Galaxy S7 Guides

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.

What are the 6 Galaxy S7 buttons?

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

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

In addition, Galaxy S7 has 2 capacitive buttons:

1. Back button
2. Recent button

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

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

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

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

Galaxy S7 Home button

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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What is Galaxy S7 screen grid in Galaxy S7 home screen and apps screen?

In Galaxy S7 and S7 edge home screen (actually, all Android devices), all app icons are arranged in rows and columns.  You are not allowed to put your app icon in arbitrary locations.

In other words, Galaxy S7 screen grid keeps your app icons aligned in both Galaxy S7 home screen and Galaxy S7 apps screen.

When you change the size of Galaxy S7 screen grid, the size of app icons in all grids (cells) will also be resized to match the change. In this way,  it is possible to slightly resize app icon size in Galaxy S7 home screen and apps screen.

Of course, there are many other ways to customize Galaxy S7 home screen for Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, for example, using Galaxy S7 themes.

Please note, the Galaxy S7 screen grid settings apply to both Galaxy S7 home screen and apps screen.  So, there are no separate screen grid settings for home screen and apps screen.

In Galaxy S7 home screen, there is a favorite tray (as shown below)in the bottom of all home screen panels except the Flipboard Briefing panel. This tray is NOT counted in the screen grid.

In other words, Galaxy S7 screen grid applies to the space above the favorite tray excluding the tray itself.  But the number of available (maximum) slots in the favorite tray is determined by number of columns in Galaxy S7 screen grid settings.

How to change Galaxy S7 screen grid to customize app icon size in home screen and apps screen?

To change  Galaxy S7 screen grid settings, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (home screen options)

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

The other way to enter home screen mode is to pinch in the home screen.

Please note, you can enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode in any home screen panels. It is not necessary to be from the home of home screen panels.

Step 2: Set and preview Galaxy S7 screen grid settings

In the edit mode of Galaxy S7 home screen as shown above, you can tap the Screen grid as shown above.… Read the rest

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What are Galaxy S7 wallpapers?

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

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

But you should not overdo it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tap Home screen as shown above.

Now you have 3 options:

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

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

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

Tap Home and lock screens as shown below.

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

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Edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge is the unique feature that differs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge from normal Samsung Galaxy S7. It allows you to access your favourite apps, tasks, contacts, and more from various edge panels.

Compared to Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S7 edge offers a polished edge screen.  It can be very useful even for ordinary users.

Please note, Edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge is a software feature. The curved screen is not a requirement for such a feature. Technically, any Android vendors can implement similar features on any Android phones.

But Samsung only implemented edge screen feature in edge variants of the phones.

Please note, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, and Galaxy Note 9 all have similar edge screen features. So this guide applies to all Galaxy S phones and Galaxy Note phones newer than Galaxy S7.  For Galaxy S9 and S9+, you may check this guide.

How to access edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge?

You can access edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge no matter the screen is on or off.

But the edge screen features you can access when the screen is off are different from those when the screen is on.

When the screen of Galaxy S7 edge is off

When the screen is off, you can only view edge feeds including notifications in the edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge.

When the screen is off (no matter Galaxy S7 always-on display is on or off), you can quickly swipe your finger along the edge screen in one direction, and then back in the opposite direction.

In other words, you can swipe  “V” or “^” in the edge of the screen to wake up edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge as shown below.

When the screen of Galaxy S7 edge is on

When the screen of Galaxy S7 edge is on, you can find the edge handle as shown in Galaxy S7 home screen.

If the edge panel handle is not visible, you can go to  Settings — Edge screen — Edge panels, and then tap the switch to activate edge panel handle.

To access edge screen on Galaxy S7 edge when the screen is on, you can drag the edge panel handle towards the centre of the screen. Then, swipe to the left or right to switch between the Edge panels as shown below.… Read the rest

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What is Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings page?

Samsung tried hard to make sure that Galaxy S7 camera is simple to use.  You can launch the camera app quickly thorough quick launch.  You also get a very clean Galaxy S7 camera app interface (preview screen).

For most Galaxy S7 or S7 edge owners, what you need do is to point and tap the shutter button.

But some times, some settings cannot be done in the Galaxy S7 camera preview screen. It is simply impossible to squeeze all settings into the preview screen.

So, for some settings, you have to set them in Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings page.

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for rear camera  are slightly different from those for front camera. This guide will try to cover both rear (main) camera settings and front (front-facing, secondary) camera settings.

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for rear camera

You can access Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for rear camera by:

1. Launch camera app in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. You have at least 4 different ways (including quick launch) to launch Galaxy S7 camera app as shown in this page.
2. In Galaxy S7 camera preview screen, make sure rear camera is using. If front camera is active, tap the switch button to switch to rear camera.
3. Tap Settings icon in Galaxy S7 camera preview screen.

You will get Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for rear camera as shown below.

Among these settings, if there is a switch in the right side, you can turn on or turn off the feature. For those without a switch, you can tap it to set it accordingly in a pop out window.

As shown above, you can find the following entries in Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings for rear camera.

1. Video size (rear)

You set the resolution and frame rate of the videos to be taken. High resolution or high frame rate will make your video look better, but they require more storage.

You need set this before recording the video.

Please read this guide on recommendations to set video size and photo size for Galaxy S7 camera in different scenarios

2. Motion photo

Motion photo is a new feature in Galaxy S7. Before pressing shutter button, Galaxy S7 camera can record a short (a few seconds) video clip thanks to the fast focus in Galaxy S7 camera sensor.… Read the rest

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We all hate app pushing pop up ads

As most of Galaxy S7 owners use a lot of free apps. We understand many app developers rely on ad revenue to pay their bills.

So, normally we can tolerate ads in apps without installing the ad blocker apps. Just FYI, some app blockers may replace original ads with their own ads. So these guys are using other developers’ work to earn money.

Anyway, the majority of Galaxy S7 owners may get angry when some apps push pop up ads which affect your phone usage unless you tap the ad or close the app.

Even worse, some nasty apps may push pop up ads when the app is NOT in use.  They deliberately to hide the app pushing pop up ads.

For example, as shown below, when I browsed my own website with Chrome browser, and suddenly, a pop up ads blocked my view as shown below.

I have no way to close this pop up ad. The X in the pop up ad actually direct me to Google Play store to install the poor app, or to some suspicious sites.

This is an example of malicious pop up ad. I believe most of us hate them.

I know I do not use such pop up ads in the website because this is our own website. I know the ad types and sources.

I know Chrome never push pop up ads.

I know my ISP does not have such a shabby business.

Then where does this pop ads come?

So I decided to dig it further to find out the app pushing pop up ads.

How to find out the app pushing pop up ads in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Such ads do not show all times.  Sometimes, it shows once a day or twice a day or every the other day.

I know such nasty pop up ads are pushed by some apps installed on my Galaxy S7 edge.  But you do not know which one because the app developer deliberately tried to hide app.

Initially, I thought, it is through notification. So, I disabled notification for most suspicious apps.

But this does not solve the issue. A developer told me it is from a running service, not through notification system.

And my friend shared his method to find out the app pushing pop up ads in Galaxy S7 .… 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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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.

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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Why take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

You may consider to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (print screen) when:

• you want to  share your achievements in a game/app;
• you need share a location in Google map;
• you want to share the content of a webpage, instead of the URL;
• you want to keep a record of online payments;
• …

Anyway, it is very easy to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. You do not need any apps to print Galaxy S7 screen.

Actually, there are at least 3 different methods to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge without using any apps.

This guide also show you how to use the new screen capture feature in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, scroll capture, which allows you to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 for long webpages or app pages that need more than one screen.

3 different methods to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

You can use any of the 3 methods to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge:

1. Home button+ Power button method
2. Palm swipe method
3. Assistant menu method

Among the 3 methods for screen capture on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge:

• Assistant menu method is the simplest. Your grandma can do it with one hand.
• Home button+ Power button method is the quickest.

Method 1: use Home button + Power button

Like in all previous Galaxy S devices, you can take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge by pressing and holding Home button and Power button simultaneously.  You may check this page on the button layout of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

This actually is the quickest method to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge if you get used to it.

Some Galaxy S7 owners may fail to get the screenshot usually because of one of the following two reasons:

1. they press the two buttons, but not hold the buttons until screenshot is taken.
2. they fail to hold the two buttons simultaneously.

In reality, you always hold one button earlier. But if you hold the button too long without holing the other button, you will get unexpected behavior:

• If you hold home button too early, you will get Google Now on tap.
• If you hold power button too early, you will get power options.

… Read the rest

The post How to take screenshot on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge without using any apps? And how to use Galaxy S7 scroll capture? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is Galaxy S7 camera voice control?

Galaxy S7 camera voice control allows you to use your voice to take photos, instead of tapping the camera shutter button.

You can speak to your Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge) to take photos when your hands are not free for the on-screen butotn.

As explained in this guide,  for the front camera in Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge,  you can have at least 5 different shooting methods, including using your voice.

But some methods, e.g., heart rate sensor, tap to take pic or gesture) do not work for the rear camera in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

So, for the rear (main) camera in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you can have at least 3 shooting methods:

• using the camera shutter button;
• using Galaxy S7 camera voice control;
• using the volume button.

Please note, although Galaxy S7 camera voice control works identically for the rear and front camera, the settings are independent.

This means you need to set up Galaxy S7 camera voice control for the front and rear cameras individually.

Also, you should not confuse Galaxy S7 camera voice control with Google Now voice control or S Voice.  Galaxy S7 camera voice control only works when camera app is active; while Google Now and S Voice can only open camera app.

How to enable Galaxy S7 camera voice control for the main (rear) camera?

To enable Galaxy S7 camera voice control for the main (rear) camera, you need launch camera app first.

In camera preview screen, you need to switch to rear camera if front camera is currently active. You can tap the camera switch button (illustrated in the green box in the screenshot shown below).

After switching to the rear camera (main camera), tap the settings button (gear icon as shown below).

In Camera settings page, tap Shooting methods (rear) as shown below.

If you can see Shooting methods (front) , it means you need to switch to rear camera.

In shooting methods (rear) page as shown above, you can find voice control option.

By default, voice control is not enabled for cameras in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

You can tap the switch button as shown above to turn it on.

How to use Galaxy S7 camera voice control?

After enabling Galaxy S7 camera voice control, you can use your voice to control Galaxy S7 camera.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 camera voice control? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

About Samsung Galaxy S7 Online Manual

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 online manual pages

1. Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout

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

2. Galaxy S7 physical buttons?

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

3. Galaxy S7 SIM card guide

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

4. Charging Galaxy S7 battery

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

… Read the rest

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Why micro SD card support is still relevant and important?

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

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

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

But consumers always want more.

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

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

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

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

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

Samsung is not Apple.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

The post Will Samsung Galaxy S7 support micro SD card? why micro SD card support matters? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Update 1: Added “How to disable fast charging and fast wireless charging on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?” section. 

After getting your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you need know how to charge Galaxy S7 battery properly.  This Galaxy S7 online user guide explains to you everything you need know on how to charge Galaxy S7 battery so that you can enjoy your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Remember Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have non-removable battery. You cannot carry a spare battery for Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

Although Galaxy S7 is mentioned in the page most of the time, this guide also applies to charging Galaxy S7 edge battery equally.

4 Different ways to charge Galaxy S7 battery

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 have a battery with larger capacity (3000mAh and 3600mAh respectively)  than Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. So, it may take slightly longer time to charge Galaxy S7 battery and Galaxy S7 edge.

There are 4 different ways to charge Galaxy S7 battery depending on the charger type:

1. use a normal charger (wall charger like this one or car charger or even your PC) with  an USB cable.
2. use an adaptive charger (fast charger) with an USB cable.
3. use a wireless charger to charge Galaxy S7 battery without using any cables (to the phone).
4. use a fast wireless charger (e.g., this one).

So, there are at least 4 types of chargers can be used to charger Galaxy S7 battery (and Galaxy S7 edge battery as well):

1.  normal wall charger or car charger.  For example, you can still use Galaxy S5 charger for Galaxy S7. These chargers charge Galaxy S7 at constant voltage (5v). The maximum current is limited by the charger and regulated by the phone depending on battery status (e.g., temperature, battery capacity…). So, the charging time depends on the current output of the charger and phone conditions.
2. adaptive charger (fast charger). This is the charger included in the Galaxy S7 box.  Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge support Qualcomm fast charge 2.0 (but not the latest 3.0). So, in addition to Samsung’s adaptive charger, other vendors’ fast charger may also work with Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Fast charger can reduce the charging time significantly. When the battery capacity is less than about 60%, higher voltage (9V) will be applied and the charging power can be up to 15W.  You may feel the Galaxy S7 battery is quite hot.

… Read the rest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can use screen zoom together to get desired display.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the list of Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guides

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

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

2. Use Galaxy S7 camera preview screen

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

3. Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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

Touch button light in Galaxy S7 can be a problem sometimes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Step 1:  Install Galaxy Button lights 2

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

The app is free without ads and any bloatware.

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

You will get normal waning messages on app permissions.

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

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

Step 2: Configure Galaxy S7 touch key light

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

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

As shown above, the app is simple to use.

There are 4 options:

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

… Read the rest

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

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

The post How to wipe cache partition on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Step 1: Go to Settings

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

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

Step 2:  Enter Advanced features.

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

Tap Advanced features.

Step 3: Enter Galaxy labs

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

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

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

Step 4: Start Galaxy Labs.

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

The post How to hide apps screen on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? (and show all apps on Galaxy S7 home screen) appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.