Galaxy S8 notifications

Use notification dots/notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update

Last updated on: April 8, 2018 · First published on: April 9, 2018 46 Comments

The notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update is different from the number badge in previous versions of Android in Samsung phones.

You may find the new notification number badge (aka app icon badges) does not work as what you expected.

This Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update guide explains the new features and behaviours of the n0n Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update. We also show you how to manage and customize notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update.

What’s new in notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update?

One of the prominent new features in Android Oreo is the notification dots, which shows a dot in the app icon for unattended notifications.

You may think this is nothing new because Samsung has the notification number badge for a long time.

But you may not know there are some substantial changes in the notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update.

Compared to the number badge in previous versions of Android in Galaxy phones, the new number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update has the following changes:

It is renamed officially as App icon badges.
You can now customize the notification number badge in Galaxy S8 Android Oreo update.
You can use dots, or numbers for the notification number badge.
You can turn on/off notification number badge for individual apps.
All apps are supported.
Only unattended (not dismissed) notifications are counted.
Unread messages (SMS, MMS, emails) are NOT counted.
If you dismiss the notification in Galaxy S8 notification panel, the notification number badge in the corresponding app icon will be reset (cleared). You should snooze the notification if you need to check it later.
You can turn on/off notification info in Galaxy S8 Home screen and Apps screen

… Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S8 themes to customize Galaxy S8 and S8+?

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

You can use Galaxy S8 themes to customize the look and feel of Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide shows you how to find, download, install, apply, and manage Galaxy S8 themes. It also shows you how to disable the annoying Samsung themes notification in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Please note, Galaxy S8 themes applies to Galaxy S8 and S8+ only. You cannot use Galaxy S8 themes in Galaxy S7 or any future Galaxy phones either.

What are Galaxy S8 themes?

Since Galaxy S6, Samsung introduced themes for owners to customize the phone systemically.

But at that time, there were very limited support from developers and the choices are very limited for third-party themes.

Now, for Galaxy S8 and S8+, you have so many choices of Galaxy S8 themes.

Galaxy S8 themes allow you:

to change the system color schemes of Galaxy S8 notification panel, Galaxy S8 quick settings panel and Galaxy S8 Settings;
to change wallpapers for Galaxy S8 Home screen, apps screen, and lock screen;
to change app icons of some pre-installed Samsung apps;
to add “effects” of other app icons in Galaxy S8 and S8+.
to change the color scheme of Phone, Contacts and Messages app.
to change the look of Galaxy S8 always-on display (AOD).

For example, some Galaxy S8 owners may not like the default white color scheme. They may prefer a dark theme.

Galaxy S8 themes will solve such issues and demands.

If you are using official Samsung covers (cases), for example, Galaxy S8 clear view cover, you will be prompted to choose a Galaxy S8 theme to match your Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Although Galaxy S8 themes can change the look of your Galaxy S8 and S8+, third-party apps will NOT be changed. … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S8 Settings to customize Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Last updated on: October 19, 2017 · First published on: August 9, 2017 2 Comments

Galaxy S8 settings allows you to change the settings of almost all aspects of Galaxy S8 and S8+ to meet your requirements.

But sometimes, it is a bit overwhelming to read so many options in Galaxy S8 settings.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide shows you how to access Galaxy S8 settings in 4 different ways, how to use Galaxy S8 Settings and the relationship between Galaxy S8 quick settings and Galaxy S8 settings.

What are Galaxy S8 Settings?

Galaxy S8 and S8+ have so many features and there are so many customization possibilities.

So, you need to use Galaxy S8 settings to change and settings and customize the phone to meet your needs.

Galaxy S8 Settings may have two interconnected meanings:

A system app named Settings.
All settings in Galaxy S8 (or S8+).

Actually, in all Android phones, there is a system app named Settings.

Galaxy S8 (and S8+) is not an exception.

Inside the Galaxy S8 Settings app, you can then find all entries of Galaxy S8 settings.

4 different ways to access Galaxy S8 settings in Galaxy S8 and S8+

Because Galaxy S8 Settings are used very frequently, Samsung made it is very easy to access them with different methods.

Method 1: use settings (gear) icon in notification panel

As shown in the screenshot below, you can find the gear icon (settings icon) in notification panel.

You can access notification panel in Galaxy S8 and S8+ by swiping down from the status bar.

Tap the icon to open Galaxy S8 settings.

Method 2: use settings (gear) icon in quick settings panel

You can find the same gear icon in Galaxy S8 quick settings panel as shown below.

To access quick settings panel, you can swipe down from status bar with two fingers, or swipe down twice (with … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S8 quick settings in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Last updated on: July 31, 2017 · First published on: August 1, 2017 8 Comments

You can use Galaxy S8 quick settings bar to toggle on and toggle off some features on-the-fly.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ also have a full-page quick settings panel with more quick setting buttons for you to change the phone settings conveniently without opening phone settings.

This Galaxy S8 how-to guide explains the difference between quick settings bar and quick settings panel in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, and how to use and customize Galaxy S8 quick settings in Galaxy S8 and S8+.

What is Galaxy S8 quick settings in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

Although you can change almost all settings of Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the Settings page, you may want to access some settings quickly, e.g., quickly toggle on/off WiFi or Bluetooth very often.

Galaxy S8 quick settings in Galaxy S8 and S8+ are exactly designed to address such demands.

Actually, this is a feature in almost all Android phones nowadays, although the implementation differs from manufacturers to manufacturers.

In Android Nougat, an additional quick settings bar was officially added to the notification panel.

But Samsung has used the quick settings bar for many years, together with the quick settings panel.

Anyway, Galaxy S8 quick settings includes two components:

Quick settings bar in notification panel.
Dedicated quick settings panel.

The quick settings bar offers more convenience for you to turn on/off some features. You may consider it as an quicker feature of quick settings panel.

Another commonly used, but unrelated “quick” feature is Galaxy S8 camera quick launch.

How to access Galaxy S8 quick settings bar in Galaxy S8 and S8+?

You can swipe down from top of the screen (status bar) to access Galaxy S8 quick settings bar as shown below.

This is actually the notification panel. As mentioned, quick settings bar … Read the rest

Meaning of Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

Last updated on: March 24, 2018 · First published on: May 22, 2017 75 Comments

Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons in the status bar offer you a quick glimpse of system status and notifications.

This guide explains the meaning of Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+.

What are Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons?

As explained in Galaxy S8 Home screen, the top part of the phone screen is called status bar as shown below.

Of course, the status bar is in all screens (home screen, lock screen and apps screen) and in all apps. Even in full-screen mode, you can swipe down to bring back the status bar.

Anyway, Android does not allow you to disable status bar. You can only temporally hide it.

In the status bar, in addition to the time in the rightmost, you can find icons grouped in the left and right side of the status bar.

Normally, icons on the right side are called status icon which indicating status of system related features, like battery and network.

Icons on the left side are usually named as notification icons, which are usually (not always) associated with a notification message.

Third-party app notification icons will always appear on the left side.

Meaning of Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

To use Galaxy S8 or S8+ effectively, you need to understand the meaning of Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons, because they offer quick info on what’s going on in the hone.

In this guide, we group status icons and notification icons into 6 parts.

Part 1: Mobile network related status icons in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

You can use Galaxy S8 or S8+ without a SIM card. You can use most of the apps with WiFi connections. But this means … 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