After a few lucky buyers received their pre-ordered Galaxy S7 and S7 edge devices last week, most people will be getting them in the coming days. Therefore, we are just in time to share a handful of neat tips and tricks you can incorporate in your first setup routine once you receive your brand spanking new S7 or S7 edge. Still wondering if you should get one? Go check out our Galaxy S7 edge review.
Put more on your home screen
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a display that packs 2560 by 1440 pixels. That's plenty of real estate for, say, putting things on your home screen. Actually, using the default four by four icon grid is clearly a waste of all that precious space. So, go into the home screen settings by long pressing an empty part of that screen, tap Screen grid, and select the 5 x 5 option. Confirm by hitting Apply, and suddenly there's more space available for apps and widgets.
In case you're worried text and icons will get too small, don't. It is only the space in between that is reduced, not the size of the icons or text in widgets.
Pick a theme
Some of you will be familiar with Samsung's theme store, as it has been around since last year. However, most people don't buy a new high-end phone every year, so we'll assume most of you will be new to TouchWiz' best recently added feature. In short, there is no longer a need to put up with Samsung's standard design choices.
To find the theme store, put your fingertip on an empty bit of home screen again, to reveal the settings. Down there, you find the theme store icon. Once logged into your Samsung account, you can browse all kinds of themes, or categories of themes. For more inspiration, you can check out our Themes Thursday articles, or you can be pragmatic and simply pick an energy-saving dark-colored or black theme.
Customize your quick settings
Those buttons at the top of the notification share are, as you might know, not fixed. Of course, they usually are the same ones: Wi-Fi, Location, Mute, etcetera. And, with the small down-pointing triangle icon, you can show them all with one simple tap. Still, if that's one move too many, you may want to put the quick settings you use most in a position directly accessible without further actions.
If you pull down the notification shade, tap on said triangle icon to show all quick settings. Then tap Edit. Not only can you disable (or enable) the Quick connect button, but you can drag the different quick settings around. The top row is the settings, the second row is those that you can swipe to, horizontally. So if you always want direct access to, for example, the torch, put your finger on its icon and drag it to the top rows. Repeat until your quick settings reflect your own actual use pattern.
Pick your preferred screen mode
In recent years, Samsung's AMOLED displays have repeatedly emerged from tests revealing their superiority over current LCD technology. The Galaxy S7 is no exception, but out of the box, the screen is set to Samsung's adaptive display mode. This mode can impress with its vibrant colors, but it is certainly not the most accurate. If you like your phone to display calm, natural looking colors, head over to Settings and pick the Display option. Scroll down a bit, and you will find Screen mode, where the AMOLED-photo or Basic settings will give you the best color reproduction of any mobile device.
Register more fingerprints
With the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Samsung has made a setup procedure that incorporates many important features. Once completed, you probably have already registered your thumbprint to secure your new device. But let's face it: you don't always hold your phone in the same hand, or even the same way, and often you will want to unlock it while it's lying on the table.
Therefore, unless you like a hassle, you will need to register more than one fingerprint. The Galaxy S7 lets you store four, so best to put those to good use. Experience shows, that it is useful to register both left and right thumb, and left and right index finger. With those set, there's no situation or position where you can not unlock your phone easily.
To do all this, go to Lock screen and security, and choose Fingerprints. After entering your PIN code, you can now manage all registered prints and add more. Tapping a fresh registration's generic name (e.g. Fingerprint 1) will bring up a dialog where you can enter a more useful description.
And while you're here, flip the switch on web sign-in, so you no longer have to manually enter credentials when logging into SamMobile (or any other website, for that matter). You only type in your username and password once, and after that use your fingerprints to speed up the process.
Disable Flipboard Briefing
Now, here's a thing you might or might not want or need, depending on where you live. It seems that in some countries Samsung has done away with the Flipboard Briefing screen that clogged up TouchWiz on previous Galaxys. However, this is not true for everywhere, as many devices still come equipped with a Flipboard Briefing screen. In other countries, local services might fulfill the same role. Germans, for example, are blessed with a screen called Upday.
No matter your local variation, this screen can be disabled, and we know many users will want to do just that. So, again, place your finger on an empty bit of home screen to enter its settings. Swipe to the Flipboard screen and hit the switch to the top right to disable the entire section. You're welcome.
Configure the Always On display
Much has been written about the new Always On display feature of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. So let's make it do what we want it to. Or, actually, show, what we want to see. Head over to settings, and then once more to the Display section, to find the Always On options.
There, you can choose the content you want to be shown, and how it should appear. There is the clock, of course, but if you're a busy person, putting your agenda on the Always On display is another good possibility. Also, you can choose to display one of a few images, but frankly, those just look weird.
Still, as far as we've experienced the Always On display certainly does not drain significant amounts of energy, so setting it up for your own preferred usage is just one more thing to do after unpacking your brand new Galaxy S7 or S7 edge.
More, more, more
Of course, there's plenty more you can do to customize your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. Check out all our Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 tips to make the best of your new phone.
