Apple had its turn with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and now, Samsung continues to make headlines with critics revealing what they think are the pros and cons of the company's two new flagship devices, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Released last week, the new smartphones are water-resistant, feature low-light cameras and large 5.1- or 5.5-inch screens — which is perfect for playing VR games using the Gear VR headset — and can even allow users to share their Wi-Fi connection with other devices.
While the devices run on the latest Android Marshmallow OS, users who just made the switch from Apple smartphones might feel less than impressed with the software. A few ways to improve the user experience on the new Galaxy phones is by taking advantage of being able to customize which apps appear on the lock screen, home screen and on the Edge panel.
Customize The Lock Screen
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge allow users to have two app shortcuts located on their lock screens. They can then slide the icon of the app upwards to be able to launch the application when the device is locked — something iPhone users can't do.
One of these includes the Camera, but this application can be quickly accessed by double-tapping on the home button. This makes having this app here feel redundant. Instead, put frequently-used apps you plan on opening throughout the day, such as Facebook, Google Play Music or Gmail, so that they can be more easily accessed.
As discovered by CNET, users can change the app shortcuts for the lock screen on the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge by first opening the Settings app. Look under the Personal heading to tap on Lock screen and security. Once tapping on this option, the user should then go to Info and app shortcuts > App shortcuts.
The user will then be able to see a preview of what the lock screen looks like and tap on the left and right shortcut apps to be able to customize what will be displayed.
Remove Apps From The Home Screen
The home screen on the S7 and S7 Edge is filled with apps the user probably won't even use as well. These include lots of music streaming apps and other apps that come with the carrier, known as bloatware. Remove duplicate related apps to only feature the messaging or music app preferred. To remove the pre-installed carrier apps, go to Settings > Applications > App Manger, tap on the app and click on disable.
Disable Briefing
Users can also disable the "Briefing" feature, which is essentially a news app that aggregates content from multiple sources into one centralized location. This app can be accessed by swiping left on the home screen, but can be disabled by long-pressing on the home screen (just make sure you are not pressing on an app) and swiping left to turn it off. The user can then drag another app icon there in its place.
Customize The Edge Panel
One of the best features of the S7 Edge is the fact that shortcuts of commonly-used apps appear on the outermost panel on the device. Set up this feature to include the apps you frequently use by tapping on the Settings app (shaped like a gear) and tap on Edge panel handle settings located at the bottom of the menu. The user will then be able to select which apps to display on the panel, the size of the app icons and which side — either left or right of the device — these shortcuts appear on.
Source: CNET
Photo: Răzvan Băltărețu | Flickr
