25 Best Galaxy S5 Tips and Tricks

So, the Samsung’s best phone ever has been released worldwide and managed to achieve the 10 million shipment record in just 25 days.

Since Galaxy S5 is full of obvious and hidden features, in this AW Center article we review the best Galaxy S5 Tips and Tricks to boost your productivity while working with this great smart phone.

Let’s get started

1. How to Organize Settings Menus on Galaxy S5

When you first open the Settings app, you may just get lost between the icons, menus and settings. To organize the menus, open the Settings application, tap the 3dot icon on the top right and change the view from Grid View to Tab View. List View is also available and you'll always have the option to look for the required settings using the search box.

You can also tap the Edit Quick Settings option and specify which settings you’d like to see under the “Quick Settings” tab.

2. How to Manage Battery Life on Galaxy S5

Battery has been always the main concern for both the manufacturer and the user, and while Galaxy S5 is really a friendly battery consuming device, Samsung has added some power saver options as well.

To enable power saving option on Galaxy S5, go to Settings >> General >> System >> Power Saving, and there you have 2 power saving options to select: Power Saving Mode and Ultra Power Saving Mode.

The first power saving option lets you block background data, enable Greyscale mode, Restrict some performances like CPU performance, Screen output, and turning off GPS and Touch key light

The second power saving option, Ultra Power Saving Mode, is just a life saver as it restricts application usage to only essential applications and turns off some of the connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Mobile Data.

3. How to Customize Notification Panel on Galaxy S5

Use 2 fingers to drag down the notification panel and get quick access to almost most of the system settings. To manage and customize Notification Panel on Galaxy S5, go to Settings > Device > Sound and Display > Notification Panel, and there you can add, hide, and re-order quick setting buttons by just tapping, holding, and dragging the buttons. You can also enable/disable changing the screen brightness right from the notification panel by marking/unmarking the “Brightness adjustment” options

4. How to View Battery Percentage on the Notification Bar

To show battery percentage on the status bar, go to Settings > General > System > Battery and make sure to mark the “Display battery percentage” option.

5. How to Turn on / off Multi-Window Mode on Galaxy S5

Muliti-Window mode on the Galaxy S5 might not be as efficient as on the Galaxy Note Pro tablets with 12-inches screen, but it is sometimes very useful especially when chatting with 2 friends at the same time via ChatOn.

To turn on Multi-Window on Galaxy S5, just drag the notification bar down and tap the Multi Window toggle button. If you have removed the toggle, you need to go to Settings >> Device >> Multi Window and use the sliding button on the top right to turn it on/off.

Now you should see Multi Window tray, which can be hidden by long pressing the back key.

You can also save a Paired Window and open the assigned 2 applications at the same time in different windows. To use this feature, drag the application’s icon to the first window and the second app to the second window. Now tap the triangular icon on the bottom, then tap the Create button, assign a name for the created window group, and the icon is now added to the list.

6. How to Unlock the Galaxy S5 with a Finger

We don’t discuss if the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy S5 is as practical as the sensor on the iPhone 5S or not. It just feels good being able to unlock your phone with your unique fingerprint. To set the unlock method to Fingerprint, go to Settings >> Device >> Sound and Display >> Lock Screen >> Screen Lock and then choose the “Fingerprint” option. Accept the disclaimer and register your fingerprint by swiping your finger on the entire pad as many times as the process is completed. Once done, your fingerprint is registered and you are also asked to enter an alternative password.

From now on, you just need to swipe your finger to unlock your Galaxy S5.

6. How to Register More than 1 Fingerprint

To register more fingerprints (up to 3 fingerprints are allowed) go to Settings >> Device >> Personalization >> Finger Scanner and tap on “Fingerprint manager” option, pass the authentication window, and then tap the Plus icon on the top right to register another fingerprint.

To delete / deregister a currently assigned fingerprint, tap the 3dot icon, select the Deregister option, and then select the fingerprints you’d like to deregister/delete.

7. How to Customize LED Indicator on Galaxy S5

Thanks to the default LED Indicator feature on Galaxy S5, you don’t need to install any third party apps to get notified of your recent events via the LED light on the front panel.

To customize LED indicator, go to Settings >> Device >> Sound and Display >> Display >> LED Indicator, and specify for which events you would like to be notified about via the LED light. Available events are Charging, Low Battery Alert, Missed calls, Unread Message, Application Notifications and Ongoing voice recording.

8. How to Enable/Disable Smart Features on Galaxy S5

Smart features on Galaxy S5 are: Smart Stay, Smart Pause, Smart Scroll, Smart Rotation and Smart Alert which can be enabled / disabled by doing as follows:

Smart Stay (It keeps the screen On as long as you keep looking at it): Settings >> Device > Sound and Display >> Display >> Mark/Unmark Smart stay.

Smart Pause (It pauses the video as soon as you look away from the screen): Settings >> Controls > Motions and Gestures >> Mute/Pause. First use the sliding button to enable the entire feature and then mark the “Smart Pause” option.

Smart Scroll (It enables you to scroll through webpage by tilting your head or the device while looking at the screen): Settings >> Device >> Personalization > Accessibility >> Dexterity and Interaction >> Smart Scroll. First use the sliding button to enable/disable Smart Scroll, and then choose between Tilting Head or Tilting Device. You can also adjust the speed of scrolling.

Smart Rotation (It rotates the screen based on the orientation of your face when the device is held steady and upright): Settings >> Device > Sound and Display >> Display >> Screen Rotation.

Smart Alert (Your device will vibrate when you pick it up to notify you about missed calls and message.): Settings >> Controls > > Motions and Gestures >> Smart Alert.

9. How to Enable Developer Mode on Galaxy S5

So, you want to be a developer? Do as follows to become one: Go to Settings >> General >> System >> About Device, and then tap 7 times repeatedly on the “Build Number” option to become a Developer. Now the “Developer Options” settings are added under System settings.

10. How to Answer / End Calls on Galaxy S5

Other than the obvious way to answer and end calls on Galaxy S5, you can also wave to answer, use voice commands, home key or power key to answer/end calls.

Go to Settings >> Applications >> Call >> Answering and Ending Calls, and setup your favorite way to answer/end calls on Galaxy S5

11. How to Remove My Magazine from Home Screen on Galaxy S5

12. How to Add Widgets on Galaxy S5

13. How to Enable/Disable and Edit Toolbox on Galaxy S5

14. How to Use the Heart Rate Sensor on Galaxy S5

15. How to Record 4K Video on Galaxy S5

16. How to Enable One-Handed Mode on Galaxy S5

17. How to Enable Baby Crying Detector on Galaxy S5

18. How to Disable S Voice on Galaxy S5

19. How to Turn On Pedometer on Galaxy S5

20. How to Increase Touch Sensitivity on Galaxy S5

21. How to Bring Back the Menu Key on Galaxy S5