Galaxy S8 home screen edit mode

How to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+?

Last updated on: October 3, 2017 · First published on: October 3, 2017 Leave a Comment

Some Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners hate the Bixby button. With recent updates, you can now disable Bixby button in Galaxy S8 and S8+ (Galaxy Note 8 as well). You can totally disable Bixby button for short press AND long press.

Many Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners are not fans of Samsung’s half-baked Bixby Assistant. One of the most disturbing features of Bixby is the Bixby button in the left side of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Often you may press the button accidentally when you want to adjust volume. This can be very annoying.

Samsung also quietly blocked the possibility of remapping Bixby button to other features.

Anyway, you can now fully disable Bixby button in Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8. This Galaxy S8 how-to guide will show you how to disable the annoying Bixby button completely.

What is Galaxy S8 and S8+ Bixby button?

As shown in Galaxy S8 layout, Bixby button is located in the left side of the phone, below the volume keys.

The Bixby button have at least two basic functions currently:

1. Press it once (short press) to launch Bixby Home page at any time even after you hide Bixby home from Galaxy S8 home screen. If you are on Bixby Home page already, you can press Bixby button to exit Bixby home. By default, Bixby Home page is in the leftmost panel of Galaxy S8 home screen.

Of course, you can hide or remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S8 home screen as explained in this guide. But this does not disable Bixby Home page. You only hide/remove it from the home screen.

2. Long press (press and hold) Bixby button to launch Bixby voice assistant.

After Bixby voice assistant is activated, you can … Read the rest

How to hide apps screen in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+?

Last updated on: August 4, 2017 · First published on: May 14, 2017 2 Comments

If you want to show all apps in Home screen, you can choose to hide apps screen in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

This guide shows you how to hide Galaxy S8 apps screen and how to search apps after you hide apps screen in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Why you may want to hide apps screen in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+?

In Android phones, there is an apps screen, aka app drawer, which lists all apps installed on the phone.

While home screen lists any of the installed apps, and holds some widgets.

So, apps screen and home screen in Android phones serve different purposes.

But due to the popularity of iPhone, which does not have separate apps screen and home screen, more and more Android vendors try to mimic the look of iPhone.

Samsung introduced a new feature allowing users to hide apps screen in Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

Now, in Galaxy S8, Samsung again allows you to hide apps screen in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

By hiding apps screen in Galaxy S8 and S8+, you can:

get a simple interface. Many new Android users have difficulties in understanding the difference between apps screen and home screen. Especially for owners who seldom use widgets, they did not see the necessity of an apps screen at all.
show all apps in Galaxy S8 Home screen without adding them manually. In Google Play store, you can configure it in such a way that all newly installed apps are added to home screen automatically. But by default, some of the pre-installed apps were not added to Galaxy S8 Home screen. Also, if you install apps from third-party app store, e.g., Amazon Appstore for Android, apps will not be added to home screen automatically.
find

… Read the rest

How to use and customize Galaxy S8 lock screen?

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 · First published on: May 10, 2017 11 Comments

Every owners of Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners will have to use Galaxy S8 lock screen!

This guide explains to your components of Galaxy S8 lock screen in Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and how to use them.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide also shows you how to customize Galaxy S8 lock screen: customize notifications in lock screen, customize information and FaceWidgets and customize app shortcuts in the lock screen of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

What are the components of Galaxy S8 lock screen?

Galaxy S8 lock screen is an integral part of Galaxy S8 and S8+. You cannot avoid it.

As shown below, there are several common components in Galaxy S8 lock screen (the numbers match the those in the screenshot).

0. Status bar

Status bar is in all screens of Galaxy S8 and S8+, not just lock screen.

In Galaxy S8 lock screen, you can swipe down from status bar to access quick setting buttons and notifications.

Please note, when the screen is locked, some quick settings buttons will not function before you unlock Galaxy S8 or S8+.

For example, if you tap the WiFi button from lock screen, it will ask you to unlock Galaxy S8 or S8+ first.

This is a security consideration, not a bug.

Other quick setting buttons should work without unlocking the phone.

For example, you can turn on and off always-on display or blue-light filter without unlocking Galaxy S8 or S8+ because accessing such features does not impose any security risks.

1. Clock and faceWidgets

By default, the clock is displayed in this area when music is not playing in background.

When you are roaming, a local clock will be shown here side by side.

You can swipe right or left to access other FaceWidgets.

When music is playing in the … Read the rest

How to access and use Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode?

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 · First published on: May 7, 2017 Leave a Comment

To customize home screen in Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+, you will need to enter Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode.

Some Galaxy S8 home screen customization options are only available in this special mode. For example, you have to use Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode if you want to add more pages (panels) for Galaxy S8 Home screen.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide explains what you can do with Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode, and how to enter and use this special mode to customize Galaxy S8 Home screen in S8 and S8+.

What is Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode?

By default, you can start apps from Galaxy S8 Home screen, which is usually a start point for using Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Sometimes you may want to customize the home screen in Galaxy S8 or S8+ to meet your needs. Some settings and customization can be accessed in phone Settings app.

But most customization options for Galaxy S8 Home screen cannot be found in the phone settings.

Instead, you can edit Galaxy S8 Home screen directly in edit mode.

In short, Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode (aka editing mode, or editing Galaxy S8 Home screen) is a special mode for Galaxy S8 Home screen. In this editing mode, you can directly edit or customize the home screen for Galaxy S8 or S8+.

Editing home screen or home screen editing mode is a native part of Android phones. But different Android phone manufactures implemented it differently. The common features of all Android phones in the edit mode usually include setting wallpapers, and adding widgets to home screen.

How to enter Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode?

You can enter Galaxy S8 Home screen edit mode (editing mode) with two different touchscreen gestures in … Read the rest

How to use and customize Galaxy S8 Home screen?

Last updated on: August 22, 2017 · First published on: May 2, 2017 Leave a Comment

You cannot skip Galaxy S8 Home screen if you want to use Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. Samsung introduced some new features to Home screen in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide explains to you the new features of Galaxy S8 Home screen and the meaning of all items in Galaxy S8 Home screen.

What is Galaxy S8 Home screen?

All Android phones have a home screen, which is usually the default screen after the phone is unlocked.

In addition, all Android phones have a hardware or a software home button which will bring you to the “home” of the home screen if there are more than one home screen page.

Galaxy S8 or S8+ is not an exception.

But in Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung ditched the hardware Home button and used software based navigation buttons as explained in this guide.

Although you can customize the navigation buttons and navigation bar in Galaxy S8 or S8+, the Home button (as shown in Galaxy S8 layout and S8+ layout) is always in the center (between Recents and Back buttons).

Another new feature in Galaxy S8 and S8+ is the quick switch between Galaxy S8 Home screen and Galaxy S8 Apps screen (aka app drawer).

As explained in this guide, you can quickly switch between Galaxy S8 Home screen and Apps screen by swiping upwards or downwards.

Although Galaxy S8 or S8 was shipped with Android Nougat 7.0, not Android 7.1, Samsung introduced the context menu in Galaxy S8 Home screen. The context menu is similar, and even more powerful than app shortcuts introduced in Android Nougat 7.1.

Components of Galaxy S8 Home screen

To use Galaxy S8 or S8+, you need to understand the meaning and usage of each … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S8 apps screen, and how to hide and show apps screen button in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Last updated on: August 4, 2017 · First published on: April 12, 2017 Leave a Comment

By default, Galaxy S8 apps screen button in Galaxy S8 and S8+ is hidden. Samsung expects you you to use touchscreen gestures to access Galaxy S8 apps screen.

This is actually a new feature in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

This Galaxy S8 guide first shows you how to use Galaxy S8 apps screen with gesture. Then the guide explains to you how to show apps button and how to hide apps screen button in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

How to use gestures to access Galaxy S8 apps screen?

When you get you Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+, you will find there is no apps screen button (app drawer button).

Then you may wonder how to access Galaxy S8 apps screen (apps drawer).

The quick answer is that you can use touchscreen gestures to access Galaxy S8 apps screen directly in home screen of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Of course, the apps screen button is just hidden. You can enable the setting to show apps button (read on).

The gestures you can use to access Galaxy S8 apps screen include is just a swipe.

Swipe upwards from bottom part of the home screen as shown below.

This will bring up the apps screen (app drawer) in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Once in apps screen of Galaxy S8 or S8+, you can swipe left and right to scroll apps screen panels as you did in previous Galaxy phones.

If you swipe up again in the apps screen, you will be brought back to home screen.

In other words, the swipe up gesture will cycle you through Home screen –> Apps screen –> Home screen –> Apps screen—>.

Another way to return to Home screen is to press Home button or Back button.

How to show and

… Read the rest

How to remove Bixby Home page in Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen?

Last updated on: October 6, 2017 · First published on: April 10, 2017 49 Comments

In Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen, the leftmost panel is reserved for Bixby Home page (Hello Bixby), which is part of Samsung Bixby. But many owners want to remove Bixby Home page in Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen.

This guide shows you how to easily turn off or remove Bixby Home page in Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen.

If you want to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S8 and S8+, you may follow this guide.

What is Bixby Home page in Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen?

Prior to Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung added Flipboard briefing to the leftmost panel of home screen.

This is one of the least popular features. It seems nobody except Samsung likes this annoying feature. Luckily, you can disable flipboard briefing in all previous Galaxy phones.

Now, in Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung replaced the Briefing page with Bixby Home page as shown below.

Samsung Bixby is actually a good new feature in Galaxy S8 and S8+ and it works mainly locally on the phone.

But Samsung wants to stuff you with Bixby everywhere in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Bixby Home (Hello Bixby) is Bixby’s claimed territory in Galaxy S8 home screen.

The Bixby Home page is very similar to Google Now page comes with Google Now launcher or Pixel launcher. You can personalize Bixby Home page to show your preferred apps, news and reminders.

It sounds great.

But what disturbs many owners is that the Bixby Home page occupy a dedicated panel in Galaxy S8 home screen.

Can I remove Bixby Home page in Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen?

Yes, you can remove Bixby Home page from Galaxy S8 and S8+ home screen, just like what you can do with Briefing page in previous Galaxy phones… Read the rest