Discover the hidden functions of your Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 + to improve its daily use.
Do you own a Samsung Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 +? These two smartphones, widely acclaimed by users, are still among the best terminals of the moment. Excellent in almost all areas, Samsung smartphones offer very good performance and conceal many more or less known hidden functions. Once configured and mastered, they will allow you to take full advantage of the capabilities of the device.
1. Open the notifications panel using the fingerprint sensor
Are your hands too small for your thumb to reach the notifications panel? Go to the Settings of your device, then enter the Advanced functions menu. By activating the Fingerprint sensor gestures function, you will only have to slide your index finger on the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone to deploy the notifications panel.
2. Change the screen resolution
Do you like the screen resolution of your Galaxy S9? By default, Samsung’s smartphone is configured to display an FHD + resolution corresponding to 2220 x 1080 pixels. But it is quite possible to get an even more detailed display by pushing the device to its maximum resolution, namely WQHD +, or 2960 x 1440 pixels.
To use it, open the Settings of the smartphone, then in Display, enter the Screen resolution menu, modify the settings by moving the cursor and confirm by pressing Apply. Be careful, however, changing the resolution of the device may have a negative impact on battery life.
3. Configure Dual Messaging
Who hasn’t struggled to log into multiple accounts on instant messaging apps? Rather than disconnecting / reconnecting your different accounts, why not multiply the instances of the same application? Samsung offers this possibility through the Dual Messaging feature. To use it, open Settings, then in Advanced Features, scroll through the options and enter the Double Messaging menu. The applications compatible with this function are automatically listed.
Activate the ones you need, tap Install and then Confirm. Dual messaging then offers you, if you wish, to select specific contacts for the secondary application. Tap Next and then Deactivate if you don’t need it. The second instance of your application installed on your smartphone is recognizable by a red icon.
4. Improve touch sensitivity
The tactile sensitivity of your screen seems to you a little less good since you installed a film or a protective glass? You can fix this problem very simply. Go to Settings, then in Advanced functions, activate the Touch sensitivity option.
5. Improve the sound rendering
Listening to music or watching a movie on your smartphone does not always offer a satisfactory sound experience, in particular because of the size of the speakers integrated into the smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 +, however, offer to improve the sound reproduction thanks to the Dolby Atmos function, which makes it possible to reproduce surround sound. To activate it, deploy the notifications panel, then the shortcuts panel. Go to the second page of shortcuts and tap Dolby Atmos to activate the feature.
6. Measure your heart rate
As long as you have the Samsung Health app installed, your Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9 + is able to measure your heart rate. Open Samsung Health on your device, scroll through the items on the home page, and locate the dedicated Heart Rate menu. Tap Measure and place your finger on the flash on the back of the device without pressing too hard. Samsung Health measures your pulse and after a few seconds displays your heart rate measurement.
7. Move the camera shutter button
Taking a group selfie is not easy: by reaching out as far as possible, you can hardly get everyone into the frame and you probably have a little trouble reaching the button to trigger the shot. Did you know you can move it around the screen? The trick is not new, but it can help in many situations.
Open the Camera app on your Galaxy S9 and simply drag the shutter button anywhere on the screen. Just press it to trigger the shot when you can’t reach the original button.
8. Show more icons on the home screen
Are you one of those people who doesn’t like having more than one page of apps displayed on the home screen? If you start to get a bit cramped on your device’s home page, you may be able to correct the problem by adding an extra row to accommodate your apps and app folders.
To do this, do a long press on the home screen, then enter Home screen settings. Then enter Home Screen Grid to select the number of rows and columns you want. You can display a maximum of 30 items on the home page of your smartphone.
9. Keep the screen active as long as you watch it
No, you don’t need to touch your screen to keep it active when reading, for example, a long article online. The Galaxy S9 and S9 + have the Smart Stay feature that keeps the device screen on as long as you watch it. To activate it, enter the Settings of the terminal, then in Advanced functions, activate the Smart Stay function.
10. Activate landscape mode on the home screen
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 + is able to display the home screen in landscape format. To activate the function, go to Settings, then in Display, access the Home screen menu. Then deactivate the Portrait mode only function. You should be able to switch your device’s Home screen display to landscape mode.
11. Activate the one-handed operation mode
While the screen size of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 + is comfortable for viewing content, using it with one hand can quickly become a problem. Unless you have large fingers, it is indeed difficult, if not impossible, to reach certain areas of the screen with your thumb.
To solve the problem Samsung has integrated a One-handed use mode to its smartphones.
To activate it, open Settings, then in Advanced functions, activate One-handed use mode.
Press the same menu to access the mode options: you can either use a diagonal movement from one of the lower corners of the screen to activate one-handed operation, or triple-press the button. Home. It’s up to you to choose the most convenient activation method for you.