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Use advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers on the lock screen and home screen

Many Galaxy S20 owners customize Galaxy S20 wallpapers once they migrate the data from the old phone and finish the initial setup.

But most owners may not be aware that Galaxy S20 wallpapers are not just a few pictures. You can also use videos, random photos, or Samsung curated photo packs as Galaxy S20 wallpapers.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the differences between Galaxy S20 Home screen wallpapers and lock screen wallpapers, the advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers (multi-pack, live wallpapers, video wallpapers, dynamic lock screen, Samsung Global Goals), and how to customize Galaxy S20 wallpapers with these advanced features.

The difference between Galaxy S20 lock screen wallpapers and home screen wallpapers

Samsung made some changes on the wallpapers on the home screen and lock screen on Galaxy S20. Other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 (e.g., Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10) also have identical wallpaper settings.

The major differences between Galaxy S20 lock screen wallpapers and home screen wallpapers include:

Live wallpaper is NOT supported on Galaxy S20 Home screen. The infinity effect (and motion effect) of wallpapers does not work on Galaxy S20 Home screen either.
Multi-pack is NOT supported on Galaxy S20 Home screen.
Random photos (photo slideshow) works on Galaxy S20 lock screen only.
Videos can be assigned for wallpapers on the lock screen only.
The Dynamic Lock is for Galaxy S20 lock screen only.

In a nutshell, without using a third-party app, you can only use one static image for the Galaxy S20 Home screen wallpaper. For the lock screen, you have many options.

If you just migrated from an old Galaxy phone, you may find the live wallpapers are missing from the Galaxy S20 Home screen.

5 advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers on the lock screen and home screen

Samsung tried hard to improve the wallpapers on the lock screen. But at the same time, they keep removing features from the home screen wallpapers. It is a very confusing move.

Most of the advanced features of the Galaxy S20 wallpapers discussed here are mainly for the Galaxy S20 lock screen. Only the dark mode for wallpapers is for both the Home screen and lock screen.

Here are the five (5) noteworthy advanced features of Galaxy S20 wallpapers.

#1. Dark mode for Galaxy S20 wallpapers

Galaxy S20 dark mode is excellent. It may significantly reduce your eye … Read the rest

Use Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode to customize Galaxy S20 Home screen

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Samsung Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode allows you to customize Galaxy S20 Home screen, access Galaxy S20 Home screen settings, use themes, apply wallpapers, add widgets to the home screen.

This Galaxy S20 how-to guide explains what Samsung Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is, how to access this mode with two different gestures, and what you can do in the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode to customize Galaxy S20 Home screen.

The Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is identical on all three models of Galaxy S20. So this guide applies to Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

What is Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode?

The quickest way to customize the Galaxy S20 Home screen is to use the edit (customization ) mode.

Sometimes the home screen edit mode may be referred to the Home screen customization or settings page. But on Galaxy S20, Samsung added a dedicated Home screen settings page. In the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode, there is a shortcut to this home screen settings page.

Besides, after Android 5.0 removed the Widgets tab in the Apps screen, the only way to manually add widgets to the Galaxy S20 Home screen is through the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode.

You can imagine the Galaxy S20 home screen edit mode is a special page hiding behind the Home screen. You can quickly access it to customize the Galaxy S20 Home screen and change the home screen settings.

How to access Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode?

You can access the edit mode of Galaxy S20 Home screen with two different gestures, as illustrated in the screenshot below.

Gesture A: Tap and hold (long tap) on the blank area

You can tap and hold (aka long tap) any blank area (that is not occupied by the app icons, widgets, pinned files, picture frames …) on the Home screen.

The gap between any two app icons is also a blank area.

Gesture B: Pinch on the Home screen

You can pinch over the home screen to enter the edit mode.

How to customize Galaxy S20 Home screen in the edit mode?

The purpose of the Galaxy S20 Home screen edit mode is for you to quickly customize the Home screen. For example, you can quickly disable (hide) the Samsung Daily on the Galaxy S20 home screen, or customize the … Read the rest

How to use single take camera mode on Galaxy S20?

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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

How to take burst shot photos with Galaxy S20 burst mode like a pro?

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You can use Galaxy S20 burst mode to take burst shot photos in some important moments.

This Galaxy S20 camera guide explains when to use Galaxy S20 burst mode, how to enable Galaxy S20 burst mode, how to take burst photos on Galaxy S20, and how to manage photos taken in the b burst mode.

Galaxy S10 with Android 10 update also use the same gesture to take photos in the burst mode. So, this guide applies to both Galaxy S20 (all three models) and Galaxy S10 with Android 10 update.

When do you need to take burst shot photos with Galaxy S20 burst mode?

Galaxy S20 burst mode can take up to 100 photos successively to help you capture the important moments.

Normally, you can later select a few of the burst shot photos that capture the moment you want to.

You may use the burst mode during an event when the object is moving, or the background is changing, or the scene is brief.

Some Galaxy S20 owners may use the burst shot photos to make animations or even videos, which usually look better than the recorded video for the same event.

Please note, all photos taken in the Galaxy S20 burst mode are always saved in the phone storage even you set the photo storage location to the SD card in Galaxy S20 camera settings.

How to take burst shot photos with Galaxy S20 burst mode?

In old Galaxy phones, you can hold the shutter button to take burst shot photos.

But this is not the case for Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra.

If you hold the shutter button on Galaxy S20 camera app, it will start to record a short video. The complete list of gestures on Galaxy S20 camera app is explained here.

On Galaxy S20, you have to swipe down from the shutter button to enter Galaxy S20 burst mode. Galaxy S20 will stop taking burst shot photos once you release your finger from the screen.

The gesture feels like swipe down the shutter button, then hold, as shown below.

Please note, if you are using navigation buttons, and swipe down too much to the Home button, you may end up returning to the Galaxy S20 home screen or launching Google Assistant.

So, you just need to swipe down a bit, then hold.

Galaxy S20 burst mode can … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S20 LED back cover?

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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

Master Galaxy S20 lock screen settings

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You can customize Galaxy S20 lock screen settings to better protect your Galaxy S20 and use the phone more efficiently.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the meaning and usage of all items in Galaxy S20 lock screen settings including screen lock type, smart lock, secure lock, always-on display, wallpaper services, clock style, roaming clock, faceWidgets, contact info, notifications, and app shortcuts.

These settings are identical on all three models of Galaxy S20 (S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra), although Galaxy S20 is used in the text.

How to access Galaxy S20 lock screen settings

You can access Galaxy S20 lock screen settings from Galaxy S20 Settings — Lock screen.

There are a couple of different ways to access Galaxy S20 Settings including:

Use the Settings app icon on Galaxy S20 Home screen or Apps screen.
Use the Settings (gear) icon in the notification panel.
Use the Settings (gear icon) in the Galaxy S20 quick settings panel.
Use voice commands (Google or Bixby).

Galaxy S20 lock screen settings explained

As shown in the screenshot below, you can customize the settings for Galaxy S20 lock screen.

Here is the explanation of each item of Galaxy S20 locks screen setting. Each item matches the number in the following two screenshots.

I. Screen lock type

By default, when you set up the new Galaxy S20, you need to choose lock screen security type as one of the following:

Swipe. There is no security. Anyone can swipe to unlock Galaxy S20. If you skip it during the initial setup, this method will be used. It is NOT recommended.
Pattern.
PIN.
Password.
None. This option actually turns off Galaxy S20 lock screen. So, it is NOT recommended.

Normally, the PIN is recommended. It offers moderate security for the phone. You can also choose to confirm PIN without tapping OK button. You can also hide PIN or password on Galaxy S20 when typing them.

If you set the lock screen type as pattern, PIN, or password, then you can use secondary biometrics to unlock Galaxy S20:

Face. Face recognition is usually fast. But it requires good light conditions.
Fingerprints. The in-display fingerprint sensor on Galaxy S20 (S10 and Note 10 as well) is inferior to the traditional capacitive fingerprint reader. It is the worst feature of Galaxy S20.

Galaxy S20 will asks you to use PIN/Password … Read the rest