In a new blog post, Samsung describes ten "hidden" or "semi-secret" features of the Galaxy S4, which some of you may not be aware of.
Coincidentally or not, the Samsung post went live on the same day Verizon and Motorola unveiled new Droid smartphones, and a day ahead of the upcoming Nexus 7 announcement.
Here are these semi-secret Galaxy S4, as tipped by the company:
1) Swiping down with two fingers offers access to the full Quick Settings panel. (How: swipe down from the status bar with two fingers. Touch and hold to access settings. Long-tap an icon to drag it into a different place.)
Galaxy S4 Quick Settings | Image credit: Samsung
2) The TV remote control can be added to the notification panel for quick access. (How: Application screen > WatchOn > Settings).
Galaxy S4 remote control | Image credit: Samsung
3) The keyboard can be pop-up-ed on top of other apps for multi-tasking-like features. (How: With the keyboard active, tap the settings icon on the left of the space bar and then select the pop-up keyboard icon.)
Galaxy S4 Keyboard pop-up | Image credit: Samsung
4) A blocking mode can be set up to prevent the phone from ringing on incoming calls and other notifications. (How: Settings > My device > Blocking mode.)
Galaxy S4 Blocking mode | Image credit: Samsung
5) A Wi-Fi timer app should help users save cellular data, as the phone will try to connect to available Wi-Fi networks for a specific period of time. (How: Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi > Advanced > Wi-Fi Timer.)
Galaxy S4 Wi-Fi timer | Image credit: Samsung
6) With the Adapt Sound function, users can improve (and properly calibrate) the sound quality of their Galaxy S4, especially those people affected by hearing impairments. (How: Settings > My device > Sound > Adapt Sound > Start.)
Galaxy S4 Adapt Sound | Image credit: Samsung
7) In-call audio can also be optimized in order to improve call experience. (How: Settings > My device > Call.)
Galaxy S4 in-call audio | Image credit: Samsung
8) Video watching on the Galaxy S4 also has some "hidden" features such as pinch-to-zoom (for enlarging and shrinking the image on the screen). Brightness and volume adjustments are available also. (How: activate the bars when touching the left and right side of the screen, respectively.)
Galaxy S4 video: pinch to zoom, adjust brightness and volume | Image credit: Samsung
9) The camera can be accessed directly from the lock screen for quicker pictures and videos. (How: Settings > My device > Lock screen > Lock screen widgets > Camera. Feature requires lock screen to be other than pattern of PIN.)
Galaxy S4 Camera on lock screen | Image credit: Samsung
10) The lock screen message can be personalized with custom fonts and colors. (How: Settings > My device > Lock screen > Lock screen widgets > Edit personal information; if screen is protected with pattern or PIN lock. Or: Tap and hold the lock screen message and drag it down from the screen.)
Galaxy S4 custom lock-screen message | Image credit: Samsung
Naturally, if you're an experienced Galaxy S4 owner, you're probably familiar with most of these hidden features – that's if you're not already running a custom ROM instead of Samsung's TouchWiz, in which case you have a completely different but custom Galaxy S4 experience – but new Galaxy S4 buyers can learn a few new tricks this way.
In fact, we have already thoroughly reviewed the Galaxy S4 and on top of that have a video showing you 10 handy Galaxy S4 tips and tricks for you (above), including some of Samsung's semi-secret features – see tips 1), 4), 6) and 9) demoed in our video.
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