Galaxy S8 home screen context menu

How to use app shortcuts in Galaxy S8 Home screen in Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Last updated on: April 13, 2018 · First published on: April 13, 2018 Leave a Comment

Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update allows you to add app shortcuts in Galaxy S8 Home screen.

App shortcuts let you access some features of supported apps very quickly from Galaxy S8 Home screen.

This Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update guide shows you how to add app shortcuts to Galaxy S8 Home screen (pinned app shortcuts) and how to use them.

What are app shortcuts in Galaxy S8 Home screen in Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+?

App shortcuts are actually not a new feature in Android Oreo. Google introduced app shortcuts in Android Nougat 7.1.

Because Samsung’s Android Nougat firmware was based on Android 7.0, app shortcuts were not implemented in all Samsung phones with Android Nougat. Instead, Samsung offered own context menu in Android Nougat. But it is different from app shortcuts as explained in this guide.

App shortcuts give you quick access to some features of the corresponding apps.

For example, you want to check missed calls in Galaxy S8 with Android Oreo update.

The traditional way to get the list of missed calls includes these 5 steps:

Tap the Phone icon;
Tap Recents tab in the Phone app;
Tap the menu key;
Tap calls to show;
Tap missed calls.

You need 5 taps to get the list of missed calls.

But if you use app shortcuts in Galaxy S8 Home screen in Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+, you can get it with just 2 taps:

Tap and hold (long tap) the Phone app icon;
Tap Missed calls (which is one of the available app shortcuts for the Phone app).

That’s it.

App shortcuts in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update also work on Galaxy S8 apps screen identically

In Android Oreo, Google added the support … Read the rest

Galaxy S8 apps screen guide

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 · First published on: July 21, 2017 4 Comments

Galaxy S8 apps screen is a place-holder for all apps installed in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. You need to know how to use it.

In addition, there are several new features in Galaxy S8 apps screen. For example, you can access apps screen using touch screen gesture and hide apps screen button. You can also hide Galaxy S8 apps screen.

Please note, although Galaxy S8 is used in this page, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ share the identical home screen and apps screen.

The differences between Galaxy S8 apps screen and Galaxy S8 Home screen

In all Android phones, in addition to home screen, there is always an apps screen, aka app drawer, where all apps are listed. But some launchers may hide this screen and show all apps in home screen.

Technically, apps screen is just a special page of Android Home screen.

Galaxy S8 apps screen is different from Galaxy S8 Home screen. The differences include:

Apps (app icons) in Galaxy S8 Home screen are just shortcuts to the app. While Galaxy S8 apps screen is a holding place for all apps.
You can add multiple copies of the same app in Galaxy S8 Home screen. But in Galaxy S8 apps screen, you can only have one copy.
You can set wallpapers, themes, screen grid and other settings in Galaxy S8 Home screen, but not from apps screen.
You can add widgets to Galaxy S8 Home screen. In Galaxy S8 apps screen, widgets are hidden by default.
You can create empty panels (pages) for Galaxy S8 home screen. In Galaxy S8 apps screen, empty pages will be removed automatically.
You can hide Galaxy S8 apps screen; but you cannot hide Galaxy S8 Home screen.

Many third-party launchers may have additional features for home … Read the rest

How to create, use and manage app folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen?

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 · First published on: May 5, 2017 2 Comments

You can use app folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen to organize apps in the home screen so that you can access the apps faster.

App folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen also help you reduce the number of home screen pages (panels) so that you can scroll through Galaxy S8 Home screen panels faster.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide shows you how to create (3 different methods) , use, delete and manage app folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen for your Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

What are app folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen?

As explained in this page, app folder is one of the most frequently used components in the home screen of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

Basically, an app folder is a placeholder for multiple app icons in Galaxy S8 Home screen.

Without app folders in Galaxy S8 Home screen, each app icon will occupy one spot. Now, you can put several apps with similar functions or from same developer into an app folder.

This will help you increase your productivity in Galaxy S8 and S8+:

App folders will reduce the number of Home screen pages (panels) needed in Galaxy S8 and S8+. You can then cycle through home screen panels faster.
App folders can group apps so that you can find individual apps quickly.
You can remove all apps inside the app folder from Galaxy S8 Home screen by deleting the app folder, instead of selecting them individually.
You can clear number badges of all apps inside an app folder with one tap.

Please note, app folders in Galaxy S8 and S8+ do not support nested app folders. In other words, you cannot add an app folder to another app folder.

This is similar to other Android devices.

But, the implementation … Read the rest

How to use context menu in Galaxy S8 Home screen?

Last updated on: April 13, 2018 · First published on: May 4, 2017 4 Comments

Although Galaxy S8 and S8+ came with Android Nougat 7.0 pre-installed, the context menu in Galaxy S8 Home screen looks similar to the app shortcuts, which is a new feature in Android Nougat 7.1.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide will explain to you what is the context menu in Galaxy S8 home screen and the difference between this context menu and app shortcuts in Nougat 7.1.

We will also show you how to use the context menu in Galaxy S8 Home screen to manage apps and app folders in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

What’s context menu in Galaxy S8 home screen?

In Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung revamped their infamous TouchWiz launcher again.

One of the noteworthy new features in the launcher is the context menu in the home screen of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

As shown below, when you tap and hold (long tap) an app icon in Galaxy S8 Home screen, you will get the context menu somewhat related to that app.

If you tap and hold an app folder, you will get a different context menu as shown below.

Of course, you can ignore context menu, and drag the app icon or app folder to other locations or other home screen panels as you did in previous Galaxy phones.

What’s the difference between context menu on the home screen of Galaxy S8 and S8+ and App shortcuts in Android Nougat 7.1?

As mentioned, Android Nougat 7.1 introduced app shortcuts, which allows app developers to define shortcuts to specific actions for their apps in supported launchers.

App shortcuts in Android Nougat 7.1 make it possible for users to quickly start common or recommended tasks within the specific app.

For example, as shown below, in Android Nougat 7.1 device, if you tap and hold Google Keep … Read the rest