Bixby

How to use 5 different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 camera?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: December 6, 2020 · Published on: December 6, 2020

In addition to the shutter button, you can use other shooting methods, including volume key, voice commands, floating shutter button, and palm, to take photos or shoot videos on Galaxy S20.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the 5 different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 and shows you how and when to use them.

As Samsung updates the Camera app with the Android OS (and One UI), you can find the Samsung Camera app on Galaxy phones with identical Android (and One UI) version is almost identical. Therefore, this guide applies to most Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 (and One UI 2.5), for example, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20.

Why do you need to consider shooting methods other than the shutter button for Galaxy S20 camera?

By default, most Galaxy S20 owners use the shutter button (aka capture button) in the preview screen to take photos or record videos.

But occasionally, you may find it is not convenient to use the shutter button when taking selfies, especially when you want to include more people or the background and therefore you have to stretch your arm out.

For owners who get used to a point-and-shoot camera or DSLRs, a physical shutter button is always preferred. Unfortunately, all Android phone manufacturers are trying to minimize the number of physical buttons (and ports).

The good news is Samsung has maintained alternative shooting methods in their Galaxy phones. Therefore you can use volume keys, voice control, floating button, and palm to take photos and record videos.

What are the 5 different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 camera?

In the Galaxy S20 Camera app, you can use at least the following 5 shooting methods:

Use the shutter button (default).
Use the volume key.
Use voice control.
Use a floating shutter button.
Show your palm (for selfies only).

We will explore them later (read on). By default, voice control and floating button are disabled on Galaxy S20.

When and how to use different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 camera?

As mentioned, two of the additional methods (voice control and floating shutter button) are not enabled by default; therefore, you need to enable them before you can use them.

Enable/disable different shooting methods for Galaxy S20 camera

You can manage, enable, and disable individual shooting methods in Galaxy S20 camera settings.

You can use various … Read the rest

How to avoid mirrored photos (selfies) on Galaxy S20?

By simon 3 Comments Last Modified: August 31, 2020 · Published on: June 27, 2020

By default, Galaxy S20 front camera will save the mirrored photos (flipped photos) when taking selfies.

This Galaxy S20 camera guide shows you why you get the mirrored photo by default, how to change the default setting to avoid mirrored selfies on Galaxy S20, and how to edit (flip) the existing mirrored photos on Galaxy S20 with the Gallery app.

Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra share the identical front camera settings, so, this guide applies to all these 3 Galaxy S20 models although we only use S20 in the text.

Why do I get mirrored photos (selfies) on Galaxy S20?

When using the Galaxy S20 front camera, on the preview screen, you will see yourself (and everything) like using a mirror.

All smartphone cameras are designed and coded to work in this way. It is not by a random mistake.

It is actually related to the visual perception of seeing ourselves. Most of the time, we see ourselves through mirrors. Therefore, our brains train us to recognize such images. When we are in a video call, we will perceive our “flipped” video as natural and usual.

If you give a flipped and non-flipped selfie of a person to himself, very likely, he will tell you the flipped one is “more” natural until he notices the reversed (and therefore strange) text.

When Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210 first introduce the front-facing camera in 1999, it was mainly designed for video calls, although it can take photos as well.

But if you look at the mirrored photos carefully, you will notice it is hard to read the text, whose direction is reversed. It is similar to the text in an ambulance car. The text in the ambulance car is mirrored so that drivers can read it correctly from the rearview mirror and give way to it.

Anyway, it is a standard implementation in the industry to flip front-camera photos.

Of course, as the photos or selfies are just mirrored (flipped), you can easily flip them back.

And most smartphones offer the option for you to flip back the mirrored photos when saving them.

How to avoid mirrored photos (selfies) on Galaxy S20?

As mentioned, you can flip the mirrored photos on Galaxy S20 (read on). But sometimes, many users may want to avoid the flipped photos when tapping the shutter button.

Please note, there is NO way … Read the rest

How to use faceWidgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and Always-on display screen?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: January 14, 2021 · Published on: May 29, 2020

You can use faceWidgets on the lock screen and always-on display (AOD) screen to check the weather, browse your schedules, control music play, use Bixby Routines, prepare for the next alarm.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what the faceWidgets are, how to customize the faceWidgets on Galaxy S20-, and how to access and use these widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and always-on display (AOD) screen.

As faceWidges are also available on other Galaxy phones with Android Nougat (7.0) or later, this guide applies not only to Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), but also other Galaxy phones including Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy Note 8.

Update: Android 11 update for Galaxy S20 revamped the faceWidgets and renamed them as widgets. If you have updated your Galaxy S20 to Android 11, you may check this guide on how to access, use, and customise widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen. This guide applies to Galaxy S20 with Android 10.

What is faceWidgets on Galaxy S20?

The FaceWidgets lets you get quick access to useful information on the lock screen and always-display screen without unlocking the phone.

Surely, Galaxy S20 faceWidgets is not a new feature. Samsung introduced faceWidgets on Galaxy S8.

Over the years, Samsung added Bixby routine and weather info the faceWidgets.

The purpose of faceWidgets is for you to quickly get some useful info from the Galaxy S20 lock screen (without unlocking the phone) and from the Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) screen (without waking up the screen).

On Galaxy S20, you can use the following five widgets on both the lock screen and AOD screen:

Weather
Music
Today’s schedule.
Next Alarm.
Bixby Routines.
Digital wellbeing (only after your Galaxy S20 was updated to Android 11).

You can customize them by enabling/disable them individually or recording them.

But you cannot add your own widgets to the faceWidgets

How to customize faceWidgets on Galaxy S20?

On all supported Galaxy phones, faceWidgets is under the lock screen settings.

Enable and disable individual widgets

As shown in the screenshot below, in the Galaxy S20 Settings, tap Lock screen first.

In the Galaxy S20 lock screen settings page, as shown above, you can find the FaceWidgets entry.

Tap on the entry to access Galaxy S20 faceWidgets settings.

In the settings page, as shown below, you can:

Turn

… Read the rest

How to easily take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 without using any third-party apps?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: November 21, 2020 · Published on: May 11, 2020

Galaxy S20 provides the native capability for you to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 easily without installing any third-party apps.

The built-in Galaxy S20 screenshot toolbar can also further help you take screenshots for elongated pages automatically, edit, and share the captured screenshots efficiently.

This Galaxy S20 guide shows you the 4 easy ways to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 without using any third-party apps and explains how to use the screenshot toolbar to take a screenshot for scrollable pages, edit, share, and add tags to the captured screenshot.

This guide applies to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and S20 Ultra, although we use Galaxy S20 in the text.

4 easy ways to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20

Taking screenshots on Galaxy S20 is not only easy but also fun. There are a few different ways to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 without using any third-party apps.

In this guide, I will show you the four easiest ways to take screenshots on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

Hardware key method (Side key + volume down key)

In all Android devices, the built-in method of taking a screenshot is holding the power key and volume down key simultaneously.

On Galaxy S20, the Side key replaces the traditional power key.

So, the corresponding method of taking a screenshot on Galaxy S20 is to hold the Side key and volume down key simultaneously, as illustrated below (you may check Galaxy S20 layout on the location of the side key and volume key).

The only requirement is to hold the two keys simultaneously. It needs some practice if you are new to this method:

If you get the volume adjustment bar (aka volume slider), it means you press the Side key too late.
If you get the power button option (power-off menu), then it means you press the volume down button too late.

Anyway, you may try to hold the Side key slightly earlier than the volume down key.

Palm Swipe to capture

The funniest way to take a screenshot on Galaxy S20 is to swipe your palm over the screen, as illustrated below.

This method is a bit tricky. Your palm should “slightly” touch the screen.

If the palm is too far from the screen, then swipe will not be registered. If it touches the screen too hard, then the swipe may be registered as a touchscreen gesture… Read the rest

How to remap and use Galaxy S20 Side key?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: December 19, 2020 · Published on: March 10, 2020

Galaxy S20 Side key is a combination of traditional Power key and Bixby key. You can remap it to different functions.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the functions of the Galaxy S20 Side key, how to remap the functions to different gestures and how to use the side key on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

This guide applies to all three models of Galaxy S20.

What is Galaxy S20 Side key?

Samsung introduced the Bixby key on Galaxy S8. It was located below the volume keys on the left side of the phone as explained in Galaxy S8 layout.

This configuration was maintained in Galaxy Note 8, S9, Note 9, and S10 with the hope of increasing adoption of Bixby services.

But unfortunately, it did not work well. Most owners do not use Bixby and don’t like the useless physical button.

Since Android Pie update, Samsung finally allows owners to remap the Bixby key to other functions. It becomes one of the most welcomed features in Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S8.

In Galaxy Note 10, Samsung eventually gave up the efforts of pushing Bixby key.

So, in Galaxy Note 10, Samsung combined the Power key and the Bixby key into one and named it Side key.

But Samsung put the new Side key in the left side of Galaxy Note 10. This created unnecessary confusions among the owners because the Power key of all previous Galaxy phones was on the right side.

So, in Galaxy S20, Samsung relocated the Side key into the right side (together with the Volume key) as explained in Galaxy S20 layout.

Essentially, Galaxy S20 Side key is still a combination of the Power key and the Bixby key. And the owner can customize the functions.

What are the gestures supported by Galaxy S20 Side key?

As a hardware button, Galaxy S20 Side key supports 4 gestures:

Single press.
Double press. The default function is Galaxy S20 camera quick launch.
Long press (press and hold for more than 2 seconds). The default function is the revamped Power Off menu.

The first gesture (single press) is not customizable. It is reserved for wake up/turn off the screen, just like what the old Power key does. You can also configure it to lock Galaxy S20 instantly as explained in Galaxy S20 lock screen settings.… Read the rest

How to hide Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) on Galaxy S20?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: October 30, 2020 · Published on: March 4, 2020

You will encounter the unwelcomed Samsung Daily in the Galaxy S20 Home screen when you unbox your Galaxy S20.

Luckily, you can easily disable or hide Samsung Daily (Bixby Home) on Galaxy S20 Home screen.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Samsung Daily is, why you should disable/hide it, and how to hide it on Galaxy S20.

Please note, Samsung preinstalled the Samsung Daily as a system-essential app. So, you cannot disable it or remove it from the phone. You can only disable or hide Samsung Daily from Galaxy S20 home screen.

Samsung Daily is a software (app) feature. It works on all three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra) identically.

What is Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20?

Samsung Daily was introduced in Samsung’s Android 10 update for Galaxy S10 last year.

Although the name is now, Samsung Daily is simply a rebranded Bixby Home, which more than 90% of Galaxy owners turned off (or tried to turn off) on old generations of Galaxy Phones.

By default, Samsung Daily occupies the leftmost panel of Galaxy S20 Home screen. It mimics the Google (Google Now) page on the stock Android.

It supposes to deliver relevant and customized info for you by crawling your emails, calendar, messages, reading history, location, and other private info. It is Samsung’s version of Google Now page.

Because Samsung preinstalled the Samsung Daily as an essential app (part of the launcher), you cannot uninstall or disable it on Galaxy S20.

The good news, like in Galaxy S8, S9, and S10, you can hide Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20 very easily. So, we did not list it as one of the worst Galaxy S20 features.

Why you may want to hide Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20?

I am not a fan of Bixby Home or Samsung Daily. We always recommend Galaxy phone owners to disable it.

You may also consider to hide or disable Samsung Daily on Galaxy S20 home screen for the following three reasons.

Reason 1: Bixby is not as smart as Google Assistant.

Google Assistant is unarguably superior to Bixby. Period.

So, the info delivered from Bixby Home (Samsung Daily) generally is less useful than asking Google Assistant.

Reason 2: Data collection and third-party providers

Some processing jobs (e.g., analyze your habits/preferences), are done in the cloud. This means Samsung need to … Read the rest

Galaxy S20 layout

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: December 19, 2020 · Published on: February 29, 2020

You need to know the Galaxy S20 layout if you want to use Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra properly.

This Galaxy S20 guide shows each part of Galaxy S20 layout and explains to you the functions of these parts on Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

The layout of Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra is almost identical, although the 3 models differ significantly in size and camera features (as explained in this page).

So, this guide applies to the layout of Galaxy S10, S20+, and S20 Ultra. In the text, we use the Galaxy S20 layout refers to all of these 3 models.

Why do you need to know about Galaxy S20 layout?

After unboxing Galaxy S20, the first thing you want to do is powering on the phone.

But where is the power button? If you are an owner of Galaxy Note 10 (or Note 10+), then you may find the power button (side key) is not relocated back to the right.

If you want to record an audio clip (especially in the interview mode), you probably need to know the location of the two microphones.

If you want to use NFC, use wireless charging, or use wireless PowerShare, you need to know the location of antennas and coils.

If you are new to the in-display fingerprint sensor, you need to know where to put your fingers on.

Anyway, all Galaxy S20 owners need to know the layout of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra so that you can use the phone effectively.

Galaxy S20 layout

In the picture below, 15 items of the Galaxy S20 layout are illustrated.

Front view

On the front of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, you can find the main display (screen), in-display fingerprint reader, and the front camera.

#1. The screen

About 90% of the front part of Galaxy S20 is what Samsung called “Dynamic AMOLED 2X” screen.

It is actually just a new iteration of Samsung’s Super AMOLED. By default, the colour is vivid and sharp, but oversaturated.

Of course, you can change the default Vivid screen mode to Natural mode with more accurate colours.

Please note, the only screen difference of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra is the size. The technology, resolution and features are identical.

The Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures were explained in this page.

Galaxy S20 navigation buttons… Read the rest