Samsung Features
How To: ROOT Samsung Galaxy S3 for AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile
The advantages of rooting are vast. From free wi-fi tethering, being on the latest and greatest software, theming all aspects of the OS, to ditching Touchwiz for a pure Google experience and much much more.
How To: Install Multi-View on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 to Run Multiple Apps at the Same Time
While many of the U.S. carriers have updated their Samsung Galaxy S3 devices to Android 4.1.2 already, one major absence from the upgrade is Samsung's Premium Suite. One of the coolest features from the Premium Suite is Multi-View, a function that lets you truly multitask by running two apps at the very same time—right next to each other. As you can see above in the left image, I have both Pandora and Spotify running. Why? Because why not?!? On the right, I have YouTube on top and Maps on the...
How To: Running Low on Storage? Safely Clear the Cache of All of Those Hungry Third-Party Apps on Your Galaxy Note 3
Repetitive use of apps over time will eat up your storage space with by caching data on your device. This can be useful at first, speeding up your apps by not requiring them to re-download frequently used data, but as a cache grows, even the initial performance improvements can be outweighed by the unwelcomed loss of storage space. And if a cache grows too large, the time it takes an app to access the cached data can be even slower than the time it would've taken to re-download the data in th...
How To: Get the New Google Now Launcher on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
The app formerly known as Google Experience Launcher is now officially called the Google Now Launcher in honor of its most prominent feature, Google Now. Only problem is, this launcher is still exclusive to the Nexus 5 smartphone.
How To: Automatically Save Snapchats onto Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Snapchat's self-destructing nature is the perfect way to send funny and potentially embarrassing photos and videos (something Anthony Weiner wishes he knew about). That's why there are currently 150 million Snapchats sent each day. While it may be used for fun, many fail to recognize that there's a dark side to every good thing. While Snapchat claims that the pictures and videos on their application are completely obliterated—not only from the phone, but from the Snapchat server—there are oth...
How To: Select All Contacts with Just One Tap in Snapchat's Android App
While having a ton of friends on Snapchat does wonders to stroke my ego, sending content to all of them at once becomes a hassle when I have to go one by one, checking each contact individually.
How To: Install the New Lollipop Google Keyboard on Any Android
Lollipop's imminent release should be cause for excitement with Google bringing out new features, a huge redesign, and under-the-hood changes. Unfortunately, the Nexus line of devices will be the first to receive the Android 5.0 update, leaving the rest of us to wait on manufacturers and carriers to release their skinned, bloatware-packed builds.
How To: Password-Protect Your Apps from Annoying, Nosy Friends on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
It starts innocently enough, with a nosy friend hovering over your shoulder to see what you're texting. Somehow, that doesn't satiate their inexplicable thirst for curiosity, so the first chance they get, they're rummaging through all of your super private photos—even though you told them not to.
How To: Turn Your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 into a Personal Ambient Weather Station with These Apps & Widgets
The majority of Android devices have built-in sensors underneath the hood that measure motion, position, and several environmental parameters that provide data needed to monitor your movements and adjust accordingly.
How To: This Super Simple Mod Improves & Speeds Up Web Surfing on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Usain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, an insane record-breaking time that might not ever get beat. As fast as that is, wouldn't it feel like a travesty if your Samsung Galaxy S3 took that long to open up Wikipedia?
How To: Never Lose a Stylus Again by Setting "Missing S Pen" Alerts on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Note 3
When you lose an S Pen, it creates an unwelcome void in your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that collects dirt and dust like a vacuum cleaner would—not to mention you don't have a freaking S Pen anymore. Thankfully, Samsung incorporated an alert to keep you from losing that precious S Pen, and they brought it back for the new Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
How To: Root Your Brand Spanking New Samsung Galaxy S4
If you pre-ordered your Samsung Galaxy S4, it might very well be possible that you're reading this on your brand spanking new Android device. As is commonplace with the release of popular smartphones, rooting instructions are usually released simultaneously. I mean, what's the point of paying so much for an expensive phone if you can't have a little fun? Android developer Dan Rosenberg (aka djrbliss) recently announced that you can root your Samsung Galaxy S4 using the root exploit he origina...
How To: Stop Those Annoying Persistent Notifications on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 for Good
I love getting notifications for every email received on my Samsung Galaxy S3 and whenever a download finishes, but there are some alerts I could definitely do without.
How To: This Easy Mod Lets You Use Air Gestures in Any App on a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (No Root Required)
While it may not always be practical, controlling your smartphone with air gestures can be pretty awesome. I would bet that if someone in public saw you using gestures to maneuver through your device, they'd be pretty impressed—and also kind of creepy for watching you.
How To: Find Out Who's Trying to Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy S III with the Hidden Eye Android App
With the Samsung Galaxy S III being a hot commodity, it's no surprise that your friends might try unlocking your fancy password-protected phone. While some friends have good intentions when using your phone, there are those certain friends who get into the phone to do this... The worst scenario might be that you leave the phone around a group of friends, come back and find that all of your social media accounts have been hacked. When you yell out to your friends asking who did it, no one make...
How To: Fix & Improve the Buggy Skype App for Android on Your Galaxy Note 3
Of the sixty or so "must-have" apps that are installed on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, there's only one that I need to use and hate with a passion. Skype. Whenever using it, I'm consumed by dropped calls, mic issues, poor quality, and random crashes, among other things—and I'm not the only one.
How To: Get Rid of the Annoying Input Notification & Keyboard Icon on Your Samsung Galaxy S4
I find that little annoyances are always far more irritating than their larger counterparts, especially if there's no obvious way to get rid of them.
How To: Fix the Home Button Lag on Your Samsung Galaxy S4
Your new Samsung Galaxy S4 is fast, but it can definitely be faster. One issue that carried over from the Samsung Galaxy S3 is Home button lag. Instead of it being an instantaneous response, it takes a split second for the action to take place—and a split second is enough to irritate the best of us. The culprit here is S Voice. The built-in voice assistant is great, but whether or not you use it, one of its features remains persistent—its strenuous use of the Home button—where you double-tap ...
How To: Automatically Hibernate Apps for Better Battery Life—No Root Required
Greenify is a terrific app that allows you to put battery-hogging apps into "hibernation." Effectively closing the problematic apps and preventing them from running until you explicitly launch one of them, hibernation is a great way to save battery life while you're not using your phone.
How To: Fix Google Now Bluetooth Problems on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Other Android Device
Google Now is an extremely intelligent personal assistant that automatically updates and prepares the most pertinent information for you on your Android device. Traffic updates, alternatives routes, weather conditions, and other important data is constantly being monitored and updated for you.
How To: Get 70+ SoftMods on Your Samsung Galaxy S4 for No-Fuss Customization at Your Fingertips
Theming and modding are a big part of the softModder community, but there are endless ways to customize our Android devices. Which ones should you download? Which ones should you avoid? It's extremely frustrating to find them all—and pick and choose.
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: Play Super Nintendo Games (SNES) On Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Those of us who lived our childhood through the '90s remember the rapid advancement of console gaming. From the Nintendo to Game Boy to Dreamcast to PlayStation, we were consistently greeted with newer and better technology on a year to year basis.
How To: Put Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in Deep Sleep Mode to Save Battery Life
Newer smartphones are more power hungry than ever before, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a mighty appetite for amps that only Jenny Craig could possibly curb. On average, your Note 2 (or other Android device) lasts for what, a day, maybe two days before dying. Mine barely lasts 8 hours! This is thanks to all of the apps running in the background of your phone, even when you're not using them, eating through all of your CPU, leaving nothing but crumbs.
How To: Get LG's Double-Tap to Sleep on Any Samsung Galaxy Device
With the Power key located on the back of the device, LG included a convenient "double-tap to sleep" function in their G2 and G3 devices. The function allows users to simply double-tap the display to put their device to sleep instead of picking it up and pressing the Power key.
How To: Get the Galaxy S5's Ultra Power Saving Mode on Your Note 3
My phablet has incredible battery life, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like it to last even longer. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Note 3 does not come equipped with Ultra Power Saving Mode, which can keep the phone running for another 24 hours with only 10% power remaining.
How To: View Notification Details on the Lock Screen of Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Other Android 4.2 Device
Besides having an awesome name, widgets are nice little additions that help make your phone more functional and customized. There are plenty of Android widgets available in the Google Play store and from other third-party sites and developers, but XDA forums member Roymam decided to make his own.
How To: Get Faster PIN-Unlock on Your Samsung Galaxy S4 by Removing the "OK" Step
If you've had the pleasure of owning both an iOS and Android device, you may have noticed one subtle difference on each one's PIN unlock screen. Android's lock screen requires you to press "OK" after entering the PIN, whereas iOS's simply unlocks the screen right after the last digit.
How To: Make the Fingerprint Scanner Work Faster on Your Galaxy Device
In general, the fingerprint scanner in Samsung's 2015 flagship phones is quick and accurate, but when you get that "No Match" message while trying to unlock your phone, it can be incredibly annoying. To help curb these issues, I'll go over three tips for speeding up the unlocking process that should work wonders on your Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, or Note 5.
How To: Liven Up Your Samsung Galaxy S3's Home Screen with Custom 3D Panoramic Wallpapers
Live wallpapers are part of what make Android's features so unique and wonderful, making your homescreens come alive and much more interesting. The wallpapers are extremely customizable and interactive, many times sensitive to swipes, finger-tapping, and other multi-touch gestures—Ditalix being one of the frontrunner apps in the field. The only problem with these live wallpapers is the toll it takes on the device's battery. While not all live wallpapers kill the battery, there are many of the...
How To: Get the Android L Lock Screen on Your Galaxy S4 or Other Android Device
This year's Google I/O brought the announcement of Android L, as well as the Preview builds of L for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013), installed using either ADB on Windows or fastboot on any computer. Unfortunately, those of us without a Nexus device are out of luck—but not entirely.
How To: Set Your Current Location & Weather Forecast as Your Galaxy Note 3's Wallpaper
Muzei Live Wallpaper is a popular Android app that refreshes your home screen background at set intervals, turning it into blurred pieces of artwork or photography while keeping your icons and widgets in the spotlight.
How To: Turn Your Samsung Galaxy S3 into a Functional Keyboard & Mouse for Your Computer
These days, we increasingly have more and more devices in our everyday possession. While a notebook computer, a tablet, and a smartphone may seem like overkill, they do work to make our lives easier and even help reduce clutter in certain ways.
How To: Get a Better GPS Lock on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 So You Never Get Lost Again
Driving in your car can cause a pretty spasmodic GPS connection on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Making a lot of turns, speeding past large buildings, and going underneath trees and highway underpasses can all disrupt your GPS signal, making it difficult for the satellites (in the sky) to get a good lock on your location. According to them, you're in that blue circle. Somewhere. Probably.
How To: Fix Auto-Correct When It's Constantly Choosing the Wrong Word on Your Galaxy Note 3
In the midst of furious finger typing on a small non-tactile screen, you're sure to make mistakes—so the majority of keyboards have autocorrect. Generally it works pretty well and is a welcomed feature.
How To: Assign Your Volume Buttons to Almost Any Task on Your Galaxy S4 Without Root
The new HTC One and Nexus series devices have already replaced their physical navigation keys with soft keys, and it's inevitable that we'll see more and more of this on future mobiles. Samsung continues to buck the trend entirely, but no manufacturer as gone as far as to remove the volume rockers.
How To: Enable Chrome's Hidden “Reader Mode” on Your Android
Reading articles on an Android phone using Chrome Browser can be a little bit of a battle; it often times requires adjusting the page to fit the screen in order to make it easier to read and scroll through. I sometimes lose this struggle and give up trying to read on my device, saving the article for a later time when I'm on my laptop.
Mobile Surround Sound: How to Make Any Android Device a Wireless Speaker for Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
One of the coolest features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is Group Play, which lets you connect other Samsung Galaxy S4s up to yours so you can use them as extra speakers to create a surround-sound stereo of sorts.
How To: Customize Your Android System's UI Elements on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Out of the box, your Android device can be customized in many different ways, and a ton more with root access, but adjusting the actual interface of the system is a little bit more challenging. Changing the status bar size, icon width/length, and positioning of toast notifications are things that require a little bit more know-how—until now.
How To: Read Facebook Messages on a Samsung Galaxy S3—Without Your Friends Knowing
I get along with most of my friends just like anyone else. We chat on the phone, go out drinking, and play video games—and we choose who to hang out with and when. That same sort of freedom is hard to find on Facebook.