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Top 11 new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update

By simon 2 Comments Last Modified: January 18, 2021 · Published on: December 29, 2020

Samsung officially released Galaxy S20 Android 11 update in early December 2020 globally. Galaxy S20 owners in most regions will get the Android 11 update (One UI 3.0) by the end of 2020.

Of course, in a few regions, owners have to wait and will get the update in January or February 2021.

Galaxy S20 Android 11 update brings a refreshed One UI 3.0 with most (not all) Android 11 features. This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 11 new features in the Galaxy S20 Android 11 update to help you jumpstart with the new UI and new features.

This guide applies to all Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra) because the new features and the new UI are almost identical on all these phones.

Please follow this guide to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11.

One UI 3.0 with a refreshed visual design

Samsung now updates One UI with each Android update. With Galaxy S20 Android 11 update, One UI was updated to version 3.0 with a refreshed visual design.

You will find One UI 3.0 offers generous space (empty region). But there are fewer wasted spaces compared to One UI 2 and One UI 2.5. So, most users will feel more relaxed when using the phone.

One UI 3.0 also introduced a few new visual effects to help you quickly focus on what matters most.

But they are controversial. Some owners probably will not like some of them. For example, the blurred effect for notifications may irritate some users depending on the wallpaper used. Unfortunately, Samsung did not offer the options to turn them off, at least, up to now.

Overall, aesthetic improvements in One UI 3.0 are obvious. They make the UI modern and stylish.

Please note, Samsung removed the feature of customising the app icon shapes in this Android 11 update.

Revamped notifications

Some major improvements and new features in Android 11 are notification related. They make notifications very convenient to use, intuitive and interactive.

Samsung implemented almost all of them and added a few of their own.

Notification history

Sometimes, you may want to re-read a few notifications that were dismissed inadvertently. Or you may just want to check whether you missed any important notifications.

Android 11 introduced notification history, which allows you to check all notifications (of course including dismissed and silent notifications) in the … Read the rest

How to use, manage and master Galaxy S20 camera modes?

By simon 4 Comments Last Modified: December 6, 2020 · Published on: August 31, 2020

Galaxy S20 camera modes allow you to easily take photos in different scenarios without fiddling around the settings.

This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains how to access different Galaxy S20 camera modes, how to add frequently used camera modes to the preview screen so that you can access them quickly. A detailed explanation of all Galaxy S20 camera modes and their usages concludes this guide.

Although the three models of Galaxy S20 phones differ significantly in camera specs, the camera modes on Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra are actually identical. So this guide applies to all these three Galaxy S20 models.

How to access Galaxy S20 camera modes?

By default, when you open the camera app (including using Galaxy S20 camera quick launch), you are in the Photo mode (aka auto mode). This is the default Galaxy S20 camera mode.

Please note, if you open the camera again shortly after you closed it, or from the Recents screen, it may start with the last used camera mode depending on whether the process is stopped completely or not.

As shown in the screenshot below, in the preview screen, you can find Galaxy S20 camera modes located above the shutter button.

By default, there are four buttons. Three of them are for single-take camera mode, Photo mode, and video mode, respectively. The last one is the More button.

You can tap the More button to reveal all other available Galaxy S20 camera modes.

To access or use any of the Galaxy S20 camera modes, you simply tap on the mode. Galaxy S20 camera will change the camera mode to the tapped one instantly.

You can then take photos using that camera mode.

Please some Galaxy S20 camera modes are for the rear camera only. If you choose that mode, Galaxy S20 will switch to the rear camera immediately without warning if you are using the front-facing camera. Unlike that in previous Galaxy phones, Galaxy S20 does not grey out inapplicable camera modes for the front camera.

Besides, the look of the shutter button may change slightly for the single-take mode and video mode, as explained here.

List of Galaxy S20 camera modes

By default, as shown in the screenshot above, there are 13 Galaxy S20 camera modes (excluding the burst mode):

Photo mode (auto mode).
Single-take mode.
Video mode.
Pro Mode (rear

… Read the rest

How to use different camera lens to zoom in and zoom out on Galaxy S20?

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: January 9, 2021 · Published on: July 27, 2020

Galaxy S20 is all about the camera. The three primary camera lenses on the back of Galaxy S20 allows you to zoom in and zoom out quickly to capture any objects/scenes far or close.

For example, Galaxy S20 Ultra offers up to 100x super-resolution zoom and up to 10x hybrid zoom.

But many Galaxy S20 owners are a bit confused on choosing the correct camera lens and set the proper zoom levels.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the differences among the three main (rear) cameras, the link between zoom and camera lenses, how to choose different camera lenses, and how to zoom in and zoom out properly.

In this guide, we mainly use the Galaxy S20 Ultra rear cameras as an example. When there are any differences, we will highlight whether the feature is for Galaxy S20 Ultra, or Galaxy S20 (and S20+). All camera software features on three Galaxy S20 models are identical, although Galaxy S20 Ultra has better hardware specs for the primary wide-angle camera and the telephoto camera.

What are the different camera lenses on Galaxy S20?

Besides the depth sensor camera on Galaxy 20+ and S20 Ultra, on all three models of Galaxy S20 phones, there are three camera lenses for different purposes:

Wide-angle camera.
Ultra-wide-angle camera.
Telephoto camera.

Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 FE, and Galaxy S20+ share the identical hardware of these three camera lenses. Galaxy S20 Ultra has an upgraded camera system. But the camera app is identical on all these phones. You can also use different shooting methods as well on all of these phones.

Wide-angle camera

The 12MP (or 108MP on Galaxy S20 Ultra) wide-angle camera is the primary shooter. By default, you will take photos and record videos (except 8K videos) with this camera lens. Of course, you can choose other lenses if you want (read on).

On Galaxy S20 Ultra, you can choose to save the pictures as 12MP (at the aspect ratio of 4:3) after combining pixels, or as 108MP (which take s far more storage). Usually, you should save the photo as normal 12MP in indoor or low-light conditions. You may consider the108MP option when lighting is excellent (e.g., outdoor in sunny days).

Ultra-wide-angle camera

The 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera is identical on all three Galaxy S20 models.

With a field of view (FoV) of 120˚, this camera allows you to capture … Read the rest

How to use single take camera mode on Galaxy S20?

By simon 4 Comments Last Modified: December 6, 2020 · Published on: May 27, 2020

Samsung debuted the single take camera mode with the release of Galaxy S20. It helps you take several photos and videos automatically to capture important moments.

This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains how Galaxy S20 single take camera mode works, the limitations of the single take camera mode on Galaxy S20, how to use this camera mode to take single take photos and videos, and how to manage photos taken in the Galaxy S20 single take camera mode.

Because Samsung has backported the single take camera mode to Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 in One UI 2.1 update, you can use this camera mode not only on Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), but also Galaxy S10 (S10, S10e, and S10+) and Galaxy Note 10 (Note 10, Note 10+).

In this guide, Galaxy S20 is used as an example. You can use the single take camera mode on all support phones.

How does the single take camera mode on Galaxy S20 work?

Galaxy S20 single take camera mode uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analysis the scene and takes up to 10 photos and up to 4 videos automatically for you in 3-10 seconds.

You can simplify the single take camera mode into the following three stages.

It uses all available camera lens/sensors to take many photos and record a few videos with various settings based on the scene detected.
It analyses all photos and videos taken.
It outputs the best photos and videos (including GIF animations if appropriate).

In stage 1, Galaxy S20 camera uses scene recognition and optimization to get the “optimal” settings first. The primary camera, ultra-wide camera and telephoto camera are all used to take some snapshots.

In stage 3, the photos or video generated are usually not the “original” one. Some original photos may be merged and cropped to form a “final” photo. Panorama photos and GIF animations may also be created if Galaxy S20 thinks they are relevant to the scene. A few camera effects may also be applied to the output photos.

Anyway, the Galaxy S20 single take camera mode was designed to help you capture the important moments automatically with the optimal settings.

Can I use the single take camera mode on other phones (e.g., Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10)?

Samsung has backported the single take camera mode to Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 in the One UI … Read the rest

The Ultimate Guide of Galaxy S20 Touchscreen Gestures

By simon Leave a Comment Last Modified: December 6, 2020 · Published on: March 9, 2020

You need to use the Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures to use the phone effectively.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the commonly used Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures and shows you how to use them. The 8 Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures covered are tapping, double-tapping, triple-tapping, long-tapping (tapping and holding), swiping, dragging, pinching and spreading.

Why do you need to know the Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures?

We seldom attach a physical keyboard or mouse to Galaxy S20 (except using Samsung DeX). So, the touchscreen is the interface between the user and the Galaxy S20.

The phone takes commands from us through Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures. We interact with the apps through those gestures, most of the time.

Since Android 10, Google removed the navigation buttons by default and recommended gestures for all navigations. Of course, Galaxy S20 still allows you to choose between using buttons or navigation gestures.

More and more Android apps also prefer gestures over buttons.

Anyway, it is hard to use the phone effectively without mastering Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures.

What are the 8 Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures?

You will need to use the following touchscreen gestures on Galaxy S20:

Tapping (single tap).
Double-tapping.
Triple tapping.
Long tapping (tap and hold).
Swiping.
Dragging.
Pinching.
Spreading

All of the 8 Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures are universal on all Android phones. They work on almost all Android phones and therefore are not unique to Galaxy S20.

But the functions of each gesture may depend on individual apps.

Usage of Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures

Now, let’s go through these 8 Galaxy S20 navigation gestures one by one.

Please note, we use “tap” in this guide. Other developers or writers may prefer “press”. They are identical for touchscreen gestures.

#1. Single tapping gesture (tapping)

The tapping gesture (aka single tapping), as shown in the animation below, requires you touch somewhere on the Galaxy S20 screen once, then move your finger away from the screen.

This gesture will be then registered as tapping, which is one of the most fundamental Galaxy S20 touchscreen gestures. It corresponds to “click” when using a mouse.

The outcome of the tapping gesture depends on what you tapped.

Here are some example of using tapping gesture on Galaxy S20:

Open an app by tapping the app icon.
Navigate to another page by tapping a menu item.
Toggle some Galaxy S20 features by tapping the quick setting buttons

… 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