Galaxy S8 Tips and Tricks Hidden Features

Galaxy S8 Tips and Tricks Hidden Features - We reveal the best Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge Plus hidden features, including secret tips and tricks for improving battery life, storage management, secure folder/hidden folder, working with two apps at once, how to get started with the S8 and more.

Galaxy S8 Tips and Tricks Hidden Features

Want to know how to get the most out of the new Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Edge Plus features hidden by Samsung? Let's get started with the Samsung Galaxy S8, and here’s our pick of the most useful, in a handy tips and tricks-style guide.

How to use the Galaxy S8 or S8 Edge with one hand comfortably?
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is already a pretty comfortable handset to use with one hand, thanks to its relatively compact 5.8-inch design. If you’re still struggling to operate it without both mitts, or you opted for the super-sized 6.2-inch S8 Edge instead, then check out Samsung’s One Handed Mode.

Galaxy S8 Tips and Tricks
You must read this to familiar controlling the touchscreen n both of the S8 and S8 Plus :

1. Do not allow the touchscreen to come into contact with other electrical devices. Electrostatic discharges can cause the touchscreen to malfunction.
2. To avoid damaging the touchscreen, do not tap it with anything sharp or apply excessive pressure to it with your fingertips.
3. The device may not recognise touch inputs close to the edges of the screen, which are outside of the touch input area.
4. Leaving the touchscreen idle for extended periods may result in afterimages (screen burn-in) or ghosting. Turn off the touchscreen when you do not use the device.
5. It is recommended to use fingers or the Galaxy Fold 4 S Pen when you use the touchscreen.

To open an app in simple ways, to select a menu item, to press an on-screen button, or to enter a character using the keyboard on the screen, now you can tap it with your finger or the S Pen S8. Here the following glossary of terms frequently used:

1. Tapping and holding : Tap and hold an item or the screen for more than 2 seconds to access available options.
2. Dragging : To move an item, tap and hold it and drag it to the target position.
3. Double-tapping : Double-tap on a webpage or image to zoom in. Double-tap again to return.
4. Swiping : Swipe to the left or right on the Home screen or the Apps screen to view other panels. Swipe upwards or downwards to scroll through a webpage or a list of items, such as contacts.
5. Spreading and pinching : Spread two fingers apart on a webpage, map, or image to zoom in a part. Pinch to zoom out.

Now turn on your phone, on the S8 or S8 Edge’s Settings, then scroll down to Advanced Features.
In here you’ll find the One-handed operation setting. In here you’ll find two options: Reduced screen size, which squashes the usable desktop to the bottom portion of the screen when your triple-tap the home button, and ‘One-handed input’ which moves the keyboard to one side of the screen. Enable whichever option you want with a quick tap.

How to fit more shortcuts onto your Galaxy S8's desktops

If you've got loads of favourite apps or widgets and you want to fit more onto your Galaxy S8 home screen or desktops, you can quickly and easily change the display grid size.

• To do this, press and hold your finger on a spare bit of desktop space and then tap the 'Screen grid' option that pops up.
  

The Samsung Galaxy S8 default setting is a 1080 x 2220, or ‘FHD+’, allowing a maximum of 16 app shortcuts on each desktop. Instead select 1440 x 2960 is seemingly what the resolution will top and you can fit up to 25 shortcuts on your screen instead. Hit 'Apply' and you'll have loads more space to fill. That suggests this middle setting might be the default one, meaning you won’t benefit from all those extra pixels without delving into the settings screen.

How to free up storage space on your Galaxy S8

Have you downloaded tons of apps or shot reams of 4K video on your new S8 and already run out of space?
Then check out our quick and easy Galaxy S8 Plus manual guide to managing storage on the S8, which also shows you how to quickly expand the available storage with a microSD memory card.

How to get better battery life when gaming with the Galaxy S8

Got S8 battery problems? If your S8 or S8 Edge is almost out of battery life but you’re still desperate to beat your high score on Flappy Bird, then try the Game Launcher’s Save Power mode to preserve your battery dregs. Samsung S8 Plus Manual Using Game Launcher

• Open the Game Launcher by tapping the icon in your apps tray, then tap the power modes option beneath the list of available games.

Game Launcher will be added to the Home screen and the Apps screen.. When you deactivate the feature, Game Launcher will be removed from the Home screen and the Apps screen. There are three modes to choose from. ‘Save Power’ reduces the resolution of your game as well as knocking down the framerate to 30FPS. Or, if you’re almost out of juice entirely, you can choose the ‘Save Maximum Power’ option instead, which bumps the resolution down even lower. The next setting open your game through the Game Launcher and your chosen changes will take effect. Games downloaded from Play Store and Galaxy Apps will be automatically shown on the game launcher screen. If you cannot see your games, tap Tap here to add unlisted games.

How to record your gameplay on the Galaxy S8 screen record to upload to YouTube

Galaxy S8 Game Launcher can also be used to record any games you play on the Galaxy S8 or S8 Edge, complete with video commentary from yourself. If you’re into shooting Let’s Play videos, record share and upload . Here Samsung S8 Edge Plus Manual Game Launche

• Open S8 Menu, Settings, head into Advanced Features, tap on Games, then toggle on Game Tools, then the next time you’re gaming on your Galaxy S8 edge, you’ll see a floating button in the right-hand corner. Simply press it and you’ll find Screenshot and Record options.

How to use two apps at the same time on the Galaxy S8

If you want to watch a bit of YouTube as you check your emails, or perform some necessary web research while editing your documents, then the Samsung S8’s split-screen multi-tasking mode will be your best friend.

1. Just tap the Recent Apps button beneath the Galaxy S8’s display and you’ll notice that many of your open apps have an icon that looks like two rectangles, to the left of the cross that closes them.
2. Tap this icon on one of the apps you wish to multi-task with and it’ll pop up to fill half of the S8’s screen.
3. On the bottom half you’ll see another list of apps. Poke one and it will open in the bottom half.

You can resize the windows by dragging the white circle between the two apps up and down.

How to get rid of the Samsung Upday news widget on the S8 / S22 Plus

The Update news widget which appears when you swipe right from the Galaxy S8’s home desktop is really pretty rubbish, but thankfully it’s also easy to disable.

Just find a blank bit of desktop space and press and hold your finger on it. The desktop will shrink and you’ll find yourself in the edit mode, where you can add widgets and app shortcuts or change your S8’s wallpaper, for instance.

Flick right until you can see the Update page. You’ll notice a toggle at the top, which simply reads ‘Upday’. Tap this and the Upday page will disappear. Job done.

How to tweak or disable Samsung’s Always On Display on the Galaxy S8

Another crap Samsung feature on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge is the Always On Display.
This is good in theory, allowing you to quickly check the time and any waiting notifications without powering on the display, thus preserving battery life. However, the lack of notifications from any non-Samsung apps means that you won’t be warned of any waiting Gmail or WhatsApp messages, for instance.

As you’ll therefore end up constantly turning the screen on anyway, you might as well disable the Always On mode to save a bit of battery.

• Just pull down your notifications tab by dragging your finger from the top of the screen.

Then repeat the motion to pull up all of your power options. Tap the ‘Always On’ icon and the Always On Display mode will be disabled.

If you want to keep the Always On display, but wish to tweak the look of it, then head to your Settings and then Display. In here you'll find the 'Always on display' option.
Give this a tap and you can change whether to display the time, your calendar or a pre-selected image (you have a choice of three).

How to disable Quick Charge on the Galaxy S8 to prevent battery overheating, explode and damage

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge support Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging, which means that the S8 phones charge up more quickly when using Samsung’s bundled cable and plug. However, if you usually charge your phone overnight, we’d recommend turning off fast charge to avoid any potential overheating issues or long-term battery damage.

• To turn off Adaptive Fast Charging, head to the S8’s Settings menu and then tap the Battery section and scroll to the bottom.

You’ll find the ‘Fast charging cable’ setting at the bottom. This is enabled by default, so tap it once to disable it.

How to use and disable Samsung's gesture features on the Galaxy S8

Head to the Galaxy S8's Settings and then scroll down to Advanced Features. In here you'll find toggles for all of Samsung's infamous gesture controls, which are still alive and kicking on the S8 (and enabled by default).

• You can capture S8 screenshot by swiping the edge of your hand from right to left across the screen.

You can also call a contact simply by raising the S8 to your ear with their contact details on-screen.
More usefully, you can mute your calls by flipping your phone over onto its screen.


How to enable/disable the apps tray on the Galaxy S8

By default, Samsung's customised interface mirrors stock Android in that it keeps all of the app installed on your phone tucked away within the apps tray. Should you want to pin one to one of your home screens it's simply a case of pressing and holding on an app and then dragging and releasing your finger when you're happy with the placement.

Galaxy S8: Galaxy Labs

If you'd rather have every app you've already installed live on a desktop and cut the apps tray out altogether, you also have the option available to you if you deep dive into the settings.

• Open the settings menu, head to 'Advanced features', scroll down to 'Galaxy Labs' and under 'Show all apps on home screen' flip the toggle on to disable the apps drawer or off to re-enable it.

How to enable/disable Quick Dial on the Galaxy S8

Quick Dial lets you place a call simply by read this Galaxy S8 tutorial :

• Press a long time on the home button saying the name of the contact you want to call.

As with enabling and disabling the apps tray, you can find the toggle to active/deactivate Quick Dial by going to Settings, Advanced features, Galaxy Labs.
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