3 seconds, to call out the power-off menu (aka power menu, power button options).
Please note, as explained in the Galaxy S20 Layout page, Samsung moved the side key to … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 Assistant Menu is, what it can do, how to enable, use and customize it, and how to use Assistant Plus to get even more from the Assistant Menu on Galaxy S20.
As Assistant Menu is more or less universal on all Samsung Galaxy phones, this guide applies to other Samsung Galaxy phones as well.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Assistant Menu, a semi-transparent floating button overlayed on the phone screen, was initially designed for owners who need assistance for motor control and other physical impairments.
But it has been used by many seasoned Samsung phone owners to get faster access to some functions and features.
You may find the Assistant Menu very handy if you get used to it. It is more than an accessibility feature: it is also a productivity feature.
Of course, the Assistant Menu is not a new feature of Galaxy S20. Samsung introduced this feature since Android 4.0 and maintained it in all Galaxy phones and tablets.
With Galaxy S20 Assistant Menu, you can:
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Although it is usually a simple task to turn on or turn off Galaxy S20, it can be frustrating, especially when the phone hangs and you need to use Galaxy S20 urgently.
This Galaxy S20 guide shows you how to power on (turn on), power off (turn off), and restart (reboot) Galaxy S20, even when the phone hangs (non-responsive).
The guide applies to all three models of Galaxy S20: Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
When the phone is off, you can hold the Side key (see Galaxy S20 layout) to power on (turn on) Galaxy S20 normally.
Please note, Samsung combined the old Power key with the unpopular Bixby key as the Galaxy S20 Side key.
As shown in the Galaxy S20 layout, the Side key is located on the right side of the phone, below the volume key. There is no physical keys or buttons on the left side any more.
Please note, if you hold volume buttons and the Side key, then you may:
There is no hardware button (key) to power off Galaxy S20. If you hold the Side key, Galaxy S20 will reboot (restart), instead of powering off the phone. But sometimes, you need to power off Galaxy S20, e.g., when you enter a restricted area, or when you want to boot into Galaxy S20 recovery mode.
To power off Galaxy S20 gracefully, you need to use the software Power off button, which can be accessed in various locations on Galaxy S20.
Please note, if you power off Galaxy S20, you cannot receive calls from the phone. Text messages (SMS) will be saved by your carrier and delivered to the phone after you power on the phone and connect to the mobile network. You may check this guide on how to use SIM cards on Galaxy S20.
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Do Not Disturb (DND) on Samsung Galaxy S20 is, how to enable and disable it on-the-fly, or based on predefined schedules, how to customize Do Not Disturb on Samsung Galaxy S20 so that you can allow specific contacts to reach you and certain apps to alert you.
The DND feature is common on most Galaxy phones. So this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 but also other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10, for example, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy Note 9.
Android Marshmallow (Android 6) introduced the Do Not Disturb to help users limit interruptions from the phone and therefore improve productivity.
Over the last a few Android releases, Google fine-tuned this feature to make it easy to understand and easy to use.
Basically, on Samsung Galaxy S20, Do Not Disturb mode allows you to filter interruptions so that:
Please note, Samsung removed some Do Not Disturb features found in the stock Android, for example,
So, do not assume Do Not Disturb on Samsung Galaxy S20 is identical to many non-Samsung Android phones.
In addition to turning on/off Do Not Disturb automatically (read on), there are a few different ways to enable or disable Do Not Disturb on Samsung Galaxy S20 on-the-fly.
You can swipe down twice from the status bar, or from the top of the screen (when the status bar is hidden, e.g., in full-screen mode), to access Galaxy S20 quick settings panel.
As shown in the screenshot below, you can find the Do not disturb button.
Tap the Do not disturb button to enable or disable DND mode immediately on Galaxy S20.
You can tap and hold the button to … Read the rest
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But the support of the micro SD card on Galaxy S20 is different from that in stock Android.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the supported micro SD card features on Galaxy S20, the requirements of using a micro SD card, how to add and manage the SD card, how to move apps to the micro SD card and how to mount and unmount the SD card on Galaxy S20, and how to choose an SD card for Galaxy S20.
In this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
No, Galaxy S20 does not support the adoptable storage. But Galaxy S20 does support moving apps to the micro SD card.
Since Android Marshmallow (Android 6), Google introduced the adoptable storage to let you use the micro SD card as internal storage. It essentially increases the internal storage capacity at a far lower price.
Of course, due to performance limitations of the micro SD card, most flagship Android phones do not support the adoptable storage. Some, for example, Google Pixel phones, do not have a micro SD card slot at all. The adoptable storage support can be found in many middle-range and budget Android phones.
The other option is to use the micro SD card as portable storage, where you can save your own files, for example, your music or media collections. Apps can also request to access the portable storage to download and save large files. The “flagship” (usually means expensive and overpriced) Android phones with a micro SD card support, often only support the portable storage.
Unlike other Android vendors, Samsung chose a proprietory way to support micro SD card. It is somewhere between adoptable storage and portable storage.
Actually, this is a better implementation than the adoptable or portable storage, because
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This Galaxy S20 guide shows each part of Galaxy S20 layout and explains to you the functions of these parts on Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
The layout of Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra is almost identical, although the 3 models differ significantly in size and camera features (as explained in this page).
So, this guide applies to the layout of Galaxy S10, S20+, and S20 Ultra. In the text, we use the Galaxy S20 layout refers to all of these 3 models.
After unboxing Galaxy S20, the first thing you want to do is powering on the phone.
But where is the power button? If you are an owner of Galaxy Note 10 (or Note 10+), then you may find the power button (side key) is not relocated back to the right.
If you want to record an audio clip (especially in the interview mode), you probably need to know the location of the two microphones.
If you want to use NFC, use wireless charging, or use wireless PowerShare, you need to know the location of antennas and coils.
If you are new to the in-display fingerprint sensor, you need to know where to put your fingers on.
Anyway, all Galaxy S20 owners need to know the layout of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra so that you can use the phone effectively.
In the picture below, 15 items of the Galaxy S20 layout are illustrated.
On the front of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, you can find the main display (screen), in-display fingerprint reader, and the front camera.
About 90% of the front part of Galaxy S20 is what Samsung called “Dynamic AMOLED 2X” screen.
It is actually just a new iteration of Samsung's Super AMOLED. By default, the colour is vivid and sharp, but oversaturated.
Of course, you can change the default Vivid screen mode to Natural mode with more accurate colours.
Please note, the only screen difference of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is the size. The technology, resolution and features are identical.
The Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures were explained in this page.
Galaxy S20 navigation buttons… Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains how the app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen work, how to manage, customize and use the app shortcuts on the lock screen, how to use the floating button for app shortcuts.
App shortcuts are available on all Galaxy S20 models: Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. So, this guide applies to all these three Galaxy S20 models.
As explained in this guide, on Galaxy S20 lock screen, by default, there are two app shortcuts (Phone app and Camera app, by default) on the two bottom corners.
You can drag or swipe the icon to the centre of the screen to use the two apps without unlocking Galaxy S20.
There are no security issues with the app shortcuts on the Galaxy S20 lock screen.
Most apps will work only after you unlock Galaxy S20. Only selected apps will work without accessing your data and without unlocking Galaxy S20.
Your data are always safe. They can only be accessed after you unlock the phone. There is no exception.
So, the app shortcuts on Galaxy S20 lock screen work in different ways depending on the app shortcuts you put there:
As a convenience feature, you should put the most frequently used apps on the lock screen so that you can access them quicker than tapping the app icons on the home … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains how to access different Galaxy S20 camera modes, how to add frequently used camera modes to the preview screen so that you can access them quickly. A detailed explanation of all Galaxy S20 camera modes and their usages concludes this guide.
Although the three models of Galaxy S20 phones differ significantly in camera specs, the camera modes on Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra are actually identical. So this guide applies to all these three Galaxy S20 models.
By default, when you open the camera app (including using Galaxy S20 camera quick launch), you are in the Photo mode (aka auto mode). This is the default Galaxy S20 camera mode.
Please note, if you open the camera again shortly after you closed it, or from the Recents screen, it may start with the last used camera mode depending on whether the process is stopped completely or not.
As shown in the screenshot below, in the preview screen, you can find Galaxy S20 camera modes located above the shutter button.
By default, there are four buttons. Three of them are for single-take camera mode, Photo mode, and video mode, respectively. The last one is the More button.
You can tap the More button to reveal all other available Galaxy S20 camera modes.
To access or use any of the Galaxy S20 camera modes, you simply tap on the mode. Galaxy S20 camera will change the camera mode to the tapped one instantly.
You can then take photos using that camera mode.
Please some Galaxy S20 camera modes are for the rear camera only. If you choose that mode, Galaxy S20 will switch to the rear camera immediately without warning if you are using the front-facing camera. Unlike that in previous Galaxy phones, Galaxy S20 does not grey out inapplicable camera modes for the front camera.
Besides, the look of the shutter button may change slightly for the single-take mode and video mode, as explained here.
By default, as shown in the screenshot above, there are 13 Galaxy S20 camera modes (excluding the burst mode):
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the commonly used Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures and shows you how to use them. The 8 Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures covered are tapping, double-tapping, triple-tapping, long-tapping (tapping and holding), swiping, dragging, pinching and spreading.
We seldom attach a physical keyboard or mouse to Galaxy S20 (except using Samsung DeX). So, the touchscreen is the interface between the user and the Galaxy S20.
The phone takes commands from us through Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures. We interact with the apps through those gestures, most of the time.
Since Android 10, Google removed the navigation buttons by default and recommended gestures for all navigations. Of course, Galaxy S20 still allows you to choose between using buttons or navigation gestures.
More and more Android apps also prefer gestures over buttons.
Anyway, it is hard to use the phone effectively without mastering Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures.
You will need to use the following touchscreen gestures on Galaxy S20:
All of the 8 Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures are universal on all Android phones. They work on almost all Android phones and therefore are not unique to Galaxy S20.
But the functions of each gesture may depend on individual apps.
Now, let's go through these 8 Galaxy S20 navigation gestures one by one.
Please note, we use “tap” in this guide. Other developers or writers may prefer “press”. They are identical for touchscreen gestures.
The tapping gesture (aka single tapping), as shown in the animation below, requires you touch somewhere on the Galaxy S20 screen once, then move your finger away from the screen.
This gesture will be then registered as tapping, which is one of the most fundamental Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures. It corresponds to “click” when using a mouse.
The outcome of the tapping gesture depends on what you tapped.
Here are some example of using tapping gesture on Galaxy S20:
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the 5 different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 and shows you how and when to use them.
As Samsung updates the Camera app with the Android OS (and One UI), you can find the Samsung Camera app on Galaxy phones with identical Android (and One UI) version is almost identical. Therefore, this guide applies to most Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 (and One UI 2.5), for example, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20.
By default, most Galaxy S20 owners use the shutter button (aka capture button) in the preview screen to take photos or record videos.
But occasionally, you may find it is not convenient to use the shutter button when taking selfies, especially when you want to include more people or the background and therefore you have to stretch your arm out.
For owners who get used to a point-and-shoot camera or DSLRs, a physical shutter button is always preferred. Unfortunately, all Android phone manufacturers are trying to minimize the number of physical buttons (and ports).
The good news is Samsung has maintained alternative shooting methods in their Galaxy phones. Therefore you can use volume keys, voice control, floating button, and palm to take photos and record videos.
In the Galaxy S20 Camera app, you can use at least the following 5 shooting methods:
We will explore them later (read on). By default, voice control and floating button are disabled on Galaxy S20.
As mentioned, two of the additional methods (voice control and floating shutter button) are not enabled by default; therefore, you need to enable them before you can use them.
You can manage, enable, and disable individual shooting methods in Galaxy S20 camera settings.
You can use various … Read the rest
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When the feature was first introduced in Galaxy S10, the battery limit for wireless Powershare is fixed at 30% (of the phone battery). In Android 10 update for Galaxy S10 and Note 10, Samsung allows owners to raise the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare.
Galaxy S20 also allows you to adjust the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare. And it works identically to Galaxy S10 and Note 10.
This Galaxy S20 guide shows you how to adjust the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare on Galaxy S20, S10, and Note 10. Some questions on setting the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare are also answered.
Wireless PowerShare turns your Galaxy S20 into a Qi-wireless charger. So, you can use your Galaxy S20 to charge accessories and even other phones that support wireless charging.
The typical usage of Wireless PowerShare is to charge your smartwatch, earbuds (e.g., Samsung Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+) with your Galaxy S20's battery. You can use it to charge other phones. But the speed is not so fast (it is the standard wireless charging. No fast wireless charging.)
Samsung first introduced this feature with Galaxy S10. It is one of a few well-received new features in Galaxy S10. Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S20 implemented the wireless Powershare similarly.
A detailed guide on how to use Wireless PowerShare can be found here. It applies to all Samsung devices supporting Wireless PowerShare.
The original implementation of the Wireless PowerShare in Galaxy S10 and Note 10 hardcoded a battery limit of 30%. Wireless Powershare will stop automatically if the phone battery is lower than 30% of its full capacity.
Because the phone battery drains faster (most of us can “feel” it) when the battery level is low, some owners want to reserve more battery, especially when charging other phones. The 30% limit may be too low for them.
So, in Android 10 update, Samsung added the option for you to set battery limit for Wireless PowerShare on Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10. Galaxy S20 has this feature from day 1.
Please note some official Samsung Galaxy S20 cases, like Galaxy S20 LED View Cover, Galaxy S20 Clear View /S View Cover, and Galaxy S20 LED back cover, may affect wireless … Read the rest
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But these are not industrial standards, although there are some industrial standards behind.
So, as an owner of Galaxy S20, you may be confused with the Qualcomm quick charge (QC) or USB power delivery.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the meaning of fast charging, adaptive fast charge, super-fast charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0, and the link to industrial standards.
Before you charge Galaxy S20 battery, you may need to understand some jargons used on “fast” charging.
The old USB charger usually charges up to 5W (5V, 1A). The fast USB charging usually refers to charging up to 10W (5V, 2A).
But Samsung coined “adaptive fast charging” for charging up to 15W (9V, 1.67A) since Galaxy S6. Up to Galaxy S10, the 15W adaptive fast charger had been bundled with Galaxy S and Note devices.
Adaptive fast charging supports both 10W USB fast charging, and 15W proprietary fast charging. The 15W fast charging can be activated only when the battery level is lower than about 60%.
Samsung minted “super-fast charging” when Galaxy Note and Note 10+ were announced last year. It refers to up to 25W charging for Galaxy Note 10, and up to 45W for Galaxy Note 10+.
Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ support super-fast charging up to 25W, and Galaxy S20 Ultra up to 45W, as explained in the differences among Galaxy S20 models.
Adaptive fast charging and super-fast charging were not industrial standards. Samsung minted them.
The industrial standards related to USB charging for phones have two different sets:
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the role of the display refresh rate on Galaxy S20, how to change the refresh rate on Galaxy S20, the limitations of the 120Hz refresh rate on Galaxy S20. Some questions you may have on this feature are also addressed.
The display refresh rate feature on three Galaxy S20 phones are identical. So, S20 in this refers to Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
The display refresh rate measures the number of times per second the display can redraw the whole screen. So, the unit of the refresh rate is Hertz (Hz, 1/s).
For most smartphones, the display refresh rate is 60Hz. And it is good enough for most users.
Most videos have a frame rate of 24~30 fps (frames per second). Loosely, you can think one frame means one static image on the screen.
So, as long as the refresh rate is higher than the fps of the video, we say the display can handle the video. You can watch the video on such a display.
In reality, the 60Hz display refresh rate allows you to watch the video smoothly.
But some users, mainly gamers, may prefer a higher refresh rate to enjoy more realistic gaming experiences.
The hardware and the software on Galaxy S20 are capable of generating graphic output at very high speed, far higher than 60fps even at the full WQHD resolution.
So, some games can benefit from the high fps if the display can handle the output smoothly.
Galaxy S20 answers such demands with the 120Hz refresh rate display.
As mentioned, the 120Hz refresh rate is not for everyone. You will see the difference if:
Anyway, as a new feature of Galaxy S20, the 120Hz refresh rate display (motion smoothness) may improve your experiences with a few games and videos.
By default, the Galaxy S20 display refresh rate is et at 60Hz. You can change it to 120Hz in the motion smoothness settings.
Please note, the 120Hz refresh rate is not … Read the rest
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The built-in Galaxy S20 screenshot toolbar can also further help you take screenshots for elongated pages automatically, edit, and share the captured screenshots efficiently.
This Galaxy S20 guide shows you the 4 easy ways to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 without using any third-party apps and explains how to use the screenshot toolbar to take a screenshot for scrollable pages, edit, share, and add tags to the captured screenshot.
This guide applies to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and S20 Ultra, although we use Galaxy S20 in the text.
Taking screenshots on Galaxy S20 is not only easy but also fun. There are a few different ways to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 without using any third-party apps.
In this guide, I will show you the four easiest ways to take screenshots on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
In all Android devices, the built-in method of taking a screenshot is holding the power key and volume down key simultaneously.
On Galaxy S20, the Side key replaces the traditional power key.
So, the corresponding method of taking a screenshot on Galaxy S20 is to hold the Side key and volume down key simultaneously, as illustrated below (you may check Galaxy S20 layout on the location of the side key and volume key).
The only requirement is to hold the two keys simultaneously. It needs some practice if you are new to this method:
Anyway, you may try to hold the Side key slightly earlier than the volume down key.
The funniest way to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 is to swipe your palm over the screen, as illustrated below.
This method is a bit tricky. Your palm should “slightly” touch the screen.
If the palm is too far from the screen, then swipe will not be registered. If it touches the screen too hard, then the swipe may be registered as a touchscreen gesture… Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 how-to guide explains what Samsung Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is, how to access this mode with two different gestures, and what you can do in the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode to customize Galaxy S20 Home screen.
The Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is identical on all three models of Galaxy S20. So this guide applies to Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
The quickest way to customize the Galaxy S20 Home screen is to use the edit (customization ) mode.
Sometimes the home screen edit mode may be referred to the Home screen customization or settings page. But on Galaxy S20, Samsung added a dedicated Home screen settings page. In the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode, there is a shortcut to this home screen settings page.
Besides, after Android 5.0 removed the Widgets tab in the Apps screen, the only way to manually add widgets to the Galaxy S20 Home screen is through the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode.
You can imagine the Galaxy S20 home screen edit mode is a special page hiding behind the Home screen. You can quickly access it to customize the Galaxy S20 Home screen and change the home screen settings.
You can access the edit mode of Galaxy S20 Home screen with two different gestures, as illustrated in the screenshot below.
You can tap and hold (aka long tap) any blank area (that is not occupied by the app icons, widgets, pinned files, picture frames …) on the Home screen.
The gap between any two app icons is also a blank area.
You can pinch over the home screen to enter the edit mode.
The purpose of the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is for you to quickly customize the Home screen. For example, you can quickly disable (hide) the Samsung Daily on the Galaxy S20 home screen, or customize the … Read the rest
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Luckily, you can easily disable or hide Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) on Galaxy S20 Home screen.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Samsung Daily is, why you should disable/hide it, and how to hide it on Galaxy S20.
Please note, Samsung preinstalled the Samsung Daily as a system-essential app. So, you cannot disable it or remove it from the phone. You can only disable or hide Samsung Daily from Galaxy S20 home screen.
Samsung Daily is a software (app) feature. It works on all three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra) identically.
Samsung Daily was introduced in Samsung's Android 10 update for Galaxy S10 last year.
Although the name is now, Samsung Daily is simply a rebranded Bixby Home, which more than 90% of Galaxy owners turned off (or tried to turn off) on old generations of Galaxy Phones.
By default, Samsung Daily occupies the leftmost panel of Galaxy S20 Home screen. It mimics the Google (Google Now) page on the stock Android.
It supposes to deliver relevant and customized info for you by crawling your emails, calendar, messages, reading history, location, and other private info. It is Samsung's version of Google Now page.
Because Samsung preinstalled the Samsung Daily as an essential app (part of the launcher), you cannot uninstall or disable it on Galaxy S20.
The good news, like in Galaxy S8, S9, and S10, you can hide Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20 very easily. So, we did not list it as one of the worst Galaxy S20 features.
I am not a fan of Bixby Home or Samsung Daily. We always recommend Galaxy phone owners to disable it.
You may also consider to hide or disable Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20 home screen for the following three reasons.
Google Assistant is unarguably superior to Bixby. Period.
So, the info delivered from Bixby Home (Samsung Daily) generally is less useful than asking Google Assistant.
Some processing jobs (e.g., analyze your habits/preferences), are done in the cloud. This means Samsung need to … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 home screen panels are, what is the home panel of the Galaxy S20 Home screen and how to assign the home panel, how to manage (add, remove and relocate) home screen panels on Galaxy S20.
Galaxy S20 home screen panels are part of Samsung One UI launcher (aka Samsung launcher). So, this guide applies to all other Samsung Galaxy phones with One UI, for example, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy Note 8.
Each page of the Galaxy S20 Home screen is usually called a panel. So, home screen panels are just “pages” of your Galaxy S20 Home screen.
By default, when you unlock Galaxy S20, you will go to the home panel (read on) of Galaxy S20 Home screen (or last opened app).
Among all Galaxy S20 home screen panels, the following items are identical on all pages:
You need to use multiple home screen panels to accommodate:
When you put the apps on the Galaxy S20 Home screen, you can access them quickly without navigating to the Apps screen.
For widgets, you can only use them on the home screen.
Besides, on Galaxy S20, Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) always occupies the leftmost panel. You may follow this guide to hide or disable Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) on Galaxy S20. Please note, there is no way to remove it unless you root the phone or use other launchers.
Because there are multiple home screen panels on Galaxy S20, you need to designate one as the “home” of the Galaxy S20 Home screen.
By default, the panel next to Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) is assigned as the “home” of Galaxy S20 Home screen. Of course, you can assign any panels (pages) as the home of the home screen panels.
The role of this panel is to represent the end … Read the rest
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You can choose to show all notification icons, last 3 icons, or the total number of notification icons in Galaxy S20 status bar.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the details of Galaxy S20 status bar, the icon arrangements, and how to customize notification icon style in Galaxy S20 status bar to hide notification icons, show 3 recent icons, show all notification icons, or only show the number of notifications in the status bar.
Please note, the status bar and notification icons work identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, although there are significant differences among these 3 phones.
Like all other Android phones (even iPhones), the top part of the Galaxy S20 screen is reserved for the system to show status icons and notification icons.
As shown in the screenshot below., a typical Galaxy S20 status bar has two parts separated by the punching hole of the front-facing camera:
Since Galaxy S8, Samsung allows you to limit the total number of notification icons on the status bar. Galaxy S20 allows more options to customize notification style on the status bar.
Actually, all Galaxy phones with the Android 10 update has a similar feature.
You may notice the dot icon, as shown in the screenshot above (marked in the green circle), on the rightmost of the status bar.
The dot icon in the Galaxy S20 status bar means “and more”. In other words, the dot icon tells you there are more than 3 notifications icons.
By default, Galaxy S20 status bar only displays up to 3 notification icons. If there are more than 3, the most recent 3 notification icons will be shown and the dot icon starts to appear.
Of course, you can change this default behaviour to customize notification icon style on Galaxy S20 status bar (read on).
Anyway, do not be panic when you see the dot icon on the status bar.
You may check this guide to understand the meaning of the status … Read the rest
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You may also want to use one of the three Galaxy S20 sound modes in different scenarios to allow or mute all ringtones and notifications.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the volume slider and how to use it to adjust volume for media, ringtones, notification tones, alarms, and system sound, how to use Galaxy S20 Settings to set sound modes, adjust the volume, and turn on /off some system sound.
We all know we can use the volume keys to adjust the volume for media when playing music or video.
But when you are not playing any media, what happens if you press the volume key (volume up or volume down) on Galaxy S20?
It actually shows the volume slider. By default, it adjusts the volume for the ringtone. Of course, you can change this behaviour (read on)
On most of other Android 9 and 10 phones, the volume keys always adjust the media volume. Google removed the volume slider on the Android Pie (Android 9) in stock Android. But Samsung has kept the similar volume slider on all Galaxy phones for many years (since Android 4.0).
So, this guide only applies to Samsung phones, not other Android phones.
As shown in the screenshot below, you will see the volume slider once you press volume down or volume up key.
Tap the down arrow to expand it.
In the expanded Galaxy S20 volume slider, you can control and adjust the volume for:
Please note, you cannot adjust alarm volume in the volume slider. The volume for each alarm needs to be set up individually in the Clock app.
You can drag the slider to the right side to increase the volume and left to decrease. If you drag the slider all the way to the left, you are essentially mute that sound.
You may also tap the icon on the left side to mute that sound quickly. For example, you can tap the ringtone icon to immediately mute ringtone. If you tap it again, the volume will be reset … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide illustrates the contents in Galaxy S20 box and explains to you how to use them (including the phone, wall charger, clear back cover, USB cable, USB-C headset with additional ear tips, and SIM card tray ejection pin).
The contents (items) in Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are almost identical except the phone, although there are significant differences among these 3 models.
So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all of these 3 models: Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
As shown in the picture below, after unboxing Galaxy S20, there are at least following 7 items in the Galaxy S20 box:
Of course, you can also find some leaflets and inserts depending on the region/distributor.
Among the leaflets, you can find the quick start guide and safety information sheet.
In a few regions, a USB adapter may be included in the box.
Now, let's go through the items in the Galaxy S20 box one by one.
Of course, this is the main and the most expensive item in the box. Others are just “accessories”.
In many regions, Samsung does not offer a one-for-one exchange. If you find any problems after leaving the counter, you need to claim the warranty.
So, you should check the phone on the spot. If there are any issues, you can choose not to accept the item.
Because of the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader which is one of the worst “innovations”, some tempered glass screen protectors will not work with the fingerprint sensor.
In most regions, Samsung pasted (pre-installed) a plastic screen protector on the screen already. The quality of the screen protector is actually quite good. And most importantly, it works nicely with the in-display fingerprint reader.
If you need a screen protector, you should not remove it before you get a new one. If you try to re-apply the screen protector, very likely, you will get many bubbles.
You … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains how Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB work on Galaxy S20 and computers, when you may need this thumb drive, how to mount, unmount and access Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C on Galaxy S20, S10, S9 and S8, and when you should use the companion Memory Zone app and when not.
This is a continuation of this post which shows how to use the external USB drive on Galaxy S8, S9, S10, and S20 and explains the limitations and caveats of using a USB thumb drive. In this post, we focus on a specific product: Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C. It is one of the most reliable dual USB thumb drives that work on both PC and smartphones.
Traditionally, a USB device can be a master (host) or a salve (peripheral). When using a smartphone as a USB device, traditionally, the smartphone will be a slave device. For example, when you connect Galaxy S6 to the PC, it will be shown as a storage device. You cannot access the PC storage from the phone.
USB OTG (USB On-The-Go) standard allows a device to perform both master and slave roles.
To use USB accessories or peripherals (for example, USB Ethernet, USB MIDI) on the smartphone (which becomes a USB host), you need to meet two requirements:
So, it is a bit complicated to use a thumb drive on the phone with a micro USB port. If the phone does not support USB OTG, then you cannot use it at all.
USB-C (USB Type C) dramatically simplifies it.
In USB -C specifications, the smartphone just needs to support the dual-role port (DRP). Then all USB accessories with a USB-C connector/port can be paired to the phone as a slave device. So, you can use the USB … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 camera guide shows you why you get the mirrored photo by default, how to change the default setting to avoid mirrored selfies on Galaxy S20, and how to edit (flip) the existing mirrored photos on Galaxy S20 with the Gallery app.
Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra share the identical front camera settings, so, this guide applies to all these 3 Galaxy S20 models although we only use S20 in the text.
When using the Galaxy S20 front camera, on the preview screen, you will see yourself (and everything) like using a mirror.
All smartphone cameras are designed and coded to work in this way. It is not by a random mistake.
It is actually related to the visual perception of seeing ourselves. Most of the time, we see ourselves through mirrors. Therefore, our brains train us to recognize such images. When we are in a video call, we will perceive our “flipped” video as natural and usual.
If you give a flipped and non-flipped selfie of a person to himself, very likely, he will tell you the flipped one is “more” natural until he notices the reversed (and therefore strange) text.
When Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210 first introduce the front-facing camera in 1999, it was mainly designed for video calls, although it can take photos as well.
But if you look at the mirrored photos carefully, you will notice it is hard to read the text, whose direction is reversed. It is similar to the text in an ambulance car. The text in the ambulance car is mirrored so that drivers can read it correctly from the rearview mirror and give way to it.
Anyway, it is a standard implementation in the industry to flip front-camera photos.
Of course, as the photos or selfies are just mirrored (flipped), you can easily flip them back.
And most smartphones offer the option for you to flip back the mirrored photos when saving them.
As mentioned, you can flip the mirrored photos on Galaxy S20 (read on). But sometimes, many users may want to avoid the flipped photos when tapping the shutter button.
Please note, there is NO way … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 5 new features of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra: better cameras, larger battery, Less curved screens, 120Hz refresh rate, and faster CPU. We did not include some new features that are available only in some regions, like eSIM support.
Please note, although Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra differs in some aspects as explained in this guide. They share many common features. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 usually refers to all three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra) by default.
The No.1 reason you may consider to choose or upgrade to Galaxy S20 is the camera.
If you are happy with the camera on your current phone, there is NO reason to change or upgrade to Galaxy S20. Period.
As explained in the differences among Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, the cameras in Galaxy S20 and S20+ are similar. What differs Galaxy S20 camera from competitors is the camera on Galaxy S20 Ultra.
For the front camera, Galaxy S20 and S20+ share the identical 10MP camera sensor with last year's Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. They are only slightly better than the front cameras on Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10e.
But S20 Ultra is a different story.
The 40MP front camera on Galaxy S20 Ultra is a significant improvement compared to previous models. In low-light conditions, Galaxy S20 Ultra can combine 4 pixels into one and delivers better quality 10MP photos.
Please note, all 3 models of Galaxy S20 only have single front camera sensor. There is no secondary front camera as in Galaxy S10+.
Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ share similar wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle camera sensors as in last year's Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10. The increase of the pixel size on Galaxy S20 and S20+ will definitely improve the photo quality when the lighting condition is not ideal.
The 64MP telephoto camera sensor in Galaxy S20 and S20+ is a big improvement from the 12MP telephoto sensor in Galaxy S10, S10+, Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains how to set and customize Galaxy S20 ringtones for each SIM card (if you are using two SIM cards) without installing any third-party apps, and how to customize ringtone for individual contacts so that you can “hear” who is calling when the phone rings.
This guide works on not only all Galaxy S20 (Galaxy S20, 20+, and S20 Ultra), but also all Galaxy phones with Android 10, including Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note10, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy Note 9.
The default Galaxy S20 ringtone can cause confusion when there are a couple of Samsung phone users in the same room because most Galaxy phones use the same default ringtone.
So, in this case, it is wise to change the default ringtone to something else.
Sometimes, you may want to know who is calling without looking at the phone. Especially, you don't want to miss some calls from a few important contacts. A customized ringtone for individual contact can solve your problem.
Some owners of the dual SIM versions of Galaxy S20 may use the two SIM cards (including eSIM) for different purposes. Of course, you may want to set a memorable ringtone for each SIM card so that you can hear which SIM card is called.
In short, you may consider to change or customize Galaxy S20 ringtone:
Galaxy S20 allows you to choose from many pre-installed ringtones, or select your own music or audio files.
You may follow these steps to change Galaxy S20 ringtone for individual SIM card.
You can open Galaxy S20 setting in many different ways, for example:
As shown in the screenshot below, in Galaxy S20 Setting page, tap Sounds and … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 5 worst features of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra: in-display fingerprint scanner, curved screen, no headphone jack, no QC 3.0-, and the price.
Samsung introduced the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor in Galaxy S10.
It's probably one of the worst features in S10 and S10+. Luckily, you can still choose Galaxy S10e if you need a better fingerprint reader.
The in-display fingerprint reader in most cases is less accurate, slower, and inconvenient. It is an example of meaningless innovation for smartphones.
Samsung since then added this not-ready features to all of their “flagship” smartphones to differentiate them from other Android phones (because only a few Chinese brands used similar or even worse in-display fingerprint read).
If you skip the fingerprint reader, then you have only the less secure face recognition for biometric authentications. The default behaviour of face recognition in Galaxy S20 is that you have to swipe on the lock screen after the phone is unlocked. You need to follow this guide to disable the stay on the Lock screen.
All of the three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra) use the same in-display fingerprint sensor.
If you need a normal fingerprint reader, you should eliminate Galaxy S20 from your list.
Although Samsung claimed they improved the fingerprint sensor, for example, a larger touch area (see Galaxy S20 layout) and faster recognition, it is still inferior to most of the capacitative fingerprint readers found in many middle-range smartphones.
You will feel the pain sooner or later. Especially, in the dry winter, it is almost impossible to use the in-display fingerprint reader.
So, we consider the in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is the worst of the worst features of Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and S20 Ultra.
Samsung “invented” the curved screen in Galaxy Note Edge (Note 4 Edge) with a separated curved edge screen, which nobody likes.
Samsung is so proud of their curved screens that they want to make it a signature feature of their top-tier smartphones, although it reduces the usability of the phone.
Since Galaxy S6, the curved screen became an option: you … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the Galaxy S20 LED back cover unique features including mood lighting. LED icons, the camera LED icon, and camera timer countdown, and how to use and customize these features. Galaxy Friends features for Galaxy S20 LED cover are explained. A concise review of Galaxy S20 LED back cover is also included in this guide to help you decide whether you should get this cover or not.
The features of the LED cover on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are identical, although the physical dimensions of the case for these 3 phones are different. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
Samsung introduced the first generation of LED back cover with Galaxy S10. It was slightly changed for Galaxy Note 10 (and Note 10+).
So, Galaxy S20 LED back cover (aka Galaxy S20 LED cover in some regions) is actually the second generation of this cover with dramatic changes in materials.
Please do not confuse LED back cover with Galaxy S20 LED View (wallet) cover. The later is a flip cover with a pocket inside for a card. While Galaxy S20 LED back cover (or Galaxy S20 LED cover) is a one-piece back cover.
The unique features of the Galaxy S20 LED back cover includes:
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains when you need to lock the Galaxy S20 Home screen layout, how to do it, and the side effects of locking the layout of Galaxy S20 Home screen.
Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra share the same launched and the identical home screen settings. So this guide applies to all Galaxy S20 phones, although we use Galaxy S20 in the guide.
Besides, because locking the home screen layout is a feature of Samsung's One UI launcher, you can find and use this feature on all other Galaxy phones with One UI, including, Galaxy S8, S9, S10, Note 8, Note 9, and Note 10, as well.
Thanks to the useless “curved” screen since Galaxy S6 edge, you may very easily touch the screen inadvertently and therefore move or remove some app icons or widgets on the Home screen.
Although Galaxy S20 makes the curved part of the screen less obvious, it is still a big distraction and a big waste (of usable screen space).
So, it is not uncommon that you may get surprised at the “new” Galaxy S20 Home screen: some app icons disappear, some app icons moved.
In the worst scenario, you may uninstall some apps inadvertently from the Galaxy S20 home screen when the phone is in your pocket or bag.
You can minimize such accidental modifications by locking the home screen layout.
Please note, when you boot Galaxy S20 into safe mode using hardware buttons, widgets may be removed even you lock the home screen layout, as explained here.
By default, the layout of the Galaxy S20 Home screen is not locked.
For example, when you install new apps on Galaxy S20, the app icon (a shortcut to the app) will be added to the Galaxy S20 Home screen.
To lock the Galaxy S20 Home screen, you may follow the following steps.
The quickest way to access Galaxy S20 Home screens settings is through the edit mode.
On Galaxy S20 Home screen, you can pinch to enter the edit mode of Galaxy … Read the rest
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This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 10 differences of these 3 models to help you choose the correct Galaxy S20 model for your needs. The major differences among Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 ultra include screen size, price, rear camera system, front camera, battery capacity, RAM, storage, colour options, weight and charging speed.
Please note, in some regions, the configuration options (RAM, storage, colour, 5G, LTE) may be limited. But software features are all identical in these three Galaxy S20 phones.
All of the three phones share the same screen resolution (WQHD+, 3200×1440) and display technology (Dynamic AMOLED 2X).
And all of the three phones support 120Hz refresh rate (at 1080p resolution) as explained in this page. FYI, most of the mainstream TVs, smartphones, PC monitors, laptop screens have a refresh rate of 60Hz.
But the size of the screen differs on these 3 phones:
The size difference between Galaxy S20 and the other two big brothers is obvious. Between Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra, the difference is not so obvious.
In addition to the size, the curvature of the edge of the screen also differs noticeably among these 3 phones. Galaxy S20 screen is the flattest. Galaxy S20 Ultra has the sharpest curvature.
Please note, the aspect ratio of the screen on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is 20:9. So, Galaxy S20 looks narrower than Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 (19:9), and therefore the 6.9″ Galaxy S20 Ultra is narrower than the 6.8″ Galaxy Note 10+ (76mm vs 77.2mm in width).
What is common in the price of the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is expensive.
Among these 3 expensive Galaxy S20 models, Galaxy S20 Ultra is the most expensive starting at $1399 (with the base configuration).
Galaxy S20 starts at $999, and S20+ at $1199. These are for base (aka, minimum) configurations only, again.
This is a huge jump from the Galaxy S10 series.
It seems Samsung cannot make the best Android phone. But they can make the most expensive mainstream Android phones.
Actually, Galaxy S20 is more expensive than the latest iPhone 11 Pro, which starts at $999 only.
Surely, this price is not sustainable. … Read the rest
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Actually, the camera in S20 Ultra probably is the only reason for you to migrate to Galaxy S20 as explained in this post.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the details of Galaxy S20 hybrid optic zoom and super-resolution zoom, the differences between these two zooms, and their relationships with the optical zoom and digital zoom.
Please note, Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra have different camera configurations as explained in this page. 10x hybrid optical zoom and 100x Super Resolution zoon can only be found on Galaxy S20 Ultra. Galaxy S20 and S20+ only have 3x hybrid zoom and 30x super-resolution zoom.
You may check this guide to learn to use the new Galaxy S20 camera app and this guide (coming soon) on how to use the hybrid optical zoom and super-resolution zoom.
When taking photos or shooting videos, you may want to change the focal length of the photo. Sometimes you want to take a “close-up” (zoom-in) photo or wide ones (zoom-out).
This has been easily implemented on the cameras using a lens with controllable focal length. Even most sub-$300 point-and-shoot cameras are equipped with a lens which can offer 10x to 30x optical zoom.
But for smartphones, these traditional lenses cannot be used due to thinness fo the smartphone. The higher zoom levels usually mean a longer (thicker) lens.
So, up to now, the flagship smartphones usually stop at 3x optical room simply because of the thickness limitations fo the phone.
The zoom achieved through changing the focal length in the optical system is called “optical zoom”.
You should not be confused the optical zoom with the digital zoom, which can be found in almost all smartphones.
Digital zoom does not special hardware. In plain terms, it works in two stages:
So, basically, the digital zoom is just an image editing.
When resizing the cropped photo, the actual “pixels” captured by the camera sensor cannot be increased. The software has to “create” some pixels to fill the space.
Of course, some vendors may use … Read the rest
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Samsung improved a lot for the Clear View (S View ) covers in recent years for the S-View window design and materials.
This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the improvements of the Galaxy S20 Clear View cover, how the S View cover works and unique features of the Clear View cover, shows you how to use the cover to show notification icons, to accept/reject calls, and to control music playing, The guide also shows you how to use the Always-on Display (AOD) on Galaxy S20 Clear View cover. At the end of the guide, a concise no-nonsense review of Galaxy S20 S View cover is included.
Due to the difference in dimensions and cutouts of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, you need to get the Galaxy S20 cover based on your phone model. The features, functions, and usage of the cover are identical on all these 3 Galaxy S20 phones.
Samsung changed the design of the Galaxy Note 10 Clear View cover dramatically (compared to S10 clear view cover) by introducing the long (and narrow) S View window.
Galaxy S20 clear view cover is clearly a refinement of Galaxy Note 10 clear view cover.
Here are the three new features or improvements of Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover.
The full screen S View window as in Galaxy S10 Clear View cover is a fingerprint magnet. Also, the cover only utilizes a small portion of the display (that is why it was named as S View window).
Galaxy Note 10 Clear View Cover is a good experiment for the new S View window. The long and narrow S View window is perfect for most owners. You can easily peek the S View window to see the notifications and time when it is on the desk.
Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover uses a similar S View window. But it is integrated into the front piece in a more natural way (read on),
In Galaxy S20, the new S View window is not on the edge of the front piece. Instead, it is embedded inside … Read the rest
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The data can be migrated to Galaxy S20 include photos, videos, music, messages, call logs, contacts, files, calendar events, alarms, and apps from Play Store and Galaxy Store
There are many solutions for you to migrate data to Galaxy S20 from your Android and iOS devices. Samsung Smart Switch is the best (and free) solution.
This Galaxy S20 guide explains the data and platform support of Samsung Smart Switch, shows you how to migrate data to Galaxy S20 from your Android phones and iPhones.
Samsung offers a pre-installed tool, Samsung Smart Switch, on Galaxy S20 and most recent Galaxy phones. The tool is also available in the Google Play store for other Android phones including both Samsung and non-Samsung Android phones
You can migrate data to Galaxy S20 from the following mobile devices including:
In addition to the Smart Switch app, the PC and Mac versions of Smart Switch are also available for Windows and Mac OS.
When using Samsung Smart Switch, you can migrate the following data Galaxy S20 (depending on OS on the old phone).
You can review and select items to be transferred before migrating data to Galaxy S20.
Please note, system apps (e.g., camera app, Gallery app) will not be migrated.
You can choose one of the 4 connection types when you migrate data to Galaxy S20 with Samsung Smart Switch
You can connect Galaxy S20 to the old device with a USB cable. This is the fastest, easiest, and most reliable way to migrate data to Galaxy S20.
This connection method supports Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices. It is recommended for Android phones.
For Android smartphones with … Read the rest
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Enjoy your Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra!