Some of the best features of the Galaxy S8 are eye- catching , while others, while useful and practical, are rather subtle. After my two articles listing the tricks to know about the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6, one released in 2016 the other in 2015, now here are the 26 tips and tricks to know absolutely about the Galaxy S8:
1) Activate the "Edge Lighting"
If you have already used one of the Samsung Edge phones in the past, you may have had the opportunity to appreciate the functionality of Edge lighting. It is also present in the Samsung Galaxy S8 , as well as in the S8 Plus, which is surprising since the most recent laptops are not as curved as their predecessors. Because of this less pronounced curvature, the Edge Lighting is not as bright.However, if you find this feature useful, activating it could still be beneficial. To do this, you must navigate as follows: Settings> Display> Edge Screen> Edge lighting . From there, you can decide how often you want to see Edge lighting: when the screen is locked, when it is unlocked or all the time.2) Adjust the size of the icons in the home screen and in the application interface
Do you know that it is possible to adjust the size of the icons on the Home screen? Simply touch the home screen interface. Then go to the home screen settings and you can customize the home screen. The sizes you can select include 4 × 5, 4 × 6 and 5 × 5. You can also change the size of the application grid to a size of 4 × 6 or 5 × 6.3) Change the appearance of the screen with the iris scanner
The default setting for unlocking your Galaxy S8 or S8 + using the iris scanner is an impressive biometric feature. Samsung even managed to make it even more interesting by adding to the scanner of iris screen masks with the look of cartoon. You can set this up by doing the following navigation: Application Settings> Screen Lock & Security> Iris Scanner> Preview Screen Mask> (Select Mask) . Once this is done, you can see fun cartoon masks options for the iris scanner.4) Create GIFs with intelligent selection of Edge interface
With the Galaxy S8 and S8 + creating animated GIFs has become easy. You must activate the "Smart Select Edge" option by going to Application Settings> Display> Edge> Edge Interface . You must then make sure that the Smart Select Edge is selected in the menu. Then open the application you want to use to create an animated GIF, such as YouTube. The animated GIF feature allows you to capture up to 15 seconds of video.When you have launched the video, you must display the Edge interface by scrolling the screen menu and scrolling to the Smart Select interface. You must then click on the animation button: you will see an adjustable window appear on the screen. You only have to define the recording quality of the GIF.5) Customize the permanent display
As you may have noticed, the display of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 + is always on in low battery mode. This mode displays the time, date, control commands and notifications on the display screen. You can customize this permanent display by going to Settings> Screen Lock & Security> Permanent Display . In this menu you can adjust the clock format, colors and background of the screen. You can also set the time at which you want the feature to turn off, which may be useful if you do not want to see your laptop screen illuminate while you sleep.6) Enable / Disable Edge Interfaces
The Edge interfaces of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 + are customizable. You can enable and disable them by going to Application Settings> View> Edge Screen> Edge Interfaces> Enable or Disable .If the Edge interface is enabled, you can decide whether to use it on the left or right side of the screen. To do this, open the Edge screen and tap the speed icon ( Edge Settings ). Then go to the "More Options" menu by tapping the three-dot icon. Then go to the settings and change the position to the right or left of the screen. Under the settings menu, you can also adjust the size, transparency and vibrator.7) Activate the power saving mode
To extend the battery life, you can make some small settings in the power saving mode. You can reach this mode by going to Settings> Device Maintenance> Battery . Then select "Medium" or "Maximum" to extend the battery life to a certain threshold.Selecting "Maximum" will close most applications and leave only a blank screen, but your notebook should then be able to last several hours with a very low battery. The "Medium" mode decreases the brightness and temporarily disables the permanent display. Another interesting feature of this menu is the energy-intensive application controller, which allows you to select which applications you want to close in order to conserve battery power when you are in low power use mode.8) Getting rid of the compartmentalized display of applications
There is a way to show all your applications on the home screen while removing their compartmentalized display. Simply press and hold the Home button and then go to Home Screen Settings> Home Screen Display . There are two options: "Home screen and applications" and "Home screen only". By choosing the latter, you will remove the application compartments and the latter will all appear on the home screen.9) Full screen applications
Infinity, shiny and immersive displays are one of the features that make the Galaxy S8 and S8 + unique. To make the most of the magnificent displays of the S8, Samsung has added the possibility of switching applications to full screen, by going to Application Settings> Display> Full Screen Application . You can then choose which applications to switch to full screen. This feature is also interesting because the display ratio of the Galaxy S8 + is "18: 5: 9". As a result, large black bands appear on the sides of applications and videos. Most applications and videos use the 16: 9 standard ratio, but with full screen mode the black bands no longer appear.10) Move the navigation keys
On old Samsung laptops, the navigation keys are placed in this order: Previous-Home-Back . But many Android smartphones have the order Back-Home-Previous . You may not know this, but you can change the layout of the S8 home button by going to Application Settings> View> Navigation Bar . You can change the order of orders from Pre-Home-Back to Back-Home-Previous.11) Have fun with video filters
In the Camera application, there are embedded video filters, similar to those of Snapchat and Facebook. You can find these video filters by tapping the camera icon in the top left corner of the screen when you are in selfie mode. Then tap the icon at the bottom right of the screen.12) Prevent the addition of icons to the home screen
Each time you download a new app from Google Play, a new icon appears on the Home screen - which may alter the way you organize this screen. You can do this by going to the Google Play app and then tapping the three superimposed horizontal lines icon and then going to the settings to disable adding the icon to the Home screen.13) Save RAW copies of your photos
The camera of the Galaxy S8 and S8 + is very sophisticated, and its pictures very clear and precise. This is especially true for photos saved in RAW format.To use this format in saving your photos, you need to open the camera application and tap the photo sizes tab, from which you can enable the backup feature to RAW or JPEG file.14) Search for content and settings in your mobile phone
By typing in the search box at the top of the application screen, you can search for files, photos and messages in your Galaxy S8 or S8 +. And if you want to quickly find a setting, simply type in the search box of the Settings application .15) Activate the dual bluetooth audio
The S8 and S8 + were the first portable to work with Bluetooth 5.0, which has improved audio. You can listen to audio with two different headphones or speakers at the same time. To do this, go to Application Settings> Connections> Activate Bluetooth> tap the three small dots in the upper right corner> Double Audio> Associate two headsets or speakers.16) Define your fingerprints for fingerprint recognition
Both the S8 and the S8 + have another interesting feature: the fingerprint and gesture sensor. With this, by placing your finger on the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, you simply slide it down along the sensor to bring up the notification menu. By doing the opposite movement, that is by sliding your finger up the sensor, you launch Samsung Pay. Here is the navigation to do to activate this feature: Application settings> Advanced features> Finger gesture sensor.17) Activate the "one hand" mode
To use your notebook with one hand, you can activate this mode. This feature makes the display smaller. You enable it as follows: Settings> Advanced Features> Single-handed mode. Once done, you can activate this mode by tapping the Home button three times.18) Show or hide application button
The S8 and S8 + do not display the application screen in the way you may be accustomed to: you can see applications by sliding your finger up or down on the bottom of the notebook. However, you can bring up the application button by holding down the Home screen for a long time. Then go to the "home button settings" and then to the "application button". You can then choose to "bring up the application button" or "hide the application button".19) From the shutter to the controlled zoom
Using the S8 and S8 + camera, you will notice that the shutter changes to the zoom button if you hold the notebook horizontally. I find it more fluid than the old process of "pinching to zoom".20) Organize the home screen in alphabetical order
The easiest way to find your applications is to have them sorted alphabetically rather than leaving them in the download order. You can sort them by going to the applications screen and tapping the three small dots at the top right. After that, select "Sort" and then "Alphabetical Order".21) Shared screen between several applications
With the S8 and S8 +, you can use a multitasking screen. To enjoy it press the button of recent applications. At the top of each application is a button with two rectangles next to the X button. When you press the rectangles, the application will switch to split-screen mode at the top and the bottom half of the screen will show other Applications. Select one of the recent applications or "more applications": thus, another application will appear in the split screen mode. You can exit this mode by tapping the line that separates the two applications and pulling it up or down.22) Take a screenshot
You can make a screenshot by pressing the start button and then the volume down button.
You can also set up the screenshot via the "palm slip" process: Settings> advanced features . You can then drag the end of your hand horizontally from right to left or from left to right to make screenshots.
If you want to make a wide screenshot, you can, by selecting the "Scroll Capture". You will notice this option after making a screenshot, as it appears among other options at the bottom of the screen. While you press the "Scroll Capture" button, you can continue scrolling down the page until you have finished capturing the large image.23) Take Pictures with Voice Command
The S8 and S8 + have the ability to use the voice command for taking pictures. You can set this by tapping the Settings menu at the top right of the camera application. At the bottom of the list, there is an option called "voice command". You can then say "smile" or "cheese" to take a picture.24) Activate the blue light filter
Many spend time on their smartphones in the middle of the night, in bed and in the darkness of their room. Yet, the blue light emitted by smartphones can fatigue the eyes and disrupt the sleep cycle. Fortunately, the S8 + have the "blue light filter" functionality. To activate it: Application settings> Display> Blue light filter . From this menu you can set the hours to which you want the filter, activate or deactivate it manually and check the opacity.25) Enable Video Stabilization
To avoid blurry videos due to motion or shaking, the S8 has a video stabilization mode. To do this, open the camera application and go to the settings menu at the top right. Then select Video Stabilization in the main section. It should be noted, however, that this mode does not work when you record videos in qHD resolution.26) The WIFI that operates during a call
In some situations, using WIFI during a call is preferable to using mobile data, such as if you are in a remote location or in a basement. You can use the WIFI during a call by doing the following operation: Settings> Connections> More settings> Activate the WIFI call .
Some of the best features of the Galaxy S8 are eye- catching , while others, while useful and practical, are rather subtle. After my two articles listing the tricks to know about the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6, one released in 2016 the other in 2015, now here are the 26 tips and tricks to know absolutely about the Galaxy S8:
1) Activate the "Edge Lighting"
If you have already used one of the Samsung Edge phones in the past, you may have had the opportunity to appreciate the functionality of Edge lighting. It is also present in the Samsung Galaxy S8 , as well as in the S8 Plus, which is surprising since the most recent laptops are not as curved as their predecessors. Because of this less pronounced curvature, the Edge Lighting is not as bright.
However, if you find this feature useful, activating it could still be beneficial. To do this, you must navigate as follows: Settings> Display> Edge Screen> Edge lighting . From there, you can decide how often you want to see Edge lighting: when the screen is locked, when it is unlocked or all the time.
2) Adjust the size of the icons in the home screen and in the application interface
Do you know that it is possible to adjust the size of the icons on the Home screen? Simply touch the home screen interface. Then go to the home screen settings and you can customize the home screen. The sizes you can select include 4 × 5, 4 × 6 and 5 × 5. You can also change the size of the application grid to a size of 4 × 6 or 5 × 6.
3) Change the appearance of the screen with the iris scanner
The default setting for unlocking your Galaxy S8 or S8 + using the iris scanner is an impressive biometric feature. Samsung even managed to make it even more interesting by adding to the scanner of iris screen masks with the look of cartoon. You can set this up by doing the following navigation: Application Settings> Screen Lock & Security> Iris Scanner> Preview Screen Mask> (Select Mask) . Once this is done, you can see fun cartoon masks options for the iris scanner.
4) Create GIFs with intelligent selection of Edge interface
With the Galaxy S8 and S8 + creating animated GIFs has become easy. You must activate the "Smart Select Edge" option by going to Application Settings> Display> Edge> Edge Interface . You must then make sure that the Smart Select Edge is selected in the menu. Then open the application you want to use to create an animated GIF, such as YouTube. The animated GIF feature allows you to capture up to 15 seconds of video.
When you have launched the video, you must display the Edge interface by scrolling the screen menu and scrolling to the Smart Select interface. You must then click on the animation button: you will see an adjustable window appear on the screen. You only have to define the recording quality of the GIF.
5) Customize the permanent display
As you may have noticed, the display of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 + is always on in low battery mode. This mode displays the time, date, control commands and notifications on the display screen. You can customize this permanent display by going to Settings> Screen Lock & Security> Permanent Display . In this menu you can adjust the clock format, colors and background of the screen. You can also set the time at which you want the feature to turn off, which may be useful if you do not want to see your laptop screen illuminate while you sleep.
6) Enable / Disable Edge Interfaces
The Edge interfaces of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 + are customizable. You can enable and disable them by going to Application Settings> View> Edge Screen> Edge Interfaces> Enable or Disable .
If the Edge interface is enabled, you can decide whether to use it on the left or right side of the screen. To do this, open the Edge screen and tap the speed icon ( Edge Settings ). Then go to the "More Options" menu by tapping the three-dot icon. Then go to the settings and change the position to the right or left of the screen. Under the settings menu, you can also adjust the size, transparency and vibrator.
7) Activate the power saving mode
To extend the battery life, you can make some small settings in the power saving mode. You can reach this mode by going to Settings> Device Maintenance> Battery . Then select "Medium" or "Maximum" to extend the battery life to a certain threshold.
Selecting "Maximum" will close most applications and leave only a blank screen, but your notebook should then be able to last several hours with a very low battery. The "Medium" mode decreases the brightness and temporarily disables the permanent display. Another interesting feature of this menu is the energy-intensive application controller, which allows you to select which applications you want to close in order to conserve battery power when you are in low power use mode.
8) Getting rid of the compartmentalized display of applications
There is a way to show all your applications on the home screen while removing their compartmentalized display. Simply press and hold the Home button and then go to Home Screen Settings> Home Screen Display . There are two options: "Home screen and applications" and "Home screen only". By choosing the latter, you will remove the application compartments and the latter will all appear on the home screen.
9) Full screen applications
Infinity, shiny and immersive displays are one of the features that make the Galaxy S8 and S8 + unique. To make the most of the magnificent displays of the S8, Samsung has added the possibility of switching applications to full screen, by going to Application Settings> Display> Full Screen Application . You can then choose which applications to switch to full screen.
This feature is also interesting because the display ratio of the Galaxy S8 + is "18: 5: 9". As a result, large black bands appear on the sides of applications and videos. Most applications and videos use the 16: 9 standard ratio, but with full screen mode the black bands no longer appear.
10) Move the navigation keys
On old Samsung laptops, the navigation keys are placed in this order: Previous-Home-Back . But many Android smartphones have the order Back-Home-Previous . You may not know this, but you can change the layout of the S8 home button by going to Application Settings> View> Navigation Bar . You can change the order of orders from Pre-Home-Back to Back-Home-Previous.
11) Have fun with video filters
In the Camera application, there are embedded video filters, similar to those of Snapchat and Facebook. You can find these video filters by tapping the camera icon in the top left corner of the screen when you are in selfie mode. Then tap the icon at the bottom right of the screen.
12) Prevent the addition of icons to the home screen
Each time you download a new app from Google Play, a new icon appears on the Home screen - which may alter the way you organize this screen. You can do this by going to the Google Play app and then tapping the three superimposed horizontal lines icon and then going to the settings to disable adding the icon to the Home screen.
13) Save RAW copies of your photos
The camera of the Galaxy S8 and S8 + is very sophisticated, and its pictures very clear and precise. This is especially true for photos saved in RAW format.
To use this format in saving your photos, you need to open the camera application and tap the photo sizes tab, from which you can enable the backup feature to RAW or JPEG file.
14) Search for content and settings in your mobile phone
By typing in the search box at the top of the application screen, you can search for files, photos and messages in your Galaxy S8 or S8 +. And if you want to quickly find a setting, simply type in the search box of the Settings application .
15) Activate the dual bluetooth audio
The S8 and S8 + were the first portable to work with Bluetooth 5.0, which has improved audio. You can listen to audio with two different headphones or speakers at the same time. To do this, go to Application Settings> Connections> Activate Bluetooth> tap the three small dots in the upper right corner> Double Audio> Associate two headsets or speakers.
16) Define your fingerprints for fingerprint recognition
Both the S8 and the S8 + have another interesting feature: the fingerprint and gesture sensor. With this, by placing your finger on the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, you simply slide it down along the sensor to bring up the notification menu. By doing the opposite movement, that is by sliding your finger up the sensor, you launch Samsung Pay. Here is the navigation to do to activate this feature: Application settings> Advanced features> Finger gesture sensor.
17) Activate the "one hand" mode
To use your notebook with one hand, you can activate this mode. This feature makes the display smaller. You enable it as follows: Settings> Advanced Features> Single-handed mode. Once done, you can activate this mode by tapping the Home button three times.
18) Show or hide application button
The S8 and S8 + do not display the application screen in the way you may be accustomed to: you can see applications by sliding your finger up or down on the bottom of the notebook. However, you can bring up the application button by holding down the Home screen for a long time. Then go to the "home button settings" and then to the "application button". You can then choose to "bring up the application button" or "hide the application button".
19) From the shutter to the controlled zoom
Using the S8 and S8 + camera, you will notice that the shutter changes to the zoom button if you hold the notebook horizontally. I find it more fluid than the old process of "pinching to zoom".
20) Organize the home screen in alphabetical order
The easiest way to find your applications is to have them sorted alphabetically rather than leaving them in the download order. You can sort them by going to the applications screen and tapping the three small dots at the top right. After that, select "Sort" and then "Alphabetical Order".
21) Shared screen between several applications
With the S8 and S8 +, you can use a multitasking screen. To enjoy it press the button of recent applications. At the top of each application is a button with two rectangles next to the X button. When you press the rectangles, the application will switch to split-screen mode at the top and the bottom half of the screen will show other Applications. Select one of the recent applications or "more applications": thus, another application will appear in the split screen mode. You can exit this mode by tapping the line that separates the two applications and pulling it up or down.
22) Take a screenshot
You can make a screenshot by pressing the start button and then the volume down button.
You can also set up the screenshot via the "palm slip" process: Settings> advanced features . You can then drag the end of your hand horizontally from right to left or from left to right to make screenshots.
If you want to make a wide screenshot, you can, by selecting the "Scroll Capture". You will notice this option after making a screenshot, as it appears among other options at the bottom of the screen. While you press the "Scroll Capture" button, you can continue scrolling down the page until you have finished capturing the large image.
23) Take Pictures with Voice Command
The S8 and S8 + have the ability to use the voice command for taking pictures. You can set this by tapping the Settings menu at the top right of the camera application. At the bottom of the list, there is an option called "voice command". You can then say "smile" or "cheese" to take a picture.
24) Activate the blue light filter
Many spend time on their smartphones in the middle of the night, in bed and in the darkness of their room. Yet, the blue light emitted by smartphones can fatigue the eyes and disrupt the sleep cycle. Fortunately, the S8 + have the "blue light filter" functionality. To activate it: Application settings> Display> Blue light filter . From this menu you can set the hours to which you want the filter, activate or deactivate it manually and check the opacity.
25) Enable Video Stabilization
To avoid blurry videos due to motion or shaking, the S8 has a video stabilization mode. To do this, open the camera application and go to the settings menu at the top right. Then select Video Stabilization in the main section. It should be noted, however, that this mode does not work when you record videos in qHD resolution.
26) The WIFI that operates during a call
In some situations, using WIFI during a call is preferable to using mobile data, such as if you are in a remote location or in a basement. You can use the WIFI during a call by doing the following operation: Settings> Connections> More settings> Activate the WIFI call .
