Hot Samsung How-Tos
How To: Effortlessly Hack & Mod Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Using the Android Everything Tool
There are a ton of cool features available on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but if you're a softModder, you can make your phone do just about anything.
How To: Install Adobe Flash Player on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 to Play Flash Videos & More
About a year ago, Abode decided to discontinue support for Flash on the Android platform. With its security concerns, it's understandable why some people would want to disable Flash on their devices, but there are still some things you can't do without it. Amazon Instant Videos is one thing you can't do, giving you nothing but a "Flash Player is not installed" warning.
How To: Swap the Menu & Back Buttons on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for Easier Left-Handed Navigation
Throughout history, almost every superstition dealing with evil has had something to do with left hands. In the seventeenth century, it was thought that the Devil himself baptised his followers using his left hand. Today, studies show that left-handed people are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, have Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and a slew of other medical problems. To top it all off, left-handed people have an average lifespan that is 9 years shorte...
How To: Root Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Using ODIN for Windows (So Easy Your Grandma Can Do It)
Just like the recently rediscovered Star Wars ruins in the Tunisian desert, there are tons of hidden treasures in your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 just waiting to be unearthed.
How To: Remove TouchWiz on Your Galaxy S6 for a Clean, Stock Android Look
When the Galaxy S6 hype-train was building momentum ahead of the phone's release, many reports had Samsung cutting back on its much-maligned TouchWiz skin. In the end, these reports were either highly exaggerated or entirely fabricated, because while not as egregious as previous devices, Samsung's signature bloated UI and duplicate apps are definitely present on the Galaxy S6.
How To: Install a Custom Recovery on Your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge
In the realm of Android mods, none is more powerful than a custom recovery. This is installed in place of the stock offering, and it lets you back up your entire system, flash mods, and install custom ROMs.
How To: Root the Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge
Thanks to leaks and hard working developers, rooting tools for brand new Android devices are usually available right around the time of the smartphone's release, if not earlier. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are no exception.
How To: Secure Photos, Videos, & More on Your Galaxy S6 Using Private Mode
If you have a smartphone, chances are you have something on it you don't want others seeing. Whether it be photos, videos, or documents, some things are best left private. Not everyone is a saint, after all.
How To: Open Links from Twitter & Other Apps into a Floating Browser on Samsung Galaxy Devices
Android has plenty of features that provide multitasking support, which are especially useful on smartphones with larger screens. One such feature that I loved on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was the popup browser, which brought up a floating window whenever I opened a link inside of third-party apps like Facebook and Twitter.
How To: Adjust Display Brightness Right from Your Android's Status Bar (No Root Required)
Adjusting the brightness on your Android device is a simple but highly utilized action. For the most part, aside from the Sprint LG G3 variant, the brightness slider can be conveniently found nestled in your notification panel. And though it is easy to access, there is a small drawback to this feature.
How To: Fix Slow Auto Brightness Adjustments on Any Samsung Galaxy Device
Picture this scenario—you're using your phone in a dimly-lit room, then you move to an area with a lot more ambient light, and Auto Brightness kicks in within a few seconds to ramp up the backlight. That's the way it should be, right? But then you move back to the darker area, and your phone takes 30 seconds before it decides to dim back out. Pretty annoying, isn't it?
How To: 4 Ways to Fix Your Galaxy S5’s Dysfunctional Fingerprint Scanner
There's a common bug that affects many Samsung Galaxy S5 users, myself included. The software that drives the fingerprint sensor can randomly fail to load, leaving you without one of the most unique features of your beloved smartphone.
How To: Exclusive Samsung Milk Video App Is Here for Galaxy Devices
As competition for Spotify and Pandora, Samsung released Milk Music earlier in 2014, a free music streaming service for their Android devices. While Milk was unique to Galaxy owners only, it was popular enough that we showed you ways to get it on non-Galaxy devices as well.
How To: Theme TouchWiz on Your Galaxy Note 3 with Android Lollipop
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is sure to get an Android 5.0 Lollipop update, there's no official confirmation on when exactly that will happen (rumors state January). In the meantime, there are a number of ways to get some of Lollipop's features on your KitKat device right now, but today I'll be focusing on the looks with a Lollipop-themed launcher.
How To: Root the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Sprint, T-Mobile, & International Variants)
Whenever a new Android device is realized, the first thing I figure out how to do is to get it root access. Generally speaking, rooting has never been easier, with many one-touch methods like Stump and Towelroot available. But as manufacturers and carriers increase security with each new product, there is one tried-and-true root method that continues to work on most Samsung devices—Chainfire's CF Auto Root.
How To: Add Floating, Resizable Widgets for Instant Multitasking on Android
Multitasking is useful in pretty much all walks of life. Being able to do two things at once is better than just doing one thing... who would've thought. When it come to multitasking on my phone, I am constantly jumping between apps—whether it's browsing Facebook while looking at pictures to post or reading my Twitter timeline while keeping up on sports scores.
How To: Automatically Lock & Unlock Your Android with Your Pocket
There are those who hold their phone or set it down when they're not using it, and others, like myself, who pocket it. If you're like me and are rocking the pants pocket fade, then you'll love the new Android app I found.
How To: Free Up Space on Android by Moving Large Game Files to an SD Card
Many Android games use large, storage-heavy OBB files to store supplemental data. Generally, games with high-end graphics download these extra files when you install them from the Google Play Store.
How To: Easily Change Boot Animations on Your Samsung Galaxy S5
Most Android devices allow you to simply replace a ZIP file in your /system/media folder if you want to change your boot animation. Unfortunately, though, this isn't the case for the Galaxy S5, as it's been buried deep in Samsung's TouchWiz skin.
How To: Customize Android's Volume Panel (No Root Required)
Your phone's volume panel is one part of the user interface that usually goes unnoticed to themers and developers. With themes capable of changing the look and feel of the fingerprint scanner, keyboard, and other system apps, this central aspect of the UI seems to get lost in the shuffle.
How To: Unroot & Restore a Galaxy S5 Back to Stock
There are many different reasons that you might want to revert your Samsung Galaxy S5 back to stock. The main one would probably be that you need to return your device to the manufacturer for warranty purposes. And if you've used root to modify system-level files and components, you'll need to undo those changes before you send the phone back.
How To: Enable One-Tap App Installation for APKs on Android
I'm always looking for the best apps and services for my Android, and that means sticking strictly to the Google Play Store is a no-go. If you're like me and tend to install a lot of APKs (application files), you're probably tired of seeing the "Install" confirmation that always pops up.
How To: The Definitive Guide to Ad Blocking on Android
The Play Store is loaded with just about any app you can imagine. While many are free or have a "lite" version of a paid app for download, often enough, these freebies have intrusive ads cluttering up your screen.
How To: Install a Custom Recovery on the Galaxy S5 (International, Sprint, & T-Mobile)
With Safestrap bringing custom recovery functionality to the AT&T and Verizon Wireless variants of the Samsung Galaxy S5, it's high time we covered this process for all other versions of the GS5.
How To: Secretly Record Videos Using the Volume Keys on Your Galaxy S4 or Other Android Phone
Unlike the suave 007 that Daniel Craig portrayed, I am not a spy, nor am I that charming, but I do occasionally enjoy taking a stealthy video. Maybe I'm a jerk, but I often catch people doing ridiculous things and just think, "Aren't you embarrassed?"
One-Tap, Hassle-Free Logins: Automate the Sign-In Process for Your Favorite Websites on Android
Apps that save your passwords have been around for quite a long while. But apps that complete the entire login process automatically? Now that's a different story.
How To: Switch Between Your Two Most Recent Apps Faster with a TV-Style “Return” Button for Android
There are a gazillion app switchers on the market, and some are really awesome, like Edge, GloveBox, Loopr, and Switchr, to name just a few. However, these can all be a little bit more complicated and cumbersome than necessary when I just want to switch back to the last app I was in.
How To: Lock Any App with Fingerprint Security on Your Galaxy S5
If you keep sensitive data on your phone, you've surely considered a "lockout" app before. There are many such apps that can add an extra layer of security to other apps within Android. For instance, you can require a PIN or password before anyone is able to launch a particular app.
How To: Set Emergency Contacts to Bypass Silent & Vibrate Modes on Your Galaxy Note 2
Extremely important calls have a way of coming at the most inopportune moments: when you're in class during an important lecture, at a big business meeting for work, or even when you're just enjoying a day at the movies.
How To: Split Large Files for Easy Sharing on Your Nexus 5 or Other Android Device
Owning an Android device is almost like having a PC in your pocket. Android's ability to easily navigate the file system on your phone is one of many features that separate it from the competition. Just plug your phone into a computer, drag the file over, and you're all set.
How To: Install the Xposed Framework on Your Samsung Galaxy S5
Now that all variants of the Galaxy S5 have finally been rooted, we can start exploring all of the tweaks and hacks that Superuser privileges open up to us.
How To: Root ANY Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Variant in Just One Easy Click
AT&T and Verizon customers, it's finally happened. After many long months of waiting, and a fairly significant bounty up for grabs, your Galaxy Note 3s can finally be rooted! Best of all, it may be the simplest method for achieving root we've ever encountered.
How To: Root Any Galaxy Note 2 Variant in No Time with One Easy Click
While AT&T and Verizon may not have had a chance to screw Note 2 owners with unrootbale devices—mainly because they've screwed us over by not issuing KitKat updates—it's safe to say that they can in the future. And while Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers have been able to root, the various methods can make the process somewhat confusing, especially for first-timers.
How To: Root Any Samsung Galaxy S4 in One Click
Something pretty awesome happened over the last couple of days. George Hotz, better known as Geohot, the infamous hacker known for jailbreaking iOS and exploiting the Sony Playstation 3, has brought joy to owners of just about all Android smartphones and tablets, especially those on AT&T and Verizon.
How To: Add To-Do Lists & Reminders Directly to Your Android Notification Tray
To-do list and reminder apps are a dime a dozen on Google Play, so trying to find the right one for you could take hours as you sift through hundreds of similar apps and widgets. Well, search no more, as we've found one of the most well-designed and easy-to-use reminder apps out there.
How To: Get Quick-Access Pandora Controls in the Notification Tray of Your Galaxy Note 3
According to a recent survey conducted by Edison Research and Statista, Pandora still has a firm grasp as the most popular music streaming service in the United States. With iHeartRadio, iTunes Radio, and even Spotify trailing behind by a large margin, it doesn't look like Pandora will lose their footing in the near future.
How To: Put App Shortcuts in Your Galaxy S4's Notification Tray for Faster Access from Anywhere
Normally, when you open applications on your Samsung Galaxy device, you do so from one of three places—your home screen, the app drawer, or from the list of recently used apps—but it never seems fast enough when it comes to opening your favorite and/or most-used apps.
How To: Enable "Unknown Sources" So You Can Download Third-Party Apps to Your Galaxy S5
When you try to install third-party applications (meaning apps not found in the Google Play Store) you'll be met with a warning that notifies you that your device currently blocks installations not obtained from the Play Store. Enable Unknown Sources
How To: Enable "Unknown Sources" in Order to Download Independent Apps on Your Galaxy Note 2 or 3
Installing applications that are not on Google Play requires you to enable a certain permission in the settings so that the whole process goes down smoothly. If you're downloading one of these third-party applications (in the form of an APK), you'll need to enable Unknown sources.
How To: Add Custom Words & Phrases to Your Status Bar on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3
I love my status bar. Not only does it tell what time it is and how much battery juice is left, but it gives me cellular connection info, text alerts, and app update notifications. However, one thing is does not give me is customization. Since you're looking at it all the damn time, why not personalize it?