Showing posts with label Samsung. Show all posts
After getting a new Android phone, there are tons of apps that you are recommended to install on your device
either by your friends or blogs like us to get the most our your
Android experience. People give you a long list of apps which include
crazy games, productive apps and a long list of customization that you can do on your Android and the list would be same for anyone with any Android device.
But if you own a Samsung Galaxy S7, there are 3 specific apps that you must install and try on the device to increase its feature and performance. These apps are designed for Samsung devices and I am sure you will love the feature enhancements it will bring in. So let’s have a look.
The app gives you the option to use a PIN or password as an alternative if by any chance you are not able to use your fingerprint to unlock the particular app. The app is free and works great with your Samsung Galaxy S7.
The app gets so deeply integrated with the system and the colors of the Status bar and the dropdown notification panel can be changed without downloading any themes from the theme store. The lock screen is completely customizable and you can select to include widgets, notifications and app shortcuts for convenience.
The app, however, is not completely compatible with 3rd party themes and you might have to uninstall it or you might face some UI crashes. To be frank, Good Lock is something you must only install if you are an advanced Android user a few UI crashes won’t bother you.
The app works because of the fingerprint sensor and the official Samsung SDK. Moreover, you can configure long press gesture to lock the phone, start camera or jump to the last app used. I am sure you will like the app and consider that this is something that Samsung should have provided by default in the very first place.
But if you own a Samsung Galaxy S7, there are 3 specific apps that you must install and try on the device to increase its feature and performance. These apps are designed for Samsung devices and I am sure you will love the feature enhancements it will bring in. So let’s have a look.
1. App Lock: Fingerprint&Password
App Lock: Fingerprint&Password is one of the most important you must install on your Samsung Galaxy S7. The fingerprint app lock can give you an added layer of security on your Galaxy S7 using which you can lock your private apps like WhatsApp and Gallery. However, thanks to Samsung’s open fingerprint API and the Android Marshmallow update, you don’t have to use a PIN or pattern anymore to unlock these apps. You just need to use the fingerprint sensor on the home button to get things done. The app gives you the option to use a PIN or password as an alternative if by any chance you are not able to use your fingerprint to unlock the particular app. The app is free and works great with your Samsung Galaxy S7.
2. Good Lock by Samsung
No! It’s not another app locking app that you should try on your Android. Good Lock is an interesting app from the house of Samsung themselves, that gives you a crazy alternative UI to your Samsung Galaxy S7 Lock Screen, Notifications and Quick Settings. The best option is to sideload the app using the APK file but the phone will be rebooted once the app is installed. This is the first time I have seen such a behavior on an Android. After the phone reboots, the fist thing you will notice is a list of shortcuts at the bottom of the lock screen. The app gets so deeply integrated with the system and the colors of the Status bar and the dropdown notification panel can be changed without downloading any themes from the theme store. The lock screen is completely customizable and you can select to include widgets, notifications and app shortcuts for convenience.
The app, however, is not completely compatible with 3rd party themes and you might have to uninstall it or you might face some UI crashes. To be frank, Good Lock is something you must only install if you are an advanced Android user a few UI crashes won’t bother you.
3. easyHome for Samsung
easyHome for Samsung is another interesting app that you must install on your Samsung Galaxy S7 and get away with pressing the home button all the time. After you have installed and activated the services of easyHome, you will now have to press your phone’s Home button anymore! Just touch it slightly like the back or the recent app keys and it will be all. No root is required for the app to work and takes minimum battery drain from the device.The app works because of the fingerprint sensor and the official Samsung SDK. Moreover, you can configure long press gesture to lock the phone, start camera or jump to the last app used. I am sure you will like the app and consider that this is something that Samsung should have provided by default in the very first place.
Conclusion
So friends, those some of the app that you can install on your Samsung Galaxy S7 to increase its features and functionalities. These apps are just for you and works great on the Samsung Galaxy S7. If you come across any other app that you think a Samsung user should install for better performance of the device, just let us know in the comments section and we will be happy to test it.
Fingerprint sensors are becoming a prerequisite on every Android
device and are not something only limited to flagship phones, these
days. These fingerprint sensors provide a comfortable and secure way to
unlock the device and a user no longer has to provide a PIN or pattern
to unlock his device. However, these sensors are not limited to
unlocking the device and depending on the phone, developers integrate
various additional features like launching apps, releasing the camera
shutter or even locking the 3rd party apps.
These additional features really make the sensors worth so much more and today we are going to see what are some of these additional features you can get with your Samsung Galaxy S7’s fingerprint sensor. As the Samsung fingerprint API is open to developers, and with the Marshmallow update, Samsung Galaxy S7 brings in the perfect combo and here are the 5 best use cases you can put the fingerprint sensor to, apart from unlocking the phone.
As I mentioned, Samsung Fingerprint API is open for developers, you can use with 3rd-party apps to lock other apps and there are quite a few apps available on the Play Store. However, App Lock from Keep Safe is one of the best out there. For every other phone, the app allows the user to lock other apps using pattern or PIN, but a Samsung user with access to fingerprint sensor on the device can use that to secure various apps.
Once enabled, every time you are on a page that requires your saved credentials, you will get the popup to verify the fingerprint and if it’s a match, you will be auto-logged into the website.
This is a Marshmallow feature and was first seen on the Nexus devices. You can configure the settings to ask password every 30 mins or every time you make a purchase.
So if you agree with me and would like to use the fingerprint sensor as an alternative for capacitive touch button, you can install and use the app easyHome for Samsung from the Play Store. We have already covered how you can use the app which you can have a look at for better insight.
Note: You might want to disable the quick camera launch gesture of double tapping the home button while using the app.
Here is a list of some of the app the apps that support Nexus Imprints and can be used on your Samsung Galaxy S7.
These additional features really make the sensors worth so much more and today we are going to see what are some of these additional features you can get with your Samsung Galaxy S7’s fingerprint sensor. As the Samsung fingerprint API is open to developers, and with the Marshmallow update, Samsung Galaxy S7 brings in the perfect combo and here are the 5 best use cases you can put the fingerprint sensor to, apart from unlocking the phone.
1. Lock Apps
Using fingerprint for the lock screen is protects your device from unauthorized access, but it’s always good to have a second layer of protection for important apps like Gallery, File Manager, WhatsApp and so on. If you have smart unlocks on your device, the second layer of protection will always make sure your data is safe from prying eyes. As I mentioned, Samsung Fingerprint API is open for developers, you can use with 3rd-party apps to lock other apps and there are quite a few apps available on the Play Store. However, App Lock from Keep Safe is one of the best out there. For every other phone, the app allows the user to lock other apps using pattern or PIN, but a Samsung user with access to fingerprint sensor on the device can use that to secure various apps.
2. Auto Login to Websites
If you are using the default browser that’s provided with the Galaxy S7 and save your passwords of the most frequently visited websites, the fingerprint sensor can act as a second layer of security while filling out the credentials. The settings can be turned on from the Fingerprint Settings located in Security Settings. Once enabled, every time you are on a page that requires your saved credentials, you will get the popup to verify the fingerprint and if it’s a match, you will be auto-logged into the website.
3. Purchase Apps on Play Store
For security reasons, every time you purchase a paid app on the Play Store, you are required to type in your Google credentials to make the purchase. However, with the Samsung Galaxy S7, you can enable the option of fingerprint authorization and then use the fingerprint rather than typing the password every time.This is a Marshmallow feature and was first seen on the Nexus devices. You can configure the settings to ask password every 30 mins or every time you make a purchase.
4. Use Home Button Without Pressing the Button
While the recent apps and the back keys are touch buttons, you need to press the home button which is so old-school, if you don’t come from an iPhone background. Most of us don’t want to press the button rather a simple touch like the one present in OnePlus 2 would look better.So if you agree with me and would like to use the fingerprint sensor as an alternative for capacitive touch button, you can install and use the app easyHome for Samsung from the Play Store. We have already covered how you can use the app which you can have a look at for better insight.
Note: You might want to disable the quick camera launch gesture of double tapping the home button while using the app.
5. Integrate with 3rd Party Apps
Thanks to Marshmallow that comes with Samsung Galaxy S7, the fingerprint sensor can be used with the apps that support nexus imprints to add the extra layer of security. Apps like 1Password, LastPass, PayPal have already included the Nexus Imprint feature using which you can use the fingerprint to log into the app.Here is a list of some of the app the apps that support Nexus Imprints and can be used on your Samsung Galaxy S7.
Conclusion
So those were the 5 interesting things you can use the Samsung Fingerprint sensor for. By the way, how is it is going with the Galaxy S7 and what are your views regarding the fingerprint sensor? Don’t forget to share your views in our discussion forum.
There are polarizing opinions about the sales figures of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Some are speaking of them being disastrous, while others are singing to a happier tune. Whatever the case, there are more than 10 million of these smartphones out there, mine being one of them. Much like any geeky user, I am inclined to explore and tinker to get the most out of my phone. Here are a few things that I hope could be of use to other Galaxy S6 users (maybe even other Samsung smartphone users).
1. Turn Off Animations
The Galaxy S6 may have felt extremely smooth in the first few days of use. But, as it has been the trend with any Android phone, there have been a noticeable lag after I installed a lot of apps. I also felt the lag became more prominent after the most recent Android 5.1.1 update (I hope there’s a fix on the way in future updates). But till then, the easiest thing I did to get it back to speed is to turn off the animations.
You can do this by first enabling Developer Options by going to Settings > About Phone and tapping the build number several times. Then in Developer options, change the Window animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale to 0.5x from 1x (or switch it off if you prefer no animation at all).
This should result in a noticeable improvement if your phone has been lagging off late.
2. Disable Some Preinstalled Apps
Although the amount of bloatware in the TouchWiz interface of the Galaxy S6 has been considerably reduced, there still are a few redundant apps that you may want to disable. I’ve disabled S Voice (use Google Now), S Health (Don’t need health tracking), OneNote (it’s ridiculous that you can’t uninstall this), Galaxy Apps (there’s Play Store already), Google+ (you know why), Briefing (I use Twitter for my news) and Peel Smart Remote app (more on that later).
3. Organize Frequently Used Settings
Ok it may have sounded as if TouchWiz has nothing good about it in that last bit — not true, there are some genuinely useful things that are missing from stock Android. For example, you get the ability to organize up to 9 of your most used items in the Settings menu. Open Settingsand click the Edit button on top and choose what you mostly use. This is super useful as most of us would open Settings to access few routinely used items like Battery or Mobile Network.
4. Auto Stop Apps That You Don’t Use Much
This was one important feature that was subtly pushed with the new Android 5.1.1 update. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Power Optimization details. Here, you get the option to choose apps that you want to ‘auto stop’. I’ve picked apps like say, ‘SpeedTest’ or ‘Housing’ or the ‘HDFC Netbanking’ app to auto stop. Meaning once I move out of these apps, they will not be allowed to run in the background.
You will not receive any notifications, nor will they consume any data, until the time they’re opened again. It would be unwise to choose apps that need to be kept alive in the background— for e.g Uber needs to run in the background when you’re in a trip, or Saavn needs to run in the background when you’re playing music, so be careful about which apps you decide to auto stop.
5. Use a 3rd Party Remote Control App
The Galaxy S6 comes with an IR blaster that can be used to control electronics that are typically controlled with an IR remote (like TVs, set top boxes, music systems, ACs etc). But the phone uses a preinstalled app called Peel Smart Remote. This app assumes that you’ll be watching regular TV and makes you forcibly select your cable/DTH provider before you can even configure the television remote with your phone.
For example, I don’t have a cable connection and have only a Chromecast connected to a TV, so this app is redundant to me. Not to mention that you can’t configure other electronics with Peel. So as I mentioned earlier, I disabled it already.
In its place, I bought this app called AnyMote. There is a free version that lets you configure one device, but paying $6.99 for the app is worth it, if you ask me. I can configure multiple electronics with this app, and put customizable widgets right on the home screen. Like I mentioned before I only use Chromecast on my TV, so the only three buttons I need to control are power and the volume control keys, all of which sit nicely on my home screen.
6. Organize Your Quick Settings Toggles
The quick settings at the top of the notifications are an easy way to toggle features on your Galaxy S6. So, make sure you organize them to suit your needs. Slide down the notification drawer and click the Edit button on top. Now you can drag and drop toggles that you see using the most and put the rest out of view.
For me, one touch access to the flashlight, screen rotation, mobile hotspot and ultra-power saving mode are important to have in this. While you’re here, the newest software update also allows removing the S Finder and Quick Connect shortcuts from showing up in the notification drawer. I’ve turned them off since I find them of no use, thereby increasing the real estate for viewing notifications.
7. Install the Galaxy Button Lights app
In the attempt to rid TouchWiz off of all complexities, Samsung also decided to throw some settings which they thought are redundant out the door. One of them is the ability to control how long do the lights on the capacitive multitasking and back button are kept on. So, by default they turn off after a few seconds of touching, and sometimes it is hard to ascertain their exact touchpoint. Fortunately, the Galaxy Button Lights app allows you to keep the button lit permanently on (i.e till the time the screen is lit). Install this if you’ve found yourself confused with those touch buttons.
8. Turn on ‘Smart Network Switch’
Since a long time, I’ve stopped bothering turning the Wi-Fi off when I’m out of a Wi-Fi network area. It’s just convenient to leave it on because it automatically latches onto a known Wi-Fi network when in range, and I don’t have to remember to turn it on again. What that also does is make the phone connect to open Wi-Fi networks, especially in cafes where the network is open but you can’t access the internet till you’ve logged in. This then, turns off a perfectly functioning 3G (or 4G/LTE) connection by automatically latching on to a random network with no access.
If you prefer to maintain connectivity at all times, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and in the menu turn onSmart Network Switch. This feature sniffs out the internet connectivity of the Wi-Fi you’re connected to. If it finds that the connectivity is poor (say when you’re far away from the router) or non-existent, and then switches back to mobile internet.
Is TouchWiz Getting Better?
So these were some tips that will enable you to make the most out of your Samsung Galaxy S6. Do you think its TouchWiz UI is getting better? Let us know your thoughts in our forums and have a broader discussion.
