Galaxy S20 clear view cover

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 use Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) effectively?

By simon 4 Comments Last Modified: January 14, 2021 · Published on: May 20, 2020

Galaxy S20 always-on display can display some useful info on the screen without waking up Galaxy S20 when you cannot put your hands on the phone.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) is, the differences between AOD and lock screen, how to enable and customize AOD on Galaxy S20, and how to use AOD with Galaxy S20 clear view cover.

The always-on display (AOD) feature on all three Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra) is identical. This guide works identically on these three phones although Galaxy S20 is used in the guide.

What is Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD)?

Galaxy S20 always-on display allows you to customize Galaxy S20 screen to show time, date, battery status, notifications, screen savers, faceWidgets, pinned image, today’s schedule after the screen times out.

Always-on display (AOD) is not new. But Samsung did remove some features from the Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD).

For example, you cannot pin a note, or a memo, or a reminder, or a future calendar event on Galaxy S20 AOD screen, if you migrated to Galaxy S20 from older Galaxy phones.

Anyway, the Galaxy S20 always-on display was designed to show some useful info when it seats on the desk. You can quickly peek the time, notifications, or battery status on the screen without stopping your work.

By default, when the screen times out (no activity on the screen), the display will be turned off automatically to save battery and maximize the lifespan of the screen. For this reason, the maximum screen timeout on Galaxy S20 is 10 minutes.

The Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD), if enabled, will turn on the screen without waking up the phone after the screen is turned off.

Because the AOD does not wake up Galaxy S20, it will not consume battery excessively. The added battery consumption is mainly for lighting up part of the screen. For Galaxy S20, the AMOLED display is very power efficient and does not consume power for black pixels.

So, Galaxy S20 AOD will only slightly affect battery life (screen-on time) on Galaxy S20.

The differences between Galaxy S20 always-on display (AOD) and the lock screen?

Although Galaxy S20 AOD screen usually displays after the lock screen times out and shares the same faceWidgets and a few other settings with the lock screen, it is different from … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S20 LED back cover?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: August 24, 2020 · Published on: May 5, 2020

Galaxy S20 LED back cover is one of the official accessories for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the Galaxy S20 LED back cover unique features including mood lighting. LED icons, the camera LED icon, and camera timer countdown, and how to use and customize these features. Galaxy Friends features for Galaxy S20 LED cover are explained. A concise review of Galaxy S20 LED back cover is also included in this guide to help you decide whether you should get this cover or not.

The features of the LED cover on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are identical, although the physical dimensions of the case for these 3 phones are different. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

What are the unique features of the Galaxy S20 LED back cover?

Samsung introduced the first generation of LED back cover with Galaxy S10. It was slightly changed for Galaxy Note 10 (and Note 10+).

So, Galaxy S20 LED back cover (aka Galaxy S20 LED cover in some regions) is actually the second generation of this cover with dramatic changes in materials.

Please do not confuse LED back cover with Galaxy S20 LED View (wallet) cover. The later is a flip cover with a pocket inside for a card. While Galaxy S20 LED back cover (or Galaxy S20 LED cover) is a one-piece back cover.

The unique features of the Galaxy S20 LED back cover includes:

Light up when facedown. The back cover can light up when you put the phone face down.
Customizable lighting style: mood lighting or LED icon. When Galaxy S20 is facing downwards, You can customize the lighting as mood lighting or a LED icon.
LED notification icons for message apps and incoming calls. You will see the notification icons on the back when a notification from any message apps comes or when there is an incoming call. Please note, the notification LED icon is only available for messages apps including Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Facebook Messenger and a few others. The notification LED icon cannot be customized (this is different from the Galaxy S20 LED View Wallet Cover).
Camera timer countdown. If the timer for the rear camera is turned on, the countdown will be shown on both the screen and the cover.
LED icons

… Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover (S View cover)?

By simon 11 Comments Last Modified: July 1, 2020 · Published on: March 18, 2020

Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover (aka S View smart cover in some regions) lets you check notifications, accept/reject incoming calls, handle alarms, and control music play through the S View window without opening the case.

Samsung improved a lot for the Clear View (S View ) covers in recent years for the S-View window design and materials.

This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the improvements of the Galaxy S20 Clear View cover, how the S View cover works and unique features of the Clear View cover, shows you how to use the cover to show notification icons, to accept/reject calls, and to control music playing, The guide also shows you how to use the Always-on Display (AOD) on Galaxy S20 Clear View cover. At the end of the guide, a concise no-nonsense review of Galaxy S20 S View cover is included.

Due to the difference in dimensions and cutouts of Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, you need to get the Galaxy S20 cover based on your phone model. The features, functions, and usage of the cover are identical on all these 3 Galaxy S20 phones.

What is new in Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover (S View cover)?

Samsung changed the design of the Galaxy Note 10 Clear View cover dramatically (compared to S10 clear view cover) by introducing the long (and narrow) S View window.

Galaxy S20 clear view cover is clearly a refinement of Galaxy Note 10 clear view cover.

Here are the three new features or improvements of Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover.

#1. New S View window

The full screen S View window as in Galaxy S10 Clear View cover is a fingerprint magnet. Also, the cover only utilizes a small portion of the display (that is why it was named as S View window).

Galaxy Note 10 Clear View Cover is a good experiment for the new S View window. The long and narrow S View window is perfect for most owners. You can easily peek the S View window to see the notifications and time when it is on the desk.

Galaxy S20 Clear View Cover uses a similar S View window. But it is integrated into the front piece in a more natural way (read on),

#2. Improved design

In Galaxy S20, the new S View window is not on the edge of the front piece. Instead, it is embedded inside … Read the rest

Galaxy S20 LED View Cover (LED Wallet Cover)

By simon 3 Comments Last Modified: July 1, 2020 · Published on: March 7, 2020

Galaxy S20 LED view cover (aka Galaxy S20 LED wallet cover) is one of the official accessories for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

This Galaxy S20 accessories guide explains the unique features of the Galaxy S20 LED View cover, shows you how to use the cover (including assign and customise LED cions, accept and reject calls, control music), answers some questions you may have on this cover. A no-nonsense review of Galaxy S20 LED View cover is also included to help you decide whether this cover is for you.

The LED View cover works identically on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, although there are some differences among these three Galaxy S20 models. So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all of these 3 models.

How does the Galaxy S20 LED View Cover (LED Wallet Cover) work?

LED View cover, which is a successor of LED Flip cover, was first introduced with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Samsung changed the design and materials over the years.

But the fundamentals are still the same.

All Samsung LED covers, including the old LED Flip cover, LED View cover (LED Wallet cover in some regions), and the LED back cover, work through NFC technology.

There is no battery in the LED cover. The LED cover get power through NFC, NOT through wireless charging. But it does affect wireless charging (for safety reasons). When you charge Galaxy S20 battery with a wireless charging pad, the wireless charging will be paused automatically when LED icons are shown. And it resumes once the LED disappears.

The communication between the phone and the cover does NOT rely on the NFC settings. It is hardcoded in the firmware. Even you turn off NFC on your phone, the LED cover still works normally.

So, this is totally different from how S Pen on Galaxy Note devices works. S Pen does NOT use NFC.

The old S Pen (until Galaxy Note 8) does not have a battery. You do not need to charge it. These old S Pens get power from the screen (through electro-magnetic grid under the screen) when you use it.

The new S Pen in Note 9 has a supercapacitor and the S Pen in Note 10 has a real battery. Both of them will be charged when you put them in the S Pen slot. The “wireless charging” is … Read the rest

How to charge Galaxy S20 battery?

By simon 6 Comments Last Modified: December 3, 2020 · Published on: March 6, 2020

You need to charge Galaxy S20 battery properly to maximize the battery life without sacrificing usage.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains to you everything you need to know on charging Galaxy S20 battery: two ways to charge Galaxy S20, how to use USB charging, how to use wireless charging, typical charging time for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The guide also answers questions you may have on charging Galaxy S20 battery.

Charging Galaxy S20 battery is identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The only difference is that Galaxy S20 Ultra supports 45W super fast-charging; while Galaxy S20 and S20+ only support up to 25W.

Do you need to charge Galaxy S20 battery for 8 hours for the first time?

No, it is unnecessary to charge Galaxy S20 battery for 8 hours for the first time.

You can disconnect the charger once the battery is fully charged.

The old textbook may teach you to charge the new battery for 8 hours. It is outdated.

When you open the Galaxy S20 box, the battery level on your Galaxy S20 should be normally around 50-60%. You can use the phone immediately.

In some regions, Samsung does not offer a 1-to-1 exchange. You have to power on the phone on the spot to check the phone before you leave the counter.

Two ways to charge Galaxy S20 battery

You can charge Galaxy S20 battery in two ways:

USB charging. You can charge Galaxy S20 with a USB cable, which connects to a USB power source (normally, a wall charger).
Wireless charging. You can put Galaxy S20 on a wireless charging pad to charge the battery. You can use the USB port to connect other devices, e.g., a USB thumb drive.

In Galaxy S20 box, a 25W charger and a USB-C cable are included. You can use them to charge Galaxy S20 battery.

Of course, you can use other wall chargers, power banks, or USB hub to charge Galaxy S20. But the charging speed may be affected. For example, if you use a USB port on your PC or laptop to charge Galaxy S20, you may find it is too slow.

Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra all support Quick Charge (QC) 2.0, USB Power Delivery (PD) 3. As explained in this guide, all three Galaxy S20 models support super-fast charging. Galaxy S20 and S20+ … 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

Unbox Galaxy S20: Understand Items in Galaxy S20 Box

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: September 8, 2020 · Published on: February 26, 2020

Once you unbox Galaxy S20, you need to understand the items in the Galaxy S20 box and know how to use them.

This Galaxy S20 guide illustrates the contents in Galaxy S20 box and explains to you how to use them (including the phone, wall charger, clear back cover, USB cable, USB-C headset with additional ear tips, and SIM card tray ejection pin).

The contents (items) in Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are almost identical except the phone, although there are significant differences among these 3 models.

So, in this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to all of these 3 models: Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

What is included in the Galaxy S20 box?

As shown in the picture below, after unboxing Galaxy S20, there are at least following 7 items in the Galaxy S20 box:

The phone.
Clear cover.
USB-C cable.
Wall charger.
USB-C (AKG) headset.
Additional ear tips (small and large).
SIM card tray ejection pin.

Of course, you can also find some leaflets and inserts depending on the region/distributor.

Among the leaflets, you can find the quick start guide and safety information sheet.

In a few regions, a USB adapter may be included in the box.

Understand the contents in Galaxy S20 box

Now, let’s go through the items in the Galaxy S20 box one by one.

#1. The phone: Galaxy S20, S20+, or Galaxy S20 Ultra

Of course, this is the main and the most expensive item in the box. Others are just “accessories”.

In many regions, Samsung does not offer a one-for-one exchange. If you find any problems after leaving the counter, you need to claim the warranty.

So, you should check the phone on the spot. If there are any issues, you can choose not to accept the item.

Because of the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader which is one of the worst “innovations”, some tempered glass screen protectors will not work with the fingerprint sensor.

In most regions, Samsung pasted (pre-installed) a plastic screen protector on the screen already. The quality of the screen protector is actually quite good. And most importantly, it works nicely with the in-display fingerprint reader.

If you need a screen protector, you should not remove it before you get a new one. If you try to re-apply the screen protector, very likely, you will get many bubbles.

You … Read the rest