Galaxy S9 Guides

a community for owners of Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

Bixby Home

How to use Bixby quick commands on Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9 with the Android Pie update?

· Leave a Comment

use Bixby quick commandsBixby quick commands allow you to use your own phrases to execute a set of commands (tasks) defined by you. No other voice assistant systems have this feature yet.

You can execute Bixby quick commands using voice, or just tap an icon on the home screen without using your voice.

This Galaxy S9 Android Pie update explains everything you need to know about Bixby quick commands and shows you how to create, modify and use Bixby quick commands on Galaxy S9 and S9+.

The Bixby quick commands feature are also available on all Galaxy phones with Android Pie update. So, this guide also applies to Galaxy S8, S8+, Note 8, Note 9, and S10 (all 4 S10 models).

What are Bixby quick commands on Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9 with the Android Pie update?

In a nutshell, a Bixby quick command lets you encapsulate multiple commands in one simple phrase you choose. Once created, you can use the simple phrase (which becomes one of your Bixby quick commands) to execute all commands encapsulated in sequence (as you defined).

You can also make a long command shorter with a Bixby quick command.

In fact, this is NOT a new feature in Android Pie update.  The feature is available before Android Pie update. But it was buried deep in My Bixby. So, many Bixby users are not aware of the feature.

In Android Pie update for Galaxy phones, in addition to allowing you to remap the Bixby button, Samsung made the Bixby quick commands feature more prominent and improved it significantly.

For example, after the February update, you can even add any of the Bixby quick commands to the Home screen and use it without using your voice. You can use it just like using an app.

Another improvement of the Bixby quick commands feature in the Android Pie update is that some examples were added.  You can add them to your Bixby quick commands directly, or modify them as a template to create your own quick commands.

How to create, modify, and manage your Bixby quick commands on Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9 with the Android Pie update?

Bixby quick commands are tied to your Samsung account. By default, there are no quick commands in your account.

So, you have to create your quick commands before you … Read the rest

How to remap Bixby button on Galaxy S9 and S9+ after updating to Android Pie?

You can now map the single or double press gesture of the Bixby key to a third-party app or a quick command.

· Leave a Comment

How to remap Bixby button on Galaxy S9 and S9+ after updating to Android Pie?After the February update of Bixby (version 2.1.04.18), you can now remap Bixby button to an app or a Bixby quick command.

This Galaxy S9 Android Pie update guide explains the new features of Bixby in Android Pie update, and how to remap the Bixby button to other apps or a quick command.

New gestures for the Bixby button on Galaxy S9 and S9+ after updating to Android Pie

Traditionally, the Bixby button in Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9 only supports one gesture: press.

You can choose to press to open Bixby (Bixby Home), or do nothing (this essentially disables the Bixby button).  Of course, you cannot remap the press gesture to anything else, or disable Bixby in your phone.

In Android Pie update for Galaxy S19, S9+, Note 9, Note 8, S8, and S8+, Bixby was updated to a new version with new gestures for the Bixby button. Now, the Bixby button supports 3 gestures:

  1. Single press.
  2. Double press.
  3. Long press.

The long press is reserved for Bixby Voice command.  You cannot change it.  When you long press the Bixby button, you can continue with voice commands immediately.

The single press OR the double press MUST be assigned to Bixby Voice page.  For example, if you assign the single press to Bixby Voice, then you can customize (remap) the double press to something else.

Please note, Bixby Voice page, which is different from Bixby Home,  is new in Galaxy S9 Android Pie update. Bixby Home still exists in Galaxy S9 Home screen, and you can still hide it if you want.

Major changes of Bixby in Android Pie update for Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9

In Android Pie update for Galaxy S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, and Note 9, Bixby Service, Bixby Voice, and Bixby Vision, were bumped to version 2.1.x, and Bixby Home to version 3.x.

The major changes of Bixby in the Android Pie update include:

  • New gestures for the Bixby button. Remapping the Bixby button to third-party apps was added in February update of Bixby.
  • New Bixby quick commands.
  • New Bixby Vision integration in the new camera app.
  • New Bixby Voice page (showing tips, features, and suggestions for Bixby Voice, and accessing Bixby Voice settings).

You can update Bixby in Galaxy Store.

How to remap Bixby button on

… Read the rest

How to lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update?

· 1 Comment

lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+ allows you to lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout so that you will not lose you customization due to accidental touches.

Although it sounds trivial and can be found in some other Android phones, many Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners will find this is one of the very useful features of Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+.

This Galaxy S9 Android Pie update guide shows you how to lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update, and what the caveats are if you lock the home screen layout.

Why you may need to lock the home screen layout?

You can customize the Galaxy S9 home screen in many ways. You can use third-party themes, remove Bixby Home from the home screen, change wallpapers, adjust the grid layout, add app folders, pin individual files to the home screen, show photos on Galaxy S9 home screen (using widgets), and manage home screen panels.

Besides, Galaxy S9 and S9+ also support landscape mode of the Galaxy S9 home screen.

But very easily, the customization can be instantly wiped by accidental taps.  For example, your kids may delete the widgets from the screen if they get their hands on the screen.

Many Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners want to lock the customization after the initial setup because most owners seldom change the home screen after one or two months.

Now, in the Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+, you can lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout so that you will not lose your customization so easily.

Of course, it only locks the layout. You cannot add or delete app icons or widgets once you lock Galaxy S9 home screen layout. But you can still use Galaxy S9 home screen edit mode to customize the home screen.

How to lock the Galaxy S9 home screen layout?

As other new features of Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+, the lock home screen layout feature is not enabled by default.

You need to enable this feature to lock the home screen layout.

In Galaxy s9 Settings, tap Display as shown below.

Settings Home screen settings

In the display settings page, as shown in the screenshot above, tap Home screen.

In the home screen settings page, you can then find … Read the rest

How to use the night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update?

· 2 Comments

use the night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie updateIn Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+, you can use the night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ to get the dark (black) theme at any time (not only in the night).

The night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update is the combination of the dark theme and night mode. In the stock Android Pie, the settings of dark theme and night mode are independent of each other.

This Galaxy S9 Android Pie update guide explains the details of the night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update, and how to use the night mode so that you can enjoy the phone in all situations.

What is the night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update?

In Android Nougat update, Samsung introduced the blue light filter to tint the screen so that you can use the screen comfortably for a long time (e.g., for reading), or in a dimmed environment.

Many owners also hate the default white theme, which looks great in the showroom. For day-to-day use, many owners preferred a dark theme.

Of course, you can use third-party themes to customize the Galaxy S9 home screen and Samsung apps. But most of the dark themes in the Galaxy Apps (theme store) are poorly designed.

In Android Pie, Google introduced a dark theme. But it does not apply to Settings or to most Google apps.

Besides, Android Pie also introduced the night mode in developer options. But it is independent of the theme settings if dark them is used already. You may refer to this guide on how to use the dark theme and night mode in stock Android Pie.

In the Android Pie update for Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung added the night mode as an alternative to the default light theme.

The night mode on Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android Pie update lets you:

… Read the rest

How to manage Galaxy S9 Home screen panels on Galaxy S9 and S9+?

Add, delete, re-arrange Galaxy S9 home screen panels and assign a new home panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen

· Leave a Comment

manage Galaxy S9 Home screen panels on Galaxy S9 and S9+Like other Android phones, Galaxy S9 and S9+ use some Galaxy S9 home screen panels to host apps, app shortcuts, app folders and widgets.

You can add, delete, move, and re-arrange Galaxy S9 home screen panels based on your needs. You can also assign one panel as the home panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen.

This Galaxy S9 guide shows you how to work with and manage Galaxy S9 home screen panels.

What are the Galaxy S9 Home screen panels?

Galaxy S9 Home screen, by default, has at least two pages with Bixby Home (you may hide it) on the leftmost and a “home” page, which you access by tap the Home button.

These pages are usually referred to as Galaxy S9 Home screen panels.

As you may know, you can use more Galaxy S9 Home screen panels to accommodate more app icons, app folders, widgets, app shortcuts and file shortcuts on Galaxy S9 Home screen.

You can also show photos on Galaxy S9 home screen as explained in this guide.

Besides, if you hide apps screen on Galaxy S9 and S9+, more panes will be added automatically so that all apps are added to the Home screen.

How to assign a panel as the home panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen?

Among Galaxy S9 Home screen panels, one and only one panel is always the “home” panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen. When you tap the home button once or twice, you will be directed to this specific panel.

For example, you open an app from one of the home screen panels.  If you tap the home button once, you will be brought back to the panel you started the app.

If you tap the home button again, the system should bring you back to the home panel.

By default, the panel next to Bixby Home is assigned as the home panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen.

Of course, you can change the home panel and assign any of the Galaxy S9 home screen panels as the home panel.

To assign a new home panel for Galaxy S9 Home screen, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Enter Edit mode of Galaxy S9 Home screen

You can tap and hold (long tap) any blank area in Galaxy S9 Home screen to enter the edit mode for Galaxy S9 Home screen… Read the rest

Understand and Use Galaxy S9 Home screen

· Leave a Comment

What is Galaxy S9 Home screenYou can not bypass or hide Galaxy S9 Home screen on your Galaxy S9 or S9+. You have to use the home screen unless you power off the phone.

Although it is not complicated, many Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners are not fully aware of all functions and features of Galaxy S9 Home screen.

This Galaxy S9 guide explains the meaning and usage of all components you may find in the Home screen of Galaxy S9 and S9+. The differences between apps screen and home screen were also detailed.

What is Galaxy S9 Home screen?

Like all other Android phones, Galaxy S9 home screen, by default, is the first screen after you unlock  Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+.

You can start apps, access notifications, check the phone status, use widgets,  open edge screen in Galaxy S9 Home screen, which is the centre (home) of your Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Generally speaking, in Galaxy S9 and S9+, you have 4 types of pages:

  • Lock screen. You need to unlock the phone before you can use Galaxy S9 ort S9+. Always-on display screen usually is considered as a special lock screen overlayed over Galaxy S9 lock screen.
  • Home screen. The centre or starting screen of Galaxy S9 and S9+. It is the home of select apps and widgets.
  • Apps screen.  Galaxy S9 apps screen is a special home screen.  It is an app drawer for all apps on Galaxy S9 and S9+.
  • Individual apps.

Besides, edge screen on Galaxy S9 and S9+ is enabled by default. You may check this guide on how to use Galaxy S9 edge screen.

You will have to use Galaxy S9 Home screen if you use Galaxy S9 or S9+. There are no alternatives. You cannot bypass it.

How to access Galaxy S9 Home screen?

Galaxy S9 and S9+ are protected by Galaxy S9 lock screen to prevent unauthorized access to your apps and data.  Galaxy S9 home screen is always “behind” the lock screen.

In other words, you can access Galaxy S9 Home screen only after you unlock the phone.

You can access Galaxy S9 Home screen in many ways:

  • After unlocking Galaxy S9 or S9+, you should get Galaxy S9 home screen directly.
  • When you are using any apps, tap the Home button in Galaxy S9 navigation bar to access the Home screen directly.
  • When you are using any
… Read the rest

How to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+?

You can disable both the press and long press gesture of Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+ to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+.

· 17 Comments

disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+Some Galaxy S9 and S9 owners are not excited about Samsung Bixby and the dedicated button.  They may want to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+.

You can easily disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+ if you frequently pressed the button inadvertently, or if you do not want to use Bixby.

Update: after updating Galaxy S9 or S9+ to Android Pie, you cannot disable the Bixby button. Instead, you can remap the Bixby button to any third-party apps or any Bixby quick commands.

This Galaxy S9 guide explains the functions of Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+, and shows you how to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+.

What is Bixby button? Why may you want to disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+?

Since Galaxy S8 (and S8+), Samsung added a dedicated button for Bixby with the hope of boosting the usage of Samsung’s AI assistant.

As shown in Galaxy S9 and S9+ layout, Bixby button is located on the left side of the phone below the volume keys.

By default,

  • If you press the Bixby button on Galaxy S9 or S9+,  the phone will open Bixby Home.
  • If you long press (press and hold) the Bixby button, the phone will open Bixby Voice.

Samsung does not allow you to map the Bixby button on Galaxy S9 and S9+ to any other apps. It can only be used for Samsung Bixby unless you root the phone and mess up a few system settings.

Although Samsung Bixby has been dramatically improved since the initial release with Galaxy S8, in many aspects, it is still not comparable to Google Assistant, which can be enabled in Galaxy S9 or S9 by long tapping  (tap and hold) the Home button. Some Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners may not want to use Samsung’s Bixby at all. They are happy with Google Assistant.

Some other owners may do not use either Google Assistant or Bixby. But they may press the Bixby button accidentally when they want to press the volume button or the power button.

Even for some Bixby users, they may not want to use the Bixby Home, which comes out when you press the Bixby button. You can use other Bixby features without the button.

So, there are sizeable Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners may want to … Read the rest

How to use Galaxy S9 camera app?

Get to know the new Galaxy S9 camera app interface

· 6 Comments

use Galaxy S9 camera appAs explained in the new features of Galaxy S9 and S9+, the camera in both phones was significantly improved with an updated Galaxy S9 camera app.

Samsung revamped the user interface of Galaxy S9 camera app to make it more user-friendly (arguably) with different ways to access Galaxy S9 camera modes and effects. This new Galaxy S9 camera app interface is different from that in Galaxy S8.

This Galaxy S9 camera guide explains the items in Galaxy S9 camera app user interface (UI) and how to use them.

How to access Galaxy S9 camera app?

There are at least 6 different ways to access Galaxy S9 camera app in Galaxy S9 and S9+:

  1. Galaxy S9 camera quick launch;
  2. App icon in Galaxy S9 lock screen;
  3. App icon in Galaxy S9 Home screen;
  4. App icon in Galaxy S9 Apps screen;
  5. Bixby voice command;
  6. Google Assistant voice command.

You can also access the camera app from Galaxy S9 edge screen.

Although the identical Galaxy S9 camera app will be used, there are some restrictions if you access the camera without unlocking Galaxy S9 or S9+.

How to use Galaxy S9 camera app?

By default, when you start the Galaxy S9 camera, the Auto mode is activated as shown below.

In the Auto mode, in addition to the navigation bar in the bottom, you can find at least 11 items as marked in the screenshot:

  1. Shutter button.
  2. Video recording button.
  3. Shortcut to Gallery app.
  4. Galaxy S9 camera modes.
  5. Switch between two rear cameras  (Galaxy S9+ only).
  6. Bixby vision.
  7. Galaxy S9 camera settings.
  8. Full-screen view.
  9. Turn on/off the flash.
  10. Galaxy S9 camera effects.
  11. Switch between front and rear cameras.

use Galaxy S9 camera app

1. Galaxy S9 camera spp Shutter button

You can press this shutter button to take photos immediately.

If you tap and hold (long tap) the shutter button, the camera will take photos in burst mode.

Photos taken in Galaxy S9 burst mode will be always saved in the internal storage even you set photo location in the micro SD card.

2. Video recording button

You can tap the video recording button to record a video immediately.

You can also tap and hold the recording button to frame the video.

3. Shortcut to Gallery app

To the right of the shutter button, the shortcut to Gallery app allows you to access the Gallery app directly from … Read the rest

How to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen?

You can hide the annoying Bixby Home panel in Galaxy S9 Home screen.

· 9 Comments

In the leftmost of Galaxy S9 Home screen, Samsung reserved it for the Bixby Home. But  Many Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners are not impressed with Bixby. They want to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen.

By removing Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen, you would at least get a cleaner Galaxy S9 Home screen.

This Galaxy S9 guide explains how to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen, and how to access Bixby Home when it is removed.

Why may you want to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen?

Bixby Home is supposed to show you the most relevant info for you when you open it.  The info is pulled from both your data (e.g., calendar) and news feed based (e.g., Linkedin).

Such an informational page can be very useful when you are busy. You can just glimpse the Bixby Home to get informed quickly.

By default, there are at least two quick ways to access Bixby Home:

  1. Navigating to the leftmost panel of Galaxy S9 home screen.
  2. Pressing Bixby button once.

It is obvious that method 2 is faster and more intuitive to access Bixby Home, and therefore method 1 is redundant.  You may want to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen to clean up Galaxy S9 home screen.

In addition,  some Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners are not fans of Samsung’s Bixby. Google Assistant, which is available on almost all Android phones now, in most cases can be a better job.

They may feel it is annoyed when they accidentally access the Bixby Home when they want to access the home panel of Galaxy S9 home screen.

Although it is almost impossible to disable Bixby in Galaxy S9 and S9+, it is easy to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen.

You can also easily disable Bixby button in Galaxy S9 and S9+.

How to remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen?

As shown below, in Galaxy S9 and S9+, the leftmost panel in Galaxy S9 Home screen is reserved for Bixby Home.

The double-line icon (marked in the red rectangle) in the panel indicator (indicating panel you are in currently) suggests Bixby Home is active.

remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen

To remove Bixby Home from Galaxy S9 Home screen, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Tap and hold (long tap) any empty space in Galaxy S9 Home

… Read the rest