Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides

Everything about Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra

Galaxy S20 recovery mode

How to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11?

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update Galaxy S20 to Android 11You can update Galaxy S20 to Android 11 to enjoy enhanced security and privacy, One UI 3.0, and new Android 11 features.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains why you should update Galaxy S20 regularly, when and how to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11 (and One UI 3.0), and how to enable and play the Android 11 Easter egg game (Neko Cat) on Galaxy S20.

Android 11 (with One UI 3.0) update has been rolled out to a few Samsung Galaxy devices including Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy Note 10, in addition to Galaxy S20. This guide applies to all these phone models.

Why should you update Galaxy S20 regularly?

Many Galaxy S20 owners may be scared by updates, possibly due to poor user experiences in the past, for example, losing personal data or customisation.  Therefore, some owners may refuse to update Galaxy S20.

This is dangerous.

First, Android monthly security update (patch) is essential.

You may be unaware that there are many prying eyes (through apps) on Galaxy S20. Some bad guys may use some exploits or bugs to gain unauthorised access to your personal or sensitive data on the device.

Android monthly security update patches and fixes some exploits and bugs to keep your Galaxy S20 relatively safer.

Of course, the update cannot stop apps from collecting data because you granted permission. But it can prevent unauthorised data collection.

In some regions, Samsung issued the update monthly. In other areas, the update may be delivered quarterly depending on your region. Samsung has a good record of updating Galaxy S phones for about 3 years.

Second, Android updating is matured.

In the past, some users might encounter some issues after the update. Some data went missing mystically. Some customisations were lost under your nose.

Sometimes, the update might break your favourite apps.

These issues have become rarer in recent years, thanks to the improved and matured Android update system.

New versions of Android brings new life for Galaxy S20.

Each version of Android adds some new features and improvements.  In recent releases, privacy, security, and data protection are the focus of Android core update.

At the same time, Samsung uses the Android version update to bring new versions of the One UI, which improves the usability and adds some new features as well.

For example, as explained in this guide, there are many … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S20 recovery mode?

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How to use Galaxy S20 recovery mode?Galaxy S20 recovery mode allows you to access some very special and advanced features to manage, hack and reset Galaxy S20.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 recovery mode is, when you need to use it, how to reboot into the recovery mode, and how to navigate and exit the recovery mode.

The Galaxy S20 recovery mode is identical on all 4 Galaxy S20 modes: Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 FE, and S20 Ultra. So this guide applies to all these phones.

What is Galaxy S20 recovery mode?

All Android phones and tablets come with a recovery mode. Galaxy S20 is not an exception.  Android vendors may add or remove some features in the recovery mode.

On Galaxy S20, you can use the recovery mode to (as shown in the picture below):

  • Wipe cache partition. This would wipe the cache partition to refresh apps without affecting your data on Galaxy S20.
  • Reset (factory data reset)  Galaxy S20.  Some geeks may refer this to “wipe” the phone. You can erase all your data and return the phone to factory state. But it does not rollback the Android version or any updates.
  • Update Galaxy S20 from ADB. If you want to sideload the update from your PC, you can do it using ADB. For example, you may manually update Galaxy S20 to Android 11 if you want
  • Update Galaxy S20 from the micro SD card.  You can also apply updates saved in the micro SD card.
  • Reboot into bootloader (download mode).  It allows you to enter download mode. For example, you want to install third-party recovery.
  • Mount /system partition. It is supposed to let you edit and correct some errors in the system partition without rooting. But it seems it is not working.
  • Run graphics test.  It simply shows how the graphics (UI) like when the phone in different states, e.g., erasing, updating, optimizing apps. It has nothing to do with GPU or display.
  • View recovery logs.
  • Run locale test. Check the locale on the phone.
  • Repair apps. This allows you to manually optimise apps (rebuild app cache and data cache).
  • Power off Galaxy S20.

Galaxy S20 recovery mode

We will explain some of them later on.

When do you need to use Galaxy S20 recovery mode?

Galaxy S20 recovery mode is NOT designed for normal users. Most Galaxy S20 owners … Read the rest

How to enter, use, and exit Galaxy S20 safe mode?

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How to enter, use, and exit Galaxy S20 safe mode?Galaxy S20 safe mode allows you to temporally turn off third-party apps and services so that you can debug some weird issues on Galaxy S20.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what Galaxy S20 safe mode is, how to enter the Galaxy S20 safe mode, use the safe mode, and exit the safe mode on Galaxy S20.

Because the safe mode is one of the standard Android features, this guide applies to not only Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, S20+, S20FE, and S20 Ultra) but also other Android phones including Galaxy S10, Galaxy  Note 10, Galaxy S9, and many others.

What is Galaxy S20 safe mode?

Galaxy S20 safe mode is a special mode with all third-party (non-preinstalled) apps and services suspended temporally.   All system settings and pre-installed app settings and data can be used normally.

So, safe mode does not reset your Galaxy S20 to the factory state. And therefore, it is “safe” for your data.

Of course, the real meaning of “safe” is that your Galaxy S20 is shielded from any third-party apps and services.

Under Galaxy S20 safe mode, you can figure out whether some weird issues are caused by any third-party apps, or pre-installed apps (and system settings). Normally, you should try safe mode before trying to wiping the cache partition in the Galaxy S20 recovery mode.

Safe mode is a built-in feature of Android.  You can actually find it in almost all Android devices. And it works almost identically on all Android devices.

In a nutshell, Galaxy S20 safe mode allows you to check whether a problem is caused by third-party apps or services installed by you, or caused by system and pre-installed apps.

How to boot into Galaxy S20 safe mode?

There are at least two ways to boot the phone into Galaxy S20 safe mode.

Method 1: Use the Power Button menu (safe method)

This method works if your Galaxy S20 can still boot up to at least the lock screen.

Step 1:  Hold the side key to access the Power-off menu

After the phone is booted to Galaxy S20 lock screen, or to Home screen, you can hold the side key (as illustrated below) for about 2-3 seconds, to call out the power-off menu (aka power menu,  power button options).

Please note, as explained in the Galaxy S20 Layout page, Samsung moved the side key to … Read the rest

How to use a micro SD card on Galaxy S20?

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use a micro SD card on Galaxy S20Samsung always supports the micro SD card support on all Galaxy S and Galaxy Note phones except on Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5. Galaxy S20 can support a micro SD card up to 1TB.

But the support of the micro SD card on Galaxy S20 is different from that in stock Android.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the supported micro SD card features on Galaxy S20, the requirements of using a micro SD card, how to add and manage the SD card, how to move apps to the micro SD card and how to mount and unmount the SD card on Galaxy S20, and how to choose an SD card for Galaxy S20.

In this guide, Galaxy S20 refers to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Does Galaxy S20 support adoptable storage so that I can use the micro SD card as internal storage?

No, Galaxy S20 does not support the adoptable storage. But Galaxy S20 does support moving apps to the micro SD card.

Since Android Marshmallow (Android 6), Google introduced the adoptable storage to let you use the micro SD card as internal storage. It essentially increases the internal storage capacity at a far lower price.

Of course, due to performance limitations of the micro SD card, most flagship Android phones do not support the adoptable storage. Some, for example, Google Pixel phones, do not have a micro SD card slot at all. The adoptable storage support can be found in many middle-range and budget Android phones.

The other option is to use the micro SD card as portable storage, where you can save your own files, for example, your music or media collections. Apps can also request to access the portable storage to download and save large files.  The “flagship” (usually means expensive and overpriced) Android phones with a micro SD card support, often only support the portable storage.

Unlike other Android vendors, Samsung chose a proprietory way to support micro SD card. It is somewhere between adoptable storage and portable storage.

  • You cannot format the micro SD card as the internal storage on Galaxy S20.
  • But you can move most apps to the micro SD card if you want.

Actually, this is a better implementation than the adoptable or portable storage, because

  • The micro SD card is portable.  You can share the media files on the SD card on any
… Read the rest

How to power on, power off, and restart Galaxy S20?

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How to power on, power off, and restart Galaxy S20?You need to power on, power off, or restart (reboot) Galaxy S20 from time to time when using the phone.

Although it is usually a simple task to turn on or turn off Galaxy S20, it can be frustrating, especially when the phone hangs and you need to use Galaxy S20 urgently.

This Galaxy S20 guide shows you how to power on (turn on), power off (turn off), and restart (reboot) Galaxy S20, even when the phone hangs (non-responsive).

The guide applies to all three models of Galaxy S20: Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Power on Galaxy S20 (turn on, power up)

When the phone is off, you can hold the Side key (see Galaxy S20 layout) to power on (turn on) Galaxy S20 normally.

Please note, Samsung combined the old Power key with the unpopular Bixby key as the Galaxy S20 Side key.

As shown in the Galaxy S20 layout, the Side key is located on the right side of the phone, below the volume key. There is no physical keys or buttons on the left side any more.

Please note, if you hold volume buttons and the Side key, then you may:

Power off Galaxy S20 (turn off)

There is no hardware button (key) to power off Galaxy S20. If you hold the Side key, Galaxy S20 will reboot (restart), instead of powering off the phone. But sometimes, you need to power off Galaxy S20, e.g., when you enter a restricted area, or when you want to boot into Galaxy S20 recovery mode.

To power off Galaxy S20 gracefully, you need to use the software Power off button, which can be accessed in various locations on Galaxy S20.

Please note, if you power off Galaxy S20, you cannot receive calls from the phone. Text messages (SMS) will be saved by your carrier and delivered to the phone after you power on the phone and connect to the mobile network. You may check this guide on how to use SIM cards on Galaxy S20.

Galaxy

… Read the rest