Galaxy S7 Guides

Flipboard is a good app for reading news and feeds.  But you may want to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Why you may want to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Flipboard Briefing is a special version of Flipboard app for Samsung devices. Samsung wants to make flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge a personalized magazine so that you can get news from around the web based on your interest.

To be honest, Galaxy S7 Flipboard briefing has decent visual design for your stories.

The problem is that Samsung put the Flipboard briefing on the Galaxy S7 home screen with one dedicated panel.  It always occupies the leftmost Galaxy S7 home screen panel.

This is similar to Google Now page in Google Now launcher.  But Google Now is more useful and more intelligent.

You may want to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge:

• if you are not a fan of the app;
• if you prefer a widget style of the app so that you can put it on any home screen pages and re-size it;
• if you are happy with the standard Flipboard app;
• when you want to scroll through all home screen panels. When Flipboard briefing is enabled, you cannot scroll through it.
• if you want to save battery and data. Some pre-installed apps like this may suck battery and data very quickly in the background. The doze mode in Android Marshmallow usually excludes such apps.
• if you have privacy concerns on the app.

The good news is that it is very easy to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

How to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

To disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Return to home screen.

If you are using any apps, you can return to Galaxy S7 home screen by:

• tap Home button
• or tap Back button (may be a few times depends on the app you are using).

If you are not sure about the buttons on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, please check Galaxy S7 layout page.

Step 2: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen Edit mode

In Galaxy S7 home screen (or Galaxy S7 home screen), tap and hold any blank area as shown below.

Your Galaxy S7 home screen now enters Edit mode as shown below.… Read the rest

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Why you may want to disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Multi Window is actually one of the most useful features that Samsung introduced into Galaxy phones.

Initially, Multi Window was designed for Galaxy Note devices since Galaxy Note II with large screen so that owners can use two apps side by side.

You can also let one app (window is re-sizable) floating around and over another app. This is often referred as pop-up view.

So, Multi Window is a cool feature that Samsung phone users have enjoyed for years.  We have a detailed guide on how to use Multi Window on Galaxy devices.

FYI, Android will only start to offer similar multi window feature in the coming Android N (which is currently in Preview 2).

But for some owners, they may not use this feature. They want to disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Because it is so easy to enter Multi Window mode inadvertently.

It is a bit annoying when you enter Multi Window mode accidentally.

And to make it worse, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is very responsive: it responds so fast that you have no time to stop.

Sometimes,  Galaxy S7 responds to several accidental taps when you realized the error.

Tapping and holding left Recent button to enter Multi Window button is not the a good choice. Due to the tiny bezel, most Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 owners probably have entered Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge inadvertently at least a few times.

It is hard to avoid it.

Another way to enter Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is dragging down diagonally from either end of the top edge inside supported apps. This will convert the app to pop-up view (floating).

Some Galaxy S7 and S7 owners may also enter Multi Window mode accidentally through this method when they actually just want to scroll the page.

So, at least some Galaxy S7 and Galxy S7 edge owners are looking for settings to disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Unfortunately, since Galaxy S6, Samsung removed the settings entry to disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (and S6 as well).

Does it mean you cannot disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

No, you can still still disable Multi Window on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge with an app.… Read the rest

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The screen resolution of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 is WQHD (2560*1440). But this does not mean the phone always works on this resolution after you applied the Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

The new default screen resolution in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is FHD 1080p

After you got the long-awaited Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you may not notice the default screen resolution is actually Full HD 1080p (1920*1080).

Does it mean Android Nougat cannot handle WQHD?

Of course, not. Samsung scaled down the screen resolution of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in Android Nougat update to full HD because most users do not need WQHD for most apps and tasks.

In Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you can actually set the screen resolution to HD 720p, or 1080p (full HD), or 1440p (WQHD).

Some performance modes can also adjust screen resolution of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge automatically.

But the default screen resolution of 1080p probably is a good start point for most users.

Why Samsung scaled down the screen resolution in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

The purpose of scaling down the screen resolution to full HD 1080p in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is to save battery.

When you have more pixels (i.e., higher resolution) to light up, you need to use more power.

For full HD, it requires about 2 million pixels. For WQHD (1440*2560), it requires about 3.7 million pixels.

So a rough estimation shows scaling back to full HD can save about 45% battery from the screen.

Is full HD resolution enough for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

You may wonder whether this affects the “performance” of the screen.

The short answer is that for most owners, they cannot see any difference when the screen resolution was scaled down to full HD.

Human eyes always have a hard limit. Usually, when you hold your device 5 to 10 inches away from your eyes, human eyes cannot differentiate pixel density difference if the pixel density is higher than 300-400 ppi.

For Galaxy S7, the pixel density based on hardware specs, is about 577ppi. Galaxy S7 edge has a pixel density of about 534ppi.

If the screen resolution is scaled down to 1080p,  even Galaxy S7 edge still has a pixel density of about 400ppi.… Read the rest

The post How to change screen resolution of Galaxy S7 and S7 after Android Nougat update? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By default, Galaxy S7 camera timer is turned off.

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

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

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

You can find the following Galaxy S7 camera timer options:

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

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

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

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

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

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Galaxy S7 Settings is a special app for you to adjust system settings for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. This is similar to other Android phones.

So, it is almost certain tghat you will access and use Galaxy S7 Settings sooner or later.

This page shows you how to access Galaxy S7 Settings, how to use search feature in Galaxy S7 Settings and how to customize quick settings in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

This guide applies to both Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, although in the  text, only Galaxy S7 Settings (not Galaxy S7 edge Settings) is used.

How to access Galaxy S7 Settings?

You can access Galaxy S7 Settings in two different methods.  The outcome is identical.

Method 1: access Galaxy S7 Settings from notification panel

You can access Galaxy S7 notification panel by swiping downwards from top of the screen (status bar)  with one finger.

In the Galaxy S7 notification panel, you can then tap the Gear icon as shown below to access Galaxy S7 Settings.

This method is usually faster than the second method mentioned below.

Method 2: access Galaxy S7 Settings from Apps screen

You can also access Galaxy S7 Settings from Galaxy S7 Apps screen.

In Galaxy S7 apps screen, tap the Settings icon as shown below to access Galaxy S7 settings.

If you hide Galaxy S7 Apps screen, all apps will be placed in Galaxy S7 Home screen. You can then find the Settings icon in Galaxy S7 home screen.

Tap the icon similarly as shown below to launch the Settings app.

How to use Galaxy S7 Settings?

All user-accessible system settings can be accessed from Galaxy S7 Settings as shown below.

On the top right of Galaxy S7 Settings page, you can find Search button as shown below.

You can tap the Search button to search items among Galaxy S7 Settings. The search is limited to settings entries.

The first part in the page is quick settings section. You can put frequently used settings items  (up to 9) here so that you can access them without scrolling down. Please refer to next section on how to customize quick settings section.

Below quick settings, you can find all Settings entries for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung tried to categorize the settings entries into 5 groups:

• Connections related settings.  All icons in this group are in light blue.

… Read the rest

The post Use Galaxy S7 Settings appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Galaxy S7 Guides community@GadgetGuideOnline (GGO) likes to hear from you! You cam share your thoughts, questions, recommendations on Galaxy S7 in comments page of corresponding Galaxy S7 guides.

You can also reach us with the contact us form below.

Please note, this Galaxy S7  Guides community is NOT affiliated to Samsung in any way.

If you have any warranty issues on your Samsung Galaxy S7, please contact local Samsung service center.  You can also find the Samsung  service center information in the warranty card in your Galaxy S7 box.

If you have any specific problems with Galaxy S7, please check our Galaxy S7 how-to guides and Galaxy S7 online manual.

Very likely, the problem has been addressed in the guides or in the comments. If not, posting your questions in the comments usually let you get faster reply from other members or from us.

You can also read and download official Samsung Galaxy S7 user manual in your languages (in PDF format) and Galaxy S7 edge user manual in your own language.

You can also post any Galaxy S7 problems in our Facebook page.

We will try to answer your email as early as we can. But the reply usually is slower than answering questions in comments or in our Facebook page.

In addition, many other Galaxy S7 owners may help you find a solution if you post questions in comments section or Facebook page. So, we encourage you to post specific questions in comments section of relevant guide pages.

Please note, our reply cannot reach following email providers: Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail) and AOL. Please try to use Google Mail (GMail).

Again, you may get faster reply through comments box in relevant pages.

Want to learn how to use Samsung Galaxy S7? Check our Galaxy S7 how-to guides page.

Want to download official Galaxy S7 user manual (Galaxy S7 user guide) in your own languages? Check Samsung Galaxy S7 user manual page.… Read the rest

The post Contact Us appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are Galaxy S7 themes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to download and apply new Galaxy S7 themes?

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

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

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

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

Step 2: Enter Galaxy Theme store

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

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

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

Step 3: Select and download new Galaxy S7 themes

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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You can use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera

As explained in Galaxy S7 layout, there is a LED flash for the rear camera (main camera) in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

But many owners of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge may not be aware of that they can also use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera when taking selfies.

Of course, there is no LED flash in the front of Galaxy S7  or Galaxy S7 edge.

So, how to use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera?

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge can use the screen as flash so that your face will get better lighting conditions.

Because you are usually close to the screen when taking selfie, the additional light offered by the screen usually is sufficient for selfies even you are in total darkness.

Using screen as flash is not a new feature in Android phones. There are even some third-party apps  (e.g., this one)for this.

But for Samsung phones, this is new.  And it works surprisingly well.

How to use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera?

Just like for rear camera, you can set to use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera as the following 3 modes:

• Off.   This will not use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera when taking selfies.
• Auto.  Flash will be used only if the lighting conditions are not good. If this mode is used, you will see the flash icon if flash will be used as shown below.
• On. Flash will be always used regardless of the light conditions.

When flash is used for Galaxy S7 front camera, the screen will light up as white for 1-2 seconds and photos will be taken during this period.

Please note, when burst mode is used, flash will not work.  This is true for rear camera as well.

But you can use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera together will any of the 5 shooting methods for Galaxy S7 front camera and using volume keys to take photos.

Do you know how to enable and use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera when taking selfies in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

If you have any questions or encounter any problems to enable and use flash for Galaxy S7 front camera when taking selfies in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, please let us know your questions or problems in the comment box below.… Read the rest

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Why (and when) you want to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Cache partition is a special and separated region in the storage where Android saves frequently accessed data and app (including system apps) components in a special format.

The main purpose of cache partition in Android is to make the system “faster” by serving data and files in a special format from a specific location.

But occasionally,  cache partition may becomes a problem in performance or system stability  and you may want to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

For example, you may consider to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge:

• after a major system update. Although the update agent will wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge during the update and rebuild the partition, some problems may occur when migrating data and apps thereafter.
• when Galaxy S7 and S7 edge suddenly becomes very slow.  If the internal storage is sufficient and reboot the phone does not solve the issue, often, it is time to clear cache partition.
• when random apps crash frequently.  You may try to reboot the phone first to see whether the problem persists because sometimes the problem is caused by non-responsive system services. If this is the case, a reboot should solve the issue. But if the reboot does not solve the issue, you may consider to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
• when battery life is consistently poor. If you find battery life (usually screen-on time) is consistently poor (less than 3 hours, for example) without obvious abnormalities, you may try to wipe Galaxy S7 cache partition to see whether it helps.

Although it is simple to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you may seek assistance in Samsung service center if you are not comfortable to do it by yourself.

Is it safe to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

As cache partition is separated from your data and files in the storage, it is safe for your data and settings when you wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

In other words, your files, settings, apps will NOT be affected when clearing cache partition.

Will wiping cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge free up my internal storage?

… Read the rest

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What are direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Normally, when you want to call someone from your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you have to start the phone app or contacts app, find the contact, then dial.

Similarly, when you want to text someone, you have to start the messaging app, find the contact, compose the message, then send it from your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

But you may not know, you can use direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to speed up the process.

Direct dial allows you to dial someone by tapping one icon on the Galaxy S7 home screen. It is not necessary to start the dialer app, or to find the contact.

Direct message allows you to direct text someone without fiddling around the messaging apps or finding the contact.

Contact shortcuts allow you to open the contact from Galaxy S7 home screen. You can then choose to text, dial, or other actions from the home screen.

Anyway,  direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts  can save you tremendous time if you need call some contacts or text some contacts frequently.

Please note,  although this guide shows you how to use direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, these features are available in all Android devices. It is a native feature of Android (of all versions).

The only difference among different Android vendors, and different versions of Android,  is the way to add widgets for direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts  to home screen.

How to add direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts to Galaxy S7 home screen?

As mentioned, direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts are all widgets of the Contacts app in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

So,  to add direct dial, direct message and contact shortcuts to Galaxy S7 home screen, you can just add them as normal widgets as explained in this guide.

Step 1: Switch to edit mode of Galxy S7 home screen

You can switch to edit mode of Galaxy S7 home screen with one of the following two methods:

1. Pinch (to zoom in) in Galaxy S7 home screen (any home screen panels).
2. Tap and hold (aka long tap) any blank area in Galaxy S7 home screen (any panels).

Once in edit mode as shown below, tap Widgets.… Read the rest

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Samsung Galaxy S7 notification panel is a centralized location for all notifications from all apps on your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

This guide applies to Galaxy S7 edge notification panel as well, although Galaxy S7 notification panel is used in the guide.

How to access Samsung Galaxy S7 notification panel?

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

If you are in immersive full-screen mode (full-screen without status bar), you can just swipe from top of the screen to access Galaxy S7 notification panel.  You can in either landscape mode or portrait mode.

 

Please note, unlike other Android phones, Samsung Galaxy S7 only use one finger to access notification panel.

If you swipe down from top of screen with 2 fingers, or swipe down twice with one finger, you will get the Quick Setting buttons panel, not Galaxy S7 notification panel.

Samsung Galaxy S7 notification panel for Galaxy S7 or S7 edge with single SIM card inside

Samsung Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) has two versions based on number of SIM card supported: single SIM version and dual SIM version of Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge).

For single SIM version of Galaxy S7 (S7 edge), you can put SIM card in slot 1 and slot 2 is for micro SD card.

For dual SIM version of Galaxy S7 9S7 edge), you can put either SIM card or micro SD card into slot 2 (but not bother) as explained in Galaxy S7 SIM card guide page.

If there is only one SIM card installed, Galaxy S7 notification panel will look like the screenshot shown below.

You can find the following components in Galaxy S7 notification panel (as shown above):

• Date and time 
• Settings icon.  Tap the icon to launch Galaxy S7 Settings
• Quick Setting buttons. Tap the icon to enable/disable the corresponding features.
• More button (for quick setting buttons). Tap the button to see all quick setting buttons (quick settings panel).  This is equivalent to swipe down again in notification panel. For more details on how to use quick setting button (and quick settings page), please check this guide.
• Brightness control.
• Quick connect.
• Notifications.  Some notifications are actionable. You can perform certain actions through notifications in Galaxy S7 notification panel.
• Notification settings.
• Clear button. Tap the button to dismiss all notifications (excluding on-going notifications, e.g,

… Read the rest

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Update 1: if your Galaxy S7 edge has been updated to Android Nougat, you will not be able to choose the different colours for each contact in People edge. Samsung removed the colour option in People edge in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 edge.

What is People edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+?

People edge is a special edge panel in the edge screen. It allows you to assign up to 5 favourite contacts to the edge panel so that you can contact them quickly from the edge screen.

You can also immediately know who is calling or texting you by checking the colour of edge lighting.

So, People edge is somehow similar to contact shortcut widget in the home screen. Both allow you to quickly contact these contacts without starting the phone or messaging apps.

But People edge has more advanced features, for example:

• You can assign different colours to different contacts so that you can know who is contacting you based on edge lighting colours.
• You can quickly check missed calls and notifications from the 5 contacts from edge screen and take quick actions. Of course, you can still check such notifications from the notification panel.
• You can use OnCircle in People edge to share multimedia contents.

In all Galaxy devices that support edge screen feature, namely, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+,  People edge is almost identical.

So, this guide applies to all of these devices although the screenshots in this guide are mainly taken from Galaxy S7 edge.

How to enable and manage People edge in Galaxy S7 edge?

People edge is one of the Edge panels.

To enable or disable People edge, you need to go to Settings— edge screen — Edge panels. In Galaxy Note 7, the path is Settings– Display– edge screen–edge panels.

In edge panels page as shown below, tap the checkbox in the top (marked as 1) to enable or disable People edge.

Tap the Pencil icon (marked as 2) to edit and configure People edge.

In People edge page, you can enable OnCircle as shown below.

To manage contacts for People edge, tap My people as shown below.… Read the rest

The post How to use People edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge (and Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+) appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Method 1: from notification panel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to guides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 How-to guides

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

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

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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What is Galaxy S7 lock screen?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to lock and unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen

You can lock the screen in different ways:

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

To unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen, you need:

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

Some apps can also turn on the screen.

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

How to set Galaxy S7 lock screen security?

… Read the rest

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What is edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge?

Edge lighting is a special edge screen feature for Galaxy S7 edge. Edge screen lights up when you receive a call or notification while Galaxy S7 edge screen is
facing downwards as shown below.

Edge lighting can be a quite interesting feature if you use it properly together with People edge (see this guide).

If People edge is activated, the edge screen lights up with a customized color when you receive a call or a notification from your priority contacts.

Edge lighting was first introduced in Galaxy S6 edge. So, it is not a new feature for Galaxy S7 edge.

But many Galaxy S7 edge owners may be not aware of  this interesting feature that cannot be found in any other Android devices.

How to enable edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge?

To enable edge lighting, go to Galaxy S7 Settings, tap Edge screen, tap Edge lighting.

Then tap the switch to activate it as shown below.

How to use quick replay with edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge?

In addition to lighting the edge screen on incoming calls and notifications, you can also reject incoming calls using custom rejection messages with edge lighting.

You can enable quick replay with edge lighting by tapping Quick reply as shown above.

Tap the switch near top right to enable quick reply.

Once quick reply is enabled, you can customize the quick reply message as shown above so that the caller will receive the message when the call is rejected.

When Galaxy S7 edge’s screen is facing downwards, you can hold your finger on the heart rate monitor sensor on the back of Galaxy S7 edge  for two seconds to reject calls as shown below.

FAQs on edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge

Q1: I enabled edge lighting, but it does not light up when it rings?

A1: Edge lighting works only when the phone screen is facing downwards on a flat surface.

Q2: Why does edge lighting only illuminate in one color regardless who is calling?

A2: You need enable and configure People edge to get assigned colors.  Please refer to this guide on using People edge.

Can you use edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge? Do you know how to use edge lighting on Galaxy S7 edge to reject calls and send a quick reply automatically

If you have any questions or encounter any problems on edge lighting for Galaxy S7 edge, please let us know your questions or problems in the comment box below.… Read the rest

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Why you get mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to avoid mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

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

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

Step 1: Start Camera appp.

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

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

Step 2: Switch to front camera

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

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

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

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

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

You can tap the switch to enable it.

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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What are widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge let you access partial features of the app without launching the app in your phone.

Essentially, widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are “at-a-glance” views of an app. It adds another quick way to use the app.

In other words, you can access some info or get control (partial) of the app directly from Galaxy S7 home screen.

So, you can use your Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in a more efficient way. For example, you can use widgets to make a call to a specific contact without fiddling around the phone app or contacts app as shown in this guide.

Please note, whether an app has widgets, and what functions and info are offered in the widgets,  are decided by the app developer, not Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

How to add widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

In old Android (prior to Android KitKat), widgets are listed in apps screen (app drawer).  There was usually a tab for widget.

In Galaxy S7 apps screen, you cannot find widgets with the default launcher or in Google Now launcher.

You can only access widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge through Galaxy S7 home screen in edit mode.

To add widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

There are two ways to enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (aka, access home screen options):

1. Pinch (to zoom in)in any home screen panels.
2. Tap and hold (long tap) on any empty area in any home screen panels.

The result is identical.

Step 2: Find a widget

Once in edit mode, tap Widgets as shown below.

You are now directed to the widget list page with all installed widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

You can navigate to different pages/panels by swiping left or right. You can also use the page indicator (white dots in default Galaxy S7 theme) to navigate through different panels.

Some apps may have more than one widget. This will be indicated by the number next to it,  and a “>” in a white circle.

For example, for Google+ app, as shown below, there are 2 widgets.  Tapping the “>”  button to find 2 of the widgets as shown below.

Some apps have only one widget.… Read the rest

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Why you may use Galaxy S7 camera modes?

By default, when you use Galaxy S7 main camera, the Auto mode will be used. For front-facing camera, the default Galaxy S7 camera mode is selfie mode.

The Auto mode (or selfie mode for front-facing camera) is usually sufficient for most users in most scenarios.

But sometimes, you may consider to use other Galaxy S7 camera modes. For example:

• if you want to have more control on ISO, exposure and white balance, you may want to use Pro mode.
• if you want to take a picture and modify it later with different focus, you may want to try Selective Focus mode.
• if you want take a panorama photo, of course,  you will try Panorama mode.
• if you want to include more people in selfie, you may want to use wide-selfie mode.

In addition, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge offer a few special camera modes, including hyperlapse, virtual shot, live broadcast, video collage. To use these Galaxy S7 camera modes, you have to manually change to it or create a Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut in home screen.

We will have individual guides on how to use these Galaxy S7 camera modes.

What are pre-installed Galaxy S7 camera modes?

The number of pre-installed Galaxy S7 camera modes may slightly different in different regions or on different carriers.

In most regions, the following Galaxy S7 camera modes are pre-installed for rear camera as shown below:

• Auto mode. This is the default mode for rear camera.
• Pro mode.
• Selective focus mode.
• Panorama mode.
• Video collage.
• Live broadcast.
• Slow motion.
• Virtual shot mode.
• Food mode.
• Hyperlapse mode.

For front-facing camera, the pre-installed Galaxy S7 camera modes include:

• Selfie mode (default).
• Wide selfie mode.
• Video collage.
• Live broadcast.
• Virtual shot mode.

How to change and use Galaxy S7 camera modes?

To change Galaxy S7 camera modes, you can tap Mode button as shown below in camera preview screen.

In the Galaxy S7 camera modes screen, select the camera mode you want to use as shown below.

Now, you Galaxy S7 camera switches to this new camera mode.

Please note, camera mode selection is not consistent.

When you launch Galaxy S7 camera next time, the default camera mode will be used again. Your previous selection for camera mode is not saved after you exit the camera app.

If you use certain Galaxy S7 camera mode often, you can add a camera mode shortcut to Galaxy S7 home screen.… Read the rest

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