Galaxy S7 Guides

Multi window feature was greatly improved in Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5.

This page explains how to use Galaxy S7 multi window new features in Android Nougat udpate. If your phone is still running Android Marshmallow (Android 6.0), please check this guide.

Although Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are mentioned in the page, this guide applies to all other Samsung phones with Android Nougat update including Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 5.

What are Galaxy S7 multi window new features in Android Nougat udpate for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Google finally introduced multi window feature in Android Nougat.

Up to Android Nougat 7.1, only split-screen type multi window feature is available. There is no pop-up view yet.

But for many Samsung Galaxy phone users, multi window has been available since Galaxy Note II in 2012.

In the Android Nougat udpate, Samsung continued to improve this useful feature. The major Galaxy S7 multi window new features in Android Nougat udpate for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge include:

• You can use more than 2 apps concurrently. You can run as many apps concurrently in pop-up view as you want.
• Split-screen view action was added to convert current app into split view multi window mode.
• You can launch pop up view directly from Recent tab. In addition to using the pop-up view gesture to convert app to pop-up view mode, you can launch an app in pop-up view directly from Recent tab.
• You can share contents directly between 2 windows (2 apps).
• Status icon for multi window mode is added when you minimize the multi window apps.

For some basic and old features of multi window, you may check this guide.

How to enable Galaxy S7 multi window pop-up view gesture and split screen view action gesture?

As mentioned in this guide, Galaxy S7 multi window has two modes: split screen view (2 apps running side by side) and pop-up view (apps running in front of other apps).

In previous versions, you can use pop-up view gesture to convert an app in normal mode to pop-up view multi window mode.

In Android Nougat update for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, a new split screen view action gesture was added to allow you to convert an app in normal mode to split screen view multi window mode.… Read the rest

The post How to use Galaxy S7 multi window new features in Android Nougat udpate for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Why you need Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut in home screen?

As discussed in this page, the selection of Galaxy S7 camera mode is not persistent.

When you start Galaxy S7 camera app after you close the app, the camera mode will be default to Auto mode (for rear camera) or selfie mode (for front camera).

This can be very annoying if you want to use some Galaxy S7 camera modes very often. You may want Galaxy S7 or S7 edge to “remember” your selection.

Currently, there is no option for Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge to remember the last camera mode used.

But Samsung does provide a new feature in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to solve your problem: you can add Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut to Home screen.

This means for any of the camera modes (including the pre-installed camera modes, and Galaxy S7 camera modes downloaded and installed by you), you can add a shortcut in Galaxy S7 Home screen.  If you tap the shortcut icon in Galaxy S7 home screen, it will start camera app, and at the same time switch to the corresponding mode.

For example, if you use Pro mode very often, you can add it to Home screen. You can then use this shortcut to directly launch camera app in Pro mode.

Of course, you can still use the default camera app icon and other methods to launch Galaxy S7 camera in Auto mode.

Isn’t a good solution?

Even better:

You can even use Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut in home screen to launch front camera directly

Although Galaxy S7 camera does not save the camera mode used, it does remember which camera was used last time.

When you start camera app, it always use the camera you used before closing the app (until you reboot the phone).

This is convenient for some Galaxy S7 owners.

But this can also be a problem.

Sometimes, when you want to take a selfie, you may find rear camera is active. You have to fiddle around and manually switch to front-facing camera.

Now, the Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut can solve this problem.

You can add a shortcut for Selfie mode or Wide selfie mode to Galaxy S7 home screen.

You can then use this  Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut to launch front-facing camera in selfie mode or wide-selfie mode directly.… Read the rest

The post How to add Galaxy S7 camera mode shortcut to home screen? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post Galaxy S7 camera modes guide 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.

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

The post Galaxy S7 home screen appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post How to remove, add and manage Galaxy S7 home screen panels? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

When you need install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes?

As explained in Galaxy S7 camera modes guide page, there are 10 pre-installed camera modes for the rear camera, and 5 for the front camera.

Although these 15 pre-installed camera modes probably are sufficient for most owners of Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, some owners may still want to install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes to take some special photos.

Currently, Samsung released the following 6 additional Galaxy S7 camera modes free of charge:

• Beauty face.
• Sports shot.
• Animated GIF.
• Dual camera.
• Rear-cam selfie.
• Surround shot.

You can download and install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes from camera app in Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

Please note, the APK files for these additional Galaxy S7 camera modes are different from those for the same camera mode in Galaxy S6 or Note 5.

You should download the correct APK files through your Galaxy S7 camera app, and not to use the old APK files.

How to download and install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes?

To download and install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Launch Camera app on Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge

To launch camera app on Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, you can use any of the 4 methods, including quick launch detailed in this guide.

Step 2: Enter Galaxy S7 camera mode page

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

In Galaxy S7 camera mode page, tap Download as shown below.

Step 3:  Download and install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes

Now, you are directed to a hidden page in Galaxy Apps.

In different regions, this page may be slightly duifferent.

The list of available additional Galaxy S7 camera modes can be found.

Currently, all (6 in total) these additional Galaxy S7 camera modes are from Samsung. And all are free.

For example, you want to install Beauty face mode for your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

Tap Beauty face as shown below.

In the Beauty face details page, you can find the screenshots and short description of this camera mode.

Tap INSTALL as shown below.

After accepting the permissions, the beauty face mode are installed to your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

A progress bar as shown below flashes before the installing is finished.

Step 4: Check the additional Galaxy S7 camera modes

Once the installation is finished, you can install other additional camera modes if you want

In Galaxy S7 camera modes page, as shown above, now you can find the newly installed camera modes.… Read the rest

The post How to download and install additional Galaxy S7 camera modes? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

From time to time, you may want to silence Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, for example, when you are in library or during an important meeting.

This guide tries to help you understand how to silence Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in different scenarios and different ways.

Please note, there are 5 types of sound in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge:

• Ringtone;
• Notifications (notification tone);
• Media;
• System (alerts);
• Alarm.

So, when you try to silence Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you need to know which are to be silenced, and which are not.

How to silence ringtone in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

If you do not want the phone to ring, you can silence Galaxy S7 ringtone with any of the following methods:

• Put Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in mute mode (silent mode) or vibrate mode.
• Turn on Do not Disturb.
• Set ringtone as Silent.

Method 1: Use mute mode or vibrate mode to silence Galaxy S7 ringtone.

You can put Galaxy S7 or S7 edge in mute mode (silent mode) or vibrate mode using Galaxy S7 quick setting buttons as shown below.

You can tap the icon to cycle through the 3 sound modes:

• Sound mode.
• Vibrate mode. No ringtones, no notifications tones and no system tones. But the phone may vibrate depending on your settings.
• Mute mode. No sound, and no vibration for ringtone, notification tone and system tones.

You can also set sound mode in Settings—Sounds and vibration—Sound mode.

If you want to quickly enter vibrate mode, you can hold volume down button until phone vibrates.

You can also use on-screen volume settings by tapping volume down (or volume up) button to set volume for ringtones, notification tones, media and system sound individually.

As shown below, when you drag the volume slider to the leftmost side, it will automatically enter vibrate mode for ringtone and notification tones.

You can also access Galaxy S7 volume settings in Settings— Sound and vibration — Volume.

Method 2: use Do not Disturb (DnD) to silence Galaxy S7 ringtone

Do not Disturb is an Android feature since Android Lollipop.  It was further polished in Android Marshmallow.

You may refer to this guide on detailed usages of Do not Disturb in Android Marshmallow.

However, in Galaxy S7, Do not Disturb was implemented in a slightly different way.… Read the rest

The post How to silence Galaxy S7 and S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post How to use Galaxy S7 screen grid to customize app icon size in home screen and apps screen? 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.

What is Galaxy S7 lock screen?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to lock and unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen

You can lock the screen in different ways:

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

To unlock Galaxy S7 lock screen, you need:

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

Some apps can also turn on the screen.

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

How to set Galaxy S7 lock screen security?

… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 lock screen appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are Galaxy S7 themes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to download and apply new Galaxy S7 themes?

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

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

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

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

Step 2: Enter Galaxy Theme store

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

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

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

Step 3: Select and download new Galaxy S7 themes

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

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

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

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

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

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 safe mode appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Update: it is official that Samsung will announce Galaxy S7 on February 21, 2016, through the event before MWC 2016.

The Galaxy S7  release date will very likely be in the second week of March.

The important dates before Galaxy S7 release date

We all know Samsung Galaxy S7 release date is near. Galaxy S7 will be one of the flagship Android phones in 2016, not only for Samsung but also for Android.

But when can you buy a Samsung Galaxy S7? When can you put your hands on Samsung Galaxy S7?

This is still a top secret of Samsung.

But before Galaxy S7 release date, Samsung must announce it first.

This is due to legal and logistic reasons.

All smartphones to be sold in a country must get the approval from the authority.  For example, in the US, FCC will approve all phones to be sold in the US.  Government agencies, unlike suppliers and distributors, are not bound by the non-disclosure requirements set by Samsung.

So, Samsung will surely announce (unveil) the details of Galaxy S7 before they send the device for regulatory approval.

This means it is NOT expected that Galaxy S7 will be suddenly available in all stores. For flagship phones, all vendors want to build hype before making it available in the market.

Due to logistic reasons, Galaxy S7 release date will be a few weeks after Galaxy S7 is announced.

So, before thinking about Galaxy S7 release date, you have to guess the possible Galaxy S7 announcement date.

What’s the difference between the announcement date and Galaxy S7 release date?

As mentioned, most flagship smartphones are announced before you can buy them.

In other words, you can buy Samsung Galaxy S7 on or after Galaxy S7 release date, which is later than the time when Galaxy S7 is announced (unveiled).

Let’s look back Samsung’s track record of Galaxy S series announced date and release date.

As a tradition, Galaxy S phones are always announced in the first half  (usually in Q1 except S3), and Galaxy Note series are announced in the second half (usually Q3). Keeping this release schedule makes it possible to release two flagship models each year.

Most other smartphone vendors can only release one flagship model each year normally. This contributes to Samsung’s success in crowded smartphone market significantly.

Due to lower-than-expected sales of Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5, Samsung made some radical changes in Galaxy S6.… Read the rest

The post When can you buy Samsung Galaxy S7? What’s Galaxy S7 release date? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset?

The No. 1 concern for smartphone owners whose phones were stolen or lost is usually private data saved on the phone.  If the data went to hands of bad guys, the loss may be far more significant than monetary value of the phone.

So, a lot of Android security features were introduced since Android Lollipop. For example, you can encrypt the whole phone to protect your data. Of course, factory data reset (FDR) protection may also deter phone thieves.

On top of the standard Android security measures, since Android Marshmallow, Samsung also added Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset to further protect private data for phone owners.

If someone tries to unlock your phone for more than 15 times, your Galaxy S7 can then destroy all data and reset the phone if Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset is enabled.

Please note Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset is a security feature for your private data. If you forget your lock screen PIN/password/pattern, the measure applies to you as well.

If you want to manually factory reset Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, please follow this guide.

How to enable and disable Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset?

By default,  Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset is disabled.

To enable Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset, you can go to Galaxy S7 Settings.

Tap lock screen and security in Galaxy S7 Settings page.

In Lock screen and security page, tap Secure lock  settings as shown below.

Tap (or drag) the switch for Auto factory reset as shown below to enable or disable Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset on your S7 or S7 edge.

What are the waiting time for wrong input on Galaxy S7 lock screen?

If auto factory reset is turned on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge,  Galaxy S7 will wiped the phone automatically after 15 failed attempts.

Since Android Marshmallow, Samsung introduced a new waiting time scheme for wrong input on Galaxy S7 edge lock screen.  In other words, if you offer wrong PIN/password/pattern/fingerprint, you may have to wait up to 60 minutes (1 hour) to try again. This is also a security feature to deter brute force attack in case you lose your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

Please note, the result of Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset is identical to that of factory data reset done manually.… Read the rest

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 auto factory data reset appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Why you should back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge regularly?

Samsung Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge) is an electronic device. This means it may fail at any time!

Even if your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge is still under warranty, or if you bought extended warranty for your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, only the “phone” is insured.

Your data are NOT protected. You can get a replacement of Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge). But your data may be not recovered/restored.

Actually, there are no warranty plans for your data on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge currently.

This is why you should back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge regularly.

It is your responsibility to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge so that you can restore them in case the phone is lost, or is reset, or replaced.

Anyway, backup is about your data.

Luckily, most of your data in Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge) can be automatically backed up to the cloud.

Of course, you should always keep a local copy of your Galaxy S7 backup data.

What cannot be backed up in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Before I show you how to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge manually or automatically, you should know some items generally cannot be backed up including:

• Account password. When you back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, account (e.g., Google account, Samsung account, Facebook account…) passwords cannot be backed up.
• Lock screen security and smart lock settings. When you restore a phone from a backup, it should NOT modify your lock screen security settings. And in Galaxy S7 backup, lock screen security and smart lock settings are NOT included.
• Some app data. Not all app data can be backed up. This is app-dependent. Some apps can be fully backed up, a few may not.

How to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

The best way to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is using Samsung’s Smart Switch on your PC.

As discussed in this guide, you can use Smart Switch to transfer data from old phone to Galaxy S7 or S7 with or without a PC.

But to manually back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge with Smart Switch, you need a PC.

Actually, if the data in your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge are important for you, you should regularly back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge and keep at one copy locally.… Read the rest

The post How to back up Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post Galaxy S7 power button options appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

Touch button light in Galaxy S7 can be a problem sometimes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Step 1:  Install Galaxy Button lights 2

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

The app is free without ads and any bloatware.

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

You will get normal waning messages on app permissions.

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

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

Step 2: Configure Galaxy S7 touch key light

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

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

As shown above, the app is simple to use.

There are 4 options:

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

… Read the rest

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

What are widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

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

How to add widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

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

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

The result is identical.

Step 2: Find a widget

Once in edit mode, tap Widgets as shown below.

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

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

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

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

Some apps have only one widget.… Read the rest

The post How to use widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What are the 6 Galaxy S7 buttons?

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

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

In addition, Galaxy S7 has 2 capacitive buttons:

1. Back button
2. Recent button

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

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

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

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

Galaxy S7 Home button

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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