Galaxy S7 Guides

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 does not have a stylus. You need get used to  Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures to control the phone.

The good news is Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures are almost identical to those in other Android phones. So, it should not take much time to use  Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures if you used Android phones before.

Please note Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge accept the identical touchscreen gestures. In this page, we generalized them as Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures.

The 8 Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures

There are 8  Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures for you to control Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge:

• Tap
• Swipe
• Touch and hold
• Drag
• Double tap
• Pinch
• Spread
• Flick

Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures: Tap

You can tap or touch the touchscreen (in the corresponding region) with your finger as shown below, when you want to:

• type using the keyboard;
• select items such as application and settings icons;
• press buttons.

Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures: Swipe

You can lightly drag your finger vertically or horizontally across the touchscreen as shown below. This Galaxy S7 touchscreen gesture is known as swipe or slide.

With this touchscreen gesture, you can:

• Swipe the lock screen to unlock Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge;
• Swipe the screen to scroll through Galaxy S7 Home screens;
• Swipe the screen to scroll through Galaxy S7 Apps screen;
• Swipe the screen to scroll through menu options;
• Swipe individual notification to dismiss it from Galaxy S7 notification panel.

Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures: Touch and hold

Touch and hold items on the touchscreen for more than 2 seconds to activate them as shown below.

You may use this touch screen gesture:

• Touch and hold a widget on a Home screen to resize it.
• Touch and hold a field to display a pop-up menu of options.
• Touch and hold Home button to launch Now on tap.

Galaxy S7 touchscreen gestures: Drag

Touch and hold an item, and then move it to a new location on the screen. So, this touchscreen gesture as shown below requires 2 steps: tap and hold, then move.

While dragging, you should not release your finger until you have reached the target position in the touchscreen.

You may use this Galaxy S7 touch screen gesture:

• Drag an app in Galaxy S7 apps screen to add it to Galaxy S7 Home screen.
• Drag an app or a widget to place it in a new location on Galaxy S7 Home screen.

… Read the rest

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Why you get mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to avoid mirrored photos from Galaxy S7 front camera?

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

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

Step 1: Start Camera appp.

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

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

Step 2: Switch to front camera

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

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

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

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

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

You can tap the switch to enable it.

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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What are Galaxy S7 default apps?

Android is about options. Most tasks or operations in Android can be handled by different apps.

When there are multiple apps in your Galaxy S7 for the same task or operation, you may want to set one of them as the default one, instead of selecting it every time.

Such apps are called Galaxy S7 default apps.

In Android, the default behavior is that you have to select the app unless you set one as default.

But in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 as well), the default behavior is that the app you selected first time will be assigned as default app automatically. Of course, in a recent update, you can change this behavior as that in Android (read on).

This guide will show you how to assign, reset and manage  Galaxy S7 default apps.

In addition to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy s7 edge, this guide also applies to Galaxy S6 (including S6 edge and S6 edge+), Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Note 7.

How to select Galaxy S7 default apps?

For example, when you try to open a link from a note as shown below.

Galaxy S7 or S7 edge will then prompt the apps that can handle URL links as shown below.

You can select an app from the list to open the link. For example, you select Chrome app as shown below.

Chrome app will then open the link and direct you to the website.

At the same time, Chrome is set as the default app to open URLs. This is the default behavior of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

When you try to open a URL next time, you will not have the option to select other apps. Chrome will be used automatically.

This automatically assigning Galaxy S7 default apps can be annoying for some Galaxy S7 owners.

Anyway, you can disable automatically assigning default apps in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and get the Just one or Always options.

How to tun on Just Once and Always options when selecting Galaxy S7 default apps?

As mentioned, many owners of Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 (including S6 edge and S6 edge+), and Galaxy Note 5, feel it is disturbing to let the phone to set default apps automatically.

So, in a recent update, Samsung brought back the Just once and Always options when you need to select an app.… Read the rest

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What are widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

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

How to add widgets in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

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

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

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

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

Step 1: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen edit mode

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

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

The result is identical.

Step 2: Find a widget

Once in edit mode, tap Widgets as shown below.

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

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

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

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

Some apps have only one widget.… Read the rest

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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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Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge were officially announced on February 21 during MWC2016. Both phones will be available on brick and mortar shops from March 11 in many regions as expected. If you want to get it a few days earlier, you can pre-order it in most regions. Traditionally, the carriers and distributors may ship the order a few days earlier.

Before we examine the top features of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, let’s check Galaxy S7 specs and Galaxy S7 edge specs.

This post tries to summarize the hardware and software specifications of Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to help you decide whether you should get Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, or other Android phones.

Please don’t solely rely on Galaxy S7 specs or Galaxy S7 edge specs to make decisions. You should try them physically in the shop to help you make a better decision.

Galaxy S7 specs vs Galaxy S7 edge specs: what are the differences?

As in Galaxy S6, Samsung introduced two variants of Galaxy S7:  Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. But very likely there will be no Galaxy S7 edge+ model.

The differences between Galaxy S7 specs and Galaxy S7 edge specs include:

• Bigger screen size for Galaxy S7 edge, but identical screen resolution. Galaxy S7 has a  5.1″ screen with QHD super AMOLED display. This is identical to Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. Galaxy S7 edge has a larger screen of 5.5″. But the resolution is identical to Galaxy S7.  The 5.5″ screen of Galaxy S7 edge lies somewhere between Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6 edge+ (or Galaxy Note 5, both have a 5.7″ QHD screen).
• Bigger battery for Galaxy S7 edge. Galaxy S7 edge has a 3600mAh battery, which is 20% larger than Galaxy S7’s battey (3000mAh). Due to bigger screen size of Galaxy S7 edge, the battery life of S7 and S7 edge should be similar.
• Galaxy S7 edge is slightly heavier. Galaxy S7 edge is 157g (5.54oz), which is only 5g heavier than Galaxy S7.
• Curved edge screen for Galaxy S7 edge. Of course, only Galaxy S7 edge has edge screen features. The edge screen in Galaxy S7 edge is significantly improved compared to edge screen on Galaxy S6 edge and S6 edge+.
• Galaxy S7 edge will be $50-$100 more expensive in most regions for the same storage (32GB or 64GB) configuration.

… Read the rest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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Why is it important to know Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout?

When you get your new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, you may want to try the new and cool features as much as you can. You may forget to check Galaxy S7 layout or Galaxy S7 edge layout

This is nothing wrong.

But after initial testing, it is important to spend some time to familiarize yourself with the layout of Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge. This is extremely important if you are a new owner of a Samsung smartphone.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are both designed elegantly with high build quality. The location of ports, buttons and components are arranged with careful consideration based on Samsung’s knowledge of smartphone usage habits of their customers.

Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout page will explain to you the functions of all buttons, ports and some components.

Please note, as explained in this post, the major difference between Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is the screen size (5.1″ vs 5.5″), battery capacity (3000mAh vs 3600mAh) and the curved screen.

The difference in Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout is only on edge screen. All other parts in layout are similar.

Front view of Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout

The front view of Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout is shown below.

in the front of Galaxy S7, you can find

• LED indicator. When you charge your phone, the LED will turns red. When there are any notifications, the LED will flash in green.
• Proximity/light sensor. You should never block the proximity/light sensor if you use a screen protector.  The light sensor provides info to the system to adjust brightness and other display settings.  When you are in a call, and when you move the phone close to your ear, the proximity sensor can detect it and turns off the screen to avoid inadvertent touch.
• Receiver.
• Front camera. It is NOT recommended to use screen protector for the camera. If the screen protector has no cutout for front camera, you probably should not buy it.
• Touch screen.
• Home key with fingerprint sensor. Tap home key (button) to wake up the screen if the screen is currently off. If you are using any apps, tapping home key once will bring you to the home screen.

… 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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What is tasks edge in edge screen of  Galaxy S7 edge?

Tasks edge in Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ is similar to apps edge in the edge screen.

The major difference is that tasks edge is for shortcuts of individual tasks, not individual apps.

These tasks are similar to widgets: they are both special functions of some apps.  But tasks are only from apps developed by Samsung currently. In other words, you cannot simply add a widget to tasks edge currently.

Since Android Nougat 7.1, app shortcut was introduced in stock Android. Samsung supports app shortcuts on the home screen in their Android Oreo firmware. But the tasks edge does not support app shortcuts of third-party apps.

Tasks edge also supports file shortcuts. You can add a file to the home screen (pin a file to the home screen) as explained in this guide. Such file shortcuts will be available for tasks edge.

Please note, tasks edge in edge screen is identical among Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+. So, this guide applies to all of these devices.  In this guide, we use the screenshots from the Galaxy S7 edge for the illustration.

Two ways to access settings for tasks edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge

You can access tasks edge settings in Galaxy S7 edge in two ways:

• from the edge panel.
• from edge screen settings page.

As shown below, you can launch edge panels, then navigate to tasks edge, which, by default, is the second panel, next to the apps edge.

In tasks edge panel, you can tap the + button to add more tasks to this edge panel. Tap settings icon to go to edge panel settings page.

You can also access edge panels settings in Settings — edge screen –edge panel.

As shown below, you can tap the check icon (marked as 1) to turn on or turn off tasks edge.

Tap pencil icon (marked as 2 in the screenshot below) to edit (manage) tasks edge.

So, these two ways to access tasks edge settings are interlinked.

To enable/disable tasks edge, you must go to edge screen settings (edge panels settings) as mentioned above.

How to add and remove tasks for tasks edge in edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge?

… Read the rest

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Galaxy S7 Guides Community is a dedicated community for owners of Samsung Galaxy S7, which was  announced and released in 2016.

Mission

To help Galaxy S7 owners use the device effectively.

Logo

S7 indicates the community is for Galaxy S7. GGO indicates that we are part of the GadgetGuideOnline network.

Community

Galaxy S7 Guides community is totally free and open.  No registration is required. No personal information is required.

All contents (Galaxy S7 how-to guides, Galaxy S7 user manual, Galaxy S7 online manual)  are publicly accessible.

As Galaxy S7 Guides community is for Galaxy S7 owners to help Galaxy S7 owners, you are free to post your comments in relevant pages to ask questions, to answer questions, and to share your thoughts.

Content organization (navigation)

To make the navigation easier, contents in this site are organized in following sections:

• Official Galaxy S7 User Guide (PDF)

This section offers the official Galaxy S7 user guide (user manual) in different languages. All Galaxy S7 user manuals are in PDF format and are free to download and print.

• Galaxy S7 How-to guides

This section hosts many detailed how-to guides for Galaxy S7. These guides are suitable for all Galaxy S7 owners.

The detailed step-by-step Galaxy S7 guides will show you how to use certain features of Galaxy S7, or change/customize  certain configurations on your Galaxy S7.

• Galaxy S7 online manual

Galaxy S7 online manual section hosts Galaxy S7 guides for new Galaxy S7 owners. These section covers commonly used Galaxy S7 features and show you how to use them

• Galaxy S7 camera guide

Galaxy S7 has the best smartphone camera you can get in 2016.  Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guide will show you how to use the Galaxy S7 camera. Some tips and tricks of Galaxy S7 camera are also covered.

• Galaxy S7 buyer guide

Is Samsung Galaxy S7 a right phone for you? Which sizeof Galaxy S7 is for you?  Do you need a Galaxy S7 case?

Galaxy S7 buyer guide will help you decide whether Galaxy S7 is a right phone for you. We also introduce you some affordable Samsung Galaxy S7 accessories in Galaxy S7 buyer guide.

• Galaxy S7 reviews and update

The reviews and update of Galaxy S7 will be posted on the website regularly to hep you better understand the pros and cons of Galaxy S7.

Reach Us

If you want to contact us for any Galaxy S7 questions, or want to advertise on this site, you can reach us through:

• Facebook page
• Google+ community
• Email (contact us form)
• follow Simon (the main contributor) on Google+

Enjoy yourself in  Galaxy S7 Guides Community.… Read the rest

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Difference between Samsung Galaxy S7 apps screen and home screen

Galaxy S7 apps screen, aka Galaxy S7 app drawer, is a special page that displays icons of all apps installed on your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

Galaxy S7 home screen is the entrance for all phone features. Normally, selected apps and widgets are placed in home screen for quick access.

You can imagine the role of Galaxy S7 home screen and Galaxy S7 apps screen in this way: Galaxy S7 home screen is the storefront for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and Samsung Galaxy S7 apps screen is the warehouse of apps you have on Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

For new Android users, especially, iPhone users (because iPhone does not have apps screen), it can be very confusing: why do you need two places to hold apps?

If there is no Galaxy S7 apps screen, then you have to put all apps on the home screen. This may be inconvenient fro some owners:

• most users you actually want to put frequently used apps and widgets in the home screen.
• if all apps are placed in the home screen, you cannot remove it. Otherwise, it is hard to track all apps installed although you can manage them in the application manager.
• if all apps are placed in the home screen, you cannot have more than one copy of the app icons in the home screen. For example, you may want to put Gmail app in two or more different app folders.

Anyway, up to know, no Android vendors try to remove apps screen, simply because it exists for its reasons. It is also a symbolic feature of Android OS.

How to use Galaxy S7 apps screen?

You can access Galaxy S7 apps screen by tapping the apps icon (9 dots) in favorite tray in Galaxy S7 home screen.

Once in Galaxy S7 apps screen, you can find these items (as shown below) in the apps screen:

• icons for apps. These corresponds to individual apps installed. You can launch the app by tapping it just like in home screen. Tap and hold the app icon to add the app to the home screen.
• app folders.  You can group apps into app folders in Galaxy S7 app screen.
• search button (1). Tap Search button to search apps.
• sort button (2).  You can tap sort (A-Z) button to re-arrange apps in alphabetical order in the apps screen.  

… Read the rest

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About Samsung Galaxy S7 Online Manual

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

List of Samsung Galaxy S7 online manual pages

1. Galaxy S7 layout and Galaxy S7 edge layout

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

2. Galaxy S7 physical buttons?

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

3. Galaxy S7 SIM card guide

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

4. Charging Galaxy S7 battery

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

… Read the rest

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Why 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

The post Manage Galaxy S7 camera modes appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the list of Samsung Galaxy S7 camera guides

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

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

2. Use Galaxy S7 camera preview screen

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

3. Samsung Galaxy S7 camera settings

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

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

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

… Read the rest

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

Galaxy S7 SIM card slot is identical to that of Galaxy S7 edge. This guide applies to both Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, although Galaxy S7 is mentioned most of the time.

What is Galaxy S7 SIM card size?

Galaxy S7 SIM card allows you to connect to carrier’s and its partner’s mobile network to use voice service and mobile data services.

So, although you can use most features of Galaxy S7 through WiFi without installing SIM card for Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, you cannot use any mobile network related features before you install Galaxy S7 SIM card.

SIM card are always issued by your carrier, NOT Samsung. You should get SIM card for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge from your carrier (your phone company)

There are 4 different sizes for SIM card for smartphones from big to small:

1. Full-size SIM. it is hard to find one unless you have a phone that is more than 15 years old.
2. Mini-SIM. Mini-SIM usually is referred as “big” or “normal” SIM card in some countries. Again, it is seldom used for today’s smartphones.
3. Micro-SIM. Micro SIM is still the most popular size of SIM card for smartphones. Most middle range and budget smartphones are using micro SIM card.
4. Nano-SIM. This is the smallest SIM card for smartphone today. It is usually used in most flagship smartphones.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge use nano SIM card. In other words, Galaxy S7 SIM card size is nano SIM (4FF).

Here is a list of some popular phones using nano SIM card: Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 5, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S+, iPhone 6, iPhone 6+, iPhone 5, Moto X (including  all generations) and many more. If you have any of these phones, the SIM card is interchangeable with Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.

If you own a Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Note 4 or earlier Samsung devices, micro SIM card is normally used, and therefore, you cannot use the existing SIM card for Galaxy S7.

You should get official nano SIM card from your carrier. Do NOT try to trim the SIM card by yourself.

Galaxy S7 SIM card tray and Galaxy S7 edge SIM card tray

Galaxy S7 SIM card tray has 2 slots as shown below. Slot 2 is bigger than  slot 1.

Slot 1 is always for a nano SIM card.… Read the rest

The post Galaxy S7 SIM card guide appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Step 1: Return to home screen.

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

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

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

Step 2: Enter Galaxy S7 home screen Edit mode

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

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

The post How to disable Flipboard briefing on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

When you got the new phone before you do anything on it, you can call it in factory state.

Factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge means you wipe all your data, settings and apps from the phone. All your traces on the phone will be removed (with a few exceptions, read on).

After factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you have to setup the phone just like a new phone before you can use it.

In all Android devices, there is an option for you to perform factory reset. Sometimes, factory reset is named as factory data reset because only user data are actually removed.

When you need factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

You need factory reset Galaxy S7 or S7 edge:

• if you want to give the phone to your friends or relatives.
• if you want to sell your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.
• if you get the phone from others.
• if your mess up phone settings and you cannot find a way to undo the wrong settings. You should try Settings— backup and reset — reset settings first.
• if the phone is too slow after a major update.  You should try to clear cache partition first.
• if the phone have so many problems.  You should try to clear cache partition first.
• if you want to refresh Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.
• if your phone is infected with virus or malware.
• if your phone cannot even boot into Galaxy S7 safe mode.

How to turn off factory data reset protection before factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge?

Since Android Lollipop 5.1, an anti-theft feature of factory data reset (FDR) protection has been introduced. After a factory reset, to re-activate the device, you have to provide a Google account that existed on the phone before it is reset.

Samsung fully implemented this device protection feature in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

This means that unless you turn off factory data reset protection before you factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, you will have to use the Google account that existed before you reset it to re-activate the phone.

This can be problematic if Galaxy S7 will change hands after factory reset.

So, in such cases, you should turn off factory data reset protection by:

• set the Galaxy S7 lock screen security as none; or
• remove all Google accounts on the phone.

… Read the rest

The post Factory reset Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

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

The post How to access and use Galaxy S7 developer options? appeared first on Galaxy S7 Guides.

What is apps edge in the edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge (and Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S6 edge)?

In edge screen of Galaxy S7 edge (as well as Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+), you have edge lighting,  edge panels and edge feeds.

Apps edge is the first (leftmost) edge panel in the edge screen (as shown below). In other words, when you open edge screen, the first panel in the edge panel is apps edge.

Apps edge allows you to put up to 1o apps into this edge panel of the edge screen so that you can access them quickly without navigating to Galaxy S7 home screen or Galaxy S7 apps screen.

So, you can imagine apps edge is the mini home screen for Galaxy S7 edge screen.

Please note, apps edge in edge screen of Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ is almost identical.  This guide applies to all these phones although Galaxy S7 edge was used as an example in this guide.

Update: for Galaxy S8, S8+, S9, S9+, Note 8 and Note 9, you can also use app pair, which is an extended feature of Multi Window,  on the apps edge as explained in this guide.

How to manage apps in apps edge in the edge screen?

By default, there are 8 apps in the apps edge as shown below.

You can add any other apps (up to 10) and remove any apps from the apps edge.

To add and manage apps to app edge directly, tap the + button as shown below.

Because apps edge needs to know the top 3 apps you used, special permission to access app usage data is required for apps edge.

So, after tapping the  + button, you will be directed to grant accessing app data usage permission for apps edge.

In Usage data access page, tap Apps edge as shown below.

Now, enable “Allow usage tracking” as shown above.

This would allow the apps edge to list the top 3 frequently used apps as shown above (marked as 1).

In the edit mode for apps edge page as shown above (marked as 2), you can tap the “-” icon next to apps which are currently  in the apps edge, to remove them  from edge screen

To add an app to the apps edge, tap and hold (aka long tap) the app icon (e.g.,… Read the rest

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