Galaxy S7 Guides

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

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

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

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

Get to know Galaxy S7 home screen

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

There are 8 fundamental components on Galaxy S7 home screen:

• apps

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

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

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

• app folders

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

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

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

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

• widget

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

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

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

• screen indicator

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Take a photo. 

You need tap it to take the picture.

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

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

… Read the rest

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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

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What is “home” of Galaxy S7 home screen panels?

When we talk about Galaxy S7 home screen, actually, we are referring to more than one home screen pages. These pages are usually referred as Galaxy home screen panels.

Among Galaxy home screen panels, one of them is defined as “home” of these home screen panels.

If you tap home button (no matter what you are doing, what apps are running) several times, you should be always redirected to the home of Galaxy S7 home screen panels.

Please note, one, and only one, home screen panel can be defined as “home” of Galaxy S7 home screen.

And there is always one panel is defined as the home of Galaxy S7 home screen panels, even if you do not assign any of them.

By default, in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, the panel next to Flipboard briefing is the home panel of Galaxy S7 home screen.

How to assign home panel of  Galaxy S7 home screen panels?

To assign or to change the home panel for Galaxy S7 home screen panels, you can follow these steps.

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

You can enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode (aka, access home screen options) in two ways:

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

In edit mode, as mentioned in other guides, you can use Galaxy S7 themes, wallpapers or screen grid to customize Galaxy S7 home screen, or to add widgets to home screen.

Step 2: Navigate to the specific panel

In edit mode, you can navigate to different Galaxy S7 home screen panels with two different methods:

• Tap the screen indicator.
• Swipe (flick) right or left. Please note, Galaxy S7 home screen does not support cycling through panels, i.e.,  you cannot navigate from the leftmost panel to rightmost one. This is true in edit mode as well.

Step 3: Assign home panel for Galaxy S7 home screens

Once you find the desired panel to be the home of Galaxy S7 home screen panels, tap the Home icon (house) as shown above to set this panel as the home.

You can notice the Home indicator now moved to this panel as shown below.

Now, whenever you tap Home button, you will be redirected to this panel.… Read the rest

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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

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Update: Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will prevent you from powering the phone before you unlock the phone. You can bypass this restriction by power off Galaxy S7 and S7 edge without unlocking the phone.

Who doesn’t know how to turn on or turn off Galaxy S7?

When you get a new phone, the first thing you will do is probably power it on (i.e. turn on).

Galaxy S7 (or Galaxy S7 edge) is not an exception. In most regions, Samsung does not offer 1-to-1 exchange. You have to check the phone before leaving the counter; otherwise, any problems will probably be handled through service centers.

Any kids can turn on Galaxy S7 or turn off Galaxy S7 because the power button is there.

But if Galaxy S7 does not respond to holding power button, or any buttons in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, what can you do?

Remember, the battery in Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) is non-removable for users. You cannot pull out the battery and insert it again.

This guide will try to show you how to turn on Galaxy S7 and turn off Galaxy S7 in all situations, including when the phone does not respond to any buttons.

How to reboot or turn off Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge if phone is not responding to power button?

When Samsung first changed design slimmed down TouchWiz for Galaxy S6 (and Galaxy S6), there are some reports that the phone is not responsive for no reason. You may read comments in this page to get a better idea on the issue in Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

Through incremental improvements in Galaxy Note 5, the reported cases of non-responsive Galaxy S7 have significantly decreased.

But occasionally, some Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners still encountered the similar issue: Galaxy S7 is not responsive to touch screen gestures and pressing of any buttons.

The issue can be caused by some apps you installed. But most of the time, it is caused by bugs in firmware bugs or TouchWiz.

Anyway, finding out the cause of the problem is out of the scope of this post.

When Galaxy S7 is not responsive to any touchscreen gesture or any buttons (i.e, Galaxy S7 hangs), the first thing you can try is to hold power button for more than 7 seconds. In most cases, your Galaxy S7 should reboot (i.e.,… Read the rest

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What is Galaxy S7 safe mode?

Galaxy S7 safe mode is a special Android environment without loading any user installed apps and widgets.

In other words, Galaxy S7 safe mode allows you to start Samsung Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) with only the original software and apps that came with your S7 or S7 edge.

The main usage of Galaxy S7 safe mode is to find out whether some problems on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, e.g.,  restarting itself, freezing, crashing, being slow, are caused by apps installed by you.

If such problems disappear in Galaxy S7 safe mode, then you can conclude that the problem is caused by one or more  third-party apps installed by you. You may try to uninstall third-party apps, then install one by one to find the culprits.

If such problems persist in Galaxy S7 safe mode, then you can conclude the problem is caused by the firmware bugs, hardware issues or a few pre-installed apps.  You probably have to backup Galaxy S7 and try a factory reset. If it is caused by hardware issues, you very likely have to visit local Samsung service center.

Actually, all Android phones and tablets have a safe mode. But on different devices (and in different versions of Android), the way to access Android safe mode may be different. In this page, Galaxy S7 will be used as an example. Identical procedure applies to all Samsung Galaxy devices with Android Lollipop.

How to reboot into Galaxy S7 safe mode?

As Galaxy S7 safe mode is a different environment, you need reboot the phone to enter this special mode.

To reboot into Galaxy S7 safe mode, you may follow these steps:

Step 1: Power off Galaxy S7

In most regions, reboot into safe mode option was removed from power button options after Lollipop update.

So, to reboot Galaxy S7 into safe mode, you have to power off the Galaxy S7 first.

Hold power button for a few seconds, and you should get power button options as explained in this page.

Tap Power off, then confirm the action to power off Galaxy S7 as shown below.

Step 2: Hold power button for a few seconds

After Galaxy S7 is powered off completely,  you can then hold power button for a few seconds to power on the phone.

Step 3: Hold volume down buttons once you get the Samsung splash screen and release power button

After holding power button, your Galaxy S7 should be power on.… Read the rest

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What is Galaxy S7 power button options?

As explained in Samsung Galaxy S7 buttons page, you can use power button to wake up the phone when the screen is off.  When screen is on, you can use power button to turn off the display and lock the screen instantly.

In addition to waking up the screen, or locking Galaxy S7 screen, Galaxy S7 power button options offers additional functions for you to:

• Power off Galaxy S7 (and Galaxy S7 edge)
• Restart (reboot) Galaxy S7
• Turn on/off emergency mode on Galaxy S7.

Please note, in different Android phones, the power button options are usually different.  The power button options discussed in this page apply to:

• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+ with Android Marshmallow update
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with Android Marshmallow update

How to access Galaxy S7 power button options?

To access  Galaxy S7 power button options, you need press and hold power button for more than 2 seconds.

If you hold power button more than 7 seconds, Galaxy S7 will reboot.

If you want to exit from Galaxy S7 power button options, you can tap Back button.

How to use Galaxy S7 power button options?

As shown below, once you get Galaxy S7 power button options, you tap on one of the three buttons:

To power off Galaxy S7, tap Power off.

To reboot Galaxy S7, tap Restart.  This will shutdown the Android operating system, then restart it automatically.

To enable (if currently disabled) or disable (if currently enabled) emergency mode, tap emergency mode.

If you access Galaxy S7 power button options by accident,  you can tap Home button or back button to exit this screen.

Do you understand and use Galaxy S7 power button options now?

If you have any questions or problems with Galaxy S7 power button options, please let us know in the comment box below.

The community will try to help you.

You can get the official Samsung Galaxy S7 user manual (user guide) in your local language here, and Galaxy S7 edge user manual (user guide) in your local language here.

For other guides on using Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, please check Galaxy S7 online manual page.

For detailed Galaxy S7 how-to guides, please check Galaxy S7 how-to guides page.… Read the rest

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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

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Volume key is not just for volume control

You may not know you can use volume key to take photos in Galaxy S7 camera app.

This can be very useful in occasions when you are using one hand to take photos.

And you can use volume key to take photos for both front and rear cameras in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

So, for front camera, in addition to the 5 shooting methods discussed in this guide, you can use volume key as the 6th shooting method.

For rear camera, you already know that  you can use shutter button, or use voice control to take photos. Volume key is the 3rd shooting method for the rear camera in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

In Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, in addition to controlling volume, volume key have many other functions in various apps, for example,

• Messages app: you can adjust text size using volume up and volume down keys.
• Camera app: you can use volume key to take photos or zoom in/out or recording videos.

Anyway, volume key is not just for volume controls in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Many apps may use volume keys for special functions.

This guide shows you how to use volume key to take photos in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

How to disable/enable volume key for taking photos

By default, in Galaxy S7 camera app, you can press volume key to take photos without any settings. Volume down and volume up keys work identically for taking photos.

However, if you do not want to use volume key to take photos, or if you want to configure volume key for other functions in Galaxy S7 camera app, you may follow these steps.

Step 1:  Start Camera app

You can use one of the following 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: Enter camera settings

In Galaxy S7 camera app preview screen, tap Settings button (gear icon) as shown below to enter camera settings.

In Camera settings page, as shown below, tap Volume keys function.… Read the rest

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What are Galaxy S7 developer options?

Galaxy S7 developer options are some settings for app developers to test apps under some simulated environment in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. For example, to test apps with limited available RAM.

In recent versions of Android, some complicated settings, and some settings for seldom-used backward compatibility were also moved/added to developer options.

Since Android Jelly Bean 4.2, developer options are hidden. This was done deliberately so that users will not accidentally enable some settings.  And most Android users do not need developer options at all.

But for app developers and a few owners, they may need to access and use Galaxy S7 developer options to test some apps or try some settings. For example, some owners may want to run a few ADB commands. They then have to enable USB debugging in Galaxy S7 developer options.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have the identical developer options. So this guide applies to both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge although we took screenshots from Galaxy S7 edge.

Do you need Galaxy S7 developer options?

Please note, for most owners of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you may not need to access developer options at all.

Galaxy S7 developer options do NOT solve any of your phone problems. If you have any issues with your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, seldom the developer options can solve them.

And some settings in Galaxy S7 developer options may affect the performance or functions of Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

You may need Galaxy S7 developer options if

• you are an app developer to test apps on Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.
• you want to to use ADB commands (you need to enable USB debugging).
• you want to force RTL layout.
• you want to adjust animation speed or turn off animations when opening apps.
• you want to keep mobile data always on.
• you want to turn the Galaxy S7 screen on all the time  when it is connected to a charger.

Anyway, if you are not sure, you may not need Galaxy S7 developer options.

How to enable Galaxy S7 developer options?

As mentioned, by default, developer options in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are hidden. You cannot find it in Settings before you enable (unhide) them.

To enable Galaxy S7 developer options, you need follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to Settings– About device –Software info

You can access Galaxy S7 Settings from Home screen, Apps screen or notification panel.… Read the rest

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What are edge panels on  Galaxy S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to enable edge panels on Galaxy S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

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

How to manage edge panels on Galaxy S7 edge?

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

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

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Why you need manage Galaxy S7 camera modes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to manage Galaxy S7 camera modes?

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

Step 1: Start Galaxy S7 Camera app

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

Step 2: Enter Galaxy S7 camera mode page

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

Step 3: Enter edit mode of Galaxy S7 camera modes

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

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

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

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

Step 4: Manage Galaxy S7 camera modes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why did Samsung hide the brightness control?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tap the switch to enable it.

Then tap Done as shown below.

Now, you can check again in the notification panel.

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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What is Samsung Galaxy S7 recovery mode?

Like all other Android phones, Galaxy S7 also has its own Galaxy S7 recovery mode. When you boot your Galaxy S7, there are at least 3 possible boot up options:

• boot into normal Android system.
• boot into bootloader. For Samsung Galaxy S7, it is download mode. For most other Android phones or tablets, it is fastboot mode.
• boot into Galaxy S7 recovery.

By default, Galaxy S7 boots into Android system and you can use the device. Other modes require special button combinations when booting up.

Recovery mode is for Android device owners to reset the device, to apply updates from zip file or through ADB, to wipe cache partitions, to reboot into boot loader, or to mount file systems.

Each Android vendor may put slightly different features in recovery mode. There are also some third-party recoveries for Galaxy S7, for example, TWRP.

This guide is written for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. But it also applies to other Samsung devices with Android Lollipop or later.

How to reboot into Galaxy S7 recovery mode?

By default, after you hold power button for a few seconds, Galaxy S7 should reboot normally into lock screen.

To reboot into Galaxy S7 recovery mode, you may follow these steps:

Step 1: Power off Galaxy S7

You need power off Galaxy S7 if you want to enter Samsung Galaxy S7 recovery mode.

To power off Galaxy S7, you can use power button options.

As shown below, when Galaxy S7 is on, hold power button for 1-3 seconds to get power button options.

Tap Power off, then confirm the action by tapping Power off again to power off Galaxy S7.

Step 2: Hold volume up button, Home button, then power button together

When Galaxy S7 is powered off

1. hold volume up button;
2. without releasing volume up button, hold Home button. Now you should hold two buttons.
3. without releasing the two buttons, hold Power button. Now you should hold three buttons.

It should take less than 3 seconds for the screen to light up.

Step 3: Release all buttons

After the screen lights up, you may hold the three buttons for another 2-3 seconds. Then release all three buttons.

Before you reach the Galaxy S7 recovery menu, the phone screen may shows “applying updates….” and a splash of a dead Android.

You just wait a few seconds, and eventually, the phone will reboot into Galaxy S7 recovery mode with the following recovery menu screen.… Read the rest

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Why you may want to review photos before saving to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Sometimes, what you see on the preview screen may be different from what you taken with Galaxy S7 camera.

This is not uncommon.

For example, you may move your hands when press the shutter button (or using voice control, or using volume button, or using other methods to take photos). At the end of the day, you may find you saved a blurry photo.  The OIS in Galaxy S7 camera and Galaxy S7 edge camera may help you avoid some of such photos, but it may not avoid such photos in many cases.

Also, when your hand moves, the auto focus may change the focus unintentionally.

Anyway, if the photo is important, you should review it immediately.

There are two ways to review photos immediately after they are taken:

• After saving the photo, you can check the photo by tapping the Gallery thumbnail in Galaxy S7 camera preview screen. Of course, you can review photos in any Gallery apps or photo editing apps.
• Before saving the photo, you can review it before saving.

This Galaxy S7 camera guide will show you how to review photos taken with Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge before they are saved.

How to review photos before saving to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

By default, in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, after photo is taken, it is saved to the phone storage or SD card immediately.

If you want to review photos before saving to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you need to enable this feature.

You need to start Galaxy S7 Camera app.

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

Now in Camera settings page, as shown in the screenshot below, you can enable “review pictures“.

Please note, Review pictures setting is shared by front and rear camera. In other words, it does not matter which camera is active when you change the setting.

After enabling Review pictures, you now will be prompt with the photo after  taken it and you have the option to save it or discard it.

You can enable/disable review photos before saving in Galaxy S7 Settings as well

In addition to enabling/disabling photo review in the camera app, you can also do it in Galaxy S7 settings.… 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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If you just switch to Galaxy S7 and  are trying to migrate old phone data to Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, this guide will show you the best way to migrate your data.

You probably even do not need to install any apps or tools when you switch to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

The tool we are going to use to help you switch to Galaxy S7  is called Smart Switch, free software offered by Samsung.

What is Smart Switch for me to switch to Galaxy S7?

Smart Switch is Samsung’s killer tool for you to migrate old phone data to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.  It will help you migrate to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

There are 2 different Smart Switch software packages:

1. Samsung Smart Switch Mobile App.  The Smart Switch mobile app allows you to migrate data from your old device (Android, iOS, BlackBerry) to Galaxy S7 directly (from mobile to mobile).
2. Samsung Smart Switch for PC/Mac. The Smart Switch for PC/Mac allows you to backup phone (Galaxy phones only)  data to the PC/Mac, and to restore backup data (not limited to Galaxy phones) to Galaxy S7.

When you switch to Galaxy S7, Smart Switch mobile app can migrate old phone data to Galaxy S7 in 2 different ways:

• Wireless transfer through WiFi Direct. If your old phone is 1). an Android phone with Android ICS 4.o or later, or 2). an iPhone with iCloud backup, you can use this method. You need install Smart Switch app on the old Android phone.
• Wired transfer through USB cable. If you old phone is 1). a Galaxy phone with Android Jelly Bean 4.3 or later, or 2). an iPhone with iOS 5 or later, or  3). a BlackBerry with BlackBerry 7 OS or earlier,  you can migrate the phone data from old device to Galaxy S7 with the USB connector in your Galaxy S7 box and the USB cable.

 Why I cannot install Smart Switch on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Smart Switch was pre-installed and enabled in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge already. You don’t need to install Smart Switch on Galaxy S7.

But you cannot find  Smart Switch app on Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

Then, how to launch and use Smart Switch on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to switch to Galaxy S7?

Samsung puts Smart Switch in Settings— Backup and reset –-Open Smart Switch as shown below.  … Read the rest

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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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