Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks Vol 3 Revised Edition 2015

Volume 3

Unlock the potential of your Samsung Galaxy device Get more yo ur Galafxro m Alpha y

For pho nes and tablets

Discover essential ap p s

Lollipop 100% independent Google Play Store S apps

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WorldMags.net Welcome to

Samsung Galaxy It seems that every year the Samsung Galaxy range goes from strength to strength. The S5 continues to prove one of the most popular Android handsets available – understandably so with its wealth of great apps and 16 megapixel camera – while the Tab 4 offers a fantastic option for tablet users everywhere. With this guide, we'll take you through the tips you need to know to get the most out of your Galaxy device. In the Tricks section, we'll take a look at how you can use amazing apps to enhance the functionality of your Galaxy, including taking multimedia notes with Evernote, managing your diet with Calorie Counter, and turning your device into an electronic music-maker with Caustic. The Hacks section will take you even further into the framework of your Galaxy, where you can discover how ROMs can assist in improving the running of your device. Take a hacking masterclass with our experts, extend your device's battery life and learn to automate your back ups with Nandroid. Finally, the Apps chapter will show you some of the best apps available on the revamped Google Play store, from the most useful business tools, to the best ways to connect with your friends on social media.

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Samsung Galaxy Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ +44 (0) 1202 586200 Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk Twitter: @Books_Imagine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines

Publishing Director Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Production Editor Ross Hamilton Senior Art Editor Greg Whitaker Senior Designer Sarah Bellman Photographer James Sheppard Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU Tel 0203 148 3300 www.marketforce.co.uk Distributed in Australia by Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Tel +61 2 8667 5288 Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Samsung products are trademarks of Samsung Electronic Co. Ltd Samsung is a trademark of Samsung in the United States & other countries Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks Volume 3 Revised Edition © 2015 Imagine Publishing Ltd

Part of the

bookazine series

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30 Lollipop secrets Get to grips with some of the best hidden features in the new operating system

Page 8

Tips 16 18 20 22 24 26 27 28 29

Home screen Settings People Phone Messages Email Gmail Chrome Internet

6 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

30 32 34 36 38 39 40 42 44 46

Clock Camera Gallery Music Player Samsung Apps S Suggest Optical Reader S Health S Note S Planner

48 49 50 52 54 56 57

S Voice S Translator Samsung Kies Google Play Play Music Play Games Play Movies & TV

58 59 60 62 64 66 68

Play Newsstand Play Books Google+ Hangouts Google Maps Google Drive YouTube

“Lollipop is the biggest Android update yet”

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WorldMags.net Make music on Android Page 88

HACKING

Tricks

Hacks

72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92

106 Automate Nandroid backups 108 Manage recovery from an app 110 Modify your smartphone with just one app 112 Completely hide root from apps 114 Power up with Xposed modules 116 Tweak your ROM with GravityBox 118 Get much longer battery life 120 Automate your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Create and share notes Streamline your workflow Watch what you eat Track your sleep habits Track a flight Buy and sell items Read comics on your Galaxy Build a music-based profile Create music on your device Tell stories with photos Watch TV on your device

MASTERCLASS 96 From beginner to advanced: Android hacks you must try

Apps 122 Essential apps Our pick of the five best apps from the Google Play Store’s top categories

“Hacking your Galaxy opens up a whole new world of possibilities” Explore the Play Store Page 52

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Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 7

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30 Lollipop secrets

30 Lollipop secrets Get to grips with some of the best hidden features in the new operating system

L

ollipop is the biggest update to the Android operating system that we’ve seen since Ice Cream Sandwich back in 2011. Whereas the likes of Jelly Bean (Android 4.2/4.3) and KitKat (4.4) focused on ironing out some of the problems that had littered the operating system for some time, Android 5.0 has completely revamped the way in which we use and enjoy our Android devices, bringing new features and a new look with it. Although many Samsung Galaxy phone and tablet owners will already be enjoying all that Lollipop can offer, many other users will still be


eagerly waiting to get their hands on the update – with some devices rumoured not to be getting Lollipop until towards the end of 2015; or in some cases, never. But put those fears aside, as we’re on hand to guide you through how to install the Android 5.0 SDK and start exploring Lollipop’s new features straight away. With such a dramatic overhaul, it would have been easy to point out the superficial changes that most users will find on there own. Instead, the following pages are aimed at helping you discover some of the best Lollipop features that take a little big of digging to uncover. The new

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Material design language is fantastic for making apps and menus look clean, but they also contain tons of side-menus that need to be explored to really uncover everything that Android Lollipop is capable of. As well revealing some of the secrets that can be found throughout the various menus of Lollipop, we’ve gone hands-on with each of the updated Google apps to explore some of the exciting extras hidden away within them. Keep exploring the new OS yourself, as well. There are sure to be more secrets discovered in the months to come.

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30 Lollipop secrets

Get Lollipop on any Galaxy Use the Android SDK to get Lollipop on older Galaxy devices Unfortunately for a lot of people, you’ll be waiting some time for the official Android Lollipop update to hit your device – and for some, it may never arrive. Although built primarily for developers, the Android SDK is perfect for those who want to get to grips with the new system update right away. At first it can be quite a daunting experience getting it up and running, but by following the steps provided, you should be up and running with Lollipop on your device in no time.

“The Android SDK will let you get to grips with the new system update right away”

Install Android 5.0 using the Android SDK

Download files needed Get the tools

Manage installs

Accept and install

Go to the XDA Forums (forum. xda-developers.com), find the SDK Manager and Android 5.0 SDK. Download both files and install them – this will take a while to complete.

Use the Tools section sidebar to locate the Android L SDK files. Use the checkboxes next to each file to make sure that each one is selected, before pressing the provided Install button.

A licensing agreement will appear for you to read before installing. Once it’s confirmed, the install will begin. Make sure your device is charged, as the install will take a while to complete.

Go through the installation process of the SDK Manager. Once done, use the toolbar to find the Tools section that will be listed. By default, most of these options are listed alphabetically.

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30 Lollipop secrets

Get a better battery life There’s an incredible selection of options to track your Galaxy’s battery life your percentage 1 Check If you want to take a quick look at how much battery life you’ve got left, use two

5 Metered Wi-Fi

Open up the Network Restrictions menu hidden away within the Data Usage screen in Settings. Users can now create their very own metered network, whereby certain bits of background data will be restricted. Your phone will also notify you as and when any large syncing tasks, or downloads occur, which could use a lot of data.

fingers to swipe left on your screen. This should open up the Quick Settings menu if done correctly, where an exact percentage will be shown at the top of the screen.

charged 2 Fully Although the charging times for devices vary, once you plug your phone into a charger, take a look at the bottom of your lock screen. Tucked away you’ll find an estimation of how long it will take for your device to be fully charged. This feature can take a few minutes to calculate, depending on the device you’re using.

eating you? 3 What’s Use the two-finger swipe to once again open up the Quick Settings menu. Instead of manually scrolling through the options provided, swipe down and select the battery icon. This will take you to fairly well-hidden Battery Status screen where you can see how long your battery has left, and the apps that are draining it the most.

Saver mode 4 Power Follow the step above to get to the Battery Status screen and once there, press the Menu button on your device. From here you can toggle the Power Saver mode, which ultimately will streamline your battery’s performance when you hit the 15 per cent mark. You’ll find the entire look of the battery screen will turn orange once this is activated.

6 Disable auto app icons One of our pet hates with Android was the app icons that would appear on our homescreen every time a new app was installed. However, the Lollipop update rectifies this problem by enabling users to go into the Play Store app and disable the option from within the app’s Settings menu.

7 Play Flappy Android

Every Android update includes a fun Easter egg for users to check out, and the trend continue here. Repeatedly tap the version number of your phone with the About Phone settings until a Lollipop screen appears. Now press on the screen, where you can now play an Android-themed version of Flappy Bird.

awake 9 Stay If you like to keep an eye on your device while it’s charging, check out the Stay Awake feature. Go through the Settings menu and find the Developer Options menu near the bottom. From here, turn the toggle to on before enabling the Stay Awake option provided. When charging, your device will no longer turn itself off. It’s advisable to turn this feature off when you’re trying to sleep, however!


8 Create a guest profile If someone else would like to take your smartphone or tablet for a spin, but you don’t want to allow them access to all your files and app, then you’ll need to create a guest profile. Head to the Users section and find the guest option listed. This profile will then be available via your device’s lockscreen.

Google… set a 10 “OK reminder” Google Now has undergone a massive visual change in Lollipop, but most of the new features are well hidden. The first thing to check out is the Reminders feature; this changes Google Now into a basic alarm system for events and appointments. To find it, open Google Now and tap the Settings icon within the search bar. The Reminders option is at the bottom of the list.

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30 Lollipop secrets

Do more with notifications 11

New gestures instantly hide information and set priority apps

Improved security features Take a look at the new security options you need to use

with 15 Pairing Wear

Set a priority app If you deem certain apps more important than others, head to the App Notifications menu and select a priority app. Your selection will now always be shown on your screen when a new notification arrives from it

Android Wear plays a major part in the new Lollipop update and your smartwatch can prove instrumental in keeping your device safe. Pair them together so the smartwatch can be used to unlock your device.

Manage sensitive information Head to the App Notifications menu within Settings to manage all the apps with access to sensitive information, before toggling the information they can show on your lockscreen within the Sound & Notification menu

cheese! 16 Say Although not a new feature per se, the Face Unlock capability is a lot more reliable this time around. Make sure to set a PIN or password before activation, just incase you need a backup solution to get into your device.

Instant access Double-tap on any notification to immediately open up the corresponding app, or simply swipe it to the left to remove it and declutter your lockscreen

locking 17 Instant Open up the Security menu within Settings and scroll until you find the Instant Lock option. Activating this will mean that as soon as your phone goes to sleep, your device will lock and you’ll need to enter a PIN to gain access.

some 12 Set restrictions As well as guest profiles, it’s possible to create restricted profiles. These are a little more complicated to set up, but can still be found in the Users menu. Restricted profiles enable you to pinpoint the exact apps and settings that other users can and cannot access. Ultimately, they can be as basic or detailed as you’d like, but you’ll need to set a password for each of the profiles you create.

stop 13 Temporarily notifications There are a variety of reasons why you’ll want to disable notifications, but the option is fairly hard to find. Open your notifications menu, press the gear icon and then the Volume button provided. Select the None option that follows, before setting the times of when you want to stop all notifications. If it’s a recurring daily time, then make sure to enable the option provided.

5.1 14 Enable surround sound Audiophiles rejoice! The Play Movies app now supports 5.1 surround sound, but it isn’t activated by default. To bring the noise, open up the app and head into the Settings, where you’ll find the Enable Surround Sound option. The differences between standard audio and 5.1 surround sound is astonishing, especially if you’re using a Nexus 9 tablet to watch movies on.

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with 18 Unlock Bluetooth Users now have the option to choose Bluetooth devices that can be used to unlock their phone or tablet. This can be either a safe NFC tag or even the Bluetooth connection used within your car.


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30 Lollipop secrets

Calendar

Keep your calendar in sync with your Samsung Galaxy device

W

hen you first open up the updated Calendar app, the first menu you’ll be greeted with is a new planner, which can be set up to show some of the upcoming public bank holidays [see number 19]. Past this screen is the calendar; by default it’ll look surprisingly bare, but open up the app’s side menu and scroll down, where you’ll be able to import events and feeds from various social media accounts [20]. After syncing the events to your calendar, select a month from the toolbar to reach the overview screen and swipe down to open the planner menu underneath [21]. You can then import this planner screen onto your homescreen via the widget menu on your device [22].

Head Settings within Google Drive and find the Drive-enabled apps folder. Here you can play around with the apps that can sync files to your Drive account, with or without a secure Wi-Fi network required. Ideal if you have a limited data usage plan.


Import social media feeds via the app’s side menu.

Swipe down on your calendar to open the planner screen.

Add the planner screen as a permanent homescreen widget.

20

21

New-look Google

23 Google Drive

Toggle the planner to add public bank holidays.

19

22

Discover some of the best secrets in the other stock apps

24 Google Play Music

To unlock this feature, you’re going to need to use Play Music All Access regularly. Eventually you’ll find that curated playlists start appearing on the homescreen of your account. These will be based solely on your previous listening experiences.

25 Phone

While most of the changes in the new Phone app are cosmetic, there are a few great new features. By syncing the app with Facebook, you can pick and choose the friends you want to add to your phone’s contacts list without it syncing completely.

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26 Photos

Albums can be split up in various ways within the material design version of Photos. By default your photos will be shown in chronological order, but the view can be changed to show them in order of any tags and locations you’ve added.

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30 Lollipop secrets

Gmail

Managing your emails is easier than ever

T

here’s a big emphasis on simplicity within the redesigned Gmail app and while most of the changes are cosmetic, there are some nifty additions hidden away. First, use the side menu to access your primary account, where you can then choose to import other email accounts into Gmail. It’s also now possible to move large quantities of emails to a specified inbox all at once, a feature that was surprisingly missing from previous versions of the app.

27

Switch or merge? Users can switch between their imported email accounts through the app’s side menu. You can then bring all the accounts together, or simply view them individually

More options The number of additional options when you long-press on an email has increased. Users can now use this function to move emails around to a different inbox

Change default action for swiping 28

Start from scratch The create-an-email button is no longer on the top toolbar, and now requires you to press the large pencil icon at the bottom right corner of the inbox

With the default inbox open, press on the icon at the top left of the app to open up Gmail’s side menu. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Settings, before selecting the General Settings option.

29 There’s an array of new settings and features worth checking out here, but for now you’ll want to move around this menu until you find the Gmail Default Action option. Press on the option once found.

Users can now choose between either the Archive or Delete option. The deleting option is self-explanatory, but choosing to archive will move the email into a separate inbox associated with your account.

30

Play Store A new-look hub for your entire device’s media files

There are changes all over the place within the redesigned Play Store app, but we’ve uncovered a few hidden extras. Navigate to the Play Movies section of the app [see number 29] and begin streaming a movie to your TV or laptop. On your phone, you’ll now have access to a variety of information about the movie, almost like a second-screen experience. Next, head over to an app that’s had a recent update, Start streaming a movie, and Scroll down an app’s listing to information about the actors find the additions to the latest where you’ll now find a separate ‘What’s New’ [30] menu listing all and soundtrack will appear. version in ‘What’s New’. the changes in the latest update.

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Tips 16 Home screen Personalise the look of your home screen and improve the user experience

18 Settings Tweak your device’s inner workings to make it more efficient

20 People Store, organise and add details for all the contacts on your device

22 Phone Get more from this fundamental part of the Android experience

24 Messages Send SMSs, share images with contacts, and discover new messaging functions

26 Email Find out how to optimise the email experience on your phone or tablet

Get the very best from Android’s core apps by working with their advanced functions

32 Camera A major selling point of smartphones, the Camera app is a highly powerful tool

34 Gallery Sort your images into albums or sort by person or location

36 Music Player Listen to music on the go, create playlists, and tweak the EQ

38 Samsung Apps Make purchases and share your applications on your device

39 S Suggest Get suggestions based on your previous purchases with S Suggest

40 Optical Reader Create digital documents by taking pictures with your camera

27 Gmail Google’s email solution provides a great alternative to the stock Mail app

28 Chrome Discover Google’s celebrated browser for mobile devices

29 Internet Explore the web on Samsung’s home internet browser

30 Clock Set an alarm, start a timer, and explore the date and time options available


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42 S Health Track your heart beat, get coaching and count your calorie intake with S Health

44 S Note Take notes, share them, edit them and more with S Note

46 S Planner Use your device as a pocket diary with this handy app

48 S Voice Send messages, take notes and more with the power of your voice

49 S Translator Travel in style with this nifty pocket dictionary built-in to your device

50 Samsung Kies Transfer media and back up your device with ease

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52 Google Play Shop around for apps and games to enhance your device

54 Play Music Get started with streaming and shopping for tracks

56 Play Games Challenge friends, play online and compare high scores

57 Play Movies & TV Turn your device into a mobile TV

58 Play Newsstand Read magazines and keep up to date on news

59 Play Books Read everything from classic literature to great bestsellers

60 Google+ Join the social networking phenomenon from Google

62 Hangouts Instant and group messaging has never been better

64 Google Maps Never get lost again with the incredible Google Maps

66 Google Drive Share and edit documents via the cloud

68 YouTube Watch the best the internet has to offer

TOP TIPS

“The Galaxy is stuffed with great software right out of the box”

Browse the web Transfer data Download apps Communication Watch movies Create great 44 notes to share

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Tips Tricks Hacks Apps

Home screen Personalise the look of your Samsung device and the way it works to suit your own needs and improve the user experience

Navigate the launcher

How to get around

Using the touch screen, you can swipe through your various home screens and access apps and widgets that you may have placed there for easy access. Tap on the app launcher and you will instantly see a screen filled with all of the apps installed on your device. Tapping on an app icon will launch the respective app and you can also long-press on app icons and drag them to your home screen for easy access later. While long-pressing on an app, you can also drag it up to the ‘App Info’ option, which will list the various app permissions and enable you to quit, disable the app or uninstall updates you may have downloaded. With a little practice, you’ll soon master the touchscreen interface and be navigating your device with consummate ease.

Add widgets How to add app shortcuts to your home screen

“Updates delivered at-a-glance” 16 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Widgets provide app functionality to your home screen so you can get the latest weather, news and social updates delivered at-a-glance without having to open each main app. To see which widgets are available, open your app tray and tap the Widgets tab. When you see a widget you’d like to add to your home screen, longpress it and drag it into the desired position. Some take up more space than others, so you may have to delete or move some first to make them fit. Widgets operate on a snap-to grid, so if you drag one into position, all your other screen furniture will shift around to accommodate it. Open the app tray and tap the Widgets tab to see available widgets

Change the wallpaper Personalise the way your screen looks You can change your device’s wallpaper by longpressing your home screen background. You can then import an image and crop it to fit. If you go to your Settings app and tap Display, you can also change the wallpaper from there or turn on Daydream mode, which determines how your device

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behaves after a period of inactivity. If this is turned on, you can choose to display a clock, colours or specified photos. If the option you enable has specifics that need to be determined, such as the location of the photos used, you can toggle these by tapping on the settings icon next to each option.

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Notifications

Never miss a thing

App notifications are shown in a pane accessed by dragging down from the top of your home screen. They could entail weather or news updates, emails, messages, downloads and social network updates – so if you hear your device make funny noises, check your notifications as something important may have

come in. You can clear your notifications pane by tapping the stack icon at the top right. If you tap on an item in the pane, you’ll jump straight to the app in question to reply to messages and respond to other things applicable to the notification. Go to the Apps section in Settings to enable/disable notifications for specific apps.

Rearrange your home Remove clutter from the screen You have full control over what is displayed on your home screen, from the wallpaper to the various apps and widgets. You can drag new apps and widgets to your home screen from the app tray and, once your screen is taken up with icons, you can either long-press an item to drag it into a new position or remove it entirely from the home screen by dragging it up to the Remove option. Different widgets take up different areas of space on the screen, so you might not necessarily have room to accommodate your favourites on the same screen. But worry not, you have several home screens at your disposal.

All of your screenshots will be stored in the Gallery or Photos app on your device

Take a screenshot Save images of your screen

“Long-press on items and then drag them into position” Use Google Now Access the features from the home screen Google Now is a great free service to access essential, at-a-glance info. Better still, the app comes with its own widget that you can drag and place on your home screen. Go to your app launcher and tap on the Widgets tab, then scroll through the pages to the Google Now widget and then long-press it. Drag the widget to a free position on your home screen and then

drop it into place. Essential information that you need to know in order to get through your day – such as the weather and your latest share prices – will be displayed in a relatively unobtrusive window for you to cast your eye over. If you touch one of the panes displayed then you will instantly launch the full app and be able to read more information that Google handily sources for you.

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There are many reasons why you’d want to take a screenshot of what is currently displayed on your device. It could be to boast about a high score in a game or simply to document a social network conversation. Whatever the reason, the process is usually straight forward. For example, on a Nexus 7 tablet, you have to hold down the sleep/ wake button and the volume-down button simultaneously. Do so and a second later you will hear a noise and see that the current screen has been captured. If you see the volume controls appear, it means you have depressed one button too early, so concentrate on getting the timing right so as to press and hold both buttons at exactly the same time. All screenshots that you take will be stored in your Gallery and/or Photos app. Tap this and then look in the ‘Screenshot’ section to see what you have taken. These screens can be treated exactly the same way as any other photo – long-press on one to bring up options to share and delete. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 17

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Settings There are hundreds of settings to explore and tweak in order to fully customise and personalise your Samsung Galaxy device

Manage your Wi-Fi

Get connected quickly

The quickest way to access your Wi-Fi network settings is to swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to access your quick settings and then tap on Wi-Fi. Alternatively, you can also get there by launching your Settings app and tapping on the Wi-Fi option there. Either way, when Wi-Fi is turned on, your device will instantly start to scan for nearby ports. So when you see your own network displayed, tap on it, enter your password (as supplied with your wireless router) and get connected. When you are away from your base station, it is a good idea to turn Wi-Fi off to save on the battery power your device would use when scanning for networks; do this by moving the Wi-Fi slider to the off position, or by tapping Aeroplane Mode.

“Ensure that all of your app up data is saved to the cloud” Back your settings Keep your device settings safely stored

Change the language Explore the language options Language, when applied to an Android device, doesn’t just mean the text display: it applies to many other facets. Tap the ‘Language and input’ option in Settings to access a wide array of language options. The first lets you change the main text

display and activate a spellchecker (tap the settings icon next to it for more options, such as looking up contact names). Also in the main ‘Language and input’ settings, you can choose the keyboard your device uses, set up the text-tospeech facility and more.


We spend quite a lot of time setting our devices up to operate exactly how we want them to and all of this app data, various passwords and other settings are saved to your device. However, if your device is lost, stolen or replaced, it makes sense – and saves a lot of time – to have these settings to hand so that you can pick up on your new Samsung Galaxy device exactly where you left off with your old one. In order to make sure this is possible, launch the Settings app on your existing device and tap on the ‘Backup and reset’ option that is listed within the Personal section. Now simply ensure that the ‘Back up my data’ option is ticked, the right Google account is selected to store the backup and that the ‘Automatic restore’ option is ticked to ensure that all of your app data is saved just the way you like it. Now your data will be backed up to the Google servers without you having to lift a finger and therefore be available whenever you need it.

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Back up all your settings and data to the cloud

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Lock your screen orientation

Update your software Ensure you are using the latest operating system

Make your screen stay still

Whenever an operating system evolves and grows with new features, free updates will become available (why, after all, should you pay when it is the responsibility of the system manufacturer to stay cutting edge?). While in the Settings app, tap on the ‘About device’ option listed under System to get various bits of information on your device. Here you will see an option called ‘System updates’ – tap on this and any available updates will be presented, whereby you can opt to restart the device and install them. This process may take a bit of time, so make sure your device is connected to a charger and that you don’t intent to use it for a few minutes. System software updates may also be flagged up in your notifications pane (swipe down from the top of the screen), so check that regularly for possible updates.

Activate GPS

Use location data

Location data is widely used by your device to determine your current position and help certain apps work (like Maps, for example). In the Settings app, tap ‘Location’, listed under Network. Here you’ll be able to switch on access to your location and determine the sources of this information, including GPS satellites and Wi-Fi

and mobile networks. Granting your device permission to divulge your current location can also be beneficial for security purposes. If your device is lost or stolen, you can track its position remotely and even signal alerts, screen locks and, in the most drastic of circumstances, erase everything and render the device obsolete.

It’s all well and good being able to rotate your device’s screen between portrait and landscape orientations, but sometimes you can trigger this action without intending to and then get trapped in a cycle of trying to correct it. If you know that you are only going to require one screen orientation for the time-being, then fortunately you are able to lock it in one of two ways. Firstly, you can swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to access your quick settings pane and then tap on the Screen Rotation option. Alternatively, you can launch your Settings app and then tap on the Display option (listed under the Sound and Display section). Once inside the Display options, you can then turn on the ‘Screen rotation’ option to allow it to rotate based on its position or to remain fixed in the current orientation – which is particularly handy if you are reading on your device and are likely to go through a range of positions. It’s easy enough to unlock if you need to rotate it at a later point.

Manage and delete apps Get a heads-up on your internal storage By tapping the Application Manager option in Settings, you can see all the apps installed on your device as well as those currently running. This screen will also show you how much space the apps take up on your device and how much storage you have remaining. Tapping on an app will allow you to perform a ‘force stop’ (to close it down and save processing power) or uninstall

it completely – it’s good to have a clear-out when new apps are downloaded and older ones are no longer used. If certain apps keep caches then you can also clear those on a specific app screen, as well as review the permissions that you have granted the app to carry out its functions. This is a useful place to come in order to get to know your device and your apps inside out.

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People Stay up-to-date with a database of all your contacts in the powerful, and absolutely essential, People app

Edit contacts

Amend existing contact info

If you wish to edit contacts details – perhaps if the person has changed address or more details have come to light that you wish to add, then you can do this quickly and easily through People’s intuitive interface. Simply tap on a contact to display their details in the main screen and then tap on the pen icon in the top-right corner of the screen. The person’s contact details page will be displayed so you can edit and alter existing fields or add new ones in the same way as you did when creating a new contact from scratch. As before, when you have finished exiting or adding details, tap on the Done button to finish up. You can go back in at any time to change a contacts information.

Add a contact Enter and store contact details

“You can also assign a picture” 20 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Adding new contacts to your ever-expanding database is easy: open your People app and then tap the ‘+’ symbol at the top of the screen. You will then be presented with a comprehensive page of fields to which you can apply data, including the obvious names and phone numbers through to company information, postal addresses and email addresses. Tap on a field and you will be able to enter whatever information you know about that person. You can also assign a picture to the person and if you wish to add a new field of information, tap on the ‘Add another field’ button at the bottom of the screen and then choose an item from the list available. Tap Done.

Sharing contacts

Sharing contacts is a quick and easy process

Pass contact details to others How often are you asked for a number of a friend by a different friend? Probably very frequently, which can prove a hassle. Fortunately, using the People app on your Samsung device, you can share contacts quickly and very easily with anyone you choose through a variety of different methods. Start by opening up the contacts

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page of the person whose details you wish to share and then tap on the Menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen. Choose the Share option from the menu and then select a sharing method from the window that appears. Options include Bluetooth, Email, Gmail and various cloud services.

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Find addresses If you store peoples’ addresses in your People app then clever integration with Google Maps means that you can tap on one to see and navigate to it in Google Maps. While on a contact’s page where they have an address listed, simply tap on the address and the Google Maps app will be automatically launched and take you right

View in Maps there. If you then intend to visit the person you can tap on the location name in Google Maps and get directions there from your current location, as well as other useful information such a journey time and turn-by-turn directions. The fact that Google’s core apps are linked together means that you can do all of this in just a few simple taps.

Save to home screen Pin a contact for easy access For important contact details that you need regularly, you can pin them to the home screen of your device so that you don’t even have to open up the People app. To do this, tap on the Menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen and then choose the ‘Place on Home screen’ option from the menu. A contacts widget will then be added to the home screen of your device, which you can tap on it to bring up the contact’s page and access the info in a single tap. The icon of the contact will be their profile picture, if you have assigned one.

Group your contacts together for ease of access…

Create new groups

“A contacts widget will be added to the home screen”

Store your contacts however you please

Delete a contact How to remove names from your database If you no longer need the contact information of someone in your database, then you can effortlessly remove them in the blink of an eye. In order to do this, ensure that you have the contact page of the person that you wish to delete open and then tap on the Menu icon (three dots) in the topright corner of the screen and choose the Delete option

from the drop-down menu that appears. A confirmation message will then be shown stating that the contact will be deleted. If you are happy to proceed, tap on the OK button to permanently remove the contact; alternatively, tap Cancel to back out of the process. You can also import and export contacts to back up the information by tapping the Menu icon.

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One of the best features of the People app is the way it allows you to group contacts together rather than having one unruly list. For example, why not group together your poker group, or your football team-mates? It means that everyone is easier to find and you can opt to contact them all at once. To create a new group, tap on the menu in the top-left corner of the screen and choose Groups from the list. Google will have already created a few general groups for you that you can add people to, but if you wish to create a new group from scratch, tap on the ‘+’ symbol at the top of the screen, give the new group a name and then start adding people by typing their name. When you have finished adding people, tap on the Done button and your new group will be added to the list and be accessible from the Groups section of the People app. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 21

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Phone Take advantage of the Phone app on your Samsung Galaxy to quickly and easily handle all your incoming and outgoing calls

Make a call

How to initiate a phone call

Tap the phone icon on your home screen, then either tap a contact name or the Keypad icon (top-left). In the case of existing contacts that have multiple numbers (eg landline and mobile), you will be asked to choose which one to dial. To save having to always select which number to dial, just tick the box that says ‘Remember this choice’ at the bottom of the number selection menu. Please note that if you do this, then want to call that person on another number, you’ll need to go into the People app and find the number you wish to call. When manually dialling a number, tap the keypad icon and type the number into your phone. You must complete the process by tapping the phone icon at the centre-bottom of the screen.

Search through contacts Use dialler to find a contact

“Tick ‘Remember this choice’” 22 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

In the Phone app, tap the ‘Contacts’ box to view your stored numbers. Type the name of the person you wish to call. As you type the name, the list of search results will narrow down in realtime. As soon as you see the person you want to call, tap their name and choose which of their numbers to dial, and you’ll be connected. Instead of always selecting which number to dial, tick the box that says ‘Remember this choice’ before tapping the number you wish to call. In the future, to call that person on another number, use the People app instead to look up the contact’s numbers.

Decline with a message Reject calls with an SMS When receiving a call, you usually have to swipe from the centre of a circle to a red or green icon to either reject or accept a call, respectively. This is similar to how you can unlock your device’s screen. You may not have noticed, but there is also a message icon at the top of the circle. Swiping to

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Set quick responses for rejected calls

that icon will reject the call and give you a selection of messages to acknowledge the rejected call. Select the most appropriate and it will then be sent to the number that called you. These messages are called ‘quick responses’ and they can be changed from the Phone settings screen.

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Recent call list

Redial numbers

Open the Phone app by tapping its icon on your home screen or from the application grid. Tapping the Logs icon will take you to your call history. Tap on the dropdown menu and you will see a list packed with items to check, such as All Calls and Missed Calls. In the ‘All‘ list, outgoing calls are denoted by a orange arrow.

Simply tap the phone icon to redial a number. For each entry in the lists, tapping on the name (to the left) will open up a full contact history for that number. However, if you just want to quickly dial the number, without reviewing details, tap the phone icon to the right of the entry and you will start the call straight away.

Change ringtone Choose from built-in call tones Open the Phone app and tap on the Menu icon (the three dots on the right-hand side of the bottom row of the screen). Select Settings, then select ‘Call settings’. On the following screen, tap ‘Phone ringtone’. You will then be presented with a list of all the available ringtones on your phone. Each ringtone has a radio button and tapping on a ringtone will play a preview. To actually set a ringtone, check its radio button and then tap OK. Third-party apps are able to add to the list, which can be misleading if the tune is inappropriately named (‘Default Ringtone’ etc).

Accessing the in-call tools on the Android dialler app

“To actually set a ringtone, check its radio button and then tap OK”

In-call options Discover extra controls

Search the web Find numbers to call online In the Phone app, tap on the box labelled ‘Search contacts & nearby places’. Rather than typing the name of a contact, type the name of a business you wish to call. Web search results will begin to appear under the ‘Nearby places’ heading in the search results (as long as you have a working internet connection). These Google search results are listed in order of geographical

proximity. You may also attempt to type the general type of business you’re looking for, but the results will not be as accurate. Because this feature prioritises local businesses, it is required that your phone’s location services are enabled. If Nearby Places are still not showing up, go to the Settings menu of the Phone app, tap Nearby Places and set the switch to On.

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During a call, there is a row of on-screen buttons towards the bottom of the screen. These give access to the in-call features of your phone. From left to right, they are: 1) Keypad: This is needed when navigating audio menus or dialling in an extension number, after having connected a call. As you enter more numbers, they will be appended to the string of numbers that you already dialled; 2) Loudspeaker: Useful for when you need both of your hands free and for when you want others to hear and/or participate in your call; 3) Mute: If you need to speak privately without the caller hearing you, this button will disable the phone’s microphone; 4) Hold: This will place your call on hold and allow you to make another call without terminating the current call; 5) Add contact: Tapping this will take you to the People app where you can choose an existing contact, or create a new one, in which to save the number of the current phone call. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 23

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Messages Get more from the Messages app, combined with Hangouts on newer devices, with our advanced guide to its special functions

Type special characters

Use symbols

Characters such as accented vowels are not shown on the Android Qwerty keyboard. However, they are available by long-pressing on certain letter keys. Accented (and other) characters are available on all vowels. Additionally, the following letters have extra characters available: S, C, N. If you need symbols, rather than letter variants, there are two ways to access available symbols. Common punctuation marks are available via a long press of the full-stop key. More symbols, such as numbers, arithmetical symbols and further punctuation marks are available on another page of the keyboard, which is accessed by pressing the ‘?123’ button. A second page of symbols (including maths and currency symbols) can be found by tapping the ‘=\<’ button.

Cut, copy & paste Move or copy text between apps To cut or copy any text, you must first select it. In most apps (such as Chrome), you select text by long-pressing. That will then reveal two sliders to set the beginning and the end of the selection. While selecting, a menu bar will appear at the top of the screen with icons for the copy, cut and paste tools. When you are in a text editing box (eg the address bar in Chrome, or the text entry field in Messaging), longpress on empty space and you will get the option to paste text. To copy text messages, long-press to copy the full text (partial copying is not possible).

“Long-press on empty space to get the option to paste text” 24 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Turn on autocorrection Boost your typing efficiency With the (default) keyboard visible, press and hold the microphone button. Once the Settings icon appears above the microphone key, lift your finger off the screen. This will display a menu with two options: Input Languages and Google Keyboard Settings. Select the latter option for this purpose.

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Navigate menus to find autocorrect settings

Scroll down the menu that follows, and tap on Autocorrection. On the following menu, you are able to set the level of autocorrection that the keyboard will apply to your text. The available options are: Off, Modest, Aggressive and Very Aggressive. Choose the one your prefer.

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Change language From the Android keyboard, press and hold the microphone button. The Input Options menu will appear with the following options: Input Languages and Google Keyboard Settings. Select the former. On the following screen, make sure that the checkbox on the top row, labelled ‘Use system language’, is not ticked. Then, you may select

Input options

one or more languages. If you enable a language that has not been used on your device, you will be alerted that the device needs to download a predictions file, therefore the device will need to be connected to the internet. Note that some languages, such as French (QWERTZ) and Russian, will change the keyboard layout and characters.

Create group text Send a message to several folks Open the Messages app and tap the ‘+’ symbol on the top row of the screen. This opens the New Hangout screen, which has a line labelled ‘Type a name, email, number or circle’. Here you can start typing the names of the contacts you wish to contact. Note that on new devices the SMS app has been combined with Google Hangouts. Therefore, if you specifically want to send a group text message, you need to type the full contact name so that you are offered the full set of contact options for that person. However, by messaging people via Google Hangouts, you will avoid charges.

Send images, videos or map locations as messages

Send files via text Send photos and video by text message

“To send a group text message, you need to type the full contact name” Use swipe gestures to type Enter text for messages by drawing While editing a message, long-press the mic key and select Google Keyboard Settings from the menu that appears. Scroll down the following menu screen until you reach the section titled Gesture Typing. Begin by tapping the ‘Enable gesture typing’ checkbox. Enabling that makes three further options available. ‘Dynamic floating preview’ lets the keyboard

show real-time predictions. ‘Show gesture trail’ shows a line of where your finger has been. ‘Phrase gesture’ allows you to include the space bar in your gestures to input multiple words at once. Having set your desired options, press the Back button to return to the message editor. Now, enter text by drawing lines from letter to letter of the word you wish to type; eg T to H to E.

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The latest version of Android only allows you to send images and videos as MMS messages, even though more is technically possible. Begin a new message thread, or enter an existing one in the Messaging app. Before typing any text, tap on the camera icon to the right of the edit box. This will allow you to select an existing photo or video, or to take a new photo. If you select to attach a photo or video, you will be taken to the new Photos app. Note that while you can attach multiple images to a message, you can only attach one at a time and will need to repeat the selection process. You may also attach your location by tapping the map pointer icon (to the left of the camera icon). This will attach a Google Maps hyperlink and a screenshot of the location in Google Maps. If you have other types of file that you wish to share, consider uploading them to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox and creating a sharing link, which can then be sent via text message. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 25

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Email The default Samsung Email app is a great place to write, send, share and read emails on your Galaxy device

Add an account

Configure email accounts

Launch the Email app, then open the menu by tapping the three-dots icon. On the following screen, tap the words ‘ADD ACCOUNT’. If using popular email services, you can simply enter your email address and password and tap Next. If that method fails, tap the ‘Manual setup’ button after (re-)entering the email address and password. Next, tap one of the following buttons for the protocol of your account: POP3, IMAP or Exchange. The next screen will show the server settings that the account creation software guessed, which can be altered if necessary. You should search the web for your email provider’s settings to make sure your phone is properly configured. The final screen allows you to set notifications and email update frequency.

Run multiple inboxes Check multiple email accounts from one app After creating multiple email accounts, following the above instructions, you may switch between them by opening the Email app and swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen. Tap on Manage Accounts at the bottom of the list to see all of the accounts that you added. Tapping on any of them will take you to the inbox of that account, with its subfolders available on the left-swipe list. If you want to view a merged inbox of all your accounts, swipe in from the lefthand side and tap the ‘Combined view’ option.

“Tapping on any account will take you to that inbox” 26 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Mark messages as… Change read and star statuses Read and starred states can both be changed while viewing individual messages, or in bulk from the inbox. Make a bulk selection by tapping the lefthand icons. The envelope icon on the toolbar will toggle the messages’ read state. Add or removing stars (ie favourites) can be done

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Change message status in the Email app

by opening the menu and tapping Add/Remove Star. Tapping each star in this view will toggle individual messages. While viewing a single message, the read status toggle can be found on the toolbar; the star status is found to the right of the email header, next to the reply icon.

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Gmail Make the most of your Gmail account with the official Google app on your Samsung phone or tablet

Add signatures

Custom sign-offs

The built-in Gmail app does not support multiple signatures on individual accounts. However, it is possible to change the signature for each email account on your phone. Assuming you have multiple accounts (described in this guide), open the Email app and tap the Menu icon (three dots) at the top right, then select Settings. From the Settings screen, tap on the account that you wish to change the signature of. On the account-specific settings screen, tap on the fourth row, entitled Signature. The following screen will present an edit box where you may create your signature. By using the Return key, you may create a new line – useful for separating various pieces of information.

Deal with spam Tag email as junk You can train Gmail to what you regard as junk mail (ie spam) by flagging messages as such. With an email open in the Gmail app, go to the menu icon located at the top-right of the email. Here you’ll find a variety of settings you can explore, but you’ll want to first use the Report spam option provided. This will help stop any subsequent emails from the sender reaching your inbox. There’s also the option to Report phishing, where you can report any potentially malicious emails directly to Google. Be careful when handling phishing emails as they can be dangerous to have on your device.

“‘Report as phishing’ is for flagging more sinister messages”

Add Gmail accounts

Creating a new Gmail account

Run multiple Gmail accounts To add multiple Google accounts to your phone or tablet, open the app drawer and launch the Settings app. Scroll down to the end of the Accounts section and tap the ‘+ Add account’ option. On the next screen, entitled ‘Add an account’, tap the ‘Google’ option. On the following screen, entitled

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‘Add a Google Account’, you will have the option to create a new Gmail account or log into an existing one. The latter option only requires the Gmail address and password for the account you wish to add. For creating a new account, add your name and the desired Gmail inbox name.


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Chrome Use Google’s celebrated web browser, which now comes as standard with many Samsung devices

Set default browser

Open links in Chrome

When tapping a hyperlink, a list of web-viewing capable apps will be presented – if you have not yet set a default. Tap on the app you wish to open the link with (in this case, Chrome) and then tap one of two buttons, labelled ‘Always’ and ‘Just once’. The latter allows you to open a link in an app without having it set as the default choice, whereas the Always option will set the chosen app as the default viewer. If an app has been accidentally set as the default, go into the Apps section of the Settings app, then swipe rightwards to the All tab and scroll down to and tap on the app you wish to unset as the default browser. Now tap the button labelled ‘Clear defaults’ listed in the ‘Launch by default’ section.

Mobile Bookmarks Save your favourite pages Bookmarks are a great of way being able to save links to your favourite sites. There’s no direct limit to how many mobile bookmarks you’re allowed to save on your device, but the Mobile Bookmarks menu can soon get quite cluttered. You’ll want to use this menu as your hub for all your bookmarks, and as well as saving them, it’s also possible to delete them, rename them and even distribute them to different folders. If the Mobile Bookmarks menu isn’t for you, then you can choose to move bookmarks to your bookmarks bar instead. Remember, by browsing with the same email account, you can easily sync your bookmarks between devices. Switch between multiple open tabs with ease


Auto-fill web forms Save time when filling in forms To set up form profiles, open Chrome and tap on the three-dots Menu icon at the right-hand side of the toolbar. Scroll down the menu and tap Settings. From the Settings menu, tap on the ‘Autofill forms’ option. On the following screen, start by making sure that the switch in the top-right

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Configuring Chrome to autofill web forms

corner of the screen is set to ‘On’. You may already have some profiles saved from using the desktop version of Chrome. To add a new profile, tap the ‘Add profile’ option and fill in your details on the following screen. Similarly, you can add payment details by tapping ‘Add credit card’.

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Internet Browse the web and save your favourite sites with Samsung’s own Internet app

Browse the internet

The web on your Galaxy

In your Galaxy’s app list open the Internet app. Tap on the plus icon in the top tool bar to open a new browser window. Tap on the URL text box to enter a web address or a search query then tap GO. The search tool uses Google to find results for your query. Tap on the Window Manager icon in the top tool bar to open another tab or to close

the one that is currently open. If you would rather view webpages as you would when visiting them from a desktop computer tap the options button in the top tool bar then check the box next to desktop view. From this menu you can also enter Incognito mode, so that your web history for pages visited will not be recorded.

Save a bookmark Quickly access favourites

Home screen shortcuts is the fastest way to access websites

To bookmark a webpage, tap the icon in the bottom-right corner, then the plus icon at the top of the Bookmarks page. The default title for your bookmark will be the name of the webpage. Once you’re done tap save, options and then Create folder to organise your bookmarks. You can also delete bookmarks or organise them into pre-existing folders. Save pages by opening the options on a webpage and tapping Save page. Tap the Saved pages icon to view a list of all of your saved pages.

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Adding a shortcut to your homepage makes for quick access to your favourite sites

Create shortcuts Add homepage links to speed up your browsing If you have a collection of websites that you visit frequently then you can save time by creating a shortcut to the page on your home screen, or adding the page to your quick access list. On the page you want to create a shortcut to, tap the options button followed by the ‘Add to Quick access’ option. Name the quick access link however you wish, then tap save. Now whenever you first open an Internet tab you’ll see your quick access links displayed in a grid layout. In the options menu tap ‘Add shortcut to home’ to add a shortcut to the URL to your home screen.

“Organise your bookmarks into separate folders” Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 29

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Clock Set the time and date for your device, time things and create alarms to wake you up in the morning

Add alarms

Set alerts on your device

In order to set new alarms through your device’s Clock app, tap on the alarm icon in the lower-left corner and then tap on the ‘+’ symbol in the top-right corner. Now it is simply a case of entering the time in digits for when you would like the alarm to go off. When you have finished setting it, tap the OK button and your alarm will be saved. If you have multiple alarms set, then they will be listed and you can turn them on and off via the slider switches. By tapping on an alarm, you can also tick the Repeat box to automatically have the alarm go off at the same time every day and you can also set the desired ringtone that sounds when the alarm goes off.

“Have the alarm go off at the same time every day”

Set a stopwatch Record time accurately In the Clock app, tap the stopwatch icon at the top right. Tap on Start and the it will start counting. A new icon under the readout lets you take lap times. So if using your device to record circuit training or suchlike, tapping this lap

icon will store the time that it was pressed and time will continue to count forwards so that you can record up to 99 consecutive laps. To stop the timer, press Stop and options to reset the stopwatch and share your times will appear.


Set time and date Ensure your device keeps the right time You are able to set the date and time for your Samsung device, either manually or automatically. In order to do so, open up the Settings app (after swiping down from the top right of the home screen) and then tap on the Date & Time option. Now, the main option at the top of this screen, ‘Automatic date and time’, will source the date and time automatically from the internet based on your chosen time zone. However, if you would prefer to set the date and time yourself manually, simply deselect the top option and then tap on the ‘Set date’ and ‘Set time’ options respectively and enter the correct information for your location. Additionally, on the Date & Time options screen, you are able to select the time zone and choose how the date and time are displayed on your device. So you can choose between a 24-hour and 12-hour format for the time, while there are several options for how to display the date, such as day-month-year.

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Set various options on the Date & Time screen

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Explore your Clock app settings

Start the timer Use your device in the kitchen The third mode boasted by the Clock app is a timer that can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as setting cooking times in the kitchen. Use the digit keys to enter the time you want to elapse and then tap the Start button. The display will then switch to a simple timer with options to add an additional minute to the time or stop the timing process. When the timer reaches zero, a beeping noise will be sounded to alert you. You can also add labels to your timers, which is useful if you have a certain timer stored that you will be likely to use repeatedly, and you can create new timers by tapping the ‘+’ button at the bottom of the page.

Tweak and change aspects of the app

“You can create new timers by tapping the ‘+’ button” Activate GPS

Add cities to clocks

While in the main mode of your Clock app, tap on the pin icon at the bottom of the screen and you will be able to select cities from all around the world from an extensive list and then pin them to your main clock screen. If you work in a business that requires contact with oversees clients then this is a good way to ensure that

you know precisely when they will be contactable because the current time in your chosen city will be displayed. You can pin as many cities from the list as you want and you can scroll down through them on the main page simply by swiping upwards on the screen. To remove a city, go back to the list and tap to remove them.

If you want to view and possibly adjust any of the settings for the Clock app then you can do so by tapping on the Menu icon (three dots) in the lower-right corner of the main clock screen and then choosing Settings from the pop-up menu. Here you are able to change the clock from a digital to an analogue display, trigger an automatic home clock (to let you know the time back home if you take your device away with you to another part of the world) and set the general time zone. There are also options that apply to your alarms, such as when to turn off without assistance, the snooze length and volume. When setting an alarm, go here to ensure that the settings are right for your needs. If you need further assistance with any aspects of the app then you can tap on the Menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen while at the Settings screen in order to find a handy Help option.

Using widgets Tell the time from your home screen As is the case with a lot of Android services, there is a free widget for the Clock app that lets you assign various features to your home screen. To check them out, long press on your home screen and then choose Widgets. Now scroll through the various pages until you find the clock options. You will find widgets relating to your alarms, as well as an eyecatching digital display that is

far more prominent than your device’s standard menu bar clock. You will also find the option to add various world clocks to your home screen, which is ideal if you deal with people on the other side of the world and want to check if it is a convenient time to make contact. Select a widget and then drag it into position on one of your home screens to make it permanently available when you need it.

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Visit Settings to tailor the app to suit your needs


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Camera Start snapping with your Samsung device’s built-in camera, which has more features than you may have realised

Auto-Focus

Crystal pictures in no time

One of the best things about the Samsung Galaxy’s built-in 16MP camera is the new and improved Auto-focus. Long gone are the days of blurry images that demonstrate the inferiority of previous phone cameras as you struggled to capture a moment in time. The Auto-focus on the S5 is set to 0.3 seconds and can take crystal-clear images in no time at all. Another appealing new feature is Selective Focus, a mode which will make the object you are focusing on clearer and everything around it less so, to really make your subject matter stand out. There are also plenty of additional modes, features and effects (plus additional bolt-ons that you can download and add to the existing features) to help you capture those special moments at a split-second’s notice.

Share images

Camera modes Switch to different camera modes Tap the Mode icon to switch to other modes, such as Panoramic and Beauty Face. You can also download additional modes by selecting the Download option at the bottom of the list. Modes such as Animated Photo and Sound & Shot help bring any moment startlingly to life by allowing you to animate moving parts and capture background sound from the location of the photo to help stir those memories.

Share your masterpieces with others! By default, once an image has been shot or edited (see ‘Edit the photos taken’ on the next page), it will be saved onto your device’s local storage. However, if you want to show off, you can share your masterpiece with others via email or social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The first stage is to head to your Gallery (or

Photos) app and then select your ‘Camera’ folder. Now you can either tap on an image to select it or longpress it to continuously select others (and thereby share multiple images). After this is done, tap the Share icon at the top and select the option ‘See all’ to expand the list and then pick your favourite app to share your image(s) with friends and family.

The Sphere camera mode can take true 360-degree images

“Share your photos with others via email or social media sites” 32 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Sharing images is a quick way to get your shots out there

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Adjust picture quality By default, most cameras will shoot at the highest resolution provided, but this does have an adverse effect on file size. For example, an 8-megapixel shot may

Cut down on file size be 700K or bigger, so you don’t want to send too many such files if the receiver has a capped data limit. Also, sometimes you may not want a large image if you are simply using it for, say, an avatar. Thankfully you can reduce the file size from within the Camera app’s interface. So before taking the shot, tap the small cog icon in the top-left corner of the screen and then select the Picture Size option and you will then be able to select different resolutions to suit your needs. Once done, press the Back button to return to the camera.

White balance & Exposure Adjust the way the image is taken Experiment with the Exposure and White Balance modes to improve shots. In the Camera app, press the cog icon in the top-left corner of the screen. You should then see a small icon marked AWB White Balance and one that says Exposure Value. If you experiment with the two options, you can help determine what the lighting conditions are like. In White Balance you have a range of lighting conditions to apply to the shot, whereas in Exposure Value you can increase or decrease it to x2.0.

Editing images can enhance your photos

Edit the photos taken Edit your photos in the Gallery app

Turn on HDR Enhance your pictures with HDR Another useful tip is to tap into one of the camera’s best features, HDR (high dynamic range), although this only available on certain devices. On the Galaxy S5, for instance, you can activate this option via the cog icon and tapping on the HDR option in settings. Shooting in HDR will effectively take three shots (transparent to the user) of the currently selected object at different exposure levels: one underexposed shot (everything is darker), one overexposed (where it’s lighter) and one properly exposed (in the middle). It then combines the best parts of these images into a single photo

which should in turn bring out the most detail (ie shadows and highlights). Shot times are not as quick as standard shots, but we feel the results are worth it. You can view the result in your Gallery app.

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Using your Gallery app, you can select an image and then use the pencil icon to start editing (to either enhance or add effects). From the resulting interface you will find that the image appears at the top with four icons at the base. The first of these icons will allow you to add filters, such as Vintage (a preview of the effect will be shown when a filter is chosen). Alternatively, you can use the second icon to add fancy frames to your image. When choosing the third icon, you are presented with four extra choices, including Crop. The latter is ideal for removing parts of the image you don’t want. All you have to do is drag the circles to the desired crop location and then tap the tick icon to apply the change. Finally, the last icon is useful if you want to adjust the contrast or exposure levels; you simply tap the required option and then use a handy slider to get the desired effect. When you have finished editing, just tap the Save option at the top. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 33

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Gallery View and manage your photos and videos in the Gallery app; intuitively arranging and ordering your media by time, event and location

Manage your shots

Organise your photos

When you open Gallery your photos and videos will be arranged in date order. Tap the menu button at the top right of the app to see your viewing and filter options. Tap Album to separate your images out into their specific albums. By default Gallery will create albums for your Camera photos, screenshots, downloaded images and then albums for each app on your device containing photos, such as Picasa or WhatsApp. The ‘Filter by Subheading’ option lets you choose between People, Scenery, Documents, Food and Pets. Gallery will automatically identify images it thinks are suitable for filters. For example, when images contain text, Gallery will assume this is a document and include it in the document filter. Tap the search icon to filter images by even more categories.

Display your photos Share your images and create slideshows If you want to show off your collection of photos stored on your Galaxy device there is a number of different ways to achieve this in Gallery. Tap on an image to view it in full screen mode. When viewing an album of images in Gallery press and hold on an image thumbnail to select it. In selection mode your can select as many images as you like. In the tool bar tap the options icon and tap ‘Slideshow’. You can choose how your images will transition between each other, and select a filter that can be applied to all photos, as well as selecting a piece of music to play over the slideshow. Choose from a selection of transition effects in Settings


Built-in editing tools Make your photos beautiful When viewing an image in the tool bar tap the edit icon. A series of different editing tools will appear at the bottom of the image. A quick way to improve a photo is with the ‘Enhance’ tool. Enhance will automatically adjust the brightness, contrast and colour of an image.

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Use the decoration tool to add boarders to images

Tap ‘Adjust’ to rotate, crop or resize an image. You can use the Tone tool to adjust brightness and contrast as well as colour balance. The Effects tool can be used to apply different filter effects to your photo such as Vignette or Stardust. Portrait mode allows you to enhance the faces in a photo.

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Delete a shot If your Gallery albums are getting cluttered up with images that you don’t want to keep, or you’re running out of storage space on your Galaxy device then it may be time to delete a few snaps. Press and hold on an image that you want to delete. Once you’ve entered selection mode tap on all of the images that you want to

Tidy up your gallery remove. Once you’ve made your selection tap the trash can icon in the top tool bar. Gallery will display to you how many photos you currently have selected, then tap OK. You can also delete entire albums by entering the Album window and repeating the same steps. This is a faster way of delete a batch of images.

Create an album Organise images into albums To create a new album in Gallery begin by selecting the images that you want to include by using the selection tool. Once you’ve selected your images tap the Options button in the top tool bar then tap ‘Copy to’. In the Copy to window you can copy your selected images to any of the albums that are currently store in Gallery. Tap ‘Create Album’ to create a new album out of the selected images. Title your new album then tap OK. Once the album has been created tap the menu button then under the ‘View by Subheading’ tap Album. Tap on the album thumbnail to open it. You can also create new albums from the top tool bar in Album mode.

Tags are a great way to organise your images

Add photo information Add tags, locations and categories

“Copy your selected images to any album in Gallery” Share with friends Publish your favourite photos In Gallery open the images that you want to share with a friend. Tap the share icon in the top tool bar. The ‘Share Via’ window will open. Here you’ll be able to connect to any of the apps that you have installed on your Galaxy device that are capable of sharing your image. Different apps will be able to share your photo in different ways, for example social networking apps such

as Instagram or Twitter can post your photo online along with text updates, where as Cloud apps such as Google Drive or Dropbox can be used to upload the photo to Cloud storage which can be accessed anywhere. Tap on an Email app to automatically attach the photo to a blank email. To share more than one image select multiple shots before tapping the Share icon.

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When viewing an image tap the options button in the top tool bar then tap More details. Here you’ll be able to view Date, location, category and tag information on your images. Tap Details to view even more information on the photo such as image type, size, resolution and storage location. In the More Info window tap the pencil icon. Tap on the GPS icon in the Location subheading to add a location to your photo. Tap the plus icon next to the Category heading to add your image to a filter category. Finally tap on the text box under the ‘Tags’ heading to add tag information to your photo. Each time you add a tag tap the plus icon to add it. Tags are a great way of searching for and organising your photos. Now that you’ve added more details to your photo when using the search tool in the Gallery app you can search for images by tag, location and category. Once you’re happy with the information that you’ve added tap Done to save. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 35

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Music Player Manage your entire music catalogue with ease when mobile, create playlists, set a ringtone and much more

Transfer music

Add music to your phone

Go to www.android.com/filetransfer/ and download the Android File Transfer app. Now follow the standard installation process for your desktop or laptop and leave it closed. The software will open automatically as soon as you connect your phone to your desktop via USB and present a familiar-looking file manager window. There are no graphical areas – it is designed purely for functionality and should be obvious to most people straight away. You can now simply drag and drop music files from another file manager window to the Music folder within the main Android File Transfer window. To keep albums and artist information intact, make sure you drag the entire folders, but each transfer should still only take seconds to complete.

“Drag and drop music files to the Music folder” Play music Customise sounds for each track

Browse through tracks Browse by artist and album Use the tabs at the top to view music by artist, album or the system folder it is contained in, shown in alphabetical order. The alphabetical list down the right-hand side allows you to jump straight

to results under that letter. It’s a highly intuitive and fast way to browse a large music library. There are very few options available to change the way in which you browse, but they all work brilliantly.


The Music Player app offers you various playback options – and serious aficionados will no doubt want to tweak the EQ. Tap the menu button when in the app and select SoundAlive. Then tap the Advanced tab at the top and you have the option to alter the volume of certain frequencies. Tap on the circular nodes and then drag your finger up or down to tweak the sound to your heart’s content. On the basic tab you have the option to select certain presets such as Classic, Pop, Jazz or Rock. You can tick the Auto box if you want the app to select presets automatically.

Play with the equaliser to get the exact sound you want

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Use a song as a ringtone

Create playlists

Use Apple’s free message service

Keep your favourite tracks together in a playlist

Install a third-party file manager from the Google Play Store (there are many free options available), open it and search for the music tracks you want to use as ringtones. Copy a track you want to use and then paste it into the Ringtones folder, and repeat the process for any other tracks you wish to use as ringtones. If you choose the Move option, the tracks will no longer be available in the Play Music app, so make sure to only use the Copy function. Now go to Settings>Sounds>Phone ringtone and you will see all of the selected tracks listed as potential ringtones for you to select from. Many common music file formats are compatible as ringtones.

Sometimes you might not be in the mood for just one artist or album but not your entire music collection either. The music app lets you create playlists. With any song selected, tap and hold it and select ‘Add to playlist’. Now choose ‘Create playlist’ in the resultant screen and you will be prompted to give it a name. The song will be added to the newly created playlist, at which point you can add as many tracks to it as you like by ticking the boxes next to them. When viewing playlists, you can tap and hold songs to delete them. To rearrange the songs you will need to open the playlist and then move each track. Try to keep your playlists small for the quickest navigation experience and, if possible, try to limit the number you create.

“Copy a track and then paste it into the Ringtones folder” See album art When a track is playing and the screen has timed out or you have turned it off, the song will continue to play in the background through the external speaker or headphones. If you have a lock screen set, you will see a module displaying the album art and various controls over the top portion of the screen, with the locking mechanism shown beneath.

As on the CD For this feature to be accessible you will need to go to Settings>Security> Screen Lock to enable a locking feature for the album art and control panel to appear – if you have no security in place, the device will automatically jump to your home screen when it is turned on, with no album art or control panel showing what track is playing.

“Keep your playlists small for the quickest navigation”

Lock screen controls Control your music from the lock screen Turning on your device while music is playing will not only bring up the album artwork, but also playback controls. You’ll see three familiar-looking buttons for skipping forwards and backwards between tracks and in the centre there is one for playing and pausing. Skipping between tracks works as expected, except that if you are currently playing a song in a playlist, the next track to play may be a surprise. If you

use your device for music in the background while jogging or during other activities, you will eventually get to recognise where the controls are located and can use them without even looking at your device screen. These controls are handy and let you deal with your music while doing something else, but remember that they do not show the order in which the tracks will play when you use them.

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Samsung Apps Here you can find the right apps for you, view screenshots and videos of the apps in use and share your favourite apps with friends

Share your apps

Send apps to your friends

If you’ve got an app that you simply can’t live without, and you want to share it with another Samsung Galaxy user, then you can use the Share function in Samsung Apps to send it straight to them. Open Samsung Apps then tap the options button and tap Purchased. Here you’ll be presented with a list of all your purchased apps. Tap an app to view its details window. Tap the options button then tap Share. One example of how you might want to share an app would be using Skype, where it can be sent to any user you choose as an attachment in a message. If you have NFC switched on you can also tap your device against another Galaxy device to send a direct App link to that user.

Rate an app Review your device’s apps A great way to find out which apps are worth getting on Samsung Apps is to read an app’s reviews and check the ratings. If you’ve come across an app that you really want to rave about, or you’ve found one that isn’t living up to your expectations, first find it in your purchased list in Samsung Apps. In the app’s Details window tap Reviews. Tap on the ‘Write a review’ text box then input your review. To rate the app, tap on the stars to select the amount out of five that you want to give it. Tap Save once you’re done to publish your review. You can go back to the app’s Details page and edit or delete your review and rating of an app at any time. Rate your app out of five and give advice for other users


Make a purchase Buy a premium app Before making a purchase in Samsung Apps tap the options menu then tap Payment Methods. Tap Credit Card then tap Register Credit Card. You’ll need to add your credit card details and tap Register. Now you can purchase apps. In Samsung Apps find a premium paid app that

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Once you’ve registered a card paying for apps is easy

you’d like to purchase and download to your device. Accept the app permissions and select a payment method (either your registered credit card, a gift voucher or PayPal). Review the purchase and tap Buy. After purchasing an app it will automatically download to your device.

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S Suggest Get recommendations for the best apps to install on your device with suggestions and ratings in S Suggest

Get App suggestions Browse suggested apps When you open S suggest you’ll instantly be hit with a whole selection of apps to download onto your device. The S Suggest Home Screen is the Picks section of the app, which breaks app’s down into popular categories such as Recommended, Kids, Business etc. Tap on the Categories button to view more app sub-categories. Tap on a category to view that category’s suggested apps. You can flick between premium and free apps by tapping on the Free/Paid button in the top right corner of the app. Tap on an app that you like the look of then tap the download icon. You’ll then be linked to the Play Store where you can tap Install to download and install the app onto your device.

“Share any apps that you download via S Suggest with your friends” View app ratings Check out an app’s rating If you’re unsure about an app and can’t decide whether or not you want to download it (especially if it’s a paid app) then it’s worth checking out the ratings that other S Suggest users have given an app. When browsing for apps each app will have a small heart icon and a number next to its thumbnail image. This allows you to see how many people have Liked the app helping you to save time when browsing S Suggest. Open an app then scroll to the bottom of its Details window to view any comments that other users have made about the app. This is a great way to find out if an app is worth downloading. Once you’ve downloaded an app you can go back to the S Suggest detail window and tap the Heart icon to Like the app.

Link to Facebook Share your S Suggest apps with friends You can share app information with friends by linking S Suggest to your Facebook account. First you’ll need to install the Facebook app. Once it’s installed, open S Suggest. Tap the Friends button then tap Connect. Review the Terms and Conditions of the S Suggest Services then check the agreement box. Tap Agree to continue. The Facebook app will open. Then login to your account. Tap OK to allow S Suggest’s Facebook permissions. Once you’ve logged in, open S Suggest and tap Friends to manage how S Suggest interacts with Facebook. Here you can choose

to share any apps downloaded via S Suggest with your friends on Facebook. You can also see what other Facebook friends who use S Suggest have downloaded. If you want to download apps privately on S suggest you can remove these options from the Friends tool.

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Optical Reader Use your device’s camera to convert documents into digital text which can be stored, edited and shared with Optical Reader

Capture text

Select another language

Capture text and QR codes Open Optical Reader. Place a text document on a flat and well-lit surface. The Optical Reader will do a better job reading printed text than handwritten text. Hold your Galaxy device over the document and let the back-facing camera focus on the text. If the document is too dark then tap the bulb icon to turn on your camera’s flash. Use the voice command ‘Capture’ or tap the camera icon to photograph the document. The Optical Reader app will now recognise any text on the document and convert it into editable text within the app. Optical Reader can also read QR codes and will display the QR’s link or text in the Capture results window.

Load an image

Read text in other languages

When in Document mode tap the options button for more capture settings. Tap Language Settings to change the language that the Optical Reader app is trying to recognise when converting text from a photograph or in-camera into a digital text format. You can select one other language on top of the default language that Optical Reader is working with. You are limited to one other language to reduce the chances of the app getting confused by words that could appear in multiple languages. By default English will always be selected. Tap Done once you’ve selected some languages then go ahead and photograph a document in that chosen language to convert it into digital text. You could then copy and paste that text into the S Translate app and translate it into another language.

Check for any spelling mistakes in converted text

Convert text from Gallery photos When running the Optical Reader app in Document mode tap the options button at the top right corner of the app and tap ‘Load Image’. You’ll then be connected to the Gallery app where you can browse through your images for any documents or photographs that contain text that you want Optical Reader to recognise and convert into digital text for you. Select the image from the gallery by tapping on it. Optical Reader will automatically recognise and convert the text for you. Tap the image icon at the top right corner of the Capture result window to view the original image. This is useful if you want to compare the original image text with the digital text. Tap the back arrow at the top left corner of the Capture result window to return to Document mode where you can photograph or load another document into the Optical Reader. 40 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Optical Reader is great for translating foreign text

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View old documents View your document history Any documents you photograph in Optical Reader will be saved for viewing later. In Document mode tap the options button then tap History. Any documents or photographs that you have converted into digital text in the past will be stored here for future use. Tap on a document thumbnail to read its digital text conversion then tap the image icon to view the original image. Tap on the search icon to search for a specific body of text that appears in one of the historic documents. Tap the options menu then tap Select to highlight multiple documents, then tap the share icon to share the selected documents through a

choice of apps or tap the trash can icon to remove the text and document from the app. From the options menu you can also choose to organise your documents by date, from the most recent files to the oldest.

Create a contact Add business details

Use text to speech to hear the pronunciation of words

Edit text Change text and use Text-To-Speech Once you’ve captured and converted a document into digital text, in the Capture result window tap the options button then tap Edit. Here you can correct any conversion mistakes that Optical Reader made. Press and hold on a piece of text to select it. Use the blue markers in either end of the selection to adjust the selection. Now you can cut, copy or clipboard the text. You can also look up the selection in the dictionary or select the entire body of text. When you tap dictionary you will be prompted to download a dictionary plugin onto your device if you don’t already have one. Tap the download icon next to a dictionary type and it’ll be downloaded directly to your device. Now when you tap the dictionary button the dictionary tool will automatically open providing you with a definition for the selected word. Tap Done once you’ve finished editing the text. From the options menu you can also convert the text into speech. Tap Text-to-Speech to have the text read out to you.

When capturing a business card or a document that contains contact details such as a phone number or email address, Optical Reader will recognise it as a piece of contact information. Contact information converted into digital text will be underlined and appear in blue. When contact information appears on a document, tap the contact icon in the capture result window. Optical Reader will rescan the image and take you to your device’s contact input window. Any information Optical Reader lifts from the card will then be added to the contact’s entry. Check the information then add any other details manually. Then tap Save.

Share text

Share text from Optical Reader

In the Capture results window of the Optical Reader app tap the options button. Tap Share via for sharing options.

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You’ll then decide whether to share the document image, the digital text lifted from the document or both the photo and text. Your selection will determine which apps you can share via. Select a sharing option then tap OK. The Share via tool can also be used to send text to different apps. For example if your text is in a foreign language, use Share via to select Translate and send the text to a Translation app where it can be converted into your language. Selecting an Email app will add the text to a blank email.


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S Health Keep fit with S Health, where you can craft your own exercise regime, create personal diets and work towards the goals you want to achieve

Create a Profile

Setting up S Health

When you open S Health for the first time you’ll be asked to link the app to your Samsung account. Tap Link account to do this. After linking your account tell S Health how often you want the app to backup your data then tap next. Now create a profile for yourself by adding your name, gender and date of birth. Following this you’ll need to input your height and weight followed by how much physical activity you do a week. Tap next to then review your information. Tap Start to begin using S Health. It’s important that the information you provide is accurate so that S Health can create relevant goals for you to achieve. You can change your profile information at any point from the S Health menu.

Set a goal Get fit with S Health goals In the S Health home screen tap on the three goal symbols at the top of the screen to open the My Page window. Under the ‘Today’s achievements’ subheading tap ‘Set goal’ next to either the Step Count, Calories burnt or Calorie intake achievements. Tap and drag on the sliding scale to adjust the goal then tap save when you’re finished. Set up as many goals as you like for each achievement category. Now that you’ve set up some goals whenever you run the S Health Pedometer, complete an exercise session or input your calorie intake you’ll make progress toward your set goals. Check in on the My Page window to see how you’re progressing in your goals. Once achieved you’ll receive a medal, which is displayed under the Medals subheading. 42 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Monitor heart rates Count your heart’s BPM Using the Samsung Galaxy S5’s inbuilt heart rate monitor or the Samsung Gear watch you can use S Health to monitor your heartbeat. Open the Heart Rate monitor tool from the S Health home screen. Place your index finger on the back of the Samsung S5 device over the heart rate

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Try to record your heart rate before and after exercise

monitor, which is positioned below the back-facing camera. Once your heart rate has been recorded you can tap Start to start again. Tap the chart icon to review your heart rate log. Tap on a recorded heart rate to view the time and date that it was recorded. Tap the pencil icon to add a note to a log.

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Step counter

Monitor your steps

If you’re using the Samsung Galaxy S5 or have a Samsung Gear watch you can count your footsteps with S Health. From the S Health home window tap Pedometer. The Pedometer tool will link up with any walking goals that you have set for yourself, displaying your current goal. Tap the start button to activate the

Pedometer. Slip your S5 into your pocket and S Health will count your steps for you. S Health can also run in the background to count your steps. Re-open S Health and in the Pedometer window tap pause to stop counting. Tap the trophy icon to view your progress. Here, you can also compare your step count with other users.

Get coached Let S Health coach you Tap the menu button in the top right corner of the S Health Home window then tap Coach. Select a category that you’d like to be coached in. You’ll be asked to input some data and answer some questions depending on the category you selected. Once you’ve answered the questions S Health will assess what you need to do to improve on that particular category. Tap ‘Set goals’ to view suggested goals to help you improve. Tap on a suggested goal, then tap ‘Accept goal’. When you enter Coach mode tap on the coach’s hat at the bottom right of the Coach window. Here you can check the progress of all incomplete goals.

Check up on all aspects of your exercise progress

Do some exercise Set up an exercise regime

“S Health will assess what you need to do to improve” Count your calories Tell S Health about your diet Tap the menu button at the top right corner of the S Health home window then tap Food. Here you can input various details about your eating habits, helping you to better track your current calorie intake goals. Tap on the plus icon next to Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Snacks. Use the search tool for specific foods or browse for a food type by category. Each category has

a subcategory followed by a specific food. Once you’ve selected a food type use the Portion Size scale to determine how much you eat, then tap OK. Tap Done once you’ve added all of your information. Next, review the information you’ve added and change the date and portion if necessary. Tap Save. All food types that you add will go towards your current calorie intake goal.

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S Health is great for recording exercise sessions and keeping track of your progress as you exercise. Tap the Exercise button on the S Health home screen. Select the type of exercise you want to do, choosing between running, walking, cycling and hiking. Tap ‘Set workout goal’ to choose between a basic workout and workout goals based on distance travelled, time spent exercising or calories burnt. Set the goal using the scale then tap save. If you have your GPS turned on your device will be able to record your location and distance travelled automatically. Turn on Audio guide if you’d like updates on your progress whilst exercising. Tap Music to select music to play while you exercise. Once you’re ready to begin tap Start. During exercise you can check S Health to see how far through your exercise goal you are and to check up on your exercise time, distance and speed. Tap the drop down that reads Remaining Distance to check other recordings such as pace, calories burnt, elevation and heart rate. Once your exercise is complete your progress will be automatically recorded. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 43

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S Note S Note has everything you need to create and manage your own personal journals with integrated sound and images

Set up S Note

Create a new journal

When you first open S Note you’ll be prompted to select a cover style for your first notebook. Select the style you want then tap next. You’ll then need to choose a Template. There are a variety of Templates available for different purposes, including Checklists, Schedules or Diaries. Make a selection then tap next. You’ll then be given the option to import old notes from different accounts. Once you’re finished you’ll be taken to the S Note home screen. To start a new notebook tap on the plus icon. By default, the notebook will use the Template that you selected during set up. From the S Note home screen tap the options button and tap Settings to make changes to your default journal cover and page template.

Sync your accounts Import your old S Note documents If you have S note documents from an old Samsung device that were linked to your Samsung account you can now sync those documents with the app. Tap the options button on the S Note home screen then tap Settings. Tap Sync Account. You can choose between syncing your Samsung or Evernote account with S Note. Tap the settings icon to modify your account’s general sync settings. Select the Samsung Account option in the Sync window by tapping on it. Once your Samsung account syncs with S Note you can select all of your old S Note documents that you’d like to import into the app. Tap the arrow icon to then import the memos. You can manage all of your notes in one place


Sketch an idea

Pinch and drag to zoom in on a sketch

Get creative with S Note sketching In the main S Memo window tap the plus icon to create a new document. In the top tool bar tap on the pen icon. This will activate Sketch mode. Tap on the pen icon again to reveal your Pen settings. From here you can adjust pen type (pencil, brush, highlighter) as well as size, colour and style. Press

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and hold your finger on the screen to begin sketching your image in Pen mode. Every time you lift your finger off of the screen an undo point will be saved. If you have made a mistake tap the undo button in the tool bar to go back one step. Tap the redo button to go forward one step.

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Voice notes

Add a voice recording

When working on a document in S Note tap the options button in the top right of the screen. Tap Insert. Here you can add elements to your document such as images, illustrations and maps. Tap Voice Memo. A recording interface will appear at the bottom of the page. Tap the record icon and speak into your device’s

microphone to record. You can also import recordings from your device’s storage. When the voice note is done, tap the microphone icon to add it to the page and press stop to finish recording. Tap on a voice note to play it back. You can also record video notes straight to the document or import them from your storage.

Export to PDF Convert a notebook into a PDF Once you’ve finished working on a notebook that you’d like to export and share return to the S Note home page. Locate the notebook you want to export and tap the small cog icon in the top right corner of the notebook. Tap Export. You can export to a cloud service like Google Drive, or export the notebook to My Files, storing the notebook in your device’s storage space. If you select My Files you can choose between exporting the notebook as an Image or PDF file. PDF’s are universally readable and are the best way to export notebooks from S Note. Once you’ve made your selection open the My Files app to locate the exported PDF.

There are dozens of ways to share and export your S Notes

Output a note

“Choose between exporting notebooks as Image or PDF files”

Make full use of your S Note journals

Work with templates Create stylish notes with templates When working on a note tap the options button the tap Add Template. Select a Template from the available options. Different Templates come with a variety of formatting options, breaking up a page into separate text boxes, borders and image boxes. With the type tool selected in the top tool bar tap inside of a text box to start adding text there. To add images to an image

box, tap and hold on it to reveal the ‘insert options’ bar. Tap ‘Take Picture’ to take a photo and add it to the note straight away, or tap Image to import a photo from your Gallery app. Tap ‘properties’ from the insert options bar to manage the layout of the image, add a frame or place a filter on the photo. Just tap outside of the image box to continue working on the rest of the note.

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Once you’ve finished a note in S Note there is a variety of different things that you can do with it. When viewing the note itself tap the options button. At the bottom of the options menu tap ‘Set as’. From here you can add the note to your home or lock screen, just as you would a background wallpaper. This is a great way to set a reminder for yourself. You can also send the note to different apps from this screen such as the Contact app, using it as a photo for a contact. From the Options menu you can also tap Print to print the note. You’ll need to have your Galaxy device synced with a wireless printer to be able to do this. From the S Note home screen tap on the cog icon on a journal that you’d like to share then tap Share via. Select an output type then choose the app that you’d like to share the file through. From the settings menu of a journal you can also add the journal to your home screen so that you can access it easily. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 45

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S Planner Use S Planner as a pocket diary to schedule your personal and work life and hold all upcoming event information in one place

Track appointments

Sync your calendars

Stay up-to-date with your schedule In S Planner tap the menu button at the top right corner of the app then select Agenda. Agenda is a useful way to see a more detailed breakdown of your upcoming appointments. In Agenda mode you can scroll through each day of the week, seeing the exact times for the appointments you have set up. Tap the drop-down menu above your agenda to filter your appointments by All, Events, Tasks or Anniversaries. Tapping on any appointment will take you to the Detail View window. Here you will find all of the information which has been added about the appointment so far.

Manage tasks

Add multiple calendars to S Planner

S Planner allows you to sync your Samsung calendar with a variety of other accounts such as Google, Facebook and Outlook. You’ll need a Wi-Fi or data connection to be able to fully sync an account to your S Planner calendar. Tap the options button in S Planner then tap Calendars. In the Calendars window tap Add Account. Select an account type then sign in to that account. You’ll be signed in to your account. Depending on which account you select you’ll need to agree to certain services. Once you’ve logged into a new account it will appear in the Calendars window in S Planner. To hide an account’s calendar in S Planner just un-tick it in the Calendar window. Back in your S Planner Calendar any events that you setup in the calendar of the account you just synced with S Planner will now appear.

Tasks will also appear in your calendar’s agenda mode

Organise your day using tasks To Create a new event or task in your S Planner calendar tap the Plus icon. By default a new Event will be created. Tap the drop down menu that reads Add event then select Add Task. Tasks are much simpler calendar entries than events, and only require a title and a due date for when the task should be completed by. Select No due date to remove this option. Tap ‘View More options’ then tap the plus icon next to Reminder to add a Reminder to your calendar then tap Set. You can also add a short description and select a priority for your task. Tap Save and the task will be added to your Calendar. When viewing your calendar tap on a date and any tasks set up for that date will appear alongside your events. Once a task is complete tap on the tick box next to it and it will be crossed out for you.


Syncing lets you view all your calendars in one place

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Navigate your calendar Zoom in and out of your calendar The S Planner calendar is broken down into five viewing modes, which are Year, Month, Week, Day and Agenda. Tap the menu button to view today’s date and the available viewing modes in S Planner. Use the Year, Month and Week views to get a general overview of your calendar. Day and Agenda view are both useful for viewing more specific schedules. When viewing your calendar tap on a date to open a small box displaying the list of events and tasks you have scheduled for that day. In the top tool bar tap Today to go to today’s date. Use the left and right pointing arrows to switch between the months, weeks

and days displayed on your calendar. To select one of the events in your calendar, press and hold on the event. From here you will be able to drag it to a new time or date as required without losing the additional information.

Invite contacts Add your contacts to an event

Manage quick responses

You can create different quick responses for different contacts

Save time when messaging your guest list Quick responses in S planner allow you to automatically contact participants of events. In S Planner tap the options button then tap Settings. Scroll down to the Event Notification subheading and tap ‘Quick responses’. Four default quick responses already exist in S Planner. Tap on a quick response to edit it then tap OK when finished. Tap the plus icon to create your own custom quick responses. Tap the trash can icon to select and delete quick responses that you no longer need. When you next receive a push notification for an event on your Galaxy device open the notification window. Underneath the event you’ll have the option to tap Email guests. You’ll then be prompted to select a quick response. You can also tap Custom message and input a custom response. Next you’ll be prompted to select an email app. Your quick response will then be pasted into an email with the participants of the event included in the email. Simply tap send and your quick response will be emailed to all event participants.

When creating a new event in S Planner it’s easy to add participants. This is especially useful if you need confirmation of who is able to attend your event. It also allows multiple users to manage and edit an event. Tap the plus icon in S planner to create an event. Add a title, location and start and end point. Tap View more options. Tap the person icon next to the participant’s text box. Select participants from your contacts by tapping on their name then tap Done. You can also type an email address in to the participant’s text box. Tap Save to send out invitations to the event.

Customise a calendar

Personalise S Planner

Tap the Options button in S Planner to open the Calendars tab. In the Calendar window tap Edit. To build a new calendar

tap Add. Title your calendar then tap the coloured box to select a colour code for the Calendar. When creating a new event, in the Add Event window tap on the calendar name at the top of the screen. You’ll be presented with a list of your Calendars, including those you’ve created and colour coded in S Planner, and any that have been synced with S Planner from other accounts (such as Google). Select a calendar to link the event to. The event will now be colour coded to match the chosen calendar.

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S Voice Voice activation app S Voice helps you send messages, set up calendar events, play music, call a contact, Google something and much more with just a few simple phrases

Voice activate apps

Use apps with speech

Different apps offer voice activation through the use of the S Voice tool. You can activate apps by voice outside of the actual S Voice app just by speaking a specific command. An example of this can be found when activating Google Now. If you have the Google Now search widget on your home screen and S Voice is activated just say ‘Ok Google’ and Google Now will open. You can then say what you want Google Now to search the internet for. Any app with the small microphone symbol on display offers an aspect of voice activation function. Just check out the help section of any app to find out more about the ways in which it is compatible with S Voice and the commands you need to make use of them.

Manage your calendar Create calendar events by voice There are dozens of different commands that can be spoken to prompt S Voice. If you’d like to set up an event in your calendar then you can do this by saying ‘New event’ followed by the name, date and time of the event. You can also say who will be participating at the event. If S Voice can connect the name with one of your contacts it will ask if you’d like to invite the contact to the event via email. Once you’ve done this you’ll be asked if you want to save the event, say ‘yes’ to save the event to your S Planner calendar. You can also setup tasks by saying ‘New task’ in S Voice.

Manage events and organise your diary with S Voice commands


Drive and talk Call contacts while you drive You can switch your Galaxy device into Car mode by opening your Notification window. Tap the Notification panel icon in the top right corner of the window then tap on Car Mode to activate it. Once loaded car mode will allow you to voice prompt your device into performing certain tasks.

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Use Car mode to safely call contacts while driving

When in Car mode say ‘Hi Galaxy’ to activate the voice command function. Say ‘Phone’, ‘Messages’, ‘Music’ or ‘Navigation’ to activate the tool that you want. You can also say ‘Dial’ followed by a contact’s name. You’ll then be asked to confirm the contact’s name and S Voice will begin calling the contact.

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S Translator With ten translatable languages S Translator is the perfect travel companion, helping you chat in other languages and providing useful phrases for your journey

Fast translation

Translate words quickly

It takes no time at all to translate words and phrases to and from different languages in S Translator. To perform quick translations open the S Translator app. In the top green box tap the input language dropdown menu and select one. In the bottom blue box tap the output language dropdown menu and select one. Now tap inside the green box and type in a word or phrase you want translated. Once finished tap the translate icon at the bottom right corner of the green box. Once the translation is complete it will appear in the lower blue box. You can always change the output translation to see the word or phrase in a different language. If you are typing out a long sentence tap the full screen icon to enter full screen mode.

Translate from photos Lift and translate text from photos Lots of apps on your Galaxy device are compatible with S Translator. You can send text from one app straight to S Translator and have it translated for you in moments. If you have the Optical Reader app you could use it to take a photo of a document or sign which has been written in a foreign language. Once the Optical Reader app has converted the words into digital text, tap the options button then tap Share via then select Text and tap OK. Then tap Copy to Clipboard then open the S Translator app. Press and hold inside of the green box then tap Paste to add the digital text lifted from the photo directly into S Translator. Translate words from images of text using Optical Reader

Hear a translation Hear your translation pronounced Translations can be read out loud from your device to give you a better understanding of how to pronounce them. Tap the speech icon next to a translated text to hear it. The first time you do this you’ll be prompted to download an audio plugin for the translated language. Tap OK and you’ll be taken to Samsung Apps where

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you can download the audio plugin, which will improve the speech of the automated voice that is speaking your translation. Tap the options button in S Translator for more readout options. Tap TTS Read out speed to change the speed at which translations are read, and use Auto read out to automatically listen to translations.


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Samsung Kies 3 The latest update to Samsung Kies makes it easier than ever to transfer music, movies and other files from your PC to your Galaxy device

Manage all your files

Backup and Restore

Import files into Kies When running Samsung Kies your various files are broken up into various different categories. Click on a file type then click on the add playlist icon next to its name, creating a new Playlist or album in the process. Now click on the plus icon above the empty playlist to add media or documents. You will only be able to add media that is relevant to that playlist. Select your file then click Open, importing the file into the new playlist. When you want to transfer media to a device, make sure that the playlist, album, or single file in question is selected. You can then click Transfer to device when your Galaxy is connected to your computer and the media will be transferred over.

Restore your device’s data

It’s important to backup your device as often as possible. When connecting your device to Kies go to the Back up/ Restore tab to perform a full or partial backup of your device. With Backup selected you can choose what data you want to backup, such as Contacts, S Planner events and Call logs. You can also tick the ‘Select all items’ option to backup everything. Click backup to perform the backup. To restore data to a device click Restore in the Back up/Restore tab. Any backups which can be found will be displayed here. You’ll then be able to choose what data you want to restore. Click Restore once you’re ready to restore data to your device. You can also locate backup files manually by clicking Select folder.

Transfer different types of media to your device with Kies

Buy and add podcasts Transfer podcasts on to your Galaxy Kies makes it easy for you to download audio files and transfer them straight to your Galaxy. In the Kies library click on Podcast. To begin you’ll need to enter a podcast URL. Search for your favorite podcasts online to find a suitable URL. Input the URL into Kies then click add. The podcast will be added to your Kies podcast list. Click the plus icon to add more podcasts. If you have podcasts stored in iTunes click on the link titled ‘Do you use iTunes podcast?’ You will then be able to import podcasts from iTunes into Kies. You can also purchase podcasts in the Store category of Kies. Click Podcast Channel to view a selection of available podcasts in Kies. From here you’ll be able to browse for and download podcasts, which will be added to the Kies podcast playlist. As with other media in Kies you can select the podcasts you want to transfer to your device then click ‘Transfer to device’. 50 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

You can backup your entire device with Kies

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Sync with Kies 3 Sync your device with your computer You’ll be surprised with how much stuff on your computer can be transferred across to your device. By syncing content you can transfer information from your device’s apps such as your contacts and S Schedule and load them into your computer’s address book and calendar. Doing this means you can avoid duplicating data across different devices. In Kies, select your device then click on the Sync tab. Click either ‘Select all items’ or choose from the personal information

the items that you’d like to sync. Kies may ask for permission to access data from certain software to be able to continue syncing. You can watch the sync progress in the bottom right corner of Kies. Once the sync process is complete you can check your synced software to confirm that the synchronisation has been successful. You can also use this tool to sync saved messages and contacts from any previous devices from your computer to your Galaxy device.

Recover a device Restore your device using Kies

Always plug in your device when updating its firmware

Occasionally something can go wrong with your Galaxy device meaning that it can’t boot up or run properly. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as a failed firmware update. Kies has included an emergency firmware recovery function that will safeguard your device from becoming unusable if there is a crash or problem during a firmware update. Connect your device to Kies then in the top tool bar, go to Emergency Firmware recovery. In the Firmware emergency recovery window you’ll find the name of your device displayed. Select your device by clicking on its name. Kies will explain to you how to switch your device to Recovery mode (usually you’ll need to turn your device off then press the Power, volume up and home buttons at the same time). Once in recovery mode click Start Upgrade in Kies to begin the firmware upgrade. Your device will then reboot itself. From the Tools menu in the top tool bar of Kies you can also restore your device to its factory settings whilst upgrading the firmware, by selecting the Firmware upgrade and initialization option. This process will delete all data on your device so make sure you backup before hand.

Import data Add data from other devices If your Galaxy is your first ever Samsung device and you owned another brand of smart phone or tablet before, you can use Kies to import its data onto your Galaxy. Connect your Galaxy device to your computer then open Kies. Go to Tools and select Transfer Data from a nonSamsung device. You’ll be prompted to open Samsung Smart Switch, which will close down Kies. Select a manufacturer type and Smart Switch will locate any backed-up devices you have stored on your computer. Click Select folder if Smart Switch doesn’t automatically locate your backup data. Click Next then select the data you want restored onto your Galaxy device. Once you’ve selected what you want transferred over click Start transfer. Once the transfer is complete you can disconnect your device and access all of the transferred data on it.

Import from iTunes

Add media from your iTunes

If you’ve built up a music library with playlists in Apple’s iTunes then don’t feel that you’re going to have to create all new playlists now that you’ve got a Samsung device. With Kies you can import your existing iTunes playlists straight onto your device. In Kies go to File in the top tool bar and select Import iTunes playlist to library. Kies will then connect with any iTunes software on your computer and import all of its playlists. Playlists can then be found under the music subheading in the Kies Library. You are then able to transfer the playlists to your Samsung device by selecting the playlist

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you want to import and clicking Transfer to device. If you create more playlists in iTunes just repeat this step and Kies will update all of the selected playlists for you.


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Google Play Get everything you need, including apps, movies, books, magazines and more from the Google Play store

Download apps

Buy apps in an instant

Once you have your payment information stored in Google Play (use the desktop Google Play webpage to do this), you will be able to simply tap on the price within any app listing and then tap past one confirmation screen to complete the purchase. The process is extremely quick, but if you want to browse apps on a bigger screen, you can also purchase apps on a desktop or laptop and have them sent straight to your device. It will need to be connected for this to work, but even if it isn’t, the process will initiate automatically as soon as you connect again. Purchasing apps in Google Play is extremely secure and only Google has your payment details saved on its servers, so you can always feel safe when buying new Android apps.

Get a refund Get instant refunds on purchases When you have selected an app and confirmed your purchase, you will see a new button appear just below the Open one. If you tap the Refund button, you will be asked to confirm your selection and when you tap Yes, it will be uninstalled and the transaction immediately voided. You should see no credit and debit transactions in your account and it will be as if the transaction had never taken place. Note that the time limit for refunds is set at 2 hours, so make sure that you test the app or game quickly to ensure it is worth the asking price. Individual apps can only be refunded once.

“It will be as if the transaction had never taken place” 52 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Rate an app Offer your thoughts to others To rate app, scroll down its listing until you see five hollow stars. Now tap the number of stars you want to rate the app and then proceed past the pop-up screen that appears. You can now add a title for your review and some body text to justify the score that you have given. Your comments

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Ratings for apps are very useful for new purchasers

will help other users to decide if the app is worth purchasing, so think carefully about what you write and make sure that what you are writing accurately represents the performance and quality of the app. You will only be able to review apps and games that you have installed or purchased.

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Update apps In the Google Play app, tap the Play Store icon at the top left of the screen to bring up the left-hand menu. Now select Settings and then tap the ‘Autoupdate apps’ option. Here you can choose if you want apps to update automatically and if so, only over Wi-Fi or also 3G. Remember that by allowing apps to automatically update over

Automatically or not 3G, you will need a generous data allowance to avoid extra charges from your network provider. If you choose manual updates, you will see an Update button in each app listing, prompting you to update when they are available, and also see notifications alerting you to the changes. You have full control over how app updates are handled.

Redeem giftcards Redeem codes to get free apps If you have a redemption code, either via a gift card you have received as a gift or from an app developer, simply tap the top-left Google Play icon and then select the Redeem option from the menu. Enter the code accurately and the store will then confirm how much credit you have available to you. These codes can be pretty lengthy, so take your time entering them to ensure that the correct credit appears. As you purchase apps, the credit amount will reduce accordingly, but you can always see how much is available, to avoid overspending. Credits make purchasing new apps even easier than the system already is.

Categories help greatly when looking for new apps

Find new apps You can discover everything you need

“The store will confirm how much credit you have available” Build a wishlist List the apps you want If you see an app that you may want to purchase in the future, but are not completely convinced, the Wishlist feature is a handy option to take care of this for you. While viewing the main app listing, look for a bookmark icon at the top of the screen. When you tap it, you will see a message advising that the app is being added to your Wishlist. Now tap the top-left Google Play

icon and select the ‘My wishlist’ option from the left menu. Here you will see a grid of apps that you have chosen and a tap on any will bring up the main app listing with all of the information you need. Tapping the three-dots icon on any app in the wishlist lets you either remove it or install it without viewing any other Google Play screens. It’s simple, effective and very quick.

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In an app store with so much content, it would be easy to presume that finding the new apps you want is like searching for a needle in a haystack. It can feel like this at times, but despite the huge volumes involved, there are a number of features within Google Play that will help you to narrow down your search and find what you need. The Categories tab at the top of the main Apps page will help you to quickly browse specific sections and to compare all of the best apps that fall within a genre, and you can use the magnifying glass to be more specific if you know an app name. The top charts, however, should not be overlooked because they potentially show you the best of the best in simple list form which everyone can easily understand. Don’t worry too much if you find yourself wandering around the store, because this is completely normal and you will often find app treasures when you least expect to. That is all part of the fun of Google Play. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 53

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Play Music Millions of new and classic music tracks are just a tap away with Google Play Music, while streaming and recommendations are now also part of this great service

Use Play Music

Access up to 20,000 songs

Point your browser to play.google.com/about/music/ and sign up for the 30-day free trial to Google Play Music. You will need to install an app on your desktop and then start the process of transferring the songs you own, which can take a few days to complete. Once finished, however, you will have immediate access to every song you own whenever you want to play them, directly from the Google Play Music app. You will also find the ability to listen to millions of songs and to create a personalised radio station based on your preferred songs or artists. There is a lot to learn here, but if you take your time and fully explore everything on offer, the monthly subscription charge will prove to be good value.

Stream music Play music offline and online Tap the My Library option at the top of the screen and then select ‘All music’. The ‘On device’ option will only display the tracks that are physically loaded on your phone or tablet, but the ‘All music’ option shows everything you have uploaded to the Google servers – your entire music library. You can now tap any track that is not loaded on your device and after a short delay, it will play as normal. It is often hard to decipher which tracks are being streamed and which are stored locally, as the service is very quick to pick up songs in your library and start playing them.

“The ‘All music’ option shows everything you have uploaded” 54 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Download music Buy and download new tracks Tap the top-left icon in Google Play Music and select Shop from the menu. Here you can browse a huge library of available tracks and download them immediately. Before downloading, make sure to checkout the new YouTube integration, which enables you to take a look at the

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There are millions of tracks available to download

official music video for the song. Once the purchase has been made, the song or album will be downloaded to your device for listening to immediately and can be streamed from other devices. The process could not be any easier, but the temptation to spend too much is great!

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Search by sound Launch the Google Play app and search for and download ‘Sound Search for Google Play’. It is a widget, so you will need to select it by tapping the apps icon (six dots) from the home screen and then locating it under the Widgets tab. Long-press on the widget and then move it to one of your home screens. The next time you hear a song in a

Identify songs

public location, just tap the widget and your device will automatically start listening and trying to work out what the song is. Once it has been recognised, you will see it detailed in the widget with an option to purchase it immediately also included. You will never miss the chance of owning a great song you just happen to hear in the future.

Get music recommendations Find new music instantly The smart recommendations feature is only available if you sign up to the subscription service. You will see a Recommended tab at the top of the screen, next to My Stations, and here you can view artists and albums that Google believes you will like, based on your current music library. Most people have specific types of music they like and in our tests, this feature proved to be accurate – and, more importantly, it enabled us to discover a much wider range of music. If you are always looking for new artists or music, this feature alone could make All Access a worthwhile option.

Making tracks available offline requires only one tap

Store music offline Tap the pin to save music

“View artists and albums that Google thinks you will like” Create a playlist Make collections of your favourites You will see a three-dots icon next to any song or album when navigating through the Google Play Music app. Tap any of these to see a list of further options to choose from, one of which should be ‘Add to playlist’. Select this and you will then be offered the chance to create a completely new playlist or to add the track to an existing one. That is all you need to do to keep your

collection neatly organised. Viewing your Google Music account within Google Play on a desktop computer will give you more options to edit and manage playlists and could save you a lot of time if you have many changes to make. But whatever you need to do, playlists will help to keep your entire music collection in order. Use playlists wisely and the benefits will become clear.

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When you are viewing all of the tracks that are not stored on your device, you will see an unobtrusive pin icon just above each one. It is easy to miss this facility, but it is extremely useful and makes playing tracks offline as easy as can be, so you can listen to them when you don’t have an internet connection. Tap the pin and the process will begin to start downloading the track to your device, but don’t expect to see any visual indicators – it just happens in the background. If you tap the pin a second time, you will see a warning message advising that the track can only be played in the future if you have an internet connection – tapping again effectively deletes the track from your device and makes it available only for streaming. Think carefully about the space you have available on your device and the amount of data you have available on your network contract (if not using Wi-Fi to stream tracks) to achieve the best balance between device performance, cost and usability when you are out and about. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 55

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Play Games Enjoy a variety of exciting mobile games via Google Play, perfect for whenever you’re on public transport or have a few minutes to spare

Online gaming

Take on the world

The Google Play Games app and related service give you the opportunity to compete against your friends and anyone else around the world. Each game must support the features available, but most will offer the ability to post your high scores in the hope of climbing up the worldwide leaderboard. This alone can be challenging enough for some, but you can also play using real-time multiplayer in some games, which can make all of the difference to the overall experience – competition always adds a bit of spice. Each game is different, but a quick check in Google Play Games will show you what each title you have installed is capable of.

User reviews Is the game any good? Each and every game on the Google Play store has a wealth of user reviews that are definitely worth checking out before you shell out on a purchase. In the Google Play Games app, tap the menu option and then select the Recommended Games option to see a list of titles that have been curated for their quality. The list includes paid and free titles and when you select one, you can tap ‘View in Play Store’ to read other user reviews. The small amounts of time that these two activities take can save you wasting money and time when choosing new Android games.

“The small amount of time can save you wasting money” 56 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Search for games Find new favourites Open the Google Play app and tap the Games icon at the top. You will now see a set of tabs designed to narrow down the potential selection. The Top Paid and Top Free lists show what is popular and of course you can also peruse each individual app listing. As you scroll through, you will also see options for new games and those that gross the

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most money. You should, however, not forget the magnifying glass because this lets you enter any keyword to quickly search for branded games that you may have played on other platforms. The range of games is so large now that most popular titles are available on the Android platform, covering many different genres.

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Play Movies & TV Google Play Movies & TV is now one the premier ways Galaxy owners can get their hands on the latest movies and TV episodes fast

Search for films

Find any TV show or movie

The main screen of the Play Movies & TV app is quite busy, but the key to finding what you need is in the tabs at the top. You will see them presented quite clearly and tapping on the Categories tab on the left will bring up a list of different genres. Tap any one to see which films are popular, but note that you will see a TV option at the top; when tapped, this can be broken down further by tapping Categories again. The magnifying glass will let you search by title and you can even type in an actor’s name to see every film or show they have been in. The choices you have to locate particular titles are impressive and are only matched by the sheer ease of use of the system. It’s like a window to a world of film and TV that you can carry everywhere.

Watch trailers Preview shows before you buy All you need to do, on a listing page, is tap the Play icon in the centre to start playing the trailer. The screen will flip to horizontal mode and start playing immediately, and the standard playback controls are shown for quick navigation. Some films do not have traditional trailers and instead just show a short excerpt, but no matter what is available, you should be able to grasp whether it is worth purchasing or not. Remember, though, that even trailers can use a lot of data if played when mobile.

“Some films just show a short excerpt”

Ratings & reviews Offer opinions To leave a rating or review for any film or TV show on the Google Play store, simply scroll downwards in any listing until you reach the five hollow stars. Now tap the number that you want to publish as a rating out of five for the show or movie. Remember that your rating will go towards the overall rating for the title make sure to take into account of every part of the film or show in your evaluation. You can also back up your star rating with a review just below the stars. The more you write in your summary, the more seriously people are likely to take your review and always remember that you are doing this only to help other users who may be considering a purchase

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or rental. Just below the trailer you will see the overall average rating and the number of people who have reviewed the film to date, further stats which may help rationalise your score if you’re sitting on the fence.


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Play Newsstand Bring all of your news and magazines together in one visually impressive interface courtesy of Google Play Newsstand

Browse magazines

Peruse available titles

Use the explore icon at the top of the app to start searching for your favourite titles. At the top you will see tabs and the most popular news listed just below them. There are many different sections available, but it is worth experimenting and seeing what is available by looking around, just as you would do so in a real shop. Tapping any title will then give you more information about it, such as the type of content to expect and some screenshots to give you an idea of how the magazine is laid out and potentially how it will look on your device. There is no right or wrong way to browse magazines in Newsstand – just take your time to see what is available and pick out the titles that look the most suitable for your tastes.

Make a oneoff purchase Buy a single issue Each magazine will have a back catalogue of issues readily available. If a particular subject catches your eye and you do not want to subscribe, you can tap the Buy button below the Subscribe one to download just that issue. A confirmation box will appear for you to confirm the purchase, then the issue will start downloading to your device. This is a cost-efficient way to ensure that you have some entertaining reading material without paying too much for the privilege. In addition, each downloaded issue should not take up too much space and can be deleted after you have read it.

“Each downloaded issue should not take up too much space” 58 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Start a subscription Subscribe to favourite mags You can subscribe to publications very easily. When you see a title that you like, tap the Subscribe button and you will be given two options: one for a monthly recurring subscription and one to pay for the whole year. The second choice usually works out cheaper in the long term, but it is

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Subscriptions ensure a new issue every week or month

important to remember that most titles also offer a 7-day free trial so you can be certain that you will be happy with your subscription choice. Take your time and choose titles that you feel will benefit you the most, but you can always be assured of good pricing in the Newsstand store.

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Play Books There are millions of fiction and non-fiction books ready to download on to your Samsung Galaxy device

Browse books

View fiction and non-fiction

When you tap the top-left icon in Play Books, you will see a list appear with Shop as an option. Tap it and you will be presented with the Google Play Store books section. It is likely that there are specific categories you will prefer, so swipe right until you reach the Categories list. Tap one and you will be offered a selection of books based on your choice. You can now select between the Top Selling and New Releases tabs to see what’s popular and new within that category. Don’t forget the magnifying glass at the top to search for authors or book titles. It is typically powerful and will help you to find any book you are considering in seconds. Tapping any book will offer the full description and also details of reader reviews.

Alter the book’s layout Customise your reader’s look

“Ready to read when you want”

There is no such thing as a font that everyone likes, but thankfully you can change almost every part of the Play Books interface to suit your preferred style. Tap the main reading screen and then the three dots in the top right-hand corner. Select ‘Display options’ and a box will appear with a list of items for you to play around with. You will be offered a choice of six fonts and the ability to change the text size to the extreme. You can also change the line height which is very much a personal choice and change the theme to a dark background with light text for reading in the dark. Even text alignment can be tweaked, so there’s no excuse not to be able to achieve your perfect reading interface.

Chapter navigation Create bookmarks Traditional books usually have a chapter listing at the start, which can prove useful, but in Play Books you have an interactive list which lets you skip through a book with just a tap or two. While you are reading any book, tap the main screen to bring up the top and bottom rows of options and then tap the bottom-left

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icon which resembles three lines. You will now see a chapter listing presented and all you have to do is tap any of them to jump straight to the beginning of the chosen chapter. The chapter that you are currently reading will be highlighted in bold for easy reference and this feature is particularly useful for reference or text books.


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Google+ Google+ is a sociable, progressive and modern networking tool, and is set to grow further as Samsung gains more automatic integratation with Google apps

Create an account

Use your Google name

Creating a new Google+ account on an Android device is very simple and should take under a minute to complete. It is likely that you will already have registered your main Google account on your Android device anyway and in theory this is enough to set up Google+ instantly. Open the Google Settings, app which is pre-installed, and look for the Google+ option. You Gmail address may already be included and if so you are all set up; if not, simply tap ‘Add account’ and then type in your Gmail account details. Google does everything it can to make Google+ an integral part of the Google system and this includes encouraging you to use Google+ immediately. On an Android device, it really does only take seconds to set up your account.

Organise your contacts Create circles from contacts In the Google+ app you will immediately see a list of your contacts. If you tap the ‘Add’ icon next to any contact, you will then see a new window appear which lists any Google+ circles that you have already created. You can now simply select one of the circles and the contact will be added to it. Also, at the top of the list you will see a ‘Create a new circle’ option, which lets you build a new circle and have the chosen contact automatically added to it. For contacts who are already within circles, just tap the blue icon next to each one to move them as required.

“The ‘Create a new circle’ option, lets you build a new circle” 60 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Photo uploading Automatically upload photos Tap the top-left icon and then select the Photos option from the menu. You will now see a message asking if you want to include your Google Drive photos, which will effectively allow you to view them as albums from within Google+. You still have full control over privacy, but the end result

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Google+ takes care of your photos and videos

is a much more convenient and visually pleasing way to view your collection. Next, you should tap the top-right Menu icon (three dots) and then select Settings. Here you can enable Auto-Backup, which will automatically back up any new photos and videos to Google+ for only you to view.

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Join communities From the main menu, tap the Communities option to view a list that has been specially created based on the people you are associated with on Google+. When you see one that you like, just tap the red ‘Join community’ button and you will receive updates as and when they are posted. At any point, you can also tap the refresh icon at the

Get social

top to read the latest posts within the community you are now a member of. You can use the magnifying glass at the top to search for communities and you may be surprised at how varied and comprehensive the choices are. No matter what your area of interest, the chances are that there will be at least one community that’s suitable.

Create new events Set up events for your contacts Tapping the Events option in the left menu (after hitting the top-left icon) will list any events that you have previously been invited to. The ‘Create an event’ button in the main screen is obvious, so tap it to be presented with a new panel. In this screen you can choose a date and time, a location and then use the ‘+’ icon near the bottom to invite specific people to the event. It feels like adding a new calendar entry, except that it is much more social and interactive. If you tap Change Theme near the top, you will be offered a huge visual list of themes to choose from and these range from birthdays to holidays to any other possible subject.

You can filter your Google+ stream instantly

Manage your stream Cut down the clutter

“Choose a date and time, a location and invite specific people” Publish media Add media to your Google+ posts To publish a new post on Google+, tap the Home option in the left menu and then look for the coloured icons at the bottom of the screen. Tap on Write and start typing any text you want to add. Below the main text box you will see three options. Tap on Photo to include a photo that is stored on your Android device, or the Mood icon to insert a large icon which will

animatedly display your current state of mind. You can also select the Photo and Mood icons from the main front page to make either the main focus of your new post. It would be easy to presume that Google+ is mainly designed to deal with text posts, but the way it handles media is incredibly efficient and using it will make your stream look a lot more interesting to others.

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Your main Google+ stream is an entertaining and useful source of information, but it can get cluttered if you are following too many people. Fortunately, Google’s social network can understand exactly what is being posted and offers the ability to compartmentalise the stream into sections for easier reading. When in your stream, tap the ‘All’ button to the right of the red G+ logo to see a drop-down list of sections that are available. The ‘What’s hot’ section will show the most popular posts while the ‘Friends’ option shows only those posts published by your closest contacts. You can also break down the posts using the circles that you have created, which effectively becomes a home-grown list of activity for the subjects you are interested in. If you take the time to set up your circles and friends with care, you will also have the ability to easily separate all of the posts in your stream into logical sections. There is a lot of customisation available. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 61

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Hangouts Discover how to quickly and easily text and video-chat with friends and family using Google’s Hangouts app

Call a friend

Send a message to contacts

Hangouts links in with several Google apps, but most noticably Google+. You can launch Hangouts from within the Google+ app (by tapping the icon in the top-left corner and choosing Hangouts) or simply by launching the standalone Hangouts app. All of the contacts that you have stored in your Google+ circles will be listed as being available to contact (Hangouts will also suggest other people based on your existing contacts). Tap on a contact name and you will be able to send text messages or engage in a video conversation with them by tapping on the video camera icon in the top-right corner of the screen. If they agree then you’ll be hooked up in seconds.

Create a group chat Start your own chat room You can add more people to your Hangouts by inviting them. Tap on the top-right Menu icon and then choose ‘New group Hangout’. Tap to add people from your Google+ circles or enter names into the field at the top of the screen. Once you have selected everyone, tap on OK and you will be able to address everyone in the group via text message or a video conference. You can invite up to ten friends or family members to participate in a group Hangout, which is quick and easy to set up. Once you get used to video calls on your device, you’ll never feel lonely again.

“Once you get used to video calls, you’ll never feel lonely again” 62 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

Share a status Show how you’re feeling You can share both your current status and mood through clever emoji icons in Hangouts. The icons that show what device you are using and whether you’re busy on a call will be visible to the people in your circles automatically, but you can manually set your mood icon by tapping the Menu

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Choose an icon that best reflects your present mood

icon (three dots). Choose ‘Set mood…’ and a screen of icons appears; choose one that best reflects your mood at the present time. Once you have set a mood icon, you can change it at any time by going back to the icon screen and choosing an alternative or just resetting your icon.

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Change avatar

A new profile pic

If you want to replace the profile picture of your Google+ account, to which Hangouts is linked, tap on the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen and then choose the Settings option from the menu. Now select your account (if multiple Google account holders use your device or you have more than one) and then at the top

of the main settings screen you will see the option to change your profile picture. Tap on this and then either take a new photograph of yourself (or something else) in-app or choose an existing image from your Gallery. You will probably need to crop the picture to fit, but the process is straightforward and shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

Tag your location Let friends know where you are While engaging in Google Hangouts with friends and family from your Google+ circles, you can check in at your current location to let everyone else (or selected people) know where you are. To do this, while in a Hangout, tap the pin icon to the right of the text message field. This will instantly launch the Google Maps app from within Hangouts and your current location will be pinpointed on the map. Now simply tap the Share icon in the topright corner of the screen and your location will be attached to a Hangout message. You can now add an optional message or emoji and hit the Send button to share your location.

Visit Settings to tailor the Hangouts app to suit your needs

Manage your notifications Choose how the app alerts you

“Your location will be attached to a Hangout message” Snooze notifications Show others when not to contact you If you are a proficient and regular user of Hangouts – as in you’re nearly always online – you can create quiet periods for yourself by setting snooze notifications. These can be set at times when you would prefer to remain undisturbed by any alerts, thereby ensuring that peace and quiet is maintained in those rare instances when you don’t want to make yourself

available for a chat. To set up a snooze notification, tap on the Menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen and then select the ‘Snooze notifications’ option from the drop-down menu. A pop-up window will then appear that lets you choose a snooze notification, lasting from one hour right up to 72 hours. To turn off a snooze notification, simply tap Resume.

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You can determine exactly how the Hangouts app notifies you by going to your main account settings screen. To do this, tap on the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen and then choose the Settings option from the dropdown menu. Tap on your Google account name and a main settings screen will appear, packed with options. Under the Notifications section you will be able to choose when you are notified and how, choosing alert sounds from an extensive list. From this screen you can also determine how people can contact you, choose how your status is presented and customise your Hangouts invites so that only invited people may contact you. Since Google is always striving to improve its services, an option at the bottom of the page consents to you sending data to Google based on your usage of the Hangouts app. To opt out of this and remain off its radar, simply untick this option. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 63

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Google Maps Plan routes, get information on places and attractions around you and go exploring with the Google Maps app on your phone or tablet

Plan a journey

Search for route destinations

Planning a journey with Google Maps is really easy and in the bottom-right corner of the screen is a button to zoom in to your current location. This is great if you want directions from where you are right now to somewhere else. Tap the route icon (arrows) at the right of the search box and below My Location is ‘Choose destination’. Tap it and enter the destination. This could be a postcode, town or city, a famous landmark or attraction, so entering SE1 7PB or ‘London Eye’ is sufficient to select it as the destination. Journeys can start from anywhere and they don’t have to be from your current location. Tap the route icon on the map screen to plan a route, tap My Location and then enter the place to start from in the box at the top.

“There are often alternative Change routes, such as the fastest” a route Get new directions for a route

Get location information Find out what’s around you When you are on holiday or a business trip, Maps can provide you with useful local info. Tap the search box at the top, but don’t type anything. Dismiss the keyboard and note the ‘Explore

nearby’ section. Below is a list of categories of places it can locate, such as supermarkets, petrol stations, places to eat etc. Tap ‘Explore nearby’ for a colourful tiled display, tap a category, then tap a place.


Your journey plans may change, but Maps makes it easy to get a new route and there are many different ways to do this. After entering the start point and destination, there are often alternative routes, such as the shortest and the fastest. Tap a route to show it, tap the route info box and tap a new route to switch to that one. When you arrive at the destination, tap the route information box at the top of the screen. Tap the two arrows to switch the start and destination and it then shows the route home, which is handy. Tap the route info box and then ‘Route options’. There are options to avoid motorways, toll roads and ferries. The last two can save you money, even though they may not be the shortest route. There are also icons at the top of the screen to select public transport, cycling and walking. These all show different ways of getting to the destination and the cycling and walking routes are useful if the journey is quite short.

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Select the route from the alternatives or tap ‘Route options’

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Explore locations

Maps settings

Discover lots of interesting places

Customise the settings in Google Maps

As you zoom in to maps by double-tapping or spreading two fingers, places of interest become visible as icons. There are attractions you might like to visit, such as museums and art galleries, cafes and restaurants that provide great food and coffee, businesses like major stores you will love shopping at and so on. Tap an icon for one and a small panel appears at the bottom of the screen. Swipe up to reveal more information such as the address and phone number, photo, reviews and ratings from people that have visited and much more. Then swipe down to continue exploring the map.

There are some useful settings in Maps that can be tweaked to make it more useful. Swipe in from the left edge (or tap the top-left icon) to reveal the menu and tap Settings. Tap ‘Edit home or work’ and you can then enter your home and work addresses. This makes it easier to navigate to these two locations. Tap the route planner icon and there are entries for home and work. A single tap is then all it takes to plan a route to either of those locations. Tap ‘Maps history’ to see a list of routes you have planned and places you have looked at on the map. If privacy is important, tapping the cross next to an item will erase it. Maps records your location even when it’s not being used, but ‘Google location settings’ lets you block this to hide your activities.

“There are attractions you might like to visit, such as museums” Use satnav

Get spoken directions

We have seen how to plan a route from one place to another and a map or text listing is useful, but if you are driving you might want a live map display with spoken turn-by-turn directions as you go. Well, Google Maps can do this too. Tap Search, enter the destination and you are returned to the map screen. At the bottom is the distance

and estimated journey time. At the right is Start. Tap it and Maps changes the screen to show a magnified view of the streets ahead of you. It speaks out loud the direction to drive and again at every turn. Tap the Menu button (three dots) and there are options to show the route preview, a step-by-step list, mute voice guidance and get a satellite view.

Show traffic Use Maps to avoid traffic jams In addition to turn-by-turn directions for your route, it would be useful to know traffic information. Is it a good idea to set off right now or should you wait until there is less traffic on the roads? After all, you don’t want to end up stuck in a jam. Fortunately, Google Maps can help you with this, too. The directions map for your journey shows the route highlighted in blue and along

the way may be roadworks warning symbols. These can indicate potential problems. Tap a symbol and a pane opens with a description of the problem, such as the length of the delay to expect and when the roadworks are scheduled to finish. Swipe in from the left and tap Traffic to colour-code roads – red if they are heavy with traffic and green for those with light traffic.

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“A single tap is then all it takes to plan a route” Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 65

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Google Drive Create, store, edit and share documents from any device with the Google Drive app, the ideal cloud storage service for Samsung users

Write a document

Create files on Drive

The ‘+’ button in the Drive toolbar is used to create stuff and tapping it displays an ‘Add new’ menu. Files can be organised into folders and there is a Folder option on the menu if you need to create one. Tap the Document or Spreadsheet menu options and the file is created in whatever folder you are currently viewing in Drive. The Document option enables you to write letters, reports, your CV and so on. It opens a simple word processor with a toolbar at the top of the screen, the keyboard in the lower half and an editing area in the middle. When writing a document, you may be puzzled by the lack of a save option. Don’t worry, Drive saves documents for you as you work and you just tap the Done button when you are finished.

Add a collaborator Let others help you with documents

You can opt to let collaborators edit or just view documents

66 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

For some documents, such as for work, clubs, hobbies and so on, you might want to enlist the help of others and it is possible to add people or groups to collaborate with. To add a person, tap the ‘i’ icon in the bottom-right corner of the document thumbnail and a panel opens on the right. In the ‘Who has access’ section, tap ‘Add people’. You can then select someone from your contacts. Just start typing their name and a list of suggestions pops up. Tap their name. Below are options to allow them to view the document, comment on it or have full editing permission.

Share with Drive Share links to files with others Another way to share files is by long-pressing on a document in the file listing in Drive. A menu appears that shows the different actions you can perform. Choose ‘Send link’ and a long list of various ways the file can be shared is shown. Facebook and Twitter are among them, but Gmail

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Links to files can be shared with your contacts

and Hangouts are best. No matter which method you choose, a new message is created and a link to the document is inserted. When people receive the message and use the link, they are prompted to request permission from you to access the file. Add them as in the last tip.

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Save files

Upload documents

If someone sends you an email and it has an attachment, the latter appears down at the bottom of the message. Tap the three-dots icon on the right and it can be saved. Wouldn’t it be better to save it to Drive? Email attachments and other files stored on the phone or tablet can be uploaded to Drive and stored online. Open Drive

and open the folder you want to store files in, then press the ‘+’ button at the top. Select Upload and there are options to select images, audio, photos, downloads and more. Select Downloads for example, and you can choose email attachments or other files that have been saved. Select them and they are uploaded and stored safely online.

Change settings Customise Google Drive’s settings Open Drive, press the menu button (three dots) and then tap Settings. The ‘Enable encryption’ option scrambles the contents of documents on the device to prevent unauthorised access, such as by a thief. Don’t forget to protect the device with a password or PIN, though. Drive files can be stored online or on the device and ‘Cache size’ determines how much space is available for storage. Tap ‘Cache size’ and increase it for devices with lots of memory or reduce it if you are running short. The option to ‘Transfer files only over Wi-Fi’ will prevent 3G from being used and so will reduce data usage on your mobile phone tariff.

Google Drive includes a handy word processor

Edit documents Alter documents on the go

“Drive files can be stored online or on the device” Use other apps Access Drive files from other apps Some other apps are able to make use of Google Drive, either for storing files or to open them. A good example of this is Quickoffice. This is a free app on the Play Store if you haven’t got it, but it is often included on phones and tablets as standard. Start Quickoffice and tap the Open button. There is then an option to select Drive in the ‘Open from’ list. Choose Drive and

there are options to open My Drive or files shared with you by other people. Choose My Drive and you can browse the files and folders on Google Drive. This app is specifically designed for editing Microsoft Office documents and you can open them, edit them and save them back to Drive. Drive often appears as an option on Share menus in certain apps, which is useful.

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Documents can be created on any computer or device and edited anywhere too, so you could start a letter on the computer and finish it off or edit it and make changes on the go using your Samsung mobile phone or tablet. Just find the file on Drive and tap it to open it for editing. There is a menu bar at the top, the keyboard at the bottom and between them is the document area. Swipe left and right over the menu bar to view all the buttons. Tap in the text and press Fonts>Styles and select a heading style, title or subtitle, or body text, then tap Fonts to close the font panel. Styles apply to the current paragraph. Longpress on a word to select it and drag the start and end markers to select more text. You can then use the bold, italic, underline and strikethrough buttons, or cut, copy and paste text from one place to another. There are buttons for bullet points and numbered lists too. Save and return to the main screen by tapping the top-left button. Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks 67

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YouTube In need of quick-fix entertainment? YouTube is your hub for all the best video content on the web

Upload videos

Get your own videos online

Uploading videos to YouTube is a quick and easy process. Tap the YouTube icon at the top left, then tap on the Uploads option from the list. On the next screen, tap on the upload icon (the arrow) in the top-right corner of the screen and then you can locate the video that you wish to upload from your Gallery, Google Drive, Dropbox etc. Tap on the video and then an upload screen will appear, in which you can add a title, description and tags, as well as include a location and determine who is permitted to watch the video. When you have entered all of the relevant information and are happy, tap on the Upload button in the top-right corner of the screen to complete the process. The time it takes to upload will obviously depend on the file size of the video.

Suggested videos Recommended content to watch

The What To Watch option is based on your previous viewing habits


YouTube is undoubtedly a great source of video entertainment and you don’t necessarily have to have anything in mind to watch when launching the app, as Google will toss a few recommendations you way. Tap the YouTube icon at the top left, then choose What To Watch from the list. Based on the kind of videos you have searched for and viewed in the past, several recommendations will be presented. If you subscribe to any YouTube channels then any new additions will also be flagged up here. Simply tap on a video to start watching it, or discard it by swiping down the screen.

Find new videos It’s time to explore When you search for one video, it will often lead you on a fantastic voyage of discovery as you uncover all manner of other great uploads. To start searching, tap the magnifying glass and enter keywords. Videos that closely match your criteria will be displayed in a list. At the top of this

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YouTube is all about searching for great and obscure videos

list will also be options to filter the content by type (channels, playlists etc) and timeframe (this week, this month, all time). When you start watching a video from the list, other suggestions will be presented for what to watch next, and it is through here that you will find some true gems.

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Leave a comment If you enjoy watching a video on YouTube then you may wish to add some text-based applause for the uploader or just comment on the content of the video. To leave a comment, scroll down and you will find the Comments section which lists all of the comments already attached to the video and provides a field for you to write and submit

Give feedback

your own. When writing a comment, share your thoughts in the text field provided, choose who can see the comment (it will be set to Public by default) and then tick the box if you also want to share the comment on Google+. When you are ready to submit your comment, tap Post and it will appear on the video page in the Comments section.

Watch later Save the best until last There are times when you stumble across an interesting video but don’t have time to watch it, which is where the ‘Watch later’ feature comes in. Tap on the ‘+’ icon at the top of the video viewing window and then choose ‘Watch later’ from the list. Now, when you return later, tap on the YouTube icon in the top-left corner of the screen and select ‘Watch later’. This will take you to all of the videos that you have bookmarked to watch at your leisure, so simply tap on one from the list to view it. You can remove videos from your Watch Later page by tapping on the Menu icon (three dots) in the lower-right corner of the video and choosing the Remove option.

Share YouTube videos with others via various means

Sharing videos How to share great videos with friends

“Takes you to all of the videos that you have bookmarked” Broadcast on the big screen Control the entertainment on your device Since most modern smart TVs use an app system, you can access and view YouTube videos on the big screen. Better still, however, you can search for videos on your Samsung device and then beam them to your television via its built-in YouTube app. In order to do this, tap on the rectangular screen icon at the top of the video viewing window in YouTube on your

Samsung device and then select the device to send it to (nearby compatible ones will be detected automatically). After choosing the destination device (your smart TV) for the video, sit back and YouTube will take control of your main TV and stop whatever’s currently on it before broadcasting your chosen video. It’s certainly a good way to impress your friends at dinner parties.

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When you find a truly remarkable video on YouTube, you will probably want to get other people that you know to watch it too. Well, sharing great videos is quick and straightforward and you can crow about the existence of a video on any social network, provided you have the relevant app for it installed on your device. To get started, navigate to the video that you would like to share in YouTube and then tap on the Share icon in the top-right corner of the screen. This will open a pop-up window that lists all of the sharing methods available. These can include various social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, but also other services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and even Google Translate. Tap on the sharing option you want to use and a link to the video will be pasted in the post (or email) that you compose and you can add your own words before sending and sharing it with your intended audience. A really great video could go viral! Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks 69

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Tricks 72 Create and share notes Jot down thoughts and memos with the Evernote app

74 Streamline your workflow Use LIFFF to automate your workflow based on location

76 Watch what you eat Take more care over your calorie intake with Calorie Counter

78 Track your sleep habits Discover your sleeping patterns and habits with Sleep as Android

Discover the best thirdparty app solutions for everyday situations

80 Track a flight Check your loved ones have landed, and find out what’s in the sky above

82 Buy and sell items Join Gumtree to pick up bargains and sell unwanted items

84 Read comics on your Galaxy Catch up with your favourite heroes from your device

88 Create music on your device Build a song from scratch on your phone or tablet

90 Tell stories with photos Make great music videos with your photos with Flipagram

92 Watch TV on your device

86 Build a music-based profile Track your listening habits and get recommendations

music on Android 88 Create 70 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

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Play TV catch-up with your Samsung Galaxy device

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an airline flight 80 Track

TOP TRICKS

Create notes Make great music Buy and sell online Improve your diet Watch TV

your 74 Automate workflow with LIFTTT WorldMags.net


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Create and share notes Use the free Evernote app to make creative notes and access earlier ones wherever you are

App used: Evernote Price: Free

Evernote is the ultimate note-taking app for Samsung Galaxy users to use. As well as being able to sync them to the cloud, users can also manually share notes. Notes can be organised into notebooks and tags can be applied to further manage your content into categories. As well as making standard text-based notes: you can save photos and record voice memos. Using the app, you can then create weblinks that anyone can use to access the content you choose to share. There are also widgets available for Evernote. Once you have downloaded and installed it, you can choose from a selection of Evernote-based widgets from the Widgets section of the app tray. These are then applied to your home screen. Depending on the selected size, you’ll be able to tweak the visual style of icons or swap out the default selection of controls for functions that suit your own needs. If you find yourself regularly using Evernote then the widget is a worthwhile install to provide quick access to your saved notes and the app itself.

1: Set up an account

2: View homepage

3: Create a note

Once you’ve downloaded Evernote, you need to create a free account. Enter your details to reach the app’s main screen. If a new user, it’ll explain some of its possibilities to you.

In the top-left corner are four icons for creating notes. Below is a list of notes, notebooks, tags and recorded places. To return home, tap the app icon in the top right.

As in a standard word processor, you can apply bold, italic or underline text, and create bulleted or numbered lists. Tap the paper-clip icon to attach files and tags.


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Navigating the homepage

Sync & Settings You can force-refresh your account and make adjustments to the app settings by tapping the Menu icon at the top right. This includes options for managing local storage

Understanding how Evernote structures your files

Notebooks & Notes

Group chat

Your notes are stored within Notebooks. These work like folders and can be named as required. You can drag the middle window across the screen to view them all

You can share your created notes with various work colleagues. This is a great feature if you want to collaborate on certain projects from the comfort of your own home

The Evernote widget There is also a selection of widgets for Evernote that can be added to the home screen. These need to be downloaded separately from the main Evernote app via the Google Play Store. It’s a free install and can be found by searching for ‘Evernote Widget’.

Your account info You can access the information for your account by tapping your username. This will display your available monthly usage (for free users) and other account details

4: Search your notes

5: Share your notes

6: Edit in Skitch

Tap the magnifying glass to open the search bar. Evernote can search the titles and text contained within your notes – but not text in any attached content (Premium version only).

Tap the share icon to share a note via the web. You can select Copy URL or share the link via another app. Alternatively, long-press on a note from the homepage to share.

If you try and edit any of your images with Evernote, you’ll be directed to the Skitch app. There’s a plethora of different editing options to explore and use.

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Streamline your workflow Send automated emails and change your device’s functions based on location with LIFTTT

App used: LIFTTT Price: Free

The LIFTTT app takes its inspiration from the IFTTT, helping smart phone users create automated workflows based on their current location. LIFTTT registers your location using your device’s GPS function and will then send an email to a specific address based on that location. An example of how this could be useful is if you were arriving at work and wanted to send an automated email to other people in the office letting them know you are now available. The moment that LIFTTT recognises that you are in your work location it’ll send out that email. You can then set up a trigger so that when you leave the office another email is sent saying that you are no longer available. LIFTTT also provides you with different recipes so you can perform other triggers based on you location. Recipes allow you to send tweets and create calendar events. You can even create your own recipes. To create LIFTTT triggers, you need to sync the app with an email address and any other accounts that you want LIFTTT to perform triggers within automatically. Streamline your workflow with LIFTTT’s features.

1: Turn on GPS

2: LIFTTT options

3: Sign in

Open your device’s notification panel. Press and hold on the Location icon and make sure that your GPS function is turned on, then open the LIFTTT app.

Tap the options button in the top right corner of the app to access LIFTTT’s settings and to find recipes. Tap on the LIFTTT icon on the apps home window.

You’ll be prompted to choose a Google account. Select a pre-existing account or tap Add account to sign in, then tap OK. Once the account is authenticated you can proceed.


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Trigger information

Upgrade Tap the plus icon to open the upgrade window. The LIFTTT upgrade costs £2.00 and allows you to create unlimited triggers and removes all ads from the app

What you need to create a trigger Created Triggers Once a Trigger has been created in LIFTTT you’ll find it in the Trigger window of the app. You can create one trigger at a time unless you upgrade the app

Activate triggers Switch off triggers here at any time leaving them dormant until you activate them again. To permanently delete triggers press and hold on it, then confirm you want to delete it

Trigger details

The IFTTT app

All of the Trigger’s settings are displayed here, showing you the range, timing and date information on the trigger. Tap on a trigger to edit these details

To create more automated triggers on your device download the IFTTT app, which LIFTTT is based on. IFTTT lets you build your own trigger recipes and allows all kinds of actions, such as automatic uploading of images to cloud services or setting automatic alarms.

4: Create a trigger

5: Trigger options

6: More trigger options

Tap the plus icon. Find the location you want to use to activate the trigger. Press and hold on it to drop a pin and select the location. Tap on the red arrow icon to proceed.

In the Create window add a contact name, email subject and email body. Choose when to trigger the action and at what distance to the location the trigger should activate.

Select a time period in which the trigger can be activated and active days. Tap OK. Now when you reach your set location this trigger will be activated.

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Watch what you eat Record and assess your energy intake with Calorie Counter to see how healthily you’re eating

App used: Calorie Counter Price: Free

The MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter app is used to keep track of your energy intake and exercise. Throughout your day, you can record the foods you’ve eaten and the exercise you’ve done. The MyFitnessPal service has a large database of foods, so you can search for brand names and even scan a barcode. Your food’s nutritional values will be added to your fitness diary. Similarly, there is a wide range of exercises in the database, all of which help you create a daily tally of how much energy you’ve consumed and spent. As part of configuring Calorie Counter, you need to enter your current weight and target weight, along with your height and lifestyle. This will all help the app calculate the appropriate daily energy intake for you. It’ll also warn you if you’re not eating enough. For example, taking in too few calories can put your body into starvation mode, which will make weight loss more difficult. Calorie Counter also has a social element: you may follow other users (eg by linking your Facebook account) and share your progress.

1: Enter personal details

2: Add friends

3: Log your food

When first opening the app, it asks questions about your goals and for some personal data, eg weight and lifestyle. When finished, your suggested daily calorie intake will be shown.

Swipe in from the left and tap Friends. On the following screen, tap the icon in the top-right corner. Next, choose a source of contacts to pick new Calorie Counter friends.

From the main screen, tap the Add To Diary button. Next, select the type of meal. Either enter its name or scan its barcode. Nutritional values will be automatically completed.


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Using the summary screen

Add to diary Use this button to log either a new meal or exercise. When logging foods eaten, you can enter their names or scan product barcodes. The app contains a vast database of foods

Check your daily net calorie intake at a glance

News feed Here you will see a stream of updates of both your own activity and those of your friends. This feature allows you to keep track of progress and encourage others

Remaining calories Based on the fitness goals you entered, the daily remaining calories shows you how much more food you may consume, which is offset by the amount of exercise you’ve logged

Add custom items

Summary bar

If you need to enter a food or exercise that is not already in the MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter database, tap on the Create A Food or Create An Exercise button, respectively. For adding a food, a two-page questionnaire will ask for the name and nutritional values.

This bar shows your daily calorie target (based on your goals), along with how many calories you’ve consumed and how many you’ve burned off in exercise, with the net change

4: Log your exercise

5: Add reminders

6: Edit your goals

From the main screen, tap Add To Diary. Select the type of exercise you have done: strength or cardiovascular. Use the search tool to pick the exact exercise you’ve done.

Swipe in from the left and tap Reminders. Tap ‘+’ at the top-right corner. Select the meal you wish to be reminded to log, along with the meal’s time of day.

Swipe in from the left and tap Settings, then tap Fitness Goals. The following screen allows you to edit initial and current weight, activity, desired weight loss and exercise goals.

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Monitor how you sleep Use this app to help understand your sleeping patterns and wake you up gently

App used: Sleep as Android Price: £1.99/$3.19

If you’re a little curious about your sleeping patterns, use the Sleep as Android app to take a closer look. It can be set as your phone’s default alarm app and by placing it next to you on your mattress, it can sense your movements through the night. It uses this to infer when you are in deep and light sleep. After prolonged use, the app will begin to tell you when it’s best to add an alarm to your schedule, but these can be changed at any point The app can also be set to record sounds during the night. This is useful if you suspect you are snoring or talking a lot in your sleep; in turn, this can help with medical diagnoses. The data of your movement is saved by Sleep as Android for you to review later on, so you can see detailed statistics of how well you are sleeping, such as what percentage of your sleep time is spent in deep sleep. Again, this can help signpost potential health issues. If you have trouble getting to sleep, there is also a ‘lullaby’ feature where the app can play loops of various noises to help you drift off.

1: Set an alarm

2: Activate snooze

3: Activate sleep monitoring

Tap on the Alarms tab, then tap on the ‘+’ symbol in the toolbar. Use the clock interface to set the alarm time. Optionally, use the Nap button for snooze time.

While an alarm is sounding, you may tap a red button to dismiss the alarm or a green button to snooze. A long press of Snooze gives custom snooze durations.

From the main screen, tap Sleep Tracking at the bottom of the screen. Once running, place the phone on the mattress beside you. Use the Stop slider to end monitoring.


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Understanding sleeping patterns

Rate your sleep You can start your own rating system for how you think your sleep went with the stars in the centre of the screen. Over time you can see your progress

How to read Sleep as Android’s sleep pattern charts

The sleep graph The sleep graph tracks your body’s movements overnight, revealing your sleeping patterns. The horizontal axis plots hours through the night, while the vertical axis represents the depth of sleep

Sleep results These numbers show how long you slept for and what percentage of that sleep was deep sleep. It also tells you how many cycles of deep sleep you went through

App add-ons Swiping the tab bar to the left reveals the final option, Addons. This provides links to extra plug-ins that can be purchased in the Play Store to give added functionality to Sleep as Android. There is a cloud backup agent, additional lullaby sounds and advanced sleep statistics.

Conditions At the bottom of the app you’ll find a few details on the conditions you slept in. Predominantly this will show the overnight temperature and other weather information

4: View your stats

5: Enable noise recording

6: Manually log sleep

Tap on the Stats tab of the main screen. Use the drop-down list (between the words ‘last’ and ‘statistics’) to select the range of time for which you wish to view stats.

Tap the spanner icon in the toolbar and select ‘Sleep noise recording’. Key options are the volume threshold to start recording, noise/ snoring statistics, and anti-snoring alerts.

If you forgot to activate sleep monitoring, you can manually log sleep times. Tap the Graphs or Stats tab and tap the ‘+’ symbol. Add your date and start/end times.

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Track a flight Use Flight Radar Pro to track aircraft’s flight paths and find airports around the world

App used: Flight Radar Pro Price: £1.99/$2.99

Flight Radar Pro is the perfect app for plane spotters and anyone who is interested in tracking a flight of a friend or family members. It also offers an impressive augmented reality view whereby you can point your phone at the sky and see a live view of the world through your camera, which is overlaid with live flights that are within a preset range from your current location. You can also set Flight Radar Pro to give you alerts of certain flight-related events, such as emergency ‘squawks’ or other types of signals. When viewing the whole world, or even just a country, there can be an overwhelming number of flights. With that in mind, Flight Radar Pro offers filters so that you can narrow it down to certain types of aircraft, altitudes, airlines, call signs and even the speed that planes are flying at. You may also expand the functionality of Flight Radar Pro via in-app purchases. There are 3D models of planes, a live arrivals board for your favourite airports, and a custom alert feature for flights, airlines and aircraft types.

1: Search

2: Jump to area

3: Set filters

Tap on the magnifying glass at the top right. Next, select from the following: Search, Airline Search, Airport Search and Nearby Flights. The first option is a ‘search all’ function.

Swipe from the left and select the first option ‘Jump to area’. Then select from Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Oceania. Use the ‘+’ symbol to add more.

Swipe in from the left and tap Filters. Next, select from the following fields to filter which live flights are shown on the map: Callsign, Aircraft, Altitude, Speed and Airline.


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Following a flight along its path

Progress bar This progress bar shows you how much of the journey the selected flight has covered. At either end, it also gives the time since departure and the time until landing

Take a detailed look at a particular flight

Flight and model Origin and destination

This side of the Flight Radar Pro dashboard shows the flight number, along with a photograph of the model of plane that is operating that route. Useful for plane spotters!

This shows the airport the selected aircraft took off from and where it’s heading to. It also gives the threeletter abbreviations for each airport

In-app purchases Despite costing £1.99, Flight Radar Pro is not feature-complete either. There are three other features that can be added via in-app purchases. Swipe in from the left to open the main menu, tap ‘In-app purchases’ and choose from Model Graphics, Arrivals Board and Custom Alerts.

Airline This corner shows you the name of the airline that the selected flight is being flown by. It does not, however, give you the three-letter abbreviation of the airline

4: Browse the map

5: Set alerts

6: Augmented reality view

Flight Radar Pro’s main screen is an interactive map. Navigate it by dragging with a single finger and zoom in and out by pinching and stretching between two fingers.

Swipe from the left and tap Alerts. Choose to be alerted about emergency aircraft signals (known as squawks) and whether to have a ringtone and/or vibration upon an alert.

Swipe from the left and tap Augmented Reality. Rotate the phone into landscape. The right-hand slider filters flights by range. Then point your phone skywards!

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Buy and sell items Buy and sell anything from your Samsung device, at any time, using the Gumtree app

App used: Gumtree Price: Free

Gumtree could be considered to be a modern extension of the traditional classified ads in newspapers and shop windows. The service lets you post items for sale and there is no charge for doing so. There are millions of items available and the process to sell your own is very easy. It makes sense to have a good quality photo available to highlight your listing and you should also think carefully about the price you are expecting. Be reasonable and you will attract more buyers. If you want to buy items, the process is just as quick and searches can be refined using different criteria to ensure that the things you need are easy to collect if you can agree a purchase. The most important thing to remember is not how to use the service, it is really simple, but to be vigilant when buying and selling. Use common sense and Gumtree will prove beneficial to you. We will take you through the processes for buying and selling and highlight the advantages of the service, because it’s easy to trade on Gumtree from your Samsung device.

1: Search for items

2: In the detail

3: Time to buy

Tap the magnifying glass at the top of the screen and then input a description, your current location and ideally a category to narrow down the search.

A selection of results will appear with prices, the distance from you and when they were listed. Thumbnails also offer more visual detail to each of the listings.

Within the listing you will see icons offering various ways to get in touch with the seller. Make your choice to initiate the process of buying and collecting the item.


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A logical interface for trading

Refine your search When searching for any item, you can easily refine the results by distance, price and time listed. It takes seconds to find relevant items for sale near you

How to buy and sell anything using Gumtree

Your favourites Attractive images

It can be hard to keep track when so many items are available in each of the categories. The best way to manage them is to tap stars to add favourites

When posting items for sale, make sure that you use good-quality images to attract potential buyers’ attention. They can make all of the difference to the final price

Suspicious ads

Be accurate

If you see an ad that you believe to be suspicious, you can report it to Gumtree. Despite the fact that the site is very flexible and largely hands-off, the service still offers some protection for you and other users should any problems arise.

Titles should be written to grab attention and the description should be completely accurate to ensure sales proceed smoothly. Honesty will always pay dividends when using services like Gumtree

4: Selling items

5: Use images

6: Preview your listing

Tap the menu icon and then select the Post Ad option. You will now need to add an accurate title and description of the item that you are trying to sell.

You will be offered the option of adding images to your listing, which will make them more eye-catching. Offer as much detail as you can when selling any item.

Tap the Preview icon to see an exact replica of the finished post. Check it carefully and if you are happy with it, proceed to publish your item for a quick sale.

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Read comics on your Galaxy Find all your favourite comic books and read them anywhere with the beautifully designed Comics app

App used: Comic Price: Free

The Comics app from Comixology is the best way to read comics on your Galaxy device. Comics doesn’t simply provide users with digital versions of comic books, the app has carefully formatted each individual comic book to make them a pleasure to read from your tablet or smart phone. With the Comics app you’ll be able to browse the store for all of the latest releases, which includes comics that have only just hit the shelves. The app provides you with a series of different categories in which you can browse for comics. All purchases will be added to your Comic library where you can download books straight to your device. The Comic app also takes into account the size of your screen when you’re reading a comic. Rather than having to slide from left to right and up and down to go through each frame on a page you can switch to the frame-by-frame view, which breaks the comic book down into full screen high quality frames for you, so all you have to do is tap to move on to the next frame. With the Comics app you can start building up your own digital comic book collection.

1: View your purchases

2: Browse your titles

3: Download titles

Once you’ve found and purchased a comic book from the Store in the Comic app tap the menu button on the home screen then tap Purchases to view them.

Select a comic by its title. You’ll then be shown all of the comics within that series that you’ve purchased. Tap the Options button to search for comics.

Tap download next to any of the titles that you want to download to your library or tap download all if you wish to add all of the titles to your library.


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Comic book settings

Settings When reading a comic, use the Settings to adjust your viewing and reading options according to your own preferences. There are also more app options available from the home screen

Setting up your own personal preferences in Comics Guided View Adjust the guided view options depending on what size screen and device you are reading comics on. If you plan to zoom in to each individual frame, use letter boxing

Animated Transitions Panel-to-panel transitions between frames and pages is a great way to move seamlessly through the comic. If you want to simplify your reading experience turn these off

Reading options

Payment methods

Here you can choose how your comics open when you revisit them in the app. You can also adjust page sizes depending on what device you’re viewing comics on

To be able to purchase comics through the Comic app you’ll need to visit ComiXology. com. Log in to the site with your user name then go to My Account and click on Billing. Here you’ll be able to add your PayPal details or credit card information so you can make in-app purchases.

4: My Books window

5: Read your comic

6: Comic options

Once a title has been downloaded return to the Comics main menu. Tap My Books. Your downloaded titles will now appear here ready for you to read.

Tap on a title to open it. Slide from right to left to go to the next page, or left to right to go back a page. Double tap on a frame to zoom in on it for a closer look.

Tap on the screen then tap the page icon at the top of the window to view the comic’s glossary. Tap the settings icon to adjust your viewing options.

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Build a music-based profile Show the world what music you like with minimal effort using the Last.fm app

App used: Last.fm Price: Free

Last.fm is designed to help you gather music recommendations and socialise with music-loving friends. Even better, it can build a musicbased profile for you with very little effort on your part. You will need to set up and link your music players to the service on a desktop or laptop, but then the rest of the work will be done by Last.fm. The Android app is designed to take full notice of every track you play and will show your profile as it builds in real-time. You can see which albums you’re enjoying and check recently played tracks, but more usefully you can see the profiles of friends and see what they are up to. They of course can do the same with your profile and over time, the more music you listen to, the more complete and useful to others your profile will be. The service is all about sharing musical influences and with a Samsung device, Last.fm is even more useful because everything you play on it will also add to your online profile. We show you how to build a musicbased profile and how to make the most of the features of Last.fm.

1: Use the web

2: Set up scrobbling

3: Link your services

You will need to log into your Last.fm account via the web to start building your musicbased profile. Don’t worry, however, because it’s used on your Samsung device.

Click the ‘Set up scrobbling’ link on the front page to see a new screen detailing which services can be used to automatically learn what types of music you like.

You’ll now have to follow the instructions to install apps or directly link your Last.fm account to Spotify. The process is simple for each of the available services.


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A simple list of what you like

Use a desktop Most of the profile setup will need to be done using a desktop or laptop PC, but once that is done, it will automatically build itself as you listen

Your music-based profile viewed in detail

What is playing? All of your recently played tracks will be displayed in your profile and can be viewed by Last.fm friends. It offers a chance to see what’s new

Get recommendations The music you listen to is also used by Last.fm to give you real-time recommendations of music you may like. The matches are often very accurate

Mobile scrobbling When you set up scrobbling, make sure you include your Samsung device. This will ensure that any tracks you play on it are also taken into account when building your profile over a long period of time. The more devices, the better for accurate profile creation.

Friends are important Building a wide range of Last.fm friends will ensure that you are rewarded with more choices of what to listen to next and a wider sphere of music tastes

4: Record your history

5: A building profile

6: A mobile profile

In Spotify, for example, when you are playing a track, you can click the Last.fm tab and then ‘Love’ it for others to see. The software tracks what you play.

Your profile will now start to take shape and can be viewed on the website, which will detail your recently played tracks and the albums and tracks you own.

The profile will also be available on your Samsung device in the Last.fm app. Despite the simplicity of the app, all of your music activities are included.

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Create music on your device Use your Samsung Galaxy to become a DJ using the Caustic app

App used: Caustic 3 Price: Free

Thanks to the plethora of tools available, Caustic 3 makes it simple to create your very own dance track on your Galaxy device. It’s without doubt an app aimed at budding musicians who want to get kickstarted in the industry, while also not being too intimidating for those who aren’t so knowledgeable. It contains a number of machines such as Subsynth, PCMSynth, BassLine, BeatBox, PadSynth and so on. You can add up to 14 of these in a rack and each one has access to a library of sounds. There are controls for adjusting the sound that will be familiar to people who have used the real thing and these enable you to get exactly the effect you want.

Once you have assembled a collection of music machines in your rack, you can then go to each one and create up to 64 patterns by placing notes in an editor. The grid size can be adjusted with a fine degree of control and sequences can be copied and pasted. After creating patterns for each of the machines, you then head for the sequencer and build your song by adding the patterns and arranging them. Plug in your earphones, turn up the volume and listen to the song on your device. If you buy a Caustic Unlock Key, you can export your finished songs in a variety of file formats including MIDI, OGG and WAV.

“You can build your song by adding the synth and drum patterns and arranging them to your liking”

1: Start a song

2: Add machines

3: Use the BeatBox

Open Caustic 3 and press the second button in the toolbar at the bottom. Use the ‘+’ and ‘–’ buttons to set the tempo for the song and then press the New button to begin.

Press the button at the bottom left to open this screen and then tap the tiles and select the machines you want to use for this song. We have added a BeatBox and Subsynth.

Tapping a machine opens it and you could select any, but BeatBox is a good one to start with. The machine is displayed and you may want to return here later to tweak the sound.


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Customise the sound

The file box Each machine has access to a library of sounds and tapping in the box opens the file manager. After loading one, swipe left/right to jump to the previous/next file

Experiment with each machine’s controls

Record yourself

The waveform

In the tutorial we use the pattern editors to place notes, but you can press the Record button, press Play and then tap the piano keys to play live

Different waveforms have completely different sounds. Tap in this square to change the waveform. The number varies with the machine and there can be several available

Change the grid On the pattern-editing screens in steps 5 and 8, there is a grid button with a note in. This selects the grid size. Tap it and a range of notes is displayed and you can choose from 12 different grid sizes, going right down to one-sixteenth notes for finer control.

Mute and solo These two buttons access the mixer and pressing M (mute) removes this machine from the final mix. Use the S (solo) button to mute all the others and listen to just this one

4: Select a kit

5: Master modules

6: Use the Subsynth

Tap in the file box where it says Select Kit and choose the BeatBox kit to load. It returns to the previous step so that you can preview the sounds and customise each one.

Now go about adding various modules. You can use thse modules to alter the waveform of your track. Some can be quite complicated to use and understand, however.

Tap the bottom-left button to return to step 2 and select the Subsynth machine you added. The procedure is similar to BeatBox, but this time there is a keyboard and Record button.

7: Select a preset

8: Create another pattern

9: Use the sequencer

Tap in the Select Preset box to display a list of Subsynth presets and choose one. It returns to the previous step and you can play using the keyboard and customise the sound.

Slide the left bar up to open the pattern editor and tap to add notes to the selected pattern (A1, A2 etc). Tap the Size button at the top and drag a note to extend it.

Tap the machine button and select Sequencer. This is where you assemble songs. Tap in a machine row and add the patterns you created – A1, A2 etc – for each machine.

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Tell stories with photos Turn your photos into a shareable video story with its own sound track in Flipagram

App used: Flipagram Price: Free

Flipagram provides you with a unique way of telling stories with all of the photos you have stored on your Samsung Galaxy. Flipagram lets you import a collection of images into the app, where you’ll then arrange, crop and edit them. From there you’ll then be able to present your images in a short video set to music. Flipagram can import photos from the Gallery app, Instagram and Facebook so you’ll never have a shortage of content to choose from. You’ll only have a short amount of time to tell your visual story, so think carefully about which images you want to include. When uploading to Instagram, videos can be up to 15 seconds long, or 30 seconds long when uploading to Flipagram. Flipagram makes it easy to share your creations with others. You can upload your short video via apps such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also link your favourite social networks with Flipagram so you can share your content easily with friends. Flipagram is an easy way to get creative with your photos and share them with friends in a new, unique way, so start building your Flipagram story.

1: Start a story

2: Select your images

3: Order your images

Open the Flipagram then tap start. You’ll be asked where you want to import your images from. You’ll need a Wi-Fi or data connection to import from Instagram or Facebook.

In the Select Photos window browse through your photo albums and tap on the images you want to include. Five photos per video is a good amount.

Tap the right facing arrow at the top of the bar once you’ve selected your images. Press and hold on an image then drag it to change its position.


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Video preferences

Total Time Instagram videos must be 15 seconds long where as Flipagram videos can be 30 seconds. Under the custom option you can adjust the duration of each photo

Setting up your video for viewing Add Music Music can be added from online or from your own personal collection stored on your Galaxy device. You can also use WhatsApp to record an audio track for your video

Video title The title of your video will appear over the starting image. It will also appear at the end of the video. You can also select a font type and colour

Add a watermark

Videos on Vine

Add a watermark in the same way you would a title. Put something like your name, website or Twitter handle as a watermark so people know who made the video

Another great app for making short videos to share with others is Vine. Vine lets you record a short video with audio that can then be uploaded to Twitter and other social networks. You’ll also be able to create your own Vine profile so that other users can find and follow you.

4: Edit photos

5: Add music

6: Share your video

Tap on an image to select it. Tap the crop icon to resize an image. Tap the plus icon to duplicate the image. Tap Add to add more photos to the story.

Go to the next window. Add a music track then tap play on the image to preview your video story. Tap back in the top tool bar to make changes.

Go to the next screen agree to finalise your video. In the Share to window choose a sharing format. You’ll be able to access your video from the Flipagram home window.

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Watch TV on your device Watch all your favourite TV shows from dozens of channels on the go with the TV Player app

App used: TV Player Price: Free

TV Player allows you to watch all of your favourite TV channels and catch up on shows that you missed, all from your Galaxy device. When you open the TV Player app you’ll be presented with two category choices, packs and channels. By selecting a pack such as Entertainment you’ll be taken to a list of channels tagged under that category. Alternatively the channels tab will present you with all of the channels that are currently available through the app. When viewing channels you can use the Select Genres tool to refine the channels and help you find what you’re looking for. Every channel will display what is currently showing, then you just have to tap on the listing to start streaming the show. Keep in mind that certain channels will only be available on Wi-Fi rather than through a data connection due to licensing restrictions, although streaming TV through a data connection will quickly eat up the bandwidth of your data plan. Now sit back and enjoy your favourite TV channels and shows for free, streaming them from your Samsung Galaxy device all through the TV Player app.

1: Browse packages

2: Package channels

3: Select Genres

From the Packs window press and drag on the list of available channels or packages to browse what is currently showing. Tap on a package to view its channels.

The list of channels available in your selected package will show. Tap on the cross icon at the top of the channels list to remove the package filter.

To reduce the amount of available channels tap on the tag icon. Deselect genres that you aren’t interested in then tap OK. Tap Clear Filter to undo changes.


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TV Player settings

General Here you can get help and information on the TV player app. You’ll also be able to use the Share function to share a download link for the app with friends

Set up the TV Player

Wi-Fi settings Use the Wi-Fi settings option to change your Wi-Fi connection. By default the ‘Use Wi-Fi Only’ option is checked, uncheck it only if you have a data plan

Channel settings Under this tab you can manage what channels are displayed and how. Hiding offline channels will help to de-clutter your list of available channels when browsing for shows

Other streaming options Nowadays most mainstream TV channels offer their own streaming service and apps. Check out the Google Play store and search for your favourite channels to see what is available. It’s also worth checking out other streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix.

Clear the cache The TV Player app caches a lot of data to make streaming run faster on your device. Use this option often to free up space on your device storage

5: Watch a show Tap on the play icon next to a channel to watch it. Tap the screen to reveal the tool menu. Tap channels to browse channels whilst watching a programme.

6: Change quality Tap the Auto drop down menu to change the quality of the stream. Change the quality to Low when you have a weaker Wi-Fi or data connection.

4: Programme information When viewing channels tap on the title of the current programme to view more information on it and to find out what’s on next and at what time.

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Hacks Feature 96 Hacking Masterclass From beginner to advanced, we explain the key elements of hacking Android on your Samsung Galaxy device

106 Automate Nandroid backups Get to grips with this essential part of hacking Android

108 Manage recovery from an app Discover the great TWRP Recovery tool

110 Modify your smartphone with just one app Make common hacks and tweaks with the AndRootKit utility

112 Completely hide root from apps Make hacks undetectable to certain apps

114 Power up with Xposed modules Pick and choose new functions for your phone and tablet


Become an Android power user by tweaking the OS to suit your needs

“By hacking your Samsung device you can overcome any problem – you can even install a whole new version of the OS if you want” 116 Tweak your ROM with GravityBox Get to grips with the flexible Xposed Framework Module

118 Get much longer battery life Solve the problem of short battery life

120 Automate your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Get your device to automatically connect and disconnect

96

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Root your Samsung Galaxy

WorldMags.net Manage recovery 108 from an app

Automate your Wi-Fi 120 and Bluetooth

TOP HACKS

Power up with 114 Xposed modules WorldMags.net

Root device Enhance the UI Automate Wi-Fi Boost battery life Tweak kernels


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Hacking masterclass

HA KING MASTER LASS From beginner to advanced: 10 brilliant hacks you must try

O

ne of the biggest appeals of Android is its openness and the ease with which it can be hacked. When you buy a phone or tablet you hope that it will be able to do everything you want it to do, in the way that you want, but inevitably you will encounter a few things you’d like to change. Android is unique among smartphone operating systems in

that almost any of the frustrations that you encounter with the OS can be fixed one way or another. Sometimes it’s just a simple app that you can install from the Play store; often you need to go a little deeper. By hacking your Samsung device you can overcome any problem – you can make your phone run faster, install apps that are listed as being ‘incompatible’ with your device (even

though they’re not) and even install a whole new version of the OS if you want. It is these kinds of hacks that we’ll be focusing on in this masterclass.

First steps Before you can undertake any hacking on your device you will need to root it. The term root comes from the Linux world where root

“By hacking your Samsung device you can overcome any problem – you can even install a whole new version of the OS if you want” 96 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

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Hacking masterclass

Get started with hacking Samsung We guide you through what you need to know before you hack is the name of the default account on a Linux machine, and has full access to the entire system. The equivalent in the Windows or Mac world is the administrator account, and that is essentially what rooting your device gives you: administrator privileges over your phone or tablet. Despite Android’s reputation for openness an out-of-the-box Android device is pretty well locked down. You can do what you like within the confines of a walled garden, but access to the system itself is strictly off limits. This is primarily a security measure. If you can access crucial system files then you can also edit and delete them, and if you edit or delete the wrong file you can render your device unbootable. Likewise this locked down state also prevents third-party apps from accessing the most sensitive parts of the device. There’s plenty of discussion about the rise of malware on Android, but they are mostly designed to steal data from devices. What they can’t do is properly ‘infect’ your device by modifying the OS. Rooting removes all such restrictions and gives you full access to every part of the Android OS.

Rooting isn’t officially sanctioned by device manufacturers but there is a general acceptance throughout the industry that it is something enthusiasts want to do. Sony, HTC and Motorola tend to take a fairly relaxed approach to the topic, making it easy to unlock their devices and frequently publishing resources to aid those who create hacks for the products. In recent months Samsung has been gaining a reputation for being less hack-friendly, although its devices can still be rooted and modified. So how do you root your device? Unfortunately that can be a difficult question to answer. Not because rooting is especially hard – in fact, on some products it is trivial – but because the process differs on virtually every Android device. Most often root access is gained by exploiting a security hole in the OS. This needs to be discovered in each instance by a developer, who will then document the process. Before you undertake the rooting you will need to make sure that the bootloader on the device is unlocked. The bootloader is a piece of software that boots the OS, and so needs to

Hacking Dos and Don’ts

be unlocked if you want to install a custom ROM. On some devices it is unlocked already. For other devices that need it unlocking it will be incorporated into the root process. Note that unlocking the bootloader will completely wipe the device, so it’s a good idea to do it as soon as you’ve decided you’re going to root. The rooting procedure differs from one device to the next, with each having varying degrees of difficulty. For some devices there are one-click solutions or toolkits that you can run on your desktop computer. These are useful for beginners, though getting your hands dirty early on will probably benefit you in the long run. Rooting involves several steps, and some of them may be automated or may require some user input. The steps include the installation of a custom recovery. Recovery is a small partition that boots independently of the OS and is used when flashing ROMs, making full backups in order to fix any problems. Devices have a stock recovery installed but it is not designed for user use. A custom recovery is essential, and your root process will normally give you either CWM (ClockworkMod) or

The quick guide to hacking Android

DO

DO

DON’T

DON’T

Make a full backup before you undertake all but the most basic hacks. Back up your data using an app like Titanium Backup or Helium, and make a Nandroid backup if you’re flashing ROMs. It will help you recover from any problems.

Ensure your phone or tablet is at least 50% charged and preferably also plugged in to the mains supply when flashing anything. A loss of power during the procedure could brick your device.

Try and flash a ROM or mod that isn’t designed for your specific handset. It will not work and may break it. Double check the model number too, as some have international and country-specific variants with incompatible specs.

Expect performance of ROMs to be as smooth and stable as the one that shipped with your phone. Although the best are excellent for daily use, it is inevitable that you will likely encounter bugs from time to time.

DON’T

DON’T

Fiddle with things unless you know exactly what they do. You’ll risk serious errors, as many of the options you’ll see are not designed for consumer input and refer to the core workings of your device.

Panic if things go wrong. As long as there is some sign of life when you press the power button on your phone then even the worst problems can be recovered from with a bit of tweaking.

DO Follow the instructions fully for everything you do. Most tweaks are largely risk free and user error is by far the most likely reason for problems to occur through them. Don't be complacent!

DO Report problems to the developer as many hacks and ROMs are a perpetual work in progress and bugs can be fixed. But also check it isn’t your mistake – many root apps have one-star reviews from users whose devices aren’t rooted.

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Hacking masterclass

TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project), which look different but perform the same role. Then the su binary gets injected into the system. su stands for Switch User and is what gives you root access where literally nothing is off limits. Finally a superuser apk is installed. This is an app that runs within Android and controls which apps and services can have root access. To find the best rooting procedure for your Samsung device head over to forum. xda-developers.com and locate the forum dedicated to your handset. Each forum will have an up-to-date guide to the best method for rooting, along with links to the software required to complete the process. Be sure to read the instructions and follow them closely.

Hacking options Now that your device is rooted you can do a whole lot more. The first thing to try is to head

Before you begin… Rooting and hacking is relatively easy, and everything you do can be fully undone. There are, however, three potential downsides to rooting to consider. First is that a few select apps may no longer work. These are mostly apps that require a certain level of security, such as banking apps or some commercial media

to the Play store, search for ‘root’ and you’ll see a whole selection of apps that you previously would not have been able to use. Greenify, Titanium Backup and Root Explorer are three you should check first. After that you can begin to explore the wonderful world of custom ROMs – an entirely new version of the Android OS that often has new features, a different look and is based on a newer version of the OS than you’ve got officially installed – and kernels, which enable you to control the hardware and

streaming apps. Second, is that you may not be able to install over-the-air updates, and if you can they will almost certainly unroot your device. (You can still update manually, of course.) Third, rooting may invalidate your warranty. Should you need to make a warranty claim you should restore the device to its factory conditions first.

to optimise it for either better performance or longer battery life – or both. Or if you’d rather stick to smaller enhancements and problem solving you can investigate the wealth of mods and tweaks. A couple of our favourites, that we’ve included in this guide, are ones that enable you to run different keyboards depending on whether you’re holding your phone in portrait or landscape mode, and how to revoke certain permissions from apps and stop them tracking you or snooping on your data.

“After that you can begin to explore the world of custom ROMs” Works with

» Varies with device Difficulty » Easy

1: Increase your phone’s storage Want to add extra storage for your media content? Here’s how to use USB flash drives Even with the gradual shift towards keeping content in the cloud there are still times when you need as much local storage on your Samsung device as possible. When travelling on a train, for instance, you might frequently pass through areas of poor network coverage and so be unable to access your important files; or when you’re overseas you’ll be mostly restricted to

root 1 Check If external USB storage is not supported natively on your phone – and it tends to be on flagship devices from Samsung – your best bet is to use the StickMount app from the Play store. This needs your device to be rooted in order for it to work.


Wi-Fi areas to avoid running up huge roaming bills. For some devices the simple answer is to add the largest micro SD card that your phone will support (check the specs for your specific device as it is often limited to either 32GB or 64GB). For Android devices without a memory card slot you can often use a USB On-the-Go adapter and add a flash drive.

the drive 2 Add Launch StickMount and give it root permissions when prompted. Plug your USB OTG cable into the USB port on your phone or tablet, with the Flash drive also connected. OTG adapters can be picked up inexpensively online. Tap the Mount button to access the drive.

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the storage 3 Access You can now go to Settings>Storage and you should see the USB drive and its associated details, such as the amount of space used and available. The content stored on the drive should show up in related apps. Tap the Unmount button before you remove the drive.

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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Varies with device Difficulty » Easy

2: Solve problems with Safe Mode Booting in to Safe Mode is the easiest way to deal with apps that start misbehaving For the most part, downloading and installing Android apps is a pretty safe and reliable process. You may occasionally come across one that is poorly written and so crashes frequently, but the problems it causes will be limited to the app itself. On rare occasions however you may find an app that causes wider problems and

makes it difficult for you to use your phone or tablet, maybe an app that is conflicting with a mod you’ve made to your device, or is causing other system apps to crash in such a way that you cannot even uninstall it normally. Safe Mode is the solution to this problem – here we show you how it works.

»

Works with Android 4.0 and up Difficulty Easy

»

Auto-brightness in Android can be quite patchy – either too bright or too dark. Here’s how to make it better

3: Configure autobrightness

Install the app Lux from the Play store and then enable it when prompted. Set the Adjust setting to Dynamically to ensure the brightness level changes based on ambient conditions.

1

crashing 1 Calamitous As you can see in our example we’ve

reboot 2 Safe Once we’ve got the phone off we can

got an app conflict that is causing the Dialer app to crash repeatedly. This error message pops up the moment we dismiss it, leaving the phone to be completely unusable. Even powering off is proving to be some challenge.

reboot into Safe Mode. Hold the power button until the Google logo appears, then hold volume down until the phone has finished booting. You’ll see the Safe Mode notification in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

the app 3 Remove You’ll notice none of your widgets will

your widgets 4 Restore When you reboot your phone you will

have loaded. This is because Safe Mode runs only the core OS and no extra apps. As a result your persistent crashes will no longer happen. Open the Play store and uninstall the app that was causing you problems, then reboot.

most likely need to restore your home screen and lockscreen widgets once again. You may also find that you have been logged out of certain accounts on some of your apps. None of your data will have been lost, however.

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You can now set the brightest and darkest levels for the app to use. Move into bright conditions and move the backlight slider to a level you’re happy with. Hold down the chain icon to remember the setting.

2

Now move into a dark area and repeat the process. Note that moving below zero in the backlight settings won’t improve your battery life as it places a filter on the screen rather than using less power.

3


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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Android 4.1 and up Difficulty » Easy

4: Enhance your phone’s UI Use the GravityBox app to add useful shortcuts to your phone’s UI GravityBox is a module that runs on the Xposed Framework and is compatible with devices running the Jelly Bean and KitKat versions of the Android OS. It opens your phone up to a whole host of hacks and tweaks of the kind that would previously have required you to flash a new custom ROM to get. To get it up and running your phone must be rooted. Then download and install Xposed Installer from bit.ly/19jG6Ws. Open Xposed and go to Framework, then tap Install/Update to activate it. You’ll need to reboot when done. Next reopen Xposed and go to Download. Locate GravityBox and choose the right one for your device. Download and install it, then press Back and select Modules. Tick the box next to GravityBox then reboot once more to activate that. You’re now ready to start exploring GravityBox’s great features.

quick 3 Get torch access

Finally on the lockscreen tweaks is the Enable torch setting. This is a simple one: hold down the unlock ring on your lockscreen and the LED flash on your phone will illuminate. Long press it again to turn it off.


shortcuts 1 Lockscreen In GravityBox head to Lockscreen

notification 2 Battery Next in the Lockscreen tweaks is Show

tweaks. Here you can configure how the lockscreen works when you don’t have a pattern lock set. Tap Unlock ring settings and tap On to add up to five app shortcuts to the unlock ring.

battery arc. Tapping this adds a nice visual flourish to the unlock ring, showing the status of the battery inside it. This tweak will not work if you use security to lock your screen.

ever-present 4 The app launcher

From the GravityBox main screen, locate Navigation bar tweaks and select. Tick Enable navigation bar (even if you’ve already got one) then Show app launcher key. Now press Back and find and select Application launcher.

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Choosing your apps 5 Pick up to eight apps you want to assign to this omnipresent app launcher. You can also choose shortcuts to common tasks you perform. When done reboot your phone – you’ll see the app launcher icon in the Navigation bar. Tapping that will show the apps.

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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Android 2.3 and up Difficulty » Intermediate

5: Install problem apps It’s a fact of life with Android that you will, from time to time, come across apps that are listed on the Play store as being incompatible with your device. Sometimes there’s a good reason for this – a high-end game that won’t

build.prop editor 1 The Get Build Prop Editor from the Play store, launch it and grant root privileges. The first task is to ensure you’ve got a backup of your build. prop file, so open the sidebar and tap Create backup. You will also restore it from here should you wish to in future.

Works with

Found a Play store app listed as incompatible? Don’t worry about it…

run on low-end hardware, for example. Other times it seems like an entirely arbitrary restriction. You can get around this particular problem by editing the build.prop file in the System folder.

You need root access to locate this file. build.prop contains identifying information for your phone, and by changing how it identifies itself to the Play store you can access apps that were previously unavailable.

the ID 2 Change In the main window scroll down to ro.product.model, tap on it and change the Property Value to that of a different Android device. You may need the product code rather than its common name, for example, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the I9505.

and test 3 Reboot You may also need to change the ro. product.manufacturer value to that of the manufacturer. When you are finished you will be prompted to reboot. Do this and then test that it works. You can restore your backup if not, or make further changes.

» Android 2.3 and up Difficulty » Intermediate

6: Block spam calls and texts The more you use your smartphone as your main phone the more you’ll be on the receiving end of junk calls and texts. With the root app Call Master you can reject or block them without ever even knowing they existed…

1 Root permissions

Call Master requires root so you will need to grant that when prompted. Also take note of the warning when you launch the app – incorrect use of the options could result in you blocking numbers that you don’t want blocked!

2 Create a list

Tap on the List option from the main screen. This is where you’ll assign instructions to specific lists of numbers. We’ll be creating a whitelist of allowed numbers and a blacklist of those we want to block. Tap the Block option to proceed.

3 Block and allow

In the Block screen tap ‘+’ to add numbers you want blocked. You can choose from contacts, or add them manually. Swipe left shows you Special options, such as blocking any number that shows up as Unknown.

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4 Start the service

Repeat Step 3 for the Allow function to create your whitelist. Now head back to the app’s home screen and select Settings. Tick the box next to Enable service then reboot your phone. Once started, call blocking will be in progress.


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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Android 4.1 Difficulty » Intermediate

7: Revoke unwanted app permissions XPrivacy enables you to take control of which apps can access your data

Your Samsung device is custodian to a whole host of your private data. How confident are you that your information is safe? XPrivacy, an app that links deep into Android using the Xposed framework, lets you take back control of your sensitive information. On a granular, app-by-app and category-by-category basis, the application lets you restrict exactly what

information is made available. You can block access completely or you can feed an app fake data, such as an empty contact list or a pre-determined location. Unlike some tools, XPrivacy doesn’t revoke permissions from apps, which can result in them stopping working. Instead it tricks them into thinking everything is working normally.

the prerequisites 1 Check The key requirement for using XPrivacy on your

Xposed Framework 2 The The Xposed Framework is installed via an APK.

device is that your device must be rooted. XPrivacy uses the Xposed Framework, which allows Xposed modules to hook into the low-level functionality of the Android Take greater control over operating system. Remember that rooting your device your security may invalidate your warranty and is an expert operation.

Get installation utility 3 After you have installed Xposed and rebooted, you need to get XPrivacy. The easiest way to do this is via the Play store. Although XPrivacy itself is not deployed this way, the Installer, available at play.google.com/store/ apps/details?id=biz.bokhorst.xprivacy. installer, will take you through the steps.


Point your device browser to http://bit.ly/1hCaq32, download the APK and then click Install. You will need ‘unknown sources’ chwecked in security settings. After installation, open Xposed Installer and complete the ‘Framework’ steps.

XPrivacy 4 Enable After downloading, you’ll see a XPrivacy Installer icon in your launcher. Click this and a wizard will take you through each step – checking root, checking you’ve enabled unknown sources, checking you’ve made a backup, checking your Xposed install, enabling the module and rebooting to enable the mod.

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apps 5 Filter After the reboot, uninstall XPrivacy Installer and use the main XPrivacy icon. Upon launch, you’ll see all apps listed. You can use the drop-down to choose specific permissions to limit (and filter the apps). Although XPrivacy will prompt for new apps, you should ensure you set the privacy settings for existing apps.

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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Android 2.1 Difficulty » Intermediate

8: Automatically change the keyboard you use Keyboard Manager enables you to switch software keyboards based on screen orientation and running application

fake data 6 Defining In the Settings menu of XPrivacy you’ll find a Fake Data section. This is where you can define the data passed to apps where you have marked that they should not receive your real information. These are primarily text input fields; for your mock location a search box to retrieve the appropriate latitude/longitude co-ordinates is provided.

and install 1 Download Keyboard Manager

the data access log 7 Use Also in Settings, the Usage data menu item

your 2 Define preferred keyboards

Keyboard Manager can be downloaded from the Play store. Two versions are available – a free version which offers basic orientationbased switching and requires root, or an enhanced ‘Plus’ version, currently priced at £1.28/$1.99, which removes the need for root and adds the ability to switch based on the running application.

After installation, if you are using the paid version, you will need to enable the application in Accessibility settings. You will be prompted if this is required the first time you open the app. Pressing the Keyboard Preferences button lets you set keyboards for portrait and landscape orientation, as well as for different dock configurations.

Add app-specific 3 keyboards with Keyboard Manager Plus

compatibility 4 Retain with multiple hardware keyboards

If you’ve splashed out the on the Plus version, you also have a button labelled Apps Keyboard. As the name would suggest, this lets you set a keyboard based on the currently running app, great for switching to Hacker Keyboard when in your SSH client or an Emoji-filled keyboard for your IM chats.

Some devices (particularly the Asus Transformers) require that the stock keyboard is enabled when the hardware keyboard is docked, or the key mappings are incorrect. Keyboard Manager allows you to specify a keyboard when a hardware keyboard is connected, avoiding this issue.

lets you see which applications have been using your information. You’ll see the time of access, the app icon, the app’s user ID and the function used. You can see requests that were blocked in here as well as requests that were allowed.

careful with root apps 8 Be Although XPrivacy does a great job of keeping control of your data, be wary of root apps. By their very nature, root apps are the only applications that can circumvent XPrivacy’s restrictions completely. You should be very careful when granting root access to untrusted apps.

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SamsungAndroid Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 103

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Hacking masterclass

Works with

Take performance to the next level with a custom kernel

» Varies with device Difficulty » Expert

9: Optimise your phone for gaming A custom kernel can eke out every ounce of performance Modern Android devices have more than enough power to handle any task thrown at them, normally with capability to spare. The one exception to this however is games, which – as in the PC world – have a tendency to work available processing and graphics hardware to the limit to provide the best possible experience. Android devices are built much like cars, they are designed for stable, safe everyday use by general buyers. In the same way that cars can have software upgrades – ‘chips’ – to push the hardware that little bit further, phones and tablets can do the same with a customised kernel. Custom kernels consist of fixes, tweaks and extra functionality. The process for using a custom kernel is very similar to using a custom ROM and carries the same caveats – flashing a kernel will likely invalidate your warranty.

you have a 3 Ensure recovery plan Before you modify your device you should ensure that you have a way to revert back to stock should things go wrong. This could be in the form of a stock ROM flash (eg an Odin flash for Samsung) or with your own backup made using a custom recovery.


Check availability 1 Custom kernels are reliant on three factors. The first is a public release of the source code. The second is an unlocked bootloader to allow flashing. The third is an active developer community that is creating the custom kernels. Checking your device area at XDA-Developers is a good place to look for kernel activity.

your bootloader 2 Unlock After you have confirmed that a custom kernel is available for your device, you need to ensure the bootloader is unlocked. The exact process depends on your manufacturer – for the most part the majority of Samsung Galaxy devices come ready to flash, which certainly makes things a bit easier.

a custom recovery 4 Flash Now you have your bootloader

your kernel 5 Choose For the more popular devices, there will

unlocked, flash a custom recovery. Depending on your device, you may or may not need to use the custom recovery to flash the kernel, but either way it is very useful for creating your own backup. Ensure you pull the backup off your device in case you accidentally wipe!

likely be a whole host of custom kernels available, offering many different features. The best place to look is the development forum for your device at XDA-Developers – compare features, feedback and update frequency when choosing. You can try different ones too!

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Hacking masterclass

Works with

» Varies with device Difficulty » Expert

10: Double tap the screen to wake your phone Popularised by the LG G2, (double) tap-to-wake can now be retro-fitted to most devices with a custom kernel. Here’s how…

the kernel 6 Flash The support topic should include flashing instructions. Kernels are often flashed using custom recovery, the Odin app on Samsung devices or the fastboot utility, particularly on Nexus devices. Double check before flashing that the kernel is definitely for your model of device.

for a 1 Check custom kernel

app 7 Companion Many kernel developers offer companion

The first step is to check whether a tap-towake kernel is available for your device. The best place to look is the development forum for your device at XDA-Developers. Kernels with tap-to-wake support are usually marked with ‘DT2W’ – search for this term to find relevant kernels.

your 2 Prepare device If you haven’t flashed a custom kernel or custom ROM already, you need to prepare your device. Unlock the bootloader, flash a custom recovery, backup (and pull the backup from the device) and ensure you have a recovery plan should things go wrong – for example a stock ROM flash.

apps. These allow you to enable/disable functions and tune specific settings for features like voltage and clock speed. These are normally downloaded from the Play store. Prices vary – some are free and some offer more fully featured paid versions.

updated 8 Stay Custom developers tend to update their kernels frequently with new features, optimisations and fixes. It’s a good idea to try and stay up to date with the latest version. If you are using a companion application it may offer an auto-update option, otherwise subscribe to the support topic.

your kernel 3 Flash Follow the instructions in the kernel

tap to wake 4 Double After installation you should find

support topic to flash your kernel. Depending on your device this may be using your custom recovery, a manufacturer tool such as Odin for Samsung or fastboot. After flashing, check for a companion app to let you configure features.

that a quick double tap on the device screen wakes the device. You can also configure a similar action to put the device to sleep using custom launchers such as Nova Launcher (although this action will only work from the home screen).

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App used: OBackup Price: Free

Automate Nandroid backups With OBackup you can ensure you’ve always got an up-to-date Nandroid backup to restore

“Having an up-to-date Nandroid backup is essential if things go wrong” 106 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

A Nandroid backup is arguably the most essential part of any Android hack. It doesn’t just back up your files and data, it backs up the boot, recovery and system partitions on your device too. These are the partitions that are modified when you flash a ROM or install many mods, and they are absolutely integral to getting your device to actually work. Should you ever have problems as a result of flashing anything, restoring a Nandroid backup will get the device working fully once again. It will reflash those partitions that were overwritten by your new mod or ROM, as well as your data, apps and files, and return your device to the fully functioning state it had previously been in. Many users will become complacent with backups once they have become experienced and confident with hacking their phones. This is a big mistake. But the reason is that creating a Nandroid backup is traditionally a pretty painful task – you need to manually boot into recovery, then instigate the backup, then wait for the half an hour or so that it takes to complete, with your phone completely inoperable while it happens. The new tool OBackup takes away much of this pain. Not only does it enable you to make a Nandroid backup while still booted into Android, and leaving your phone usable while it happens, but it can also be used to make the backups on a schedule, thus further reducing the inconvenience.

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1: Download BusyBox Before you begin you need to have BusyBox installed on your device. Go to the Play store and download BusyBox by the developer Stephen (Stericson). Run that app and click to install when prompted. It only takes a few seconds. Now download and install OBackup.

6: Start the backup You can start a Nandroid backup simply by tapping the magic wand icon at the top of the screen. The app will run through its preliminary tests, checking for available space, ensuring the right recovery is installed. Then it will begin. Press the home button to hide the app.

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2: Device recognition

3: Choose backup type

4: Cloud support

5: OnAndroid script

Launch OBackup and grant root permissions when asked. The app will now try and recognise your phone, but if it cannot do so, simply pick your manufacturer and model from the two drop-down lists. Most Android devices are supported.

Next choose the type of backup you want. This requires you to know which custom recovery you have installed and, in the case of CWM, which version. Your backup options include full, incremental and compressed, depending on your recovery.

OBackup saves backups to local storage but also supports uploading them to the cloud, including Dropbox. Pick your service of choice and enter your log-in information when prompted. Automatic backups will be enabled for your account.

The final step before starting your backup is to install the OnAndroid script. You can do this from the app’s main screen. The script will be downloaded (it is around 9MB) and a dialog box will pop up asking you to confirm the installation.

7: The cloud upload

8: Create a schedule

9: Clear old backups

10: Restore a Nandroid

When finished, the application will look to upload your backup to the cloud. Beware that full Nandroid backups will often be several GB large, so depending on the speed of your Wi-Fi it may not be efficient to store them in the cloud.

To create backups on a schedule, open the navigation bar from the left and choose Settings. Pick the Schedule backup option to choose when and how often to back up. If you choose an overnight schedule, make sure you leave your phone on charge.

You should also set how many backups you want to keep. Depending on how frequently you flash ROMs you might not want to keep more than one or two as a precautionary measure. Given their size you may not have space for more than that!

If you need to restore a Nandroid backup you can do so through OBackup if you can boot into Android and launch it. Otherwise you will be able to boot into Recovery and flash the most recent Nandroid manually. That will also restore OBackup.

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App used: TWRP Recovery Price: Free

Manage recovery from an app Pass instructions to TWRP Recovery without booting into recovery first

“Managing recovery functions has never been so easy” 108 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

TWRP Recovery is fantastic, and if you’re still using ClockworkMod Recovery, then it’s highly recommended that you make the switch now and see what this little beauty can do for you. Simply hit the XDA forums (forum.xda-developers. com) or the TWRP site (http:// teamw.in) to find the correct TWRP Recovery zip for your device, then install it via recovery as you usually would (eg ClockworkMod Recovery, Odin on your desktop etc). This beefy recovery tool blows CWM out of the water, providing a touch interface, a raft of new options and a few features that make it far better to work with. For one thing, TWRP Recovery shows you your current battery level, so you don’t have to worry about running out of juice halfway through a backup, and the fact that actions must be committed using a slider means you won’t accidentally wipe your phone by tapping too quickly through menus. In this tutorial, we’re going to show you how to use TWRP Manager, which provides you with all of the core options that the recovery does with one key difference: it’s all in an app. This means you can rack up instructions, tweak the settings, respond to incoming text messages etc and then commit everything using the app’s slider. It will then reboot into recovery for you, enact those instructions and boot you back into your system. Very convenient.

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1: Install TWRP Manager First up, head to the Play store and grab TWRP Manager. Install, run and give it Superuser access when prompted. The interface may look bare, but don’t let this fool you. Before you continue, ensure you’ve downloaded the ROM you want to try next as well as relevant Gapps.

6: Do it all in one go Alternatively you can bump a backup to the front of the queue and do it all through this menu by ticking every box. As soon as you tick Backup: No you’ll be sent out to the Backup screen, and will see the backup’s name appear in the confirmation pop-up afterwards.

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2: Check the settings

3: Back it up

4: Clean installation

5: Rack up the Gapps

In TWRP Manager, tap Settings. It’s minimal, but there are a couple of things you’ll want to do. Tick the Enable Logging and Disable Splash Screen boxes – the former is a precaution, the latter a preference. Tap Redetect SDCards if you’re having trouble.

Return to the main screen and tap Backup. This is your first-use fallback, so tick every box except Skip MD5 Generation. Choose External Storage (if you have it) and then slide the slider all the way to the right to reboot into TWRP Recovery and back up.

Once your device is back on, head to the app and hit Wipe. It’s good practice after backing up to an external SD to do a factory reset before you try out a new ROM – it should make flashing go more smoothly. Tap the top tickbox and then flick the slider.

Head to Install. Navigate to your ROM folder and select the zip. When prompted, say Yes to add another to the install queue. Select your Gapps and this time hit No. Since you’ve already backed up, just tick to wipe the cache and Dalvik.

7: Restoring data

8: Manage your files

9: Quickly reboot

10: Use from home

The Restore section has the same file browser as Install, and you can use this to browse for any backup. You can restore from things like Titanium Backup and Nandroid Manager. Give something a tap to see what is possible to restore from it.

The app has a rudimentary file manager under the Advanced section. Open it to see that familiar navigation screen, but here you can long-press files to rename and delete. It’s useful for managing backups, but we’d like to see a move option too.

Another great feature is the Reboot page. While a few options are pretty redundant – you’d only really need to reboot the system if your power button was broken – the ability to reboot into recovery or access the bootloader is really handy.

Finally, TWRP Manager also provides you with widgets for the Install, Backup, Restore and Reboot sections, either as separate 2x1s or a grouped 4x3 (the bottom one shown here). Even better, rather than take you into the app, they work as toasts.

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App used: AndRootKit Price: Free

Modify your smartphone with just one app Common hacks and tweaks are made easy with AndRootKit’s ultimate, single-click desktop tool

1: Download AndRootKit You won’t be able to run the app without first installing it, but while you prepare you can start downloading it. Head to forum. xda-developers.com/showthread. php?t=2399385 and search for ‘androotkit’, following the link in the first article to download it.

Regular Android tinkerers often have a collection of tools and utilities they use for rooting, unlocking bootloaders and flashing ROMs and recoveries. Wouldn’t it be so much easier and more efficient if all of these things – and more – could be performed using a single application from the comfort of your desktop PC or laptop? AndRootKit is your answer to these problems – an excellent utility that enables you to flash ROMS, push APKs and perform simple tasks such as rebooting your smartphone or tablet with a single click of a mouse. Available for absolutely nothing, AndRootKit presents all of the tools you will require for rooting and hacking your Samsung phone or tablet in a single screen desktop utility. All you need to do


to get started with AndRootKit is connect your phone to your computer, and confirm that the drivers are installed. Moments later, you should be effortlessly tweaking and rooting Android without worrying about having to load yet another app or utility. Requiring Universal Fastboot/ADB drivers and Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5, AndRootKit is also particularly useful if your Samsung hardware buttons are not working for whatever reason. For instance, you might be unable to enter Fastboot mode due to a broken volume control, but with AndRootKit, switching to Fastboot can be done with a single click, making it a great time-saving tool. AndRootKit can be downloaded from the XDA Developers website. See forum.xda-developers.com.

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6: Unlocking bootloaders Unlocking the Android Bootloader usually involves downloading a single piece of specialist software. AndRootKit is designed to unlock unencrypted bootloaders on most devices. Put your phone in Fastboot mode. Click Unlock in AndRootKit and follow the instructions.

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2: Install .NET

3: Get installing

4: AndRootKit’s tools

In order to install AndRootKit you will first need to download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5, which you will find by running a Windows Update. If you have Windows 8, this is already installed. Once installed, you can then start AndRootKit.

You’ll need the Fastboot/ADB drivers found at forum.xdadevelopers.com/showthread. php?p=22915085. If you’re using Windows 8, use Disable Driver Signature Enforcement using Advanced Startup. Connect your Samsung and run AndRootKit.

In AndRootKit the window is split into two main sections, Fastboot Options and ADB Options. With the first set of tools you’ll be able to flash images, while the second set utilises Android Debug Bridge to open ADB Shell or install APKs to your phone.

7: Command line

8: Install apps

9: One-click root

10: Install AndRootKit!

AndRootKit enables you to access your phone or tablet via the command line, using the Android Debug Bridge. Under ADB Options, click ADB Shell. This will open the Windows command line box, an ideal tool for communicating with the OS.

Forget about copying APKs to your phone, browsing file manager and tapping to install. With AndRootKit you can use the Select APK option to find the Android app installation file on your PC. Next, click Install APK and the app will be added.

AndRootKit is arguably the best single tool for rooting Android and offers a standard Root Your Device option, as well as a secondary Root Your Samsung 4.3+ Device button. After rooting your phone, you should also install the BusyBox toolkit.

AndRootKit uses minimal resources and runs on Windows. If you run into any problems, the Go to XDA Thread tab acts as a quasi-help page. AndRootKit offers single-click automation for flash-happy owners and is one of the top hacker utilities.

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5: Flash system, boot and recovery With a single click, AndRootKit will enable you to flash a new system, boot or use a recovery image. Use the Select option to browse your PC for the system or boot image, then use the Flash button to begin flashing.


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App used: RootCloak Plus Price: Free

Completely hide root from apps Access banking and media streaming apps even when your device is rooted

“A new and more robust solution can hide root on an app-by-app basis” 112 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

Rooting is one of the first things we will do with a new Android phone or tablet. It opens it up to a whole range of new features, tweaks and mods that are so useful we wouldn’t really consider using an Android device without it. Yet there are downsides to rooting, too. Chief among these is the fact that a select few apps will stop working completely. Because rooting can potentially make a device less secure (although in practice tends not to), as well as opening up all the files on the system for you to access, third-party apps that require security – either for your own benefit or for benefit of the service they are providing – often won’t function on rooted devices. There are a few apps in the Play store that can hide root, but they don’t work reliably with all apps affected by the process. The SuperSU app that gets installed when you root your phone also enables you to deactivate root without actually unrooting, but that then breaks those apps you use that do need root. A new and more robust solution comes in the form of RootCloak Plus. This app, which is a little more hands-on in the way it is set up and configured, can hide root on an app-by-app basis, and gives you the best of both worlds. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to set up RootCloak Plus, and also give you an example of how it works. Your device does, of course, need to be rooted before you begin.

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1: Test a blocked app In our example we’re using the Barclays Mobile app. If you launch it on a rooted device it pops up a screen saying that it won’t work and you have no further option but to close it. RootCloak Plus should enable this to be bypassed and for the app to become functional.

6: Install RootClock Plus Head back into Google Play and search for the app RootClock Plus. Despite the Plus label it is a free app. Make sure you have the version marked for Cydia, and double check the compatibility in the description before you continue. It works with most devices.

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2: Install Substrate

4: Permissive option

5: Link substrate files

If you’re using KitKat, stay in the Play store and search for SELinux Mode Changer. Install it – it may take longer than normal – then reboot your phone to complete it. Once done locate the app in your app drawer and launch it.

There’s not much to do in SELinux Mode Changer. Simply tap the single option on screen to change the mode to Permissive. This opens up extra permissions for certain functions. You won’t use this app again, but leave it installed anyway.

Whether you’re on KitKat or earlier launch Cydia Substrate from your app drawer where it will be labelled simply as Substrate. Tap the option called Link Substrate files. You will then need to reboot your phone for the penultimate time.

7: Final reboot

8: Cloak your apps

9: Complete cloaking

10: Check blocked app

Once the app is installed you will need to reboot for the final time, as the app will not function without it. You may be prompted. With that done launch RootCloak Plus to start choosing which apps you want to hide your root access from.

Tap on the Add/Remove Apps option from the menu to take you to the Customize Apps screen. Some common apps are already pre-configured to be cloaked, but if you tap ‘+’ you can view all the apps installed on your device to add more.

To remove an app from the list simply tap on it and you will be prompted to confirm that you want to do so. There’s no harm in leaving apps in this list, unless you encounter any problems with them. Back out of the app and the setup is complete.

Now the big test: launch the app that would not function on a rooted device. As per our example Barclays now works perfectly, enabling us to log in as if we were on a non-rooted handset. To undo changes revert all the settings from this tutorial.

Begin by going to the Play store and downloading the app Cydia Substrate. If you’re installing on a pre-Android 4.4 device then once it is installed you can jump ahead to step 5. If you’re using KitKat you will need steps 3-4 before you can continue.

3: Install SELinux Mode Changer

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App used: Xposed Installer Price: Free

Power up with Xposed modules With the Xposed Installer framework, you can safely pick and choose new functions for your device

“Frameworks are fantastic when it comes to hacking” 114 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

Frameworks are fantastic when it comes to hacking your Android device, as they allow you to modify your existing ROM without having to worry about using your desktop to dive into the code and make specific changes to APKs. The modifications that frameworks provide are often the kinds of things that you would usually need to flash an entirely new ROM in order to use, but with frameworks you can simply manage the customisations through a single app on your device and not have to worry about losing your beloved build. The Xposed Installer framework was developed by rovo89 on the XDA forums. It’s worth checking out his post on the forums, if for no other reason than getting a little peace of mind with regards to the installation and use of this framework. We’re going to show you how to get it up and running, but if you have a relatively old or niche device then there may be some teething problems with the framework, in which case you’ll want to know where you can go for support. Check out the post on the forums over at: bit.ly/OFNIUR. When you’re ready, read on with this tutorial to find out how to get hold of the APK file that contains Xposed Installer – this will let you install both the framework and the modules that plug in to it. After that, we’re going to run through the setup of a module.

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1: Download To begin with, download the APK for Xposed Installer from over at http://bit.ly/HuvsAX. Once you’ve done that (it shouldn’t take long), transfer the file onto your device of choice – we put it safely into a Dropbox folder. You’re ready to get cracking now.

6: Search for a module Especially when you’re just starting out with this application, it can be helpful to use the search function to drill down to exactly the kind of module that you’re after. Here, we’re looking for some kind of CPU tool that will give us more information about our device’s operation.

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2: Install the APK

3: Get framework

4: Find updates

5: Check downloads

Use an APK installer to install that file properly – we used the one from Rhythm Software, which you can find at bit.ly/11Qduwu. Make sure you’ve got Unknown Sources enabled in the Security section of Settings first, or else Xposed Installer won’t install.

Once installed, fire it up. It’s a nice, clean interface. Next install the Xposed framework using this app. Tap on the Framework option, and then Install/ Update on the next screen. Give it Superuser access when prompted, hit OK then reboot.

After you’ve rebooted, the Xposed framework will be running. Head back into the app and open Settings. You’ll want to make sure that the ‘Enable downloads’ option is ticked, so any new updates and modules are made available to you.

Head to the Download section right at the top of the UI. You’ll see your currently installed version of the framework, and then all of the modules listed below. There are scores, and while many target Xperias, most work for any device.

7: Select version

8: Install the module

9: Customise settings

10: Switch on

Once you’ve found a module you like, tap it. Read through the descriptions on the next page, and possibly the linked support documents too. When you’re ready, either download the current version or tap on one of the older versions to download.

When the module has finished downloading, you’ll be taken to a screen asking you to confirm the installation. Do so, and once you get the App Installed message pop up on-screen, simply tap the Open button at the bottomright in order to run it.

The next screen will show you the settings options for your module, if any are available – customise your module as you see fit. You’ll also see a notification appear in your status bar (a round ‘i’ icon) saying that your module is not yet enabled.

Head to the Module section and then tick the box beside the module you’ve installed to enable it. Upon rebooting, your module will be up and running. In the main image on page 114 you can see our CPU temperature in the status bar.

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App used: GravityBox Price: Free

Tweak your ROM with GravityBox This Xposed Framework module lets you tweak your phone without a custom ROM

“GravityBox is packed with hacks and tweaks” 116 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

GravityBox is one of the most powerful and comprehensive modules that uses the Xposed Framework. The app is a hacker’s dream, giving you the ability to perform an enormous number of tweaks that would normally need separate ROMs or mods to perform. These range from simple fixes for annoyances, like preventing battery-draining wakelocks in certain apps, to fullon tweaks for customising and enhancing your device. Among these you can change how the hardware buttons function, or even assign additional functions to them, and also adjust the colour scheme of your phone, something that would normally need an entirely new custom ROM to be able to achieve. What makes GravityBox such an essential app is that it works even with stock ROMs. Although it does incorporate extra ROM-specific functions we’ve been using it quite happily on a stock Jelly Bean Galaxy S III (with which we were able to solve one of our own minor annoyances – making the dark grey status bar black as it should be). Not every tweak will have an effect, but for the most part you can simply deactivate them once again should the change not work as expected. To use GravityBox you need your device to be rooted and for Xposed Framework to be installed (see the tutorial on page 138). As ever, a Nandroid backup is a good idea.

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1: Activate and launch Once you’ve got the Xposed Framework set up and installed, download, install and activate GravityBox from the list of modules, then reboot. You’ll now have a shortcut to GravityBox in your app drawer so you can launch it just as you would any other app.

6: Change navigation bar From the main screen choose Navigation bar tweaks. You can add a permanent navigation bar to your system (Android’s virtual buttons) should you need to. Tap Override system defaults, then Enable navigation bar. You’ll have to reboot your device to see this in action.

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2: Browse the app

3: Change colours

4: Transparency

5: CM specific controls

The app is set up logically, with the various tweaks grouped into sections based on what they affect. You don’t get any indication of which tweaks work on your device, but since most are applied in real time, you’ll find out straight away.

Head first to Statusbar tweaks and select Statusbar colors. Here we’re going to turn the S III’s grey status bar black (via Statusbar background colour) and then change the colour of the icons by ticking the Enable icon colors box and using the colour picker.

Now go into Transparency management, within Statusbar tweaks. This one’s simple – you can make the status bar transparent in both the launcher and lockscreen, making your wallpaper fully visible through it, KitKat style.

Note that some features in GravityBox are ROM-specific. This applies in particular to the Pie controls that are intended for use with the CyanogenMod ROM. Tweaks that aren’t supported won’t have any adverse effect, but it’s best to disable them.

7: 360° rotation

8: Add controls

9: Assign apps

10: Manage memory

In Display tweaks, tapping Allow all rotations means that your device’s screen will now be able to be rotated 360 degrees. If you have a buttonless device, you’ll now be able to use it in any orientation without being forced to hold it the right way up.

Media tweaks houses a number of very useful functions. The obvious one here is Volume keys skip track. This uses the volume keys to control your music app when the screen is off. More music volume steps makes the volume control more sensitive.

Power users might want to assign apps and functions to individual keys. Go to Hardware key actions and work through the functions to assign to a long press and double-tap of each key. Use the custom apps settings to launch apps.

In Miscellaneous tweaks we like the Recent tasks RAM bar option. Activating this shows how much RAM is being used, and how much is free. It’s useful information for heavier users, and enables you to control your system more easily.

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App used: franco.Kernel updater Price: £3.34/$5.50

Get much longer battery life By undervolting your battery you can considerably increase the time you need between charges

“This hack reduces the processor voltage, and can be set at different levels” 118 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps and Hacks

Battery life continues to be one of the biggest concerns for Android users. There are many simple ways you can improve on it – reducing your screen brightness, reducing the number of apps syncing in the background, even switching off 3G or 4G when in areas of limited coverage. Your experiences with any or all of these methods may vary. Yet there is one technique you can use that is guaranteed to work every time: undervolting. This hack reduces the voltage the processor uses, and can be set at different levels for different clock speeds. Thus, if you want to try and minimise battery usage when your phone or tablet is in standby mode you can focus your undervolting efforts on the slowest clock speeds, or if you’re a power user you might tweak the voltages at the higher clock speeds to try and eke out a little extra performance under more intensive tasks. Undervolting is a relatively safe process, although if you set the voltages too low your device may become unstable or even crash altogether, so you should take small steps to begin with. It’s also worth bearing in mind that it only affects the processor, and the greatest battery drain – the screen – will remain as power hungry as ever. Ideally undervolting should be used as part of a wider series of tweaks to squeeze out as much power as you possibly can from your device’s battery.

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1: What you need Before you begin you need to root your device and perform a Nandroid backup. You will also need a custom kernel that supports undervolting. We’re using Franco’s kernel with the franco.Kernel updater app, which is available from the Google Play store.

6: Manual flashing If you can’t use Franco’s kernel then you might need to manually flash one that works with your device. Head over to the forum for your handset at xda-developers.com to locate a suitable kernel. Once found, download and flash it in the same way you flash a custom ROM.

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2: Flash the kernel

3: Tweak the voltage

4: Save and reboot

5: Test apps work

Having installed the app, open it and flash the latest version of the kernel. Go to franco.Kernel updater and select Download latest stable kernel, then choose the option to flash it and reboot your device. The entire process takes less than a minute.

Re-open the app and select Frequencies/Voltages followed by Voltages from the list. Hitting the -25 mV option reduces voltages by a small amount, and is a good starting point. You can also tap a frequency and input your own number.

Tick the Set voltages on boot box to ensure your settings are applied. Exit the app and reboot. When it restarts it should be using the new lower voltages that you have set. You probably won’t notice any difference, but you can check in the franco app.

Now test a few apps and games, and put the device into standby, to make sure that it all seems to be working. It’s a good idea to leave some time between tweaks, just to be sure they’re okay, but once you’re happy with the changes, experiment further.

7: Voltage control

8: Adjust the voltage

9: Save and test

10: Over-volting

With your new kernel flashed, download the Voltage Control Extreme app. This gives you a range of controls for the kernel, including over and underclocking, as well as access to the voltage settings. You will need a compatible device and kernel.

The principle of this app is the same as with Franco. Swipe to Voltages and you’ll see the different clock speeds. Select one and move the slider down to your required level. The CPU History gives you an idea of which speeds are most used.

As before, save changes and ensure they are applied when you boot, then reboot. Test a few apps and use the device normally for an hour or so to ensure there are no problems. You can now return to the app and push voltages lower.

If you’re a hardcore user you might want to go the other way and overvolt. This supplies more power to the CPU, and could be used in conjunction with overclocking. Be warned, though, this may shorten the lifespan of the battery and processor.

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App used: Tasker Price: £2.99/$3.99

Automate your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Get your device to automatically connect, disconnect, lock and unlock with Tasker If you find yourself performing the same tasks on your Samsung Galaxy device over and over again, then why not download an app that can do the hard work for you? Tasker is a powerful app that lets you automate much of your device’s functionality. With Tasker, you define specific contexts, and then tell the app which tasks it should perform when these contexts occur. For example, Tasker can detect when you’re at work or at the cinema, and automatically mute your device, or place it on vibrate between 9am and 5pm, Monday-Friday. Tasker can also automatically launch a music app whenever you attach your headphones, or increase your ring volume when you receive a call from a particular contact. The possibilities are endless. This tutorial shows you how to automate various Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tasks, including disabling your lockscreen whenever Tasker detects certain Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals. You’ll also create a profile that automatically switches on your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you’re in a certain location. When you leave this location, the profile performs an exit task that disables your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to save your battery.

“Tasker is a powerful app that lets you automate much of your Samsung Galaxy device’s functionality” 120 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

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1: Pair your devices Pair your Samsung device with the Bluetooth-enabled device. Enable Bluetooth for both, and, on your Samsung device select Settings>Bluetooth>Search for Devices. Select the device you want to connect to, and follow the onscreen instructions.

6: Select Wi-Fi signal Tap the magnifying glass next to SSID and select your Wi-Fi. Repeat this for MAC. Change ‘Min. Activate…’ to anything other than 0, press Back on your keyboard, select New Task, name your task and tap the checkmark. Tap the + symbol, and choose Display>Keyguard>Off.

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2: New profile

3: Connection

4: Disable Keyguard

5: Activate profile

Download Tasker from the Play store and launch the app. Read the information, and tap the checkmark until you reach the Profiles/Tasks/Scenes screen. To create your profile, ensure the Profiles tab is selected, and then tap the + icon.

Select State>Net>BT Near. Tap the magnifying glass next to Name and select your paired device. Repeat this process for Address. Select the Standard Devices checkbox and press the Back key on your keyboard. Select New Task in the pop-up.

Name your task, then tap the checkmark. On the Task Edit screen, tap the +, then select Display>Keyguard. On the Action Edit screen, ensure Off is selected. Press the Back button on your keyboard twice to return to Tasker’s main screen.

Set the profile’s slider to On. Now, whenever your device detects the Bluetooth signal it’ll disable your lockscreen. Alternatively, tell Tasker to disable your lockscreen when it detects a particular Wi-Fi signal. Create a new profile and set it to State>Net>WiFi Near.

7: Location profile

8: Automate Wi-Fi

9: Bluetooth

10: Add Exit Task

Tasker can also turn on your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you’re in a particular location. It’s easier to create this profile when you’re in the location you want to use. Create a profile, but now select Location. Tap the compass in the toolbar, and Tasker finds you.

Exit the map, give your location a name, and then tap the checkmark. Select New task from the menu, give your task a name and select the checkmark. Add an action, by tapping the + at the bottom of the screen, and then selecting Net>WiFi>On.

Return to the Task Edit screen, tap the + and select Net> Bluetooth>On. Now, when Tasker detects you’re in the location, it switches your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on. The final step is getting Tasker to deactivate the settings, when you leave the location.

Return to the main screen and tap the new profile. Press down on the WiFi On/Bluetooth On text until a pop-up appears, select Add Exit Task>New Task, name your task and create two new actions: Net>WiFi>Off, and Net>Bluetooth>Off.

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Essential

Apps W

ith over 1,00,000 available apps, the Google Play Store is not far from knocking Apple’s App Store off its hallowed pedestal as the go-to place for the best apps. Almost all of the popular favourites are now available on the platform, developers are looking to Android to expand their consumer base, and its open source nature means it’s easy for people to get their apps onto the store. But, as always, there are apps at either end of the quality scale, so in this feature we will show you the top apps available for you to download today for your Samsung Galaxy device.


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5 essential apps

Books & Reference

The internet is the greatest encyclopedia the world has ever seen, with a tremendous amount of accumulated knowledge being added every day. The rise of apps means that we now have greater access to this information than ever before. No longer do you have to sift through raw and unappealing data or attempt to struggle to read out-of-print classics on ill-fitting web pages or as PDFs. With more and more readers adopting eBooks over traditional print, the way information is disseminated has been radically transformed. As a result, eReaders are now big business, as demonstrated by Amazon and Google’s heavy investment in the industry to try to control the lion’s share of this lucrative market. Hopefully this high level of competition will continue to keep eBook prices down and encourage creative new innovations, such as we’ve seen from the development of improved in-app searching and the ability to share books across multiple devices.

Kindle Price Free Developer Amazon Mobile Over a million books and magazines are available on Kindle, and thousands of them are free. It’s a testament to the Play Store that this doesn’t make Kindle exceptional in itself. However, the app has some impressive extra features. Simply tap and hold a word to view its definition in the built-in dictionary or use Google and Wikipedia links to get re info. Whispersync also allows you to synchronise bookmarks, notes and the last page you read across multiple devices.

Wikipedia Price Free Developer Wikipedia Foundation Wikipedia is the community-driven online encyclopedia, containing 20 million articles. Wikipedia for Android is more than just a gateway to the website. You can scan for articles related to an area, making it a great travel guide when abroad. All articles can also be saved to read offline. With the latest app update, you can also edit pages while on the go, making this a complete app with a seamless overall experience. QExplore a huge range of books on Kindle, from the latest releases to out-of-copyright classics

“The way information is disseminated has been radically transformed”

Dictionary.com Price Free Developer Dictionary.com, LLC One of the world’s biggest internet-based dictionaries also holds the record for being the biggest dictionary available to Samsung Galaxy users. It has a remarkably intuitive search system to help find the correct spelling of some troublesome words and provides full voice recognition to help words with difficult pronunciations. There are also official expansions of the app that delve into the world of synonyms and antonyms that are certainly worth a look.

Kobo Price Free Developer Kobo Inc One of the very best eBook libraries around, Kobo has more than two million titles on offer, with 1.8 million of those being free to download. Add to this its cool social features like reading stats that you can compare with friends, and the ability to enter debates on pages and you have bookworm heaven.

Audible for Android Price Free Developer Audible

QWikipedia – a trusted source online, now a tap away


QExplore Kobo’s 1.8 million free eBooks

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Audible for Android offers over 60,000 audiobooks. For a monthly subscription, you can download as many audiobooks as you like from the in-app store and even listen to them offline. Despite being audio only, this app offers similar functionality to eBook readers, allowing you to attach notes and bookmark your favourite parts.

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5 essential apps

Business Mobile phones and big business have been synonymous since the first portable phones came out in the eighties. However, with the right apps on your Galaxy device, smartphones don’t just allow you to speak to a client wherever you are. It’s even possible to carry your very own portable office suite in your pocket. Increasingly sophisticated programs mean you can open and edit word documents, calculate profit and loss in spreadsheets and work on presentations all from your phone.

If you don’t want to eat up your smartphone memory with desktop-size files, you can also use remote access apps to view and edit the files on your work computer from your device no matter where you are. Other business apps make the most of your smartphone’s other capabilities – for example, to find business clients on the internet, or photograph your receipts so you have proof of purchase. Read on to discover the top five apps we think could give your business the competitive edge.

Quickoffice Pro HD Price £3.74/$4.99 Developer Quickoffice Create, edit and share Microsoft Office documents on your Galaxy device using Quickoffice Pro HD. The ability to open and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, as well as PDFs, really adds an extra dimension to your smartphone beyond communication and browsing the internet. The app also supports Google Docs and the file manager works seamlessly with your email attachments, locally saved files and cloud storage accounts, so you have a complete office suite no matter where you are.

LogMeIn Ignition Price £20.14/$29.99 Developer LogMeIn LogMeIn Ignition for Android lets you remotely access your Mac or PC. While the hefty price tag will put many off this app, it is one of the most robust of its kind out there. In addition to a polished interface and reliable connection, LogMeIn allows you to connect with more than one computer and offers impressive navigation and control over your desktop, even allowing you to make Ctrl+Alt+Delete commands.

Box

QRemotely access a computer with LogMeIn

Price Free Developer Box Adding to the choice of cloud storage apps available is Box, a one-stop place for storing all your files, big or small. Upload speeds to Box are surprisingly quick and once added to the server, you’ll still have full access to the files on any Box account on your phone, tablet or desktop computer. There’s also a helpful tutorial included if you’re new to using cloud storage on your device and syncing between multiple personal computers and devices.

Job Search Price Free Developer Indeed Jobs A fantastic aggregator of content when it comes to finding a new job, Job Search brings together information from jobs boards, recruitment agencies and company websites from around the world. The app also allows you to create a CV so you can apply for jobs instantly and within the app should you find that dream position that you’ve been looking for.

MDScan: Mobile Doc Scanner Price £1.99/$2.99 Developer STOIK

QUpload your media files in Box

QApply for jobs from the comfort of your device with Job Search

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Transform any image into a PDF, using MDScan. Simply point your camera at a document and MDScan automatically detects borders, corrects distortion and equalises brightness to create a clear, legible copy. While the interface is rather disappointing for a paid app, it is highly functional.


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Education As mobile devices become more integrated into classrooms, educators and students are looking for new ways to apply them to the learning process because these devices can add a new dimension to the subjects. Applications on all of these devices can

5 essential apps help automate current classroom (or out-ofthe-classroom) processes and present new ways to learn that have previously been unexplored. As we know, it is sometimes the way that a person learns new information itself that affects how well they are able to retain it. Technological progress has made it possible for children and adults alike to learn from almost anywhere and Android is no exception. Whether students need help defining a word, locating the lumbar spine or practising French vocabulary, there’s almost always an app for that. Because of the imaginative methods employed by many of today’s developers, the innovative methods on offer provide fresh impetus to even the most staid of subjects.

“Technology has made it possible to learn from almost anywhere”

Mobile Observatory Price £3.49/$4.49 Developer KreApp Software Find out more about the stars and planets around you with the Mobile Observatory app. There’s a wide range of information regarding individual stars and their exact locations, as well as a guide to each planet. Some of the scientific jargon is a little daunting, but there’s no doubt you’ll learn something new with this app after you’ve really played around with its features for a while.

Pompeii and Herculaneum Price £1.99/$2.99 Developer British Museum Released to celebrate a huge exhibition at the British Museum, Pompeii and Herculaneum is an interactive app that details the different aspects of life before and after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. There are maps and video clips as well as artefacts that form part of the real exhibition all on show here, all forming a great history app that you can enjoy on your Samsung device.

TED Price Free Developer TED Conferences TED is filled with various keynotes and speeches from some of the worlds most enterprising people. No matter what your interests may be, TED covers a wide range of categories, so you’re guaranteed to find something of interest. Each speech varies in length and you can download them on to your phone or tablet to watch whenever you want. While watching a keynote, check out the discussion feature that lets you see what other people make of it.

How to Draw – Easy Lessons Price Free Developer ArtelPlus Learn to draw a variety of animals and faces with this instructional app. Using your fingers or a stylus, you can draw directly onto a guide, viewing your sketches on top of the guide or viewing them as separate layers, like with tracing paper. Add colours, use different brushes and save your favourite creations.

WolframAlpha Price £2.48/$3.99 Developer Wolfram Alpha

QCreate beautiful sketches using the How To Draw app on your Galaxy

QAsk a question about any subject and WolframAlpha will answer it


QRelive history with the Pompeii and Herculaneum app

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Unlike Google, WolframAlpha computes an answer rather than providing a list of documents or webpages that might contain the answer. Simply type a word, phrase or question into the app and it will analyse it and give you an exact answer, which might take the form of an article, graph, table or illustration.

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5 essential apps IMDB Price Free Developer IMDB If you need information about a specific movie, TV show, actor, designer or music composer, then look no further than this app. IMDb is the ultimate catalogue of the TV and movie industry, allowing you to discover new things to watch. There’s a dedicated forum for you to discuss topics with other members. You can also leave reviews of your favourite and worst movies and create playlists of your most recommended films that other people should watch.

SketchBook Mobile Price £1.32/$1.99 Developer Autodesk Professional standard drawing and painting materials at your fingertips, SketchBook Mobile is a great place to spend some time if you are creatively-inclined. Extensive drawing tools mean you can do almost anything in this app, and the level of zoom available means you can be as detailed as you wish when it comes to your creations.

QFind out about your favourite movies in IMDb

StumbleUpon

Q Have a laugh with The Onion

“Many apps are available for free, or pocket-money prices”

Entertainment There’s never an excuse to be bored when you own a Galaxy device. That’s because there’s a nearly never-ending selection of fun apps to be discovered in the Entertainment section of the Google Play Store. Many are available for free, or at least available for pocket-money prices, with more being released all the time. There are some people who dismiss entertainment apps as childish due to the frequent ranking of Tamagotchi-style animated animals or face-changing ‘booth’ apps, such as Fatbooth and UglyBooth, in

Google Play’s Top Paid billboard. However, these apps, along with innumerable soundboard apps, can inject a little frivolity into an otherwise mundane day. For those that need a little more than activity than reading jokes, the Entertainment section also offers some great portal apps that give you a direct link to your favourite websites, including IMDB and The Onion News Network. Other apps actually aid you in seeking out real-life enjoyment, such as looking up movie times and reviews, or finding a concert near you.

Price Free Developer StumbleUpon StumbleUpon has been a popular social-bookmarking website for years and the app follows the same premise, providing you with entertaining webpages, videos and photos. As you Like and Dislike randomly generated webpages, the app learns your interests and recommends content for you. Webpages can be set as favourites so you can come back to them any time. Unfortunately, the search engine doesn’t filter webpages not optimised for smaller screens, sometimes making for awkward reading.

Flixster Price Free Developer Flixster Inc. Browse the cinemas in your local area to find the times and showings of movies. In some cases you can even book advanced tickets to see the movie and even choose the seats that you want to sit in. Flixster also includes a full streaming service of certain movies for a small subscription fee.

Onion News Network Price Free Developer The Onion Watch satirical news stories from the popular website The Onion. While it is a shame that this app only includes video content and doesn’t make use of the website’s many written articles, you are able to sort by show, view editor’s picks, access popular segments and search The Onion’s archives for spoof stories from yesteryear.

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5 essential apps Barclays PingIt Price Free Developer Barclays Bank When it comes to convenience, one of the first apps that should spring to mind is Barclays PingIt because of the way it completely removes hassle from banking transaction. The app makes it possible to essentially send money via SMS using just a mobile number. It’s even possible to add messages and pictures to your transactions for that more personal touch. The beauty of this app is that it means your account is never beyond your reach.

My Budget Book Price £1.49/$2.29 Developer OneTwoApps See your balance on the opening screen and track all of your earnings and expenses. Filter data by months, years or financial quarters, sort transactions by category and create graphs to see where your money is going. You can also take action managing multiple accounts and make transfers in-app. With access to so much sensitive information, the app also comes with an optional password and allows you to back up files for safekeeping.

QManage your accounts and make money transfers with My Budget Book

PayPal Price Free Developer PayPal Mobile Use the PayPal app to manage all your online payments you make on your various credit and debit cards. The app acts as a thorough account manager allowing you to distribute money between your accounts and track the history of payments you’ve received and sent. Its best use, however, is linking it to your eBay account to create a flawless payment system that you can access and use time and time again.

Google Finance Price Free Developer Google Inc. As with any Google app, you’re going to get brilliant all-round functionality and Finance is no different. Find the latest stocks and share prices with constantly updating charts and read about what’s making the latest headlines in the world of global finance.

Currency Converter Price Free Developer Pocketools.com Check the exchange rate of the world’s currencies with this informative app. As well as it providing a basic conversion, you’re able to set a preferred list of currencies for quick use. You can also see a graph of every currency’s value over time, ranging from up-tothe-minute readings through to the last five years.


QBarclays Pingit removes the hassle QMake quick conversions

from banking transactions

with the Currency Converter app

Finance

Managing your money shouldn’t get in the way of living your life. That’s why personal finance apps are such a natural fit for Android. They let you track your stocks, convert currencies, calculate how much you owe and pay your expenses – all on the go. The best apps are those that take advantage of Android’s finger-friendly interface or features such as location-awareness. For example, GPS or Wi-Fi can be helpful in finding the way to

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the nearest ATM. As so many financial apps are developed by banks, a lot are free or available for a nominal charge, so there’s little to lose by trying them. Keeping track of your money can easily become a daunting task, but we have some recommended apps here that range from delivering up-to-the-minute market news, to managing your budget on the go, converting currency, even just helping you split restaurant bills fairly between friends.

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5 essential apps Minecraft - Pocket Edition Price £4.99/$6.99 Developer Mojang

QIt’s all about survival in Temple Run 2

QFind all your favourite characters from The Simpsons

The desktop epic has made a brilliant mobile port and has resulted in Minecraft’s following growing even more. This is still very much a full version of the game, just scaled down for mobile devices, so you still need to build up your world and of course watch out for zombies when night falls. There’s also multiplayer options so you can take on friends and other players from around the world. A great way to pass a few hours – or more!

Temple Run 2 Price Free Developer Imangi Studios The successful follow-up to the original Temple Run has been a massive hit and showcases what Android gaming is really capable of. This time around you’re still trying to escape with the treasure but need to navigate new treacherous maps. There’s also a great unlock system that lets you buy new characters and power ups that you can use on your mission.

The Simpsons: Tapped Out Price Free Developer EA Swiss Sarl

Games With the power of a Galaxy device in your pocket, it’s now possible to play the latest games at any time and in any place. Some true blockbusters await you in the Google Play Store, with action-packed shooters, edge-of-your-seat racers and addictive platformers available. Of course, controlling these games with accuracy is key. Until you’ve played a game using touch-controls, it’s hard to imagine how intuitive and easy it is. Puzzle and strategy games are easier to handle than ever before and it’s possible to rearrange the on-screen buttons to accommodate the size of your device. With in-built accelerometers it’s also possible to control games simply by tilting your device. Here we’ve rounded up what we think are the best five games currently available for Android devices. Some can be completed in mere minutes, making them perfect for commutes or long queues, whereas others are focused, lengthy titles that offer unlimited hours of fun.

QEnjoy quality games such as Grand Theft Auto III

The Simpsons is the latest franchise to release a tie-in game to its popular TV series. The game tells the story of Homer accidentally setting off a nuclear explosion in Springfield and it becomes your job to rebuild it how you see fit. It can take a while to get going, but you’ll soon meet all your favourite characters from The Simpson’s brand and even some of the original voice actors too. This game is both addictive and brilliant at the same time!

Grand Theft Auto III Price £3.72/$4.99 Developer Rockstar Games

QThis pocket edition is still very much a full version

The PS2 title that completely changed the face of open-world gaming with its sprawling criminal epic has been optimised for Android. The graphics are stunning and in HD, the missions follow a detailed storyline, but the freedom to roam also offers unlimited hours of gameplay. The button controls, however, take some getting used to.

Angry Birds Star Wars Price Free Developer Rovio

QFire Angry Birds at the Pig Star in this franchise cross-over

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The Angry Birds journey to a galaxy far, far away. Recast as the Rebels taking on the Imperial Pigs, you can use the Force to move objects and lightsabers in environments resembling the planet Tatooine and the Death Star. However, beyond these mostly aesthetic changes, the game retains the same physics-based puzzles that made this franchise a phenomenon.


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Health & Fitness Galaxy devices are packed with clever technologies that can aid in exercise and improve your health. The GPS can be used to track your route and distance in real-time, the web connection can compare food nutrition, the media player can support instructional videos and the camera flash can even monitor your heartbeat.

“Get into shape in next to no time” Making the most of these features to improve your health is easy thanks to the myriad apps available on the Google Play Store. Nearly all are free, so there’s no excuse not to download an app, put on your sports shoes and get running (or whatever other activity takes your interest). We’ve scoured the Play Store and rounded up the five essential apps that can improve your health and fitness. You’ll find reviews of a distance tracker, heartbeat monitor, all-in-one exercise guide and a calorie counter here. With these apps, you should be able to get into shape in next to no time. QKeep track of your diet using Calorie Counter

5 essential apps Calorie Counter Price Free Developer FatSecret

A simple tool to find all the nutritional facts for the foods you eat. Use the barcode scanner to tell you the calorie content of food before you buy; the search function to look up your favourite foods, brands and restaurants, as well as health-conscious recipes. You can also log your eating habits, exercise routine and current weight into various diaries, the end result giving you a diet calendar to see your calories consumed and burned.

Zombies, Run! Price £5.49/$7.99 Developer Six to Start

Have fun while getting fit with this running game. The premise of the app is that while you are out jogging, you will hear the guttural groans of the undead through your headphones creeping up behind you and you must outrun them to escape. With over 40 runs worth of content and a detailed story, if you don’t find stats monitoring your workout motivational, Zombies, Run! is highly recommended.

Endomondo Sports Tracker PRO Price £3.99/$4.99 Developer Endomondo

This tracking app allows you to monitor your duration, distance, speed and calories in a distance-based sport, such as running, cycling or walking. However, the feature that most sets Endomondo apart is its massive sports social network. Here you can interact with other users, compete against their fast times, share routes and workout routines, and even send friends pep talks for the next time they work out.

Fitness Buddy: 300+ Exercises Price Free Developer Azumio This app includes a comprehensive guide to ways to work out at the gym. Filter by exercise name or the muscle group you want to improve to find the right workout. Each entry comes with step-by-step photos and a detailed description. Plan your exercise regime using the calendar on the opening screen.

Runtastic Pro

QFlee the undead in jogging game Zombies, Run!


QLet Runtastic Pro monitor your progress

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Price £4.29/$5.99 Developer Runtastic One of the very best fitness apps out there, Runtastic can monitor your progress in so many ways. You can see your pace as well as how you’re performing against your goals. The app also contains voice feedback during exercise, and plenty of social content too.

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Media & Video With a dizzying array of multimedia-based apps to be found on the Google Play Store, it’s possible to have a never-ending stream of video entertainment on your Galaxy device. As 3G and 4G networks support increasingly high-quality video streaming, services such as LOVEFiLM and Crackle allow you to watch the latest TV shows and movies on the go. Conventional broadcasters are also trying to get in on the action, with the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky all releasing apps to watch on-demand episodes and even live sports. But the era of watching movies at home may not be over just yet. While there are many pretenders to the crown of video-sharing, YouTube remains the king. However, YouTube doesn’t rest on its laurels and continues to innovate, as the recent overhaul of its app and introduction of ‘preloading’ technology shows. Creatives are also harnessing apps such as Kodak Cinema Tools and Photo Tools to make sophisticated videos of their own. QCreate stop-motion movies on your device with Lapse It

5 essential apps Poweramp Music Player Price Free Developer Max MP Poweramp has undergone numerous updates over the years, but it’s only recently we’ve been able to recommend it as an essential app for Galaxy users. As well as catering for most audio file types, even those pesky .m4a files, Poweramp can be synced with your existing music library so that everything is played without any buffering, but be patient as the syncing process does take a while to complete. For a more complete set of features, you should consider investing in the paid version of the app.

YouTube Price Free Developer Google For those of you with Android OS 4.0 and up, the app for the world’s most popular video-sharing site was recently updated. As well as the features you would expect from YouTube, such as watching videos and adding comments, you can now ‘preload’ videos, so the latest videos from your favourite channels will be queued for when you next have Wi-Fi access. Your phone now also works as a remote control, sending videos to be watched on your desktop.

Lapse It Price Free Developer Interactive Universe Shoot your own stop-motion videos and edit them with this arty app. Lapse It is a free download that takes a snapshot every couple of seconds and then strings them all together into one complete time-lapse video. From here, you are offered a full editing suite, such as adjustable focus and white balance, apply filters, as well as the ability to trim videos. The Pro version is available by an in-app purchase and allows you to render videos up to 1080p.

uTorrent Price Free Developer BitTorrent, Inc. If you’re looking for a way to get torrent files on your device then you’ll want to download the uTorrent download client. From here you can manage every torrent download and see an estimated time for when it’ll be ready to use on your phone or tablet, whenever you might need it.

Plex for Android Price £3.21/$4.99 Developer Plex

QAs with the web version of YouTube, select from the top videos or search for something specific

QPlex allows you to sort and organise your video files

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A great organiser for all your content, Plex allows users to sort all their video files so that they can be used in any of the Plex apps. In addition, the app is hooked up to a host of cool content providers like YouTube and Vimeo so you can always find new videos to stream too. This is a very handy addition to your app collection.


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5 essential apps

Medical

First Aid by British Red Cross

Mobile medicine is a growing sector in the app market. Not so long ago, the mere suggestion that your phone could provide any sort of medical assistance was a joke or, at least, science fiction. However, the ever-growing processing power and memory of smartphones means your device can deliver large amounts of information quickly – ideal during a medical emergency. Some apps let you cut away images of muscle layers to see what lies beneath, while others offer an e-health record system or even a smartphonebased blood pressure monitor. Many of these medical programs can be downloaded and used for a bit of fun, or can be used for educational purposes, while others empower everyday people to make a real difference in the lives of others.

“Empower people to make a real difference to the lives of others”

Price Free Developer British Red Cross Designed to be used in an emergency situation, this app is full of step-by-step videos on how to deal with everything from choking to hypothermia. Whereas these guides are quite short to see you through a crisis, the Learn and Prepare sections provide much greater detail to educate the user for future crises. The information is all hosted on the app itself, meaning no internet connection is needed, making it fast and easy to access and without the risk of the signal being lost when it is needed most.

Visual Anatomy

QGet help and stop smoking with Easy Stop Smoking

Price £1.60/$2.49 Developer Education Mobile Visual Anatomy contains 87 hi-res images of muscle/ligaments and the skeleton that can be pinch-zoomed and rotated to explore in detail, plus more than 750 features which can be interactively selected. Each feature has its own label and short description and there are several quizzes to test your knowledge. For more expert use, over 1,000 images from Gray’s Anatomy can be downloaded and accessed offline.

Easy Stop Smoking Price Free Developer Hypnotherapist Direct LTD Stopping smoking is tough, but with the Easy Stop Smoking app you have a comprehensive program that guarantees you’ll stop by the end of it. The app is split in to different parts that offer different methods to help stop smoking, all of which are done through hypnotherapy. You can alter the course to fit your needs and whether you’ve been smoking for just a few months or for a few decades, the help on offer is invaluable.

Pregnancy+ Price £1.99/$2.99 Developer Health & Parenting Ltd This app has already been hugely successful on iOS, and for good reason. Pregnancy+ is one of the most comprehensive help tools around, with a wealth of serious and detailed information about each stage of pregnancy, as well as some clever little touches.

ICE Price £2.99/$4.99 Developer Appventive

QPrepare for any medical emergency with First Aid


QDiscover the inner workings of the body with Visual Anatomy

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This invaluable app stores all your vital information in case something unfortunate happens to you and you need treatment. Users can input as much data as they like and even put in an emergency contact number as well.

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5 essential apps Spotify Price Free Developer Spotify Spotify offers instant access to millions of songs, which you can either arrange as playlists or stream as a never-ending radio. The app is easy to use with various sliders to navigate the vast library of music and lightningfast performance. As a bonus, each artist comes with a detailed biography and has built-in social networking with Facebook and Last.fm. Although Spotify is a free download, after 48 hours you have to subscribe to the premium service for all access.

Music & Streaming The death of the music industry has been greatly exaggerated in recent years. While critics bemoan the demise of the physical record, business is booming in the Google Play Store. Due to limited storage space on your smartphone and a desire to enjoy music across multiple platforms, music streaming, rather than downloading, has emerged as the dominant way to listen to music in recent years. Android is at the forefront

with support for Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Google Music. Tied up in licensing laws, the majority of music streaming costs money if you want unlimited access. Apps such as Spotify and Rdio are free to download and offer temporary access, before requiring you to sign up to a premium subscription. Other music apps such as Shazam or SoundHound make use of your device’s microphone to identify unknown music.

Shazam Encore Price £3.59/$5.59 Developer Shazam Entertainment Ever heard a song but didn’t know its name? Shazam solves this problem. Press the large button on the app’s home screen when you hear a song you like. It will tell you the song’s name, the band/artist, and a sample so you can verify the track. The app also provides lyrics, artist discography and tour information. The user interface is clunky, but the large buttons make it easier to use when you’re at a gig/nightclub.

TuneIn Radio Pro Price £3.31/$4.99 Developer TuneIn Should you want to leave the song selection up to someone else, TuneIn gives users access to more than 70,000 radio stations on your device. So now you can listen to all your favourite shows whenever you like, and there is also a huge library of podcasts on offer as well, with more than two million currently in the app. TuneIn even contains live shows and concerts so pretty much all your listening needs are covered.

QAccess thousands of stations with TuneIn Radio Pro

SoundHound Price Free Developer SoundHound Another song identification app in SoundHound, but one that offers a great choice of features. After identifying a song, the app offers several streaming options enabling you to listen to the song whenever you want, for a small fee of course. SoundHound has a ridiculously detailed encyclopaedic knowledge of music, so give it a shot!

Podcast Addict Price F£1.99/$2.99 Developer Xavier Gullemane Although it doesn’t get the acclaim of similar podcast apps, Podcast Addict boasts an impressive array of podcasts from thousands of sources. Users can curate their own playlists over different categories and choose to send and share them with friends, while also enjoying athe fantastic background audio feature.

QCreate your own playlists of your favourite QIdentify unknown songs with Shazam Encore

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podcasts with ease


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5 essential apps Pocket Casts Price £2.70/$3.99 Developer shiftyjelly Pocket Casts is simply a beautiful podcast manager app, that lets you subscribe, listen and enjoy a wide range of podcasts no matter where you are. One of the cleverest features it includes is the wireless backup that creates a digital version of your podcasts just in case you lose or misplace your phone. Although there are plenty of podcast-based apps currently on the Google Play Store, not many can match the level of detail and ease of use that the Pocket Casts app can offer all its users.

Instapaper QExplore

Price £1.93/$2.99 Developer Mobelux

the world of Android with Android magazine

There are plenty of occasions when you want to sit back and read through a host of articles but simply don’t have the time to both find and read them. Instapaper allows you to save any article you find and come back to it later when you have the time. As the name suggests it allows you to create a curated, digital newspaper for yourself. Instapaper also converts your saves into simple white screens to reduce the visual noise that you can get on some sites.

QFind new podcasts with Pocket Casts

News & Magazines Arguably, the combination of news text and the mobile platform is a match made in heaven. In fact, the concept of the 24-hour news world has largely been forged around the mobile phone. The smartphone has turned news access on mobile platforms into an accepted and increasingly specialist medium which has encouraged mobile magazines to take firm root in many genres. It is little wonder then that you will see newsstand publications offering free content

as an app to partly encourage you to also buy the paper version, or perhaps to try to tempt you with further data coverage upon the payment of a fee. Because this is a data medium, news on a mobile platform can be manipulated in a variety of different ways, which means feeding you information via RSS or aggregating it to combine a variety of sources. Ultimately, news and magazine apps allow you to modify and tailor reports to how you want to receive them.

Reddit Sync Pro Price £1.25/$1.99 Developer Sync Apps This unofficial app for Reddit, the news aggregator website, provides an impressive ICS Holo interface in which to read posts. Some of the social aspects that make Reddit so popular have been lost: there’s no way to Friend people and you can’t view your own comments easily. However, as a standalone reader, Reddit Sync Pro is very impressive, with day and night-time themes that adjust for lighting, and the option to sync image posts for offline use.

Android Magazine Price £2.99/$4.99 Developer Imagine Publishing Devoted entirely to the Android market, Android magazine is perfect for both beginners and more experienced Android users. From setting up and getting started to getting more out of your device with essential tips and tricks, this app is a must-have.

Appy Geek

QSave articles to read later with Instapaper

QGet all the technology articles you could dream of in Appy Geek


QView favourite news sites in one reader with Reddit

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Price Free Developer Mobiles Republic Appy Geek is the ultimate news source for those looking for the latest headlines in the world of technology. Each story is cleverly laid out to make reading it as easy as possible, images are nicely rendered and each story can be downloaded to read whenever you want to, at your convenience.

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5 essential apps

Personalisation One of Android’s overall strengths is its personalisation features, enabling users to tweak notification settings, add widgets and more without any restrictions. It’s what sets Android devices apart from the more locked-down operating systems such as iOS, Windows Phone and RIM. Browse the Google Play Store and you’ll discover apps that apply statistic widgets on your home screen, add notification bubbles that can be interacted with and display amazing graphics in the background of your home screen, as well as programs that can give you access to literally millions of ringtones and wallpapers for you to use. All of these features can be downloaded as apps – most for free – and you don’t need to hack or root your device to use them. You’re largely free to customise your Samsung device as you see fit. To help you get started we’ve rounded up our five favourite personalisation apps. Discover how you can customise your device with amazing graphics, audio and communication notifications.

Nova Launcher Prime Price £2.60/$3.29 Developer TeslaCoil In terms of customisation, you won’t find a more detailed alternate launcher than Nova Launcher Prime. You can tinker with every aspect of your phone’s display, and design it exactly how you want it to look like without it being too complicated of an app to understand. To expand the app further, the development team behind the app have released a choice of downloadable themes that you can use alongside the main launcher to help personalise your device.

WidgetLocker Lockscreen Price £1.99/$2.99 Developer TeslaCoil Software Open up the lock screen to having widgets and shortcuts of your choice with this app, and give yourself the ability to make any slider a shortcut to any app or process. Slider Actions can be customised, for example Slide-to-launch-Camera or Slide-to-callyour-Girlfriend. The slider menu is full of different themes, ranging from the stock Android slider to iOS’s MIUI to MotoBlur.

Everything Home (Beta) Price Free Developer Everything.me

QAll of the widgets on HD Widgets are very colourful and highly customisable

“Customise your Samsung device as you see fit”

Could perhaps be regarded as the ultimate personalisation app. Everything Home places a search bar at the top of your device and takes what you search for and completely moulds your phone to that search term, complete with background image and even suggested apps. The app completely changes the way you can use your phone, not just adding a touch of personalisation, but also improved productivity with your device in hand.

Go Launcher EX Price Free Developer Go Launcher Dev Team Offering a wide range of themes, icons and resizable widgets, Go Launcher EX also boasts some innovative utility functions. Among these are an efficient and strong app manager – with sorting, hiding app, searching, cleaning memory and refresh – and custom gestures that offer you more convenience and fun.

HD Widgets Price £1.49/$1.99 Developer cloud.tv

QAdd cool effects to your home screen with Nova Launcher Prime

QAdd extra functions to your lock screen with WidgetLocker

QGo Launcher Ex offers a diverse range of themes

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A rival to the throne of Beautiful Widgets, HD Widgets offers gorgeous widgets that are easy to install. Including a mixture of customisable clocks and weather forecast widgets, the graphics are all in stunning high definition and also optimised for tablets, so once you download it, you can use it on all of your devices.


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5 essential apps

Photography The cameras on smartphones today have evolved into sophisticated kits and it looks like we’re reached an era where a digital camera or DSLR is quickly being struck off the list of ‘must-have’ items in your home. The norm today is 13MP and the success of Instagram has seen a recent trend for vintage-style filters that give your photos a dated, pre-digital look with distorted colours and lens flare. These retro images are a lot of fun and the adding of captions and

Paper Camera

borders lend themselves well to the social sharing aspect that is built up around these types of photos. With apps like Photoshop Express, you can now access a photoediting suite on your phone and crop, rotate and adjust the colour of your images to create something truly spectacular. Other apps are also opening up new avenues for so-called ‘phone-tography,’ with panoramic landscapes and time-lapse videos becoming increasingly popular.

Price £1.19/$1.99 Developer JFDP Labs Add real time cartoon and painting effects to your photos with the Paper Camera. Use the different filters to create fun photos and then be amazed when the app applies a bunch of colourful additions to them. The choice is amazing and you’ll be able to find new combinations of filters and effects to keep your images looking different and fun every time you start using the app. All your photos created through the app can then be directly sent to your Facebook account.

Camera Zoom FX Price £1.79/$2.99 Developer androidslide Seen by many as one, if not the best camera app on Android. Camera Zoom FX allows you to take up to 10 shots a second, some serious speed in terms of a smartphone camera app. It also supports an impressive level of zoom as well as the ability to adjust the button layout as you see fit. Camera Zoom FX is refreshing simply to use and has the features to go with it to make it a very useful app to always have close at hand.

Flickr Price Free Developer Yahoo

QView and add comments on photos

Share your photos across social networks with Flickr. Take photos in-app, enhance them with filters, then share across Facebook and Twitter. You also get access to Flickr’s community of budding photographers and the ability to view their work and your own in fullscreen browsing and slideshows. Here you can also share the stories behind your pictures. To help keep track of your photos, the app also uses geotagging so you don’t forget where they were taken.

QView pictures

Pro HDR Camera

QYou have to register to use the Flickr app

as thumbnails, in full screen, or as a slideshow

Price £1.25/$1.99 Developer EyeApps Mimic DSLR-quality photography with this app. It takes two exposures and then combines them together; you can then make adjustments to the image. The results are extremely high quality and the sliders to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation are very responsive.

QGeotag your pictures so you never forget where they were taken

QMimic DSLR-quality photos with Pro HDR Camera

“Access a photoediting suite on your phone” 136 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

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Adobe Photoshop Express Price Free Developer Adobe Systems This app is derived from the muchrespected suite of editing programs. It only enables users to carry out basic edits, such as cropping, rotating, adjusting colour and adding artistic effects, but this far exceeds anything other Android photo-editing apps offer.

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5 essential apps Shopper Price Free Developer Google Google Shopper provides a search engine to find products and compare prices online and in your area. The Shopper app recognises products by cover art, barcodes, voice and text. You can also select items by category from the main menu. All products come with descriptions, user reviews and videos, where available. When Shopper can’t recognise a barcode, it offers to search in the Google browser. This app also lists online retailers before local ones – perfect if you’re looking for the best price, but not ideal if you’re trying to support your local high street.

FastMall Price Free Developer Mindsmack Navigate your way round the biggest and best malls in the UK, USA, Canada and France with FastMall. With detailed layouts of major shopping centres, this app makes it easy to get in, make your purchase, and get out again. The ability to download maps offers the bonus of not needing Wi-Fi. Other handy features include the ability to record where you parked your car. If you need the toilet urgently, shake your phone frantically to find the nearest restroom.

Shopping First we fell in love with shopping online, now it’s all about doing it on the move. Shopping apps allow you to search for products you want, wherever you are. Some complain that shopping apps are driving purchasers away from local shops and sending them to online vendors, pointing to the eBay and Android mobile apps as examples. While this is certainly true to some extent, this is only in the interest of finding the best deal for the consumer. There are also many apps designed explicitly to accommodate and promote local businesses. For example, voucher apps such as Groupon, LivingSocial and Vouchercloud exist to tempt shoppers into visiting nearby businesses with special offers. In short, shopping with Android apps is efficient, direct and enables you to find the best price for what you want. QScan barcodes to find the best price with Shopper

QNavigate shops with FastMall

eBay Price Free Developer eBay Mobile The official app for the shopping service that we have all become familar with needs little introduction. This app allows you to fully manage your buying and selling activity no matter where you might find yourself, something very useful. Just ask any eBay addict. You can carry out transactions in-app, and thanks to an interface re-design in the not too distant past, it’s extremely easy to use.

QView photos of products at various angles with Fancy QReader ratings are included for each product

Fancy Price Free Developer thingd Similar to Pinterest, Fancy is all about finding and sharing cool things online, with the significant difference that on Fancy you can actually buy them. This is secondary however to the endless social aspect, with the app focused on rating photos of stylish products and commenting on them.

QBe warned, products are often well above high-street prices

QIf you see something you like on Fancy, click here and it will direct you to a website where you can buy it

Vouchercloud Price Free Developer Invitation Digital Free to download and use, Vouchercloud has the biggest selection of mobile discount vouchers – with a mix of big brand names and local shops. Deals include retail, fine dining, cinema tickets and much more, but you can filter between types of categories using colour-coded headings at the top of the screen.

QManage your account on the go with the eBay app

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Social

Perhaps the greatest aspects of owning a smartphone is the sheer number of opportunities to stay in touch with friends, family and the wider world. Thanks to the amazing number of social networking apps available for Android devices, there’s a wealth of content out there waiting to be discovered. Some of the very best apps enable you to chat with friends in real-time, share and view photos, send free messages, read tweets from

5 essential apps friends and the famous alike, ‘check-in’ at locations to share your current whereabouts, plus plenty more. Incredibly, all of these apps are free to download and use. Read on to discover five essential social networking apps that enable you to stay in touch and tell the world what you’re thinking. You’ll wonder how everyone managed to communicate with only landline telephones just two decades ago. QGet your Facebook news on your home screen with Facebook Home

Snapchat Price Free Developer Snapchat, Inc Snapchat is the new wave of texting that’s recently become very popular owing to its constant usage by teenagers. Users can send a creatively-enhanced picture or text message to a friend or group of friends and set a time-limit as to how long they can view it for (up to 10 seconds). After that the message is deleted both at the receiver’s end and from the Snapchat servers. If a screenshot was taken, the sender will be notified. Cool, innovative and fun, Snapchat has taken messaging to a whole new level.

Facebook Home Price Free Developer Facebook If you’re a user who keeps checking their Facebook profile a minimum of ten times in a day, then Facebook Home is for you. It’s basically a launcher that puts all your Facebook friend’s posts and photos on your home screen for you to get instant updates of what’s going in your social network. Download Facebook Messenger to discover Chat Heads, where you can chat with friends from other apps. At present, Home is only available on select Samsung devices.

Keek Social Video Price Free Developer Keek Inc

QFollow feeds of vintage photos on Instagram

Q Chat with people in the Omegle app

Capture and share short videos with a big community of fellow video bloggers on Keek. The app includes all the social functions you’d expect and it’s remarkably easy to meet new people. You’ll also find an integrated video recorder that lets you post all your videos directly to the site for everyone else to see. There are plenty of additional features to discover the more videos you upload and after a few goes at using it, you’ll find it to be on par with YouTube.

Omegle Price Free Developer NDCubed If you want a simple way to meet people without any awkward face to face meetings, then the Omegle app is for you. The app enables users to connect with people who share the same interests as them all behind an anonymous username. You can then move on to someone else through the ‘next’ button.

Instagram

“Tell the world what you’re thinking” 138 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

QSend text and picture messages with an expiry date in Snapchat

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Price Free Developer Instagram While the likes of Snapchat have come along and done something different with photo-sharing, Instagram remains the heavyweight of photo apps thanks to its huge community and of course the cool range of filters you can place on your image uploads. This is an app you must have on your smartphone.

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Sports

5 essential apps

Around 20 years ago, following your favourite sports team was a challenge, as you had to buy newspapers, watch televisions and listen to the radio in order to get the right results at the right time. How things have changed! The sonic boom, that was the internet, left our computer screens and fell into our laps, and now wherever you go, whatever your sport, the Google Play Store has an app that means you’re never more than a few seconds away from up-to-the-second information about your team or your own athletic pursuits. You used to have to count the hours until your favourite sports team took the field or court, and there was precious little to do between games. Fortunately, now there are apps that help you while away the hours until kick-off. There are tools for tracking scores in football, cricket, golf, tennis and even fencing; playing fantasy sports games; and much more.

Price £3.13/$4.99 Developer TechSmith Corp

Coach’s Eye Analyse everything from your golf swing to your weightlifting form with Coach’s Eye. It is straightforward enough to use: film athletes practising, then review the footage in-app in slow motion, using the flywheel to fluidly and precisely scroll through video to identify and review techniques. You can also draw onto the video using lines, arrows, circles, squares and freehand tools, as well as record audio over the top of footage. This app is very simple to use, but could give athletes a winning edge.

MyTrails Price Free Developer FrogSparks The MyTrails app is the perfect accompaniment to any avid hikers and walkers amongst you. You can access online and offline maps of areas you’re visiting to scout the terrain and climate you’ll face on your travels. All the maps can be downloaded from the app so you have access to them even if you’ve got no phone signal. Ultimately, MyTrails might not have enough about it to compete with Google Maps, but what it does include is invaluable.

QAnnotate and analyse athletes’ performances with Coach’s Eye

F1 2013 Timing App Price £19.99/$28.99 Developer Soft Pauer The sort of information and technology you gain access to by using this app are the sort of things you would expect to see used by the pit teams in F1. The app allows users to follow the race via a live infographic that tracks each driver, as well as focus on individuals. You can fill your screen with times, or if you want to get to know the drivers a little more there are full and in-depth profiles on each of them.

ESPN Goals Price £3.99/$6.42 Developer ESPN Digital If you’re an avid football fan, then the ESPN Goals app is perfect for you. Track your favourite team and see the latest squad news, results and headlines involving them. After every match weekend a highlights reel of key moments is uploaded to the app for you to watch.

QScope out the terrain for your hike in MyTrails

Sky Sports News Price Free Developer BSkyB

QGet the latest QFollow the race and track your favourite drivers with F1 2013

results from Sky Sports News

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Get the latest sporting news from the app for the dedicated channel. For the most part, the app is a rather pedestrian news ticker consisting of lists of stories, varied between news bulletins and video. Other features include the ability to stream Sky Sports News Radio and, for Sky Sports subscribers, to watch live TV.


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5 essential apps

Tools Smartphones are essentially digital Swiss Army knives, except instead of a spork and a corkscrew, it comes with a QR scanner or a language translator. With a few simple taps in the Google Play Store, you can add or remove as many tools as you like and customise your device for different tasks. The apps in the Tools category have two subtle distinctions. Firstly, there are those designed to improve your life. When you’re lost in the dark, there is a flashlight. Need to measure the length of a doorway, or even the height of a house? Your camera plus an

app packed with clever equations can do the maths for you. Want to change the TV channel but can’t find the remote? There is a universal remote app that will do it from your smartphone. Then there are those apps that are designed to improve your smartphone. They boost your battery life, provide added security protections, or just allow you to run Flash animations in your web browser. These kind of apps may seem less important but if your device is supercharged, so are you.

Adobe Air Price Free Developer Adobe Adobe AIR is the ultimate hub for any web apps you often use on your device. It monitors your history of any web apps you’ve interacted with, providing you with quick access to them whenever you need them. At any point you can perform a remote wipe on anything stored to help quicken up the app a little, if necessary. If you’ve other Adobe apps installed on your device, you can use Adobe Air to sync them all together.

Tiny Flashlight & LED Price Free Developer Nikolay Ananiev

QKeep track of all your web apps in one place with Adobe Air

QChoose from a variety of colours

QAdd custom animations to different areas of your phone

QNotice the LED change colour throughout

QUse the home menu to track all your changes

Next time you’re caught in a blackout, turn your device into a torch with this app. The camera flash can be switched on for an extended time from the home screen, but under the menu screen you can also turn your screen into a bright white light. Other in-app features mostly exist for novelty value, such as a strobe light, orange warning lights and red and blue police lights. One standout extra, though, also allows you to type in text and then flashes it as Morse code.

APP Lock Price Free Developer DoMobile Lab Protect your installed apps using a password or pattern, perhaps to keep prying eyes out your photos or deny thieves the satisfaction of playing all your games. All your apps (including advanced ones such as answering incoming calls and the Google Play Store) are listed in-app and you can either set them all to locked or unlocked, or use sliders to individually customise your apps’ encryption.

Google Translate Price Free Developer Google QLock up any of your apps away from prying eyes with APP Lock

A perilous situation for any of us is having to try and communicate with someone without a common language. Yes, we have tried your handy phrasebook but you’re still struggling, this is where Google Translate comes in. Speak or type anything into the app and it can be translated into almost any language. Hear it said out loud or printed so your communication is clear.

LightFlow LED Price £1.49/$2.49 Developer Rage Consulting

“Customise your device for different tasks” 140 Samsung Galaxy Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks

QTranslate from almost any language quickly with Google Translate

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One of the coolest ways of personalising your device is to use LightFlow, an ingenious app that lets you tinker and implement a wide variety of designs throughout your phone. As well as adding colours to your notifications, you can also alter the sounds and vibration settings to really personalise your device.

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5 essential apps SpeedView Pro Price £1.80/$2.95 Developer Code Sector SpeedView Pro is an advanced speedometer that connects to your phone’s GPS system to show you your current speed and other essential driving data. The interactive HUD can be customised to show other data that can then be sent to your desktop computer for you to take a look at, and you can then attach your phone to a windshield mount to see live stats as you start driving. There’s a free version available from the Google Play Store but it doesn’t include half the amount of features that the Pro version does.

Hailo Price Free Developer Hailo Use Hailo to scan for a taxi in your area, then – with two quick taps – get their attention and tell them your location. Track your cab in real-time, so there is no reason to hang outside waiting for them. After you get to your destination, payment is taken from your card automatically and a receipt is emailed to you. Currently Hailo is only available in London, Dublin, Toronto, Chicago and Boston, but it plans to be available in 100 cities worldwide by 2015.

WhatGas Petrol Prices Price Free Developer whatgas.com WhatGas flags up petrol stations in your area on a map. Tapping on a flag will reveal the petrol station’s unleaded and diesel prices as submitted by other local users, and tapping on the top bar will reveal the best overall price in the area. When you go to fill up, if you spot their prices have changed, you can submit new prices yourself and update the app. Similarly, if you also spot there is a petrol station near you that has been missed, you can add it to the map yourself.

QCatch a cab with ease using Hailo

Transport What better method of accessing information relating to transport than via a mobile phone, and what better time to do it than while you are on the move? The two mediums are truly synergistic and both change their content regularly. Transport-related apps have the ability to access timetables, for example, in real-time. As such, they can pick up late changes in those timetables due to adverse weather conditions or problems on the route. Some apps enable you to plan your route and

will offer advice as you do so, while others give you a real-time movement monitor. By utilising your phone’s GPS system, they can see where you are relative to the rest of the country or find out how close you are to the next station – endlessly useful if you find yourself in an unfamiliar location. Information like this also enables you to ring ahead to friends, family and business colleagues with up-to-date information regarding any unexpected delays.

Tube Map Price Free Developer mXData Whether you’re a regular London commuter or just a day visitor, the usefulness of having this app close on hand is unspeakable. Get live updates as well as plan your route and use maps offline.

Car Locator Price £2.99/$3.99 Developer Edward Kim Never forget where you parked the car again with this excellent app. Car Locator uses GPS to log your location. For convenience this tracker can be set up as a homescreen widget. To aid your search, you can attach photos and add notes to an entry, or email the location to a third party.

QGet the best price when filling

QGet live Tube updates straight to

QTrack your speed and other

your car using WhatGas Petrol Prices

your phone

car information in SpeedView

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5 essential apps

Travel & Local Perhaps the biggest advantage to owning an Android device is that it’s impossible to get lost. At an instant you can pull up an entire map of the world, manipulate it with your fingers, see yourself pinpointed and get directions to any destination. Pulling up to the

side of the road to ask a stranger directions is now a thing of the past. As is carrying (and folding) a paper map. Of course, there’s a wealth of further benefits to owning a smartphone. Thanks to the plethora of apps in the Play Store, you can see live flight details for any commercial plane in the world, see your seat on a plane map, view departures and arrivals for any airport, navigate the world’s streets in first-person and then see the entire surface of the planet in 3D. There’s a mind-boggling array – all accessed through the device in your pocket. QTripAdvisor’s search bar makes it easy to look up any location in the world

QBrowse millions of user-generated reviews and upload your own

QFilter entries by hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions

QUse Near Me Now to scan for local attractions and access maps

“You can pull up a map of the world and see yourself pinpointed”

Booking.com Price Free Developer Booking.com No matter where you’re looking to travel to in the world, Booking.com contains over 265,000 hotels and hostels to help you find the perfect place to stay. You can filter your results to find the perfect place and the app also includes essential travel tips for many destinations. Every month the app looks to add new destinations and hotels that you can check out, so you’re always spoilt for choice. Prices are fairly competitive, but make sure you shop around to see all of the available options first.

Waze Social GPS Traffic & Gas Price Free Developer Waze This community-based GPS app allows you to join forces with other drivers nearby to outsmart traffic while driving. Crowdsourcing information from its 30 million users, Waze gives you real-time traffic reports on everything from accidents and speed cameras to petrol prices and weather conditions. The social function also extends to Facebook and the option to have Map Chats with other users. The app also supports voice control to enable hands-free use.

Plane Finder 3D Price £1.99/$2.99 Developer Pinkfoot Limited While there are plenty of apps that allow you to track the planes in the skies above us, few are as cool or striking as Plane Finder 3D. This app involves a 3D look at air traffic above us, and allows users to get details and track individual flights at will. The Fly Me feature allows users to focus on a certain flight and take in the surrounding air traffic and the ground terrain from the perspective of a selected plane.

TripAdvisor Hotels Flights Price Free Developer TripAdvisor The renowned travel website, where users rate their experience at tourist attractions, is now in app form. A simplified version of the site, you can access all of its web listings and write reviews on the go. Better still, you can scan for hotels, restaurants and attractions in your area.

CoPilot GPS Price Free Developer ALK Technologies

QFind the perfect hotel with Booking.com

QCrowdsource your traffic news with Waze Social GPS


QTake a 3D look at air traffic in the skies above you and track individual flights

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CoPilot has several apps on the Google Play Store, but their GPS app is the best of them all. This app works an offline route planner, enabling you to get directions from one place to another without being connected to a Wi-Fi network. All your routes can be saved for later use, if necessary.

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5 essential apps

Weather

is a simple, no-fluff, no-nonsense weather app. It does its job well, but any weather app can give you the highs and lows for the day. Often you might want more information such as the humidity, wind speeds or sunrise and sunset times and other data.

We’ve come to expect weather forecasts to maybe not be absolutely accurate, but at least to give us a general idea of what’s in store for the next day or so. When we’re looking forward to an outdoor event, we always check the forecasted conditions. Luckily there are plenty of apps that will let you check the weather at any time from anywhere. Many of us also have lines of work which benefit from regular weather updates. As such, it is crucial to know the weather forecast at the drop of a hat. The weather app built in to Galaxy phones

“Check the weather at any time from anywhere”

Accuweather Price Free Developer Accuweather.com Packaged in a sleek, clean user interface, Accuweather is packed with information. Daily forecasts are displayed on the main screen, with a graphic and temperature for your current location in the top half, which can be used as a slider for an hour-by-hour forecast; and details such as humidity, visibility, sunrise, sunset and wind direction listed in the lower half. The app also offers a broader 15-day prediction, radar images of cloud cover superimposed on Google Maps, and daily video forecasts from Accuweather.com.

Met Office Weather Application Price Free Developer Met Office Save up to ten locations for local weather forecasts or view the UK weather map in its entirety with this official Met Office app. The slider at the bottom of the map allows you to skim through hour-by-hour breakdowns of the weather, while tapping icons on the right allows you to vary how the weather is displayed, such as using rainfall radar images or pressure symbols. It’ll also alert you to severe weather warnings.

BBC Weather Price Free Developer BBC

QWeather Network provides global forecasts

A fairly new app on Google Play, BBC Weather is smart and simple, giving you all you need in a weather app. Using location it quickly gives you the current information where you are, as well as a five day forecast. If thats not enough you can swipe left to see an hour-by-hour breakdown of conditions and temperature. You can also search for any location around the world and access the same features.

Solaris Alpha Price £1.23/$1.99 Developer Tomasso There’s a lot of depth in this app and there’s no doubt you can learn something about the biggest star in our Solar System. You can find 3D ultraviolet sun maps that give you a tour of the sun, as well as realtime image of the sun’s current location and other important solar information.

QGet a 15-day forecast with Accuweather

The Weather Network QLearn about the sun in Solaris Alpha

QExplore the BBC’s weather app – a new addition to the Store

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Price Free Developer The Weather Network/Meteomedia This simple app displays a running list for weather in your area, shown as icons with temperatures. Scroll down for a 14-day forecast, or sideways to show similar lists for other set locations. From the main menu, you can access maps, charts, weather-related news and more.


tri Spe al ci of al fe r

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