Galaxy S10 Guides

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How to use Galaxy S10 Apps screen?

Everything you need to know about Galaxy S10 Apps screen

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Galaxy S10 Apps screenGalaxy S10 Apps screen organizes all apps installed on the phone so that you can access, use and manage them easily.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains what Galaxy S10 apps screen is, how to access it, how to hide apps button, how to hide the apps screen, and how to customize the apps screen on Galaxy S10.

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

What is Galaxy S10 Apps screen?

Apps screen is common in all Android phones.  Sometimes (and traditionally), it is called App drawer.

Essentially, the Galaxy S10 Apps screen is the warehouse of all apps installed on the phone. The individual app icon on the home screen actually is a shortcut to the corresponding app in the Apps screen.

But Apps screen is different from the Home screen in the following aspects:

  • Galaxy S10 Apps screen can only host apps. You cannot put widgets, apps shortcuts, user files, or photos in the apps screen.
  • Galaxy S10 Apps screen does not support duplicate listings. One app can only appear once in the Apps screen.
  • You can hide the apps screen. Surely, you cannot hide the home screen.

The Apps screen shares the same wallpaper with the home screen.

You can also use apps screen in the landscape mode (same as Galaxy S10 Home screen landscape mode).

How to access Galaxy S10 Apps screen?

By default, there are two ways to access Galaxy S10 Apps screen:

  1. Use the touchscreen gesture (swipe up). On the home screen, you can swipe upwards to access the apps screen as shown in the picture below.
  2. Use the apps button in the favorites tray. You can tap the apps button to open the Apps screen.

By default, you can also use the swipe down gesture to access the apps screen on Galaxy S10.  But the swipe down gesture on Galaxy S10 home screen can be assigned to access notifications as explained in this guide (coming soon).

If you do not hide the apps button, you can tap the button as shown below to access the apps screen on Galaxy S10.

Of course, you can hide the apps button and access apps screen only with the touchscreen gesture.

Once in the apps screen, you can then swipe left and right to navigate to different pages.

You can swipe upwards or downwards in the apps screen to return to the home screen. The quick-open notification panel setting does not affect the apps screen.

How to hide apps button in the favorite tray?

In Galaxy S10 Settings, tap Display.

As shown in the screenshot below, in the display settings, tap Home screen.

On Galaxy S10, the apps screen settings are grouped under home screen settings.

hide apps button in the favorite tray hide apps button in the favorite tray

As shown above, you can:

  1. Show or hide the apps button (marked as 1) using the switch.
  2. Set the screen grid for the Apps screen (read on).
  3. Show or hide apps
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How to use Galaxy S10 edge screen?

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Galaxy S10 edge screen allows you to access some features and apps quickly from the curved the display.

Since the inception of the curved screen in Galaxy Note edge, Samsung tried hard to develop some killing features for the curved screen.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains everything you need to know about Galaxy S10 edge screen.

What is Galaxy S10 edge screen?

Samsung introduced the edge screen feature since Galaxy Note Edge (Note 4 Edge). But edge screen on Galaxy Note edge is a separate display area to the right side of the main screen.

Since Galaxy S6 Edge, edge screen has been no longer a separate part. It refers to a part of the main screen linked to the curved edges of the display.

So, Galaxy S10 edge screen is not a separate screen. Instead, it is just part of the screen close to the curved edges on both sides of Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10 5G as illustrated in Galaxy S10 layout.

Because Samsung started to reduce the curved part of the screen from Galaxy S8, many new Galaxy S8, S9, Note 8, Note 9 and S10 owners may even not realized the curved edges, and the special features associated with them.

Galaxy S10 edge screen includes two fundamental features:

  1. Edge lighting. You can use edge lighting the light up the edges of the screen when notifications arrive.
  2. Edge panels. You can put frequently used apps and some special tools in the panels so that you can access them quickly.

If you disable both edge lighting and edge panels, Galaxy S10 edge screen will be disabled automatically. This is the only way to disable Galaxy S10 edge screen features.

Galaxy S10 edge screen works on all screens (except AOD)and apps when in portrait mode. You can use it on the home screen, lock screen, apps screen, and when using any apps.

When you use edge screen on the lock screen, some features will not work until the phone is unlocked. This is a security feature, not a bug.

If your home screen or lock screen is in landscape mode, or you are using an app in landscape mode, edge panel handle will disappear automatically. In other words, Galaxy S10 edge screen does NOT work in landscape mode.

How to access the Galaxy S10 edge screen?

You can access the Galaxy S10 edge screen by dragging the edge panel handle to the center of the screen, as shown below.

The edge panel handle appears on the right side by default. You can customize it so that it can appear on either left or right sides. You can also choose a color for it (read on).

The touchscreen gesture is dragging. But the swipe gesture works as well.

How to customize the Galaxy S10 edge panel handle?

The edge panel handle is the entrance to Galaxy S10 edge screen features. You can customize it based on your preference.

In … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode?

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Galaxy S10 Home screen edit mode allows you to customize the home screen with themes, widgets, screen panels, wallpapers.

Although some customizations and options can be accessed from Galaxy S10 settings or quick settings, a few features can only be accessed from the Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains when you need to use Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode, what you can do in the edit mode, and how to access and use Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode.

What is Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode?

It is impossible to stuff all customizations and settings into Galaxy S10 Settings. Also, some customizations for Galaxy S10 can be done quickly on the screen with simple gestures.

So, Samsung used the home screen edit mode for you to quickly customize the Galaxy S10 home screen without navigation through the Galaxy S10 Settings.

In a nutshell, Galaxy S10 Home screen edit mode is a special mode of the home screen. In this mode, you can customize many aspects of the Galaxy S10 Home screen.

And some settings/customizations for Galaxy S10 Home screen can only be done through this edit mode. For example, assigning a home screen panel as the “Home” of Home screen panels/pages, or remove the Bixby Home from Galaxy S10 Home screen, or adding widgets to the home screen, all can only be done in the Galaxy S10 Home screen edit mode.

Of course, some features in the edit mode can also be accessed from Galaxy S10 Settings (for example, adjust Galaxy S10 home screen settings), or standalone apps/app shortcuts (e.g., use themes and wallpapers).

How to access the Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode?

You can only use touchscreen gestures to access Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode.

There are two gestures for you to access the edit mode for Galaxy S10 Home screen:

  1. Tap and hold (long tap) any blank area on the Galaxy S10 Home screen.
  2. Pinch on the Galaxy S10 home screen.

These are the two only methods to enter the Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode.

When you use the first gesture (long tap), you need to make sure you are tapping the empty (blank) area except for the status bar and navigation bar.

You can tap anywhere above home screen panel indicator (see below) or tap the back button to exit the edit mode and return to Galaxy S10 Home screen.

What are the features of Galaxy S10 home screen edit mode?

As shown in the screenshot below, you can find the following common features and functions in the edit mode of Galaxy S10 Home screen:

  1. Assign the panel/page as the home of the Galaxy S10 Home screen. If you keep tapping the Home button, you should return to the “Home” of the home screen. You must have one and only one panel/page as the home of the home screen panels.
  2. Delete the page.  If this is
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How to Use Galaxy S10 Always On Display (AOD)?

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You can use Galaxy S10 always-on display (AOD) to check notifications, the time, next alarm, today’s schedule, and the weather,  and to control music play without waking up the phone.

On Galaxy S10, Samsung added a few new features for the always-on display and the default behavior. So, do NOT assume the AOD on Galaxy S10 is identical to that on older phones like S9.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the new features of the Galaxy S10 always-on display (AOD), the difference between Galaxy S10 lock screen and AOD screen, how to enable and customize the always-on display screen on Galaxy S10.

Please note, the always-on display is identical among all Galaxy S10 phones.  In this guide,  Galaxy S10 refers to Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, and S10 5G,

What is new in Galaxy S10 Always On Display (AOD)?

In all previous Galaxy phones, the always-on display screen will not be turned off automatically unless it is turned on by the scheduler.

So, once you turn on the always-on display on these devices, you have to choose to show the AOD screen all the time when the phone is locked or to show the AOD screen based on your designated period.

On Galaxy S10, Samsung added the show mode for the always-on display screen: tap to show. And this is the default option.

So, after enabling Galaxy S10 always-on display, by default, the AOD screen will NOT show up after you lock the phone unless you tap the screen (once).

The AOD screen will display only about 10 seconds, and then the screen is off.

If you need to show Galaxy S10 AOD screen all the time, you need to change the show mode.

This new show mode is also available on Android Pie update for Galaxy S9, S8, Note 9 and Note 8.

Please note, if you tap Galaxy S10 screen twice when the screen is off, you will wake the screen and get the Galaxy S10 lock screen, instead of the always-on display screen.

Of course, you can disable this feature in Settings —Advanced features —Motions and gestures — Double tap to wake.

Other new features of Galaxy S10 Always on Display include:

  • Landscape mode for Galaxy S10 AOD screen.
  • Brightness adjustment for the AOD screen.
  • Quick settings for AOD.

AOD Quick settings can also be found on Galaxy S9, S8, Note 8 and Note 9 if you updated these phones to Android Pie.

What is the difference between the lock screen and the always-on display screen?

Although Galaxy S10 always-on display screen is part of the Galaxy S10 lock screen and shares the identical FaceWidgets, they serve different purposes.

The major differences between the AOD screen and lock screen include:

  • Galaxy S10 lock screen shows up when the phone wakes up and is in the locked state. While Galaxy S10 AOD screen shows up only when the phone is NOT waking up.
  • You can use app shortcuts in
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How to use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout without using any apps?

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You can hide the front camera cutout on Galaxy S10, S10+, S105G, and S10e with the Galaxy S10 virtual bezel without using any third-party apps.

Samsung pinched an elongated hole for the front cameras to avoid a notch on the screen. And they proudly announced this trick as infinity “O” display. But some owners do not like this design.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains how to use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout on Galaxy S10, S10+, S105G, and S10e, and the implications of using Galaxy S10 virtual bezel.

Why some owners do not like the front camera cutout?

Nowadays, all smartphone manufacturers try hard to increase screen size without increasing the overall size of the phone.

So, the size of the bezels decreases over the years.  Samsung virtually eliminated the bezels on the sides with curved display since Galaxy S6.

On the bottom, Samsung removed the physical buttons and reduced the size of the bezel to the limit already.

So, on Galaxy S10, they tried to reduce the size of the bezel on the top further.

But there is a hard limit on the top: the front camera, notification LED, iris scanner, proximity, and light sensors all need spaces and cannot be hidden.

And Samsung made 2 stupid mistakes in reducing the size of the top bezel on Galaxy S10 (S10, S10+, S10 5G, and S10e):

  • The iris scanner was removed.
  • The notification LED was removed.

The hole punch for the front camera actually is not a bad idea, although some owners may prefer the notch design as in other Android phones or iPhones.

But what makes it wrong (or less ideal) is the location of the hole.  On all Galaxy S10 phones, the hole is punched on the right side.

First, the hole destroys the symmetry of the front side. The ugly asymmetric look will be magnified when you use an app with a white background.

Second, the curved screen is used on Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10 5G. The hole must keep a certain distance from the curved part. This results in a significantly-reduced area for the status bar.  So, Galaxy S10 has to offer the option for you to reduce the number of notification icons on the status bar or even hide/disable the notification icons on the status bar entirely.

Of course, some Galaxy S10 owners like the design.

Anyway, for those owners who cannot live with the look of the front camera cutout, it is easy to hide the front camera cutout without using any apps.

The truth is that Samsung already knew some owners would dislike the hole and therefore offered the Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout.

The price you have to pay to hide the Galaxy S10 front camera cutout is slightly reduced screen size.

How to use Galaxy S10 virtual bezel to hide the front camera cutout?

If you want to hide the front cutout on Galaxy S10, you can … Read the rest

How to use the landscape mode for Home screen and lock screen on Galaxy S10?

Get to know about Galaxy S10 home screen landscape mode and Galaxy S10 lock screen landscape mode

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You can use the landscape mode for Galaxy S10 lock screen and Home screen on Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G.

When you hold the phone in the landscape orientation, both Galaxy S10 lock screen and Home screen can also rotate so that you can use them easily.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains how to control the Galaxy S10 screen rotation, how to enable and use Galaxy S10 home screen landscape mode and Galaxy S10 lock screen landscape mode.

Different ways to control Galaxy S10 screen rotation (orientation)

On Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung introduced landscape mode for the home screen as explained in this guide.

Galaxy S10 keeps this feature and therefore you can enable the landscape mode for Galaxy S10 Home screen (including the apps screen)in a similar way.

Even better, Samsung added the landscape mode for Galaxy S10 lock screen on all Galaxy S10 phones. Currently, this is a Galaxy S10 exclusive feature.  So, the landscape mode for the lock screen is only available on Galaxy S10 phones.

On Galaxy S10, you can control the screen rotation in different ways:

  • You can turn on Auto-rotate so that the apps can change the orientation automatically when you rotate the phone.  When Auto-rotate is on, you can exclude the Galaxy S10 Home screen and Lock screen.
  • You can turn off Auto-rotate (portrait mode) so that the rotation toggle appears when you rotate the screen. So, you can change and lock the screen orientation when you want. You may check this guide on how to use the screen orientation toggle here. When Auto-rotate is off, the rotation toggle will NOT appear on Galaxy S10 lock screen regardless of your lock screen rotation settings.

Please note, some apps may ignore the screen rotation settings. For example, Galaxy S10 camera app will not follow your screen rotation settings. When you rotate the screen, the camera app will always follow regardless of other settings.

How to enable and use the landscape mode for Galaxy S10 Home screen?

To use Galaxy S10 Home screen in the landscape mode, you must enable it first.

You can enable Galaxy S10 Home screen landscape mode in two different locations:

  • Galaxy S10 Settings
  • Galaxy S10 Quick settings.

In Galaxy S10 Settings, tap Display.  Then, as shown in the screenshot below,  on the Display settings page, tap Home screen.

enable Galaxy S10 Home screen landscape mode enable Galaxy S10 Home screen landscape mode

As shown above, in Galaxy S10 Home screen settings page, you can enable or disable “Rotate to landscape mode.”

You can also enable or disable Galaxy S10 Home screen landscape mode from Galaxy S10 quick settings.

As shown in the screenshot below, on the Galaxy S10 quick settings panel, tap the text, NOT the button/icon, of Auto Rotate.

If you disabled the auto-rotate, the Auto-rotate text should change to Portrait. In this case, tap the text (not the button) of Portrait.

Please note, the landscape mode of Galaxy S10 Home screen works even you turn off the … Read the rest

Understand Contents of Galaxy S10 Home Screen

Get to know the different items on Galaxy S10 Home screen

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Understand Contents of Galaxy S10 Home ScreenYou need to understand the contents of 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 contents of Galaxy S10 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.
  • 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 Galaxy S10 home screen is always behind the lock screen.

You can access the Galaxy S10 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 center line if you are using Galaxy S10 navigation gestures) in Galaxy S10 navigation bar to access the Home screen directly.
  • When you are using any apps, you can keep tapping the Back button in Galaxy S10 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 in an app depends on individual
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How to use and customize Galaxy S10 lock screen?

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Galaxy S10 lock screen can help you keep your data from prying eyes.

Samsung also allows you to tweak and customize the Galaxy S10 lock screen to match your personal preferences and needs.

This Galaxy S10 how-to guide explains the components of the Galaxy S1o lock screen, shows you how to customize the lock screen, and addresses some questions you may have with the Galaxy S10 lock screen.

What is the Galaxy S10 lock screen?

When you power on or reboot Galaxy S10, it will stop at Galaxy S10 lock screen until you unlock the phone. This is similar to other Android phones.

You can imagine the Galaxy S10 lock screen is the door of your Galaxy S10 (S10, S10+, S10e, or S1o 5G).

If someone crosses the door, he can then access everything you saved on the phone: your contacts, messages, call log, files, emails, photos, app data, and many more.

For this reason, you should keep your Galaxy S10 lock screen secured. In other words, you should set up PIN or password to lock the phone so that all people except you can only access up to Galaxy S10 lock screen.

If you leave the phone unattended, or your phone is stolen, a secured Galaxy S10 lock screen may save your life.

On the other hand, you want to access some info very quickly on Galaxy S10. For example, you may want to pause the music playing without unlocking the phone or peek the notifications.

So, some features were added to Galaxy S10 lock screen to improve your productivity without sacrificing security and privacy.

What are the components of the Galaxy S10 lock screen?

Typically, there are up to 7 components on the Galaxy S10 lock screen, as shown in the screenshot below.

  1. Status bar. Due to the cutout of the front camera, notification icons on the right side are not aligned to the right edge of the screen. Please check this guide on the meaning of the status icons and notification icons on Galaxy S10. You may customize and even disable notification icons in Galaxy S10 status bar as explained in this guide.
  2. Clock and FaceWidgets. You can swipe left and right to switch to other FaceWidgets.
  3. Contact info.
  4. Notifications.
  5. Charging status (when charging Galaxy S10 battery)
  6. The in-display fingerprint scanner location indicator (for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S1o 5G).
  7. App shortcuts (up to two).

You can hide some of them including contact info, notifications, and app shortcuts. But others will be always shown.

If you swipe down from the status bar, you will then access the Galaxy S10 quick setting buttons panel. There is no notification panel in the Galaxy S10 lock screen.

How to customize Galaxy S10 lock screen wallpaper?

If you want to change the wallpaper for the Galaxy S10 lock screen, you can go to the edit mode for Galaxy S10 Home screen.

On Galaxy S10 Home screen, you can enter the … Read the rest