Galaxy S10 battery

End of security update for Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e

In April 2023, Samsung finally pulled the plug to stop issuing the security update for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

With 3 major Android (and One UI ) updates for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e, Samsung did keep its word on both major OS updates and security updates.

From now on, you will not expect any official new updates (unless it is very, very critical) from Samsung for your Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e. Very likely, Samsung will also end the security update for Galaxy S10 5G this summer.

This Galaxy S10 guide explains Samsung's promise on the software update for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e, the update history for these 3 phones and the key features in each update, and what you should do next.

Samsung keep its word on both OS and security update for Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e

When Galaxy S10 was released in 2019, Samsung promised 3 major software updates and 4-year security update. Obviously, Samsung kept its word.

Galaxy S10 was released with Android 9 (One UI 1.1) and was updated to Android 10 (One UI 2), Android 11 (One UI 3), and Android 12 (One UI 4) subsequently.

As promised, Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e stopped at Android 12 and did not receive the Android 13 update (One UI 5) last December.

Now, after 4 years of its initial release, Galaxy S10 marches to the end of life: no more official security updates for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

Please note the commitment of 4 major OS updates and 5-year security updates applies to Galaxy S21 and later Galaxy devices. For Galaxy S20, Samsung will not release the Android 14 (One UI 6) update, and it will stop at the Android 13 (One UI 5.1) update, as explained here.

Overall, Compared to other Android vendors, Samsung did an excellent job providing Android and security updates for Galaxy S10 and later devices.

The three major updates for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e

As mentioned, Galaxy S10 was released with Android 9 (Android Pie) and One UI 1.1. Here is the list of the top 10 new software features of the original Android 9 (One UI 1.1) and three major updates for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e: Android 10 (One UI 2), Android 11 (One UI 3), and Android 12 (One UI 4).

Android Version	One UI version	Top 10 new features
Android 9 (Pie, original)	1.1	1. Night mode 2. New navigation gestures 3. Scene optimizer for the camera 4. New camera modes (Super Slow-mo, AR Emoji, and Live Focus) 5. Improved Face Unlock and fingerprint recognition 6. Digital Wellbeing 7. Bixby Routines 8. Edge lighting 9. Adaptive battery 10. One-handed mode
Android 10 (update 1)	2.0/2.1	1. Dark mode 2. New navigation gestures 3. Improved Face Unlock and fingerprint recognition 4. Live Caption 5. Improved Digital Wellbeing 6. New Focus mode 7. Link to Windows integration 8. New camera modes (Single Take

… Read the rest

Galaxy S10 wireless charging guide

simon · Leave a Comment

Galaxy S10 wireless charging allows you to charge Galaxy S10 battery without using a cable on the phone.

But some Galaxy S10 owners still have some questions or concerns about using wireless charging on Galaxy S10 and therefore may haven't tried this nice feature yet.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide first explains the confusing terms of wireless charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0, and why they are relevant when you charge Galaxy S10 wirelessly. Then I will show you how to disable fast wireless charging and answer some questions related to wireless charging on Galaxy S10.

What is wireless charging? What is fast wireless charging? and what is fast charging 2.0?

All smartphones support cable charging. Normally, you can connect the phone to the charger (adapter) through a USB cable (or a proprietary cable) to charge the phone.

The other way to charge a phone battery is wireless charging without using any cables on the phone.

Wireless charging used in the smartphone industry now is all inductive charging, which transfers energy from the charging station to the phone through induction coils.

On the charging station (charging stand, charging base), the induction coil inside the station uses the current from the adapter to create an electromagnetic field. The induction coil in the phone, once paired with the coil in the station, takes power from the electromagnetic field and converts it into charging current for the phone battery.

Wireless charging usually is less efficient than cable charging because energy has to be converted twice: current –> electromagnetic field in the charging station, and electromagnetic field –> current on the phone. So, traditionally, the wireless charging speed is slow. The normal wireless charging can only output charging power up to 5W. Galaxy S6 is the first Samsung phone with wireless charging.

To improve the charging speed, Samsung announced fast wireless charging with Galaxy S7. The maximum charging power output is about 7.5W.

With Galaxy S10, Samsung announced fast wireless charging 2.0, which supports up to a 12W output.

As explained in this guide:

Fast wireless charging 2.0 is based on Qi wireless charging standard set by Wireless Power Consortium. The 2.0 was coined by Samsung to differentiate its implementation from previous fast wireless charging.

So, fast wireless charging 2.0, one of the top 10 new features of Galaxy S10, is not a new industry standard.

The major difference among wireless charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0 is the charging power (5W vs 7.5W vs 12W). And therefore, they are backwards compatible.

What do you need to use wireless charging for Galaxy S10 battery?

You need 3 components to use wireless charging:

A phone supports wireless charging.
A wireless charging station.
An adapter that supplies power to the charging station.

Whether you are using normal wireless charging, fast wireless charging, or fast wireless charging 2.0, is determined by the lowerest one among the 3 components.

For example, since Galaxy S10 … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare to charge other devices?

simon · Leave a Comment

You can use Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare to charge other devices wirelessly using Galaxy S10's battery.

Galaxy S10 (including Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G) can be used as a wireless charger to share Galaxy S10 battery with other devices.

This Galaxy S10 new feature guide explains the details of Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare feature, how to use it to charge other devices, and answers some questions you may have when using the wireless PowerShare.

Update: with Android 10 update, you can now set the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare. Please refer to this guide on how to set the battery limit for Wireless PowerShare.

Please also note, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20 all support Wireless PowerShare. So this guide also applies to all these phones.

What is Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare?

Wireless charging is not new. Samsung added it as a standard feature since Galaxy S6.

But using the phone as a wireless charger to share the phone battery with other devices is still new.

Huawei named this feature as wireless reverse charging and introduced it in Mate 20 Pro (in 2018) and P30 Pro. Samsung introduced this feature in Galaxy S10 (all 4 models) and named it as wireless PowerShare.

Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare lets you share the battery juice of Galaxy S1o with other devices that support Qi wireless charging.

Technically, you can still use Galaxy S10 as usual when you share the battery with other devices.

You can even use wireless PowerShare when you are charging Galaxy S10 battery through a USB cable. For example, you may have only one charger, but you need to charge both the phone and a Galaxy Watch. In this case, you can connect the wall charger to charge the Galaxy S10 battery. At the same time, you can use wireless PowerShare to charge the watch.

In a nutshell, Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare adds a Qi wireless charger on the back of Galaxy S10. And the charger can use Galaxy S10 battery to charge other devices wirelessly.

Limitations of Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare

Wireless PowerShare is very convenient, and it works with any devices that support Qi wireless charging.

FYI, most recent mobile devices including iPhone support Qi wireless charging. All Samsung gadgets with wireless charging support Qi wireless.

But wireless PowerShare has some limitations including:

Charging speed is slow. There is no fast charging. The maximum charging capacity is 5W. The actual charging speed is substantially lower than this. So, Galaxy S10 wireless PowerShare is mainly designed for accessories like Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch. It may be a temporal solution of sharing the battery with other phones. If the other phone also has a USB C port, you can charge it faster by directly connecting Galaxy S10 to that phone with a USB-C to USB-C cable.
You may have to remove the covers or cases for Galaxy

… Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 LED cover (Galaxy S10 LED back cover)?

simon · 6 Comments

Samsung introduced a new back cover for Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e: Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover).

The LED cover is a back cover with some unique LED features including mood lighting, LED emoticons, Picture cue, and camera timer. The old LED wallet cover is now renamed as Galaxy S10 LED View cover in most regions.

This Galaxy S10 accessories guide explains how to set up and use Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover) on Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e, the unique features of this cover and a review of this LED cover.

Unique features of Galaxy S10 LED cover (LED back cover)?

Galaxy S10 LED cover is a new type of official accessories. It is a back cover with some unique LED features.

Compared to other back covers, the LED back cover has the following special features:

Mood lighting. When Galaxy S10 is facing downwards, a light show is presented with the LEDs. You can only enable or disable the show, not customize the show.
LED notification icons. You will get notification icons on the back when a notification comes. But the LED notification icon only works with some Samsung apps, and you cannot customize the LED icons. Please note, in Galaxy S10 LED View cover, you can customize the LED notification icons.
Camera timer. If the timer for the rear camera is turned on, the countdown will be shown on both the screen and the cover.
Emoticons for the rear cameras. When you open the camera app, and the rear cameras are active, a LED icon you chose will be shown on the back cover.

Unlike the fabric-like material used in Galaxy S10 LED view cover, the exterior of the Galaxy S10 LED back cover is glossy plastic. Therefore it is a fingerprint magnet.

The LED cover provides moderate protection for the glass back of the phone. The raised edges on the top and bottom (over the screen) offers marginal protection for the screen, The two side edges of the Galaxy S10 LED back cover for Galaxy S10, and S10+ are lower than the screen due to the curved screen in these two models.

Please note, Galaxy Friends, which is available for Galaxy S20 LED back cover, are not available for Galaxy S10 LED back cover.

How to set up and customize the LED cover (LED back cover)?

Once you snap the LED back cover on to the phone, you will get a notification asking you to set up the cover if you use it the first time.

Actually, Galaxy S10 will automatically add:

The LED cover app in the Apps screen, as shown below.
An entry in Settings — Advanced features —Accessories — LED cover.

These two items are identical: both are shortcuts for the Galaxy S10 LED cover settings.

For example, in Galaxy S10 Settings, you can tap Advanced features as shown below.

In the Advanced Features page, tap Accessories… Read the rest

How to charge Galaxy S10 battery?

simon · 30 Comments

You need to charge Galaxy S10 battery properly to maximize the battery life without sacrificing your usage.

There are many so-called expert recommendations and rules on how to charge Galaxy S10 battery. Some of them are outdated (e.g., you need to drain Galaxy S10 battery completely every few weeks). Some are ridiculously wrong (e.g., you should not charge Galaxy S10 battery to full).

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the proper way to charge Galaxy S10 battery with a wall charger (USB charging) or a wireless charger (wireless charging). Quick charge 2.0 and fast wireless charging 2.0 are also discussed.

How long should I charge Galaxy S10 battery the first time?

The old textbook may tell you that you should charge the new battery for at least 6-8 hours for the first time.

This is outdated. It does not apply to the Galaxy S10 battery.

When you charge Galaxy S10 battery the first time, you just need to charge it to “charged.” Then you can disconnect it from the charger (wall charger or wireless charger) and start to use it.

In fact, when Galaxy S10 left the factory, the battery was charged to about 60%. You can immediately use the phone when you get it. It is unnecessary to charge a new Galaxy S10 for 6 hours.

In some regions, Samsung does not offer a 1-to-1 exchange for hardware defects. You have to check the phone in the store.

Anyway, there are no special requirements when you charge the Galaxy S10 battery the first time.

Please note, there is no notification LED in Galaxy S10 (including S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G). As discussed on this page, you have to wake up the screen to check whether the battery is fully charged or not.

What are the two ways to charge the Galaxy S10 battery?

Galaxy S10 supports charging through the USB-C port and the wireless charging coil. You may refer to Galaxy S10 layout to check the location of the USB-C port and wireless charging coils.

So, you can charge Galaxy S10 battery in two ways:

Through a USB cable (USB charging). Normally, you will use a wall charger. But you can also charge Galaxy S10 battery with a power bank, PC, or another mobile device with USB-C port.
Wireless charging.

In Galaxy S10 box, a wall charger is included.

The wireless charging pad is not included in Galaxy S10 box. You may have to buy one.

What are fast charging and fast wireless charging for Galaxy S10, S10+, and s10e?

Galaxy S10, S10+, and 10e support quick charge 2.0 when charging through the USB-C port (USB charging). Of course, this requires a wall charger with quick charge support.

In the Galaxy S10 box, you can find the included 15W wall charger, which is a quick charge 2.0 compliant charger.

Samsung named the fast charge technology as adaptive fast charging. As mentioned in the top 10 disappointing and missing features of Galaxy S10… Read the rest