Galaxy S10 notification panel

How to use Galaxy S10 screen zoom?

Galaxy S10 screen zoom allows you to scale the text and icons globally including the fixed-size text (e.g., notification text) that is not affected by font size settings.

Although Galaxy S10 screen zoom corresponds to display size in the stock Android, Samsung customized this feature a lot and they work quite differently.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains when you need to adjust the Galaxy S10 screen zoom, and how to adjust it on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G.

What is screen zoom?

Google introduced the display size in Android Nougat (Android 7) for users to scale all display elements on the phone.

If you are using Windows PC, the display size in Android is similar to the scale (under display settings) on Windows.

Galaxy S10 screen zoom is based on display size in Android. But Samsung made significant customizations.

Compared to the display size in the stock Android, Galaxy S10 screen zoom works differently in the following aspects:

The screen zoom does NOT scale the app icons on Galaxy S10 Home screen, Apps screen, and lock screen.
The screen zoom has 3 levels. While the display size in Pixel phones has 5 levels.
The zoom levels in Galaxy S10 is quite moderate.

For the text and icons, the screen zoom works on all pages and apps, just like the display size in the stock Android.

Normally, the screen zoom is used together with the font size and style settings to get the desired look on the phone.

When do you need to change Galaxy S10 screen zoom? Why font size setting is not sufficient?

On Android, the size of some texts and display elements is hard-coded or fixed (based on DPI of the display).

For example, many Galaxy S10 owners complained about the small text size of the notifications. They tried to increase the font size. But the text size in the notification panel is not affected by font settings because it is fixed.

So, for such text (and icons), you will need to use the screen zoom to change the size.

In short, for most parts of Galaxy S10, the font settings are respected. But for the fixed-size text and icons, you have to use the screen zoom to adjust the display size.

How to adjust Galaxy S10 screen zoom?

You can change the screen zoom levels on Settings.

As shown in the screenshot below, on Galaxy S10 settings, tap Display to change the display settings for Galaxy S10.

In the Display settings page, as shown above, tap screen zoom.

Now in the screen zoom settings page, as shown below, you can find the 3-level slider.

You can drag it left or right to adjust the screen zoom level to small, medium, or large.

On the top part of the page, you can immediately preview the result of the setting. On Galaxy S10, Samsung only lets you preview the result in the Messages app.

As mentioned, the Galaxy S10 offers 3 … Read the rest

Understand Galaxy S10 Home Screen

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You need to understand the contents of the Galaxy S10 home screen to use the phone effectively.

There are usually up to 11 types of items on Galax S10 Home screen. And they are usually designed and arranged for different functions and purposes.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains what Galaxy S10 Home screen is, the items on the home screen, and how to use the 11 types of items on the home screen.

What is Galaxy S10 Home screen?

In Galaxy S10 (S10, S10+, S10e, or S1o 5G), you will deal with 8 types of screens:

Lock screen. The lock screen is the first screen you will encounter after starting or wake up the phone. You need to unlock to access private data and apps.
Home screen. By default, after you unlock Galaxy S10, you will be directed to Galaxy S10 Home screen.
Apps screen. Traditionally, in Android phones, the apps screen is called app drawer, where you list all installed apps. Typically, only part of the installed apps is added to the home screen. Apps screen usually is considered as part of the Home screen,
Edge screen (for S10, S10+, and S10 5G only). As explained in Galaxy S10 layout, edge screen actually is a software feature, rather than a dedicated screen. The edge screen requires a curved edge of the display. Therefore, it is not available in Galaxy S10e due to its flat screen.
Recents (Overview) screen. You can find the list of recently used apps in the Recents screen. You can launch these apps in the split-screen view or pop-up view (multiwindow mode) as explained in this guide.
Notification panel. You can swipe down from the Galaxy S10 status bar to access the notification panel.
Quick settings panel. You can use the quick setting buttons to turn on or off some features on Galaxy S10 without opening Galaxy S10 Settings.
Individual app screen.

Galaxy S10 Home screen is the center of the phone. There is no way to bypass the home screen.

Galaxy S10 is protected by Galaxy S10 lock screen to prevent unauthorized access to your apps and data. Therefore, the Home screen is always behind the lock screen.

You can access the Home screen in different ways:

After unlocking Galaxy S10, you should get the Galaxy S10 Home screen directly.
When you are using any apps, you can tap the Home button (or swipe up from the centerline if you are using Galaxy S10 navigation gestures) in the navigation bar to access the Galaxy S10 Home screen directly.
When you are using any apps, you can keep tapping the Back button in the navigation bar to return to the Home screen eventually. Some apps may require you to tap the back button several times before you get the Home screen. A few apps may ask you to confirm to exit the app. Anyway, the behavior of the back button

… Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 Settings?

simon · 3 Comments

You need to use Galaxy S10 Settings to customize Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, or S10 5G so that the phone works in the way you want.

Like other Android phones, Galaxy S10 offers plenty of options for you to customize and tweak the phone to meet the needs and preferences of different owners.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide shows you how to access and use the Galaxy S10 Settings. It also explains the main entries of the Galaxy S10 settings.

Why do you need to understand and use Galaxy S10 Settings?

When you get Galaxy S10 (S10, S10e, S1o+, or S10 5G), the phone should work immediately after you set up the phone, or migrate to Galaxy S10.

But you may want to change something. For example, you may want to change or customize the Galaxy S10 lock screen. Or you may want to try the new fingerprint scanner.

All these customizations for the phone can be accessed from Galaxy S10 Settings.

However, the options in Galaxy S10 settings are overwhelming. Samsung had to place them into different categories on several levels. The organization for the settings and options changes in each Android version.

So, some seasoned Galaxy phone users may also have problems to find the entry easily.

How to access Galaxy S10 Settings?

Galaxy S10 Settings are packed in the Settings app in Galaxy S10 phones.

You can access Galaxy S10 Settings in at least 5 different ways including:

Tap the Settings app icon on the Home screen as shown below. If you cannot find the Settings app on Galaxy S10 Home screen, you can add it to the home screen from the Apps screen (app drawer).

Tap Settings app icon on the Apps screen. You can always find the Settings app in the Apps screen (app drawer). You cannot hide it.
Tap Settings icon in the notification panel or quick settings panel, as shown below.

Use Google Assistant voice command. You can use the voice command “OK Google, open Settings app” if you turned on Google Assistant voice commands.
Use Bixby Voice command. You can also use Bixby voice command (if enabled) “Hi Bixby, open Settings app.”

All the 5 ways to start Galaxy S10 Settings will give you the identical result: bring you to the settings page (read on ).

Galaxy S10 Settings explained

As shown in the screenshot below, Galaxy S10 settings are divided into 19 (3-21) different main functional groups.

Inside each group, there may be some sub-groups at several levels. So, it is hard to explain all entries of the settings.

Corresponding to the numbers in the screenshot above, let's navigate through the first level functional group.

1. Search button for Galaxy S10 Settings

When you are not sure about where to find the settings, you can type a keyword to search the Galaxy S10 settings. All entries at different levels will be included in the search result.

If one or more entries found, you can … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons?

simon · 2 Comments

You can use Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons to quickly turn on or turn off some features without opening Galaxy S10 Settings, or any apps.

The first a few quick setting buttons are also available in the notification panel, like in other Android phones.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains how Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons may improve your productivity, the two ways to access quick setting buttons, how to use quick setting buttons, and how to manage quick setting buttons on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G.

What are the Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons?

Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons allow you to turn on and turn off some frequently used features quickly without opening the Galaxy S10 Settings page.

By default, on the top of the Galaxy S10 notification panel, there is one row of quick setting buttons. They are the first a few of the quick setting buttons.

You can access more quick setting buttons in a dedicated panel.

Since Android Pie, Google removed the dialogue options for quick setting buttons.

So in Galaxy s10, the quick setting buttons are simple to enable or to disable specific features/functions. Of course, if you long tap the button, you will be directed to the corresponding Galaxy S10 Settings page.

In Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons panel, you can also change the display brightness settings.

Samsung may also add new buttons into the quick setting buttons when some new features are added. For example, in Galaxy S10 September 2019 update, the Link to Windows button was added.

How to access Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons?

As mentioned, you can access part (first a few) of quick setting buttons in the Galaxy S10 notification panel.

If you want to access all quick setting buttons, there are two ways to access them:

Swipe down twice from the status bar (swipe down from the notification panel).
Swipe down once with two fingers from the status bar.

The result of these two methods are identical: they will bring you to the dedicated Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons page so that you can use all quick setting buttons and manage them.

As illustrated below, you can swipe down from the status bar to open the notification panel.

Then, you can swipe down again to access the quick setting buttons as shown below.

The second method requires you to swipe down from the status bar with two fingers as illustrated below.

When using some apps, the status bar may be hidden. In these cases, you can just swipe down from the top of the screen without seeing the status bar.

How to use Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons?

Quick setting buttons accept two touchscreen gestures:

Tap (single tap) to turn on or turn off the corresponding feature.
Tap and hold (long tap) to open the corresponding Galaxy S10 Settings page.

Please note, some buttons do not have a settings page. If you tap and hold (long tap) these buttons, … Read the rest

Meaning of Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons

simon · 39 Comments

You need to understand the meaning of the Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons to get some quick information on the system status and health.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the differences between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons, how to customize the notifications in the status bar, and the meaning of Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons in Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

Please note, in some regions or carriers, the status icon on Galaxy S10 may be slightly different.

If you want to customize or disable notification icons in Galaxy S10 status bar, you may check this guide.

What is the difference between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons?

Like other Android phones, Galaxy S10 uses the top part of the screen as a status bar to display status icons and notification icons. These icons tell you something about the system or inform you about unread or on-going notifications.

The status bar appears on all screens in Galaxy S10, including Galaxy S10 Home screen, apps screes, lock screen, and all apps.

The icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar are usually classified as notification icons and status icons.

As shown in the screenshot below, the Galaxy S10 notification icons are in the left side of the status bar. The Galaxy S10 status icons are on the right side of the status bar.

Please note, due to camera cutout on Galaxy S10, the status icon are aligned to the left side of the cutout, not to the right edge of the screen. If you use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout, the status icons will be aligned to the right side.

The differences between Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons are

Galaxy S10 status icons are always related to the system; while Galaxy S10 notification icons are usually linked to specific apps (including a few system apps and third-party apps).
Galaxy S10 status icons are normally shown on the right side of the status bar; while Galaxy S10 notification icons always appear on the left side of the status bar.
Galaxy S10 status icons are more or less universal in all regions; while Galaxy S10 notification icons depend on individual apps, whose developers can use whatever they want.
Galaxy S10 status icons normally do not have any corresponding notifications in the notification panel; while Galaxy S10 notification icons usually have one or more corresponding notifications in the notification panel.
You can customize the number of Galaxy S10 notification icons shown on the Galaxy S10 status bar. But you cannot customize the number of status icons.

Please note, when an app is in the immersive full-screen mode, the status bar will be hidden temporally. You can swipe down from the top of the screen to bring up the Galaxy S10 status bar (and Galaxy S10 navigation bar if you are using Galaxy S10 navigation buttons).

Also, when you are in … Read the rest

How to disable or customize the notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar?

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You can disable and customize notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar to save space for the status icons.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide shows you how to limit the number of notifications icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar to 3, or to disable notification icons in the status bar.

This guide applies to all Galaxy S10 models: Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G.

Why you may consider to customize or disable notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar?

Due to the cutout of front cameras in the screen (see Galaxy S10 layout), the icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar are not aligned to the right edge of the screen. Instead, the status icons are aligned to the left side of the camera cutout (the left side of the O of the infinity O display).

Besides, since Android Pie update for Galaxy S9, Samsung displays the current time on the left side of the status bar like other Android phones.

Therefore, the usable space for the notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar is significantly reduced.

For example, as shown below, the default status bar can be very crowded if you show many notification icons. The meaning of the Galaxy S10 status icons and notification icons are compiled on this page.

Therefore, Samsung allows you to customize the number of notification icons shown on the status bar.

You can even disable notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar.

How to disable or customize the notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar?

If you want to customize the number of Galaxy S10 notification icons in the status bar or to disable notification icons in Galaxy S10 status bar, you can do so in Galaxy S10 Settings.

In the Settings page, tap Notifications, as shown below, to manage Galaxy S10 notifications.

In the notification settings page, as shown in the screenshot above, tap Status bar.

Now, in the status bar, you can see all options for customizing notifications icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar.

As shown below, you can choose to show:

3 recent notifications. If you have notifications from more than 3 apps, only the notifications icons from the last 3 apps will be shown.
All notifications.

The option of Shown battery percentage actually let you decide to show or hide the battery level on the right side of the status bar (among status icons, not notification icons).

As shown in the screenshot below, there is one notification icon. If you tap the switch for “Show notification icons” to turn it off it will hide the notification icon from the status bar.

As shown in the screenshot above, you can find the notification icon disappears after you disable notification icons in the Galaxy S10 status bar.

Please note, disabling notification icons in the status bar does not affect the notification itself. The corresponding notifications are still in the notification panel. The … 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 use Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures on Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e?

simon · 3 Comments

Using Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures is not an option; it is a requirement if you want to use Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10e.

The good news is that Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures are similar to those on other smartphones.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide uses animation to demonstrate how to use seven Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures. The examples (scenarios) of using these Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures are also provided.

The touchscreen gestures are identical on Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G. So, in this guide, Galaxy S10 refers to all four models of Galaxy S10 phones.

What are the seven Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures?

Unless you attach a keyboard/mouse to Galaxy S10 or use voice commands (e.g., Google Assistant or Bixby Voice), you have to use Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures to control the screen and interact with the phone in apps.

Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures refer to how your finger(s) moves on the screen.

The screen (see Galaxy S10 layout) in Galaxy S10 is a touchscreen. When your finger or a capacitive pen touches the screen, it can identify the motion.

The motion pattern can be designed and programmed as a gesture. The system and apps can then perform certain operations as a response to the gesture.

In Galaxy S10, as like in other Android phones, seven touchscreen gestures, tap, double tap, long tap (tap and hold), swipe, drag, pinch, and spread, are fully supported.

Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures are used by:

The system. Galaxy S10 may use slightly different touchscreen gestures compared to other phones. For example, the navigation gesture is different from that in stock Android.
Individual apps. App developers can assign any functions to any gestures inside the app.

Please note S Pen is for Galaxy Note devices. Galaxy S10 screen will NOT respond to S Pen.

Very often, three of the Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures were also programmed for some hardware buttons (keys). In this case, we usually refer the gestures as press (instead of tap), double press and long press.

Please do not confuse the touchscreen gestures with Galaxy S10 navigation gestures.

Some Samsung cases/covers may also support some gestures. For example, both Galaxy S10 LED View cover (LED wallet) and the Galaxy S10 Clear view (S view) cover support swipe gesture to accept or reject a call.

List of Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures their usages

We will use animations to illustrate what are the 7 Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures. The examples of using each gesture are followed.

Smartphone touchscreen gestures usually mimic the behaviours of a mouse on a PC. When you use Samsung Dex with Galaxy S10, the mouse can replace these Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures.

1. Tap gesture (press)

Tap (single tap) is one of the essential Galaxy S10 touchscreen gestures. You cannot survive without it.

The tap gesture, as shown in the animation below, means you touch somewhere (e..g., a button in an app, an app icon in Galaxy S10 home screen) on the screen … Read the rest