10. Installing and Using Applications
This chapter covers the essentials of downloading, installing, running, and maintaining applications on your phone. Topics include the following:
Launching and using apps
Downloading and installing apps from Google Play and Amazon Appstore
Enabling app downloads from other sources
Adding Home screen shortcuts to apps
Uninstalling, disabling, and hiding unwanted apps
Moving apps to your memory card and setting default apps
Using the Toolbox to quickly access favorite apps
Other preinstalled and downloadable apps to consider
Applications (or apps, as they’re called when referring to smartphone software) are programs that run on your phone. They add new functionality to the phone, such as enabling you to stream video, manipulate databases, play video games, and do almost anything else you can imagine.
The Galaxy S5 comes with dozens of apps preinstalled, ready for you to use. In addition, you can download and install other apps from Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, Samsung Apps, and developers’ websites.
Using Apps
In this section, you learn the fundamentals of running apps: launching an app, using the hardware keys (Recent Apps, Home, and Back) with apps, switching among running apps, and exiting from an app. The information presented here applies to any app you encounter.
Launching an App
As with programs on a computer, you can launch a phone app directly (by tapping its icon or a Home screen shortcut) or indirectly (by performing an action that requires the app to be running).
Directly Launching an App
To launch a specific app, you can do any of the following:
• On any Home screen page, tap the app’s shortcut. (In addition to the app shortcuts that are preinstalled on the Home screen pages, you may have added shortcuts to some of your favorite apps to make them more readily accessible.)
• Tap Apps at the bottom of any Home screen page, and then tap the icon of the app that you want to run.
Navigation
Because you probably have several pages of apps, you can move from page to page by swiping the screen to the right or left or by tapping a navigation dot below the app icons. To show only apps that you’ve downloaded, tap the menu icon and choose Downloaded Apps.
• On almost any screen, you can press the Recent Apps key to display a list of recently run apps, as well as ones that are currently running. Scroll vertically until you see the app that you want to launch or to which you want to switch, and then tap its thumbnail.
Indirectly Launching an App
In addition to tapping an app’s icon, many actions that you perform on the phone can cause an app to launch. Consider these common examples:
• In any program or widget, tapping a link to material stored on the Web, to an HTML (web) file stored on the phone, or to a particular web page or site causes the Internet or Chrome app to launch to display the page. App help files are sometimes handled this way.
• Tapping a mailto: (email address) link on a web page or in an app opens a dialog box that enables you to create a new message to that address in Email.
• Tapping a file icon (such as a music, video, or photo file) in My Files, in Downloads, on the Home screen, or in a folder you created causes an appropriate app to launch and display the file’s contents. Tapping a document icon, such as a PDF or Microsoft Office document, may also cause an app to launch and open the file. Both depend on having an app installed that is capable of reading and displaying the file, such as Polaris Office 5.
• Performing certain actions in an app can cause a related app to launch. For example, tapping the Contacts icon to select message recipients in Email or Messages launches Contacts.
• Tapping certain entries in the Notification panel, such as a new email, message, or screen capture notification, causes the appropriate app to launch.
Using the Hardware Keys
The three hardware keys at the bottom of the phone (Recent Apps, Home, and Back) can be useful—and occasionally essential—when running apps.
Light ‘em Up!
When the keys aren’t in use, only the Home key—a physical button—is visible. Until you tap one of the three keys or the touchscreen, the Recent Apps and Back keys are hidden. Whether you can see the keys, however, is irrelevant. If you tap the hidden Recent Apps or Back key, the key still performs its function.
Opening Menus
In current Android apps, a menu is denoted by an icon consisting of three large, vertically stacked dots. Although it’s commonplace to place a menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, some apps—including Google’s—don’t adhere to this convention; that is, you sometimes have to hunt for them. To open a menu, tap its icon.
The Recent App key (described previously) has a secondary purpose. In apps that contain menus, you can press and hold the Recent Apps key to open a menu if one is associated with the current screen. Note that menus are often context-sensitive—that is, they may change depending on what you’re currently doing or the app screen you’re viewing.
Other Menus, Drawers, and Trays
In addition to these standard menus, apps may contain other menus. Some automatically appear onscreen (such as the Select menu in Gallery), whereas others are contextual menus that pop up when you press and hold an item (such as an image on a web page). Some apps, such as Calendar and Gallery, include a secondary menu called a drawer or tray. Denoted by a stack of three bars or lines, you tap it to reveal a pop-out panel of commands.
Returning to the Home Screen
To immediately exit the current app, press the Home key. The most recently accessed Home screen page appears.
Google, Voice Search, and Google Now Launcher
If you press and hold the Home key, the interconnected Google, Google Now, and Voice Search launches. To learn more about these apps and how they work together, see “Using Google/Voice Search” in Chapter 15, “Using Voice Services.”
Navigating within an App
Within most apps, forward navigation options are obvious. You tap entries, icons, thumbnails, or buttons to go to the next screen or to perform an action. However, the method of returning to the previous section or screen isn’t always as obvious. When it doesn’t happen automatically, you can usually press the Back key. Some app screens also have a Back icon—a “less than” symbol (<)—in the upper-left corner that you can tap.
In addition to moving you back through screens (when using Internet or Chrome to view web pages or when modifying layered Settings, for example), the Back key functions similarly to a computer’s Esc (Escape) key. You can press the Back key to avoid making a selection in a dialog box or menu, leave the Notification panel, or dismiss the onscreen keyboard.
Using Multi Window™ to Run Two Apps
With the Multi Window feature enabled, you can split the screen to run two apps at the same time. Note, however, that only certain apps can currently operate in Multi Window, such as Email, Gallery, Internet, and Messages. To enable or disable Multi Window, tap its Quick Setting button. (If the button isn’t visible, tap the Grid View icon.) You can also enable or disable Multi Window by navigating to the Sound and Display section of Settings.
If you only occasionally use Multi Window or find its ever-present tab annoying, you don’t have to keep opening Settings or the Notification panel to enable and disable it. When Multi Window is running, just press and hold the Back key to instantly hide or reveal the Multi Window tab.
Work with Multi Window
1. Open the vertically scrolling Multi Window bar by tapping its exposed tab.
2. To launch a Multi Window app, do any of the following:
• To launch an app, press and hold its icon on the bar and then drag it into the top or bottom half of the screen.
• To replace an app running in Multi Window, press and hold an icon, and then drag it onto the app in the top or bottom half of the screen.
When two apps are running in Multi Window, they are separated by a divider line that’s marked with a large white dot called the Border button. The active app is surrounded by a white border.
Enabling Multi Window When a Compatible App Is Active
If you enable Multi Window when a Multi Window–compatible app is already onscreen, the original app immediately switches to split-screen mode when you drag the first app from the Multi Window bar. The newly added app can be placed in the top or bottom half of the screen. The original, full-screen app automatically occupies the other half.
3. To modify the display, you can do either of the following:
• Resize the two windows by pressing and holding the Border button, and then dragging up or down.
• Tap the Border button to reveal a three-icon menu. From left to right, tap the first icon to swap the apps’ onscreen positions, tap the second icon to drag-and-drop text or an image from the active app’s window into the other window, or tap the third icon to close the active app.
Customizing the Multi Window Display
You can do any of the following to customize the Multi Window display:
• Reposition the tab. With only the tab exposed, press and hold the tab, and then drag up or down to a new position.
• Change the location of the Multi Window bar. The Multi Window bar can be on the left or right side of the screen (in both standard and landscape rotation). With Multi Window open, press and hold the tab until Multi Window undocks, and then drag it to the opposite side of the screen.
• Edit the Multi Window bar. With Multi Window bar open, tap the arrow icon at its bottom to reveal the Create and Edit icons, and then tap Edit. You can drag apps off the bar into the open window (removing them from the bar), drag them from the window onto the bar, or rearrange the apps on the bar. (Press and hold an icon, and then drag it to a new position on the bar.) When you finish editing the Multi Window bar, tap Done.
• Create Multi Window groups. You can create Multi Window groups based on pairs of apps that you frequently run together. Open the two apps in Multi Window, scroll to the bottom of the Multi Window bar, tap the menu icon, tap Create, and name the group. An icon for the new group appears at the top of the bar.
Exit/Quit an App
If you’re new to smartphones, you’ve probably noticed a major difference between phone apps and computer programs: Most apps have no Quit or Exit command. The few that do are typically those that, if left running, would run up data-related charges or rapidly drain the battery.
Whenever you perform an action that leaves the current app (such as pressing the Back or Home key), the Android operating system decides whether to quit, suspend, or allow the app to continue running. Similarly, if app activities are causing the phone to run low on memory, Android performs these same functions as needed. However, if you want to quit an app manually to ensure that it’s no longer running, draining the battery, using memory, or running up data charges, you can use the Task Manager.
1. Press the Recent Apps key and tap the Task Manager icon.
2. To quit a specific app, tap its End button. To simultaneously quit all listed apps, tap End All.
Clearing Doesn’t Exit
Clearing an app from the Recent Apps list isn’t the same as quitting the app.
Downloading and Installing Apps from Google Play
Google Play (or Play Store) is the most common place for you to find apps for your phone. In addition to apps, you can download ebooks, movies, and music from Google Play.
1. Launch Google Play by tapping its Home screen icon (Play Store) or by tapping Apps and then Play Store.
2. Tap Apps, Music, Games, or another item on the main screen to specify the type of material that you’re seeking or want to browse.
• Browse for apps by continuing to tap items to focus your search.
• Tap the search icon at the top of the screen and begin typing to find an app by specific name or type. A drop-down list of matches appears as you type. Tap an app name or search suggestion in the list or continue typing to further narrow the search.
4. Tap an app’s name to view it.
5. Review the description and user ratings for the app. You can also do the following:
• Tap the sample screen shots or videos. If multiple screen shots are available, you can view them by swiping left and right.
• Learn more about the app by reading the What’s New and Description sections. If provided, you can also tap the link to the developer’s website.
6. If you want the app, tap the green icon. If the app is free, the icon is labeled Install; otherwise, it’s labeled with the app’s price. (See the “Paid Apps” sidebar at the end of this task for information about purchasing apps from Google Play and applying for a refund, if necessary.)
7. Before starting the download, the App Permissions screen appears, detailing how the app interacts with the operating system and uses your personal information. If the permissions are acceptable to you, tap the Accept button. The app is downloaded, installed on your phone, and its icon is added to the Apps pages. Many apps automatically place a shortcut on a Home screen page, too.
8. Optional: When the installation finishes, you can immediately launch the new app by tapping the Open button. Otherwise, you can launch it at your leisure by tapping its icon in Apps or its Home screen shortcut (if one was created).
1. Launch Google Play, open the drawer (on the left) by tapping its icon, and choose My Apps.
2. The My Apps list of Google Play–installed apps appears. Tap the app that you just purchased and want to return.
3. If you’re within the 15-minute window, you’ll see a Refund button in the app’s description window. Tap it to proceed.
4. The Refund button changes to Uninstall. Tap it to remove the app from your phone and initiate the refund.
Customize Google Play
Google Play has its own Settings screen that enables you to customize the way app updates are handled. It also provides an option to create a PIN that you can use to authenticate purchases.
1. Open Google Play’s drawer and tap Settings.
2. Following are the options that you can change on the Settings screen.
3. Notifications. When checked, an item appears in the Notification panel when updates are available for apps that you’ve downloaded from Google Play. You can download and install the updates by tapping the notification.
4. Auto-Update Apps. This setting determines whether updates for apps are automatically downloaded and installed from Google Play as they become available. To specify how and when automatic updates occur, tap Auto-Update Apps.
5. Add Icon to Home Screen. When enabled and you download a new app, a shortcut to the app is automatically added to your Home screen.
6. Clear Search History. Delete all previous searches that you’ve performed in Google Play.
To manually check for updates, launch Google Play, open the drawer, and choose My Apps to display the list of your downloaded apps. All apps for which updates are available are listed in the Updates section. Tap Update All to update all of the listed apps; tap an app’s Update text to update only that app.
7. Content Filtering. To prevent certain types of apps from being downloaded, tap Content Filtering, enter or remove check marks on the Allow Apps Rated For screen, and tap OK.
8. Require Password for Purchase. Depending upon the option selected, Google Play requests your Google/Gmail password whenever you purchase content, every 30 minutes the app is running, or never.
Enabling App Downloads from Other Sources
Google Play is the official source of Android apps. However, if you’d like to download and install apps from unofficial sources, such as developer websites or the Amazon Appstore, you must change one of your phone’s settings.
1. On the Home screen, tap Apps, followed by Settings.
2. Tap the Security icon (in the System section).
3. Scroll to the Device Administration section and enable Unknown Sources. When checked, you can download apps from any source that you choose.
4. Confirm by tapping OK in the confirmation dialog box.
Verify Apps
Regardless of the sources from which you acquire your apps, you should ensure that Settings, Security, Verify Apps is checked. It enables Google to warn you or block the installation of known harmful apps.
Using the Amazon Appstore for Android
The popular online retailer Amazon.com is another major source of free and paid Android apps. If you already have an Amazon account, you can use it to purchase apps for your phone, too. (If you haven’t already done so, you must allow downloading of apps from Unknown Sources, as explained previously in “Enabling App Downloads from Other Sources.”)
Install the Amazon Appstore App
1. Launch Internet or Chrome, and enter www.amazon.com/getappstore in the address box.
2. Read the instructions and tap the Download the Amazon Appstore button.
3. When the download finishes, open the Notification panel and tap the AmazonApps-release.apk entry.
4. Review the Privacy and Device Access information, and then tap Install. Tap Open on the following screen.
5. The opening screen appears. To link your Amazon.com account to the Appstore app, enter your Amazon email address and Amazon password, and tap Sign In with My Amazon Account. (If you don’t have an Amazon account, you can create one by tapping the Create Account button.)
2. The Appstore opening screen presents general categories that you can use to begin your browsing. Apps within a category scroll horizontally. You can tap app thumbnails or, if you don’t see something that catches your eye, tap See All to view all apps of that type.
3. Alternatively, you can browse by category. Tap the menu icon, choose Browse Categories, and select a category of interest. You can further focus your browsing in larger categories by selecting a subcategory from the All Category icon and/or applying a sorting or filtering option from the Refine icon, such as Price or Avg. Customer Review.
Better Browsing
If you’re at a loss concerning where to start, return to the main screen by opening the menu and choosing Store Home. Check out the Recommended for You lists—apps that Amazon thinks might interest you, based on your previous downloads.
4. If you know the name or type of app that you want, you can perform a search. Tap the search icon at the top of any page and enter the search text. When sufficient characters have been typed, a list of matches appears. Matching apps are preceded by the app’s icon. Suggestions preceded by a magnifying glass are completed search phrases that you can use to perform your search. Select a suggested app, perform one of the suggested searches, or continue typing to further refine the suggestions. To clear the current search and start over, tap the X.
5. Tap an entry that interests you and review the product description, screenshots, and reviews. Tap any screenshot to see it at full size.
6. If you decide to download the app, tap its Free or Buy App button.
1-Click
Until you enable Amazon’s 1-Click ordering and specify a preferred payment method, you can’t download apps. If you haven’t already completed this process, Appstore walks you through the process of completing your Amazon account setup the first time you attempt a download. To add a payment method to your account, use your computer’s browser to visit www.amazon.com, log into your account, and go to Add a Credit or Debit Card.
7. One of the following happens:
• Free apps. The button’s label changes to Get App. Tap the button to begin the download.
• Paid apps. A dialog box shows the amount you’ll be charged if you complete the purchase. Tap Confirm to continue or Cancel if you’ve changed your mind.
8. Read the Key Details and tap OK.
9. Review the permissions. Tap Next to install the app or Cancel if you’ve changed your mind.
10. The app is installed on your phone and its icon is added to Apps. If you’d like to run it now, tap Open; otherwise, tap Done to return to the Appstore. Check your email for a receipt from Amazon.
2. The Settings screen appears, enabling you to change important Appstore options. Altering some settings requires that you supply your Amazon.com user password.
3. Wi-Fi Settings. To avoid using your data connection to download large apps, tap this option to require that apps larger than the specified size should be downloaded only using Wi-Fi. (Apps smaller than that size can be downloaded using 3G/4G if you don’t currently have Wi-Fi access.)
4. In-App Purchasing. When this option is enabled, you can buy app add-ons or subscriptions from within any app that offers them. (This option is enabled by default.)
5. Parental Controls. Tap Parental Controls to change the settings. When Enable Parental Controls is checked and anyone attempts to purchase in-app material such as subscriptions or game add-ons, your Amazon.com password or a PIN is requested.
If Use PIN isn’t checked, your Amazon.com password is requested for in-app purchases. If Use PIN is checked, you must enter a numeric PIN instead of the password.
6. Notifications. Enable the various Notifications options to allow the Amazon Appstore to transmit notifications to the phone whenever something important occurs. (To enable any notification options, you must enable the first one.)
7. Collect App Usage Data. When enabled, Amazon collects usage data concerning the frequency and duration that you use the apps you’ve downloaded from the Appstore.
>>>Go Further: More Amazon Appstore Commands
• Open the menu and choose My Apps to view the list of apps you’ve downloaded from the Appstore. Tap a category at the top of the screen to view apps you’ve previous downloaded for this or another device (Cloud), installed apps on the current phone (Device), or only those apps for which an update is available (Updates). Tap a button to open, download, or update a listed app.
• When browsing for apps, note that every app page has a Share This App button at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to forward information about the app to others via an email, text message, or social networking post.
• If you have an Amazon gift card or a promotional code, open the menu and tap Gift Cards & Promos to add the item to your account (enabling you to apply the amount to app purchases). Enter the gift card or claim code and then tap Redeem.
Managing Apps
You can manage your installed apps by creating Home screen shortcuts to your favorites and uninstalling, disabling, or hiding apps you no longer want.
Create Home Screen Shortcuts
To simplify the process of accessing your favorite apps, you can add Home screen shortcuts to them. You can accomplish this by manually dragging icons from Apps. In addition, a shortcut is often created automatically when you install a new app. (To learn more about moving and removing shortcuts, see “Customizing the Home Screen” in Chapter 3, “Making the Phone Your Own.”)
1. Navigate to the Home screen page where you want to add the app shortcut, and then tap the Apps icon.
2. Press and hold the icon of the app for which you want to create a shortcut.
3. Drag it into position on the previously selected Home screen page (or to another page, if you like) and release the icon when it’s in the desired spot.
Uninstall, Disable, and Hide Apps
If you’re unhappy with an app or no longer need it, you can uninstall it, removing it from your phone and reclaiming the space it was using. Generally, however, only apps you’ve downloaded can be uninstalled; you can’t remove most of the built-in, core apps—but you might be allowed to disable some of them and hide others using methods described in this section.
Uninstall Using the Application Manager
1. Open Settings and tap Application Manager (in the Applications section).
2. Select the Downloaded category, scroll to find the app that you want to uninstall, and tap its entry.
3. Tap the Uninstall button on the App Info screen. (Only apps that you’re permitted to remove have an active Uninstall button.)
4. Tap Uninstall in the confirmation dialog box.
Uninstall Using Google Play
1. Tap the Play Store shortcut on your Home screen or tap Apps, Play Store.
2. Open the drawer by tapping its icon and choose My Apps.
3. Select the Installed category and tap the app that you want to uninstall.
4. Tap the Uninstall button. (Although this button is available for most apps, it isn’t presented for system apps.)
5. Confirm the app’s removal by tapping OK.
Apps Menu: Uninstall Downloaded Apps
This method restricts you to removing downloaded apps. In addition to the apps that you personally downloaded, this subset includes apps that your carrier downloaded to the phone during setup.
1. On the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Open the menu and choose Downloaded Apps.
3. Open the menu again and choose Uninstall.
4. Navigate to the page that contains the app you want to uninstall and tap its icon.
5. Tap the Uninstall button in the confirmation dialog box.
Apps Menu: Uninstall or Disable Apps
This method presents all installed apps—not merely those that you or your carrier downloaded to the phone. Whether you can uninstall, disable (stop an app from functioning but leave it on the phone), or do neither depends on the app.
Disable at Your Own Risk
As the figure for Step 5 on the next page states, disabling an app deletes all data for the app. In addition, if other apps rely on the disabled app for some functionality, they may no longer work properly.
1. Tap the Apps icon on the Home screen.
2. Open the menu and choose Uninstall/Disable Apps.
3. Apps that can either be uninstalled or disabled are displayed with a minus (–) icon. The remaining apps can neither be uninstalled nor disabled.
4. Tap the app that you want to uninstall or disable.
5. If the app can be uninstalled, an Uninstall Application dialog box appears; otherwise, a Disable and Reset dialog box appears. To proceed, tap Uninstall or OK, respectively.
Disable—Then Uninstall
When you elect to disable certain apps by tapping OK, the Disable and Reset dialog box may be followed by an Uninstall Application dialog box. Tap Reset to continue or Cancel if you’ve changed your mind.
Apps Menu: Hide Apps
Hiding an app is mainly useful when you want to reduce clutter on your Apps pages by hiding icons of apps you never use. Unlike uninstalling or disabling, the apps remain installed and continue to function if required to do so by the operating system and other apps.
1. Tap the Apps icon on the Home screen.
2. Open the menu and choose Hide Apps.
3. Tap the check box of each app that you want to hide. Use the navigation dots or swipe horizontally to select apps on other pages.
4. Tap Done.
Restore Uninstalled, Disabled, and Hidden Apps
Sometimes we change our minds, discovering that an app that we removed, disabled, or hid is important after all. These situations can be reversed.
• To restore an uninstalled app, go to the original source of the app (such as Google Play, Amazon Appstore, or the developer’s website), and download and install the app again.
• To restore a disabled app, tap the Apps icon on any Home screen page, open the menu, and choose Show Disabled Apps. Select the apps that you want to enable and tap Done.
• To restore a hidden app, tap the Apps icon on any Home screen page, open the menu, and choose Show Hidden Apps. Select the apps that you want to unhide and tap Done.
Update Apps
Google, Samsung, carriers, and developers occasionally release app updates. When an update of an installed app becomes available at Google Play, a notification appears in the Notification panel.
On the other hand, if Auto-Update is enabled for a Google Play app, updates are handled automatically rather than manually. Notification of an auto-update appears in the Notification panel after the update occurs. To determine if an app has Auto-Update enabled, go to its page in Google Play and open the menu. To switch the app to manual updates, choose the Auto-Update command. For more about updating Google Play apps, see the “Customize Google Play” task earlier in the chapter.
Yet Another Update or Uninstall Option
You can also update or uninstall an app by going to its page in Google Play and tapping the appropriate button.
Move Apps to Your Memory Card
Another way that you can manage apps is to move some of them from built-in memory to an add-in memory card—enabling you to reclaim the device memory used by large apps.
1. Open Settings and tap Application Manager (in the Applications section).
2. Swipe horizontally to display the SD Card app list.
3. Tap the check box of a listed app that you want to move to your memory card.
4. Check the Total figure on the App Info screen. This is the amount of device memory that you’ll reclaim by moving the app. To continue, tap Move to SD Card. Otherwise, press the Back key to exit.
Undo a Move
If you later want to move an app back to the phone’s built-in memory, repeat Steps 1–3 for the app and then tap the Move to Device Storage button.
Designating Default Apps
New in the box, your Galaxy S5 includes several sets of apps that are designed to perform the same function. For example, if you open Apps, you may see Internet and Chrome web browsers; Music and Play Music for playing songs; and Messages, Messaging+, and Hangouts for texting. In addition to app pairs provided by Google and Samsung (or Google versus Samsung), your carrier may offer its own competing apps.
There’s no confusion when you directly launch an app by tapping its icon in Apps or its Home screen shortcut; the S5 knows exactly which app to run. However, when a request to indirectly launch an app occurs (by tapping a photo in My Files or a web page link in a received email or text message, for example), the S5 may not know which app to use. In such instances, a Complete Action Using dialog box appears, asking you to specify the app to use. To avoid seeing this dialog box in the future, you can select an app and tap Always. In the future, the S5 will assume that you want to use the selected app—your designated default app for performing that function.
You can also set a few default apps in the Default Applications section of Settings. But Default Applications is more useful for clearing existing defaults if you’ve changed your mind. Just tap the app’s Clear button. The next time the Complete Action Using dialog box appears, you can specify a new default or decide that you’d prefer not to have a default for that type of app.
You can also clear a default app in the Application Manager section of Settings. Select the All category at the top of the screen and tap the app that you want to remove as a default. Scroll to the Launch by Default section and tap the Clear Defaults button.
Enable the Toolbox App Launcher
The Toolbox is a new utility that provides immediate access to up to five of your most frequently used apps.
1. Open Settings and tap the Toolbox icon (in the Sound and Display section).
2. Toolbox must be enabled in order to configure it. Drag its slider to the On position. The Toolbox icon appears onscreen.
Use the Quick Setting Buttons
Toolbox also has a Quick Setting button with which you can quickly enable or disable it. Drag down the Notification panel and tap the Toolbox button. To go directly to its Settings screen, press and hold the Toolbox button.
3. Tap the Edit button to add or remove apps. Select up to five apps and tap the Save button.
4. Position the Toolbox icon by pressing and dragging. To launch one of its apps, tap the Toolbox icon and then tap the app you want to run.
An Edit or Disable Shortcut
In addition to the options specified in this task, you can quickly access Toolbox’s Edit screen or disable Toolbox. Long-press its icon and drag it onto the Edit or Remove icon at the top of the screen.
Special and Noteworthy Apps
Given the current length of this book, it’s not possible to provide in-depth, step-by-step instructions for every built-in app. So here’s a quick rundown of some of the more noteworthy and special-purpose apps you should consider checking out.
Calculator. Use this basic calculator to perform calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Tap the bar above the keypad to review recent calculation results.
Clock. Use Clock to create alarms (for those occasions when creating a Calendar event is overkill), activate the stopwatch to time an event, set the countdown timer to let you know when your pizza is done cooking, and check the time in other time zones.
Cloud (Drive, Dropbox). As you learned when you ran the setup wizard, your Samsung account is used to back up key phone data to Samsung’s remote servers (in the cloud). The S5 also includes an app (or two, depending on your carrier) that enables you to upload and back up important files to the cloud. You can access your files with the S5, other devices, or any computer with a web browser, as well as share them with others. A major advantage to having certain files in the cloud is that you can work with them while they’re on the servers, make changes and edits as required, and then save—without downloading copies to your current device.
Flipboard (My Magazine). My Magazine is the front end to Flipboard, a highly customizable news, business, infotainment, and social networking aggregator. You can use Flipboard to read articles, watch videos, and follow posts made by Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn friends and colleagues. You can launch Flipboard by tapping its Apps icon or by swiping to the left of the first Home screen page (the navigation dot marked with an equal (=) sign).
Google +. Access the Google+ social networking site.
Google Now. Presents up-to-the-minute information in the form of cards customized to meet your daily needs. Card topics include weather, sports, stocks, transportation information, and nearby events and attractions. To dismiss a card, simply swipe it off-screen. Google Now is integrated with Google Search and is enabled or disabled in the latter’s settings (see “Use Google Search” in Chapter 2, “Understanding the Android/TouchWiz Interface”). When enabled and you press and hold the Home key, Google Now appears; otherwise, Google Search opens.
Google Settings. Configure the preinstalled Google apps. You can also view and launch these apps by opening the Google folder on the first Home screen page.
Hangouts. Google Hangouts wants to be your default messaging app. (But you can still use it even if you don’t make it the default.) Hangouts is a multi-platform—including iPhones and iPads—app for conducting one-on-one and group conversations using text messages, voice, and video.
Memo. Create, edit, and categorize notes that can optionally include photos and audio.
Optical Reader. Use the S5 camera to capture text or QR codes and convert the image into editable text. Options include voice control, using the flash for illumination, reading the translation aloud, and sharing the resulting text via email. Although it does an excellent job with QR codes, the text capture would be more useful if you could select the text to include.
Polaris Office 5. View and edit Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and view PDFs.
S Health. If you’d like some assistance with a fitness regimen and goals, S Health can be coupled with the Gear 2, Gear Neo, or Gear Fit watches, enabling you to automatically record your pulse as you work out and perform routine activities throughout your day. Even without added gear, S Health can track your physical activity (running, walking, hiking, and cycling), diet (caloric intake, calories burned, and weight), sleep patterns, and stress level. You can use its pedometer to record the number of steps taken in a day and the heart rate sensor to take your pulse. (In S Health, tap the Heart Rate icon and rest your fingertip lightly on the flash/heart rate sensor on the back of the phone.)
If you activate S Health to try it out and decide it’s not for you, there is no simple way to exit and stop its processes from running continuously in the background. The only way I’ve found to halt S Health is to disable it (see the “Apps Menu: Uninstall or Disable Apps” task) and then restart the phone. Return to Apps, open the menu and choose Show Disabled Apps, select S Health, and tap Done. The S Health app will then be available should you elect to set it up again. You’ll have to redownload any updates on the first run.
S Note. Use this note-taking app in conjunction with provided templates to create to-do lists, appointment calendars, and freeform notes. You can input text via typing, audio recording, or handwriting using your fingertip or a stylus. Notes can include maps, illustrations, charts, photos, videos, and voice memos.
S Translator. Translate typed or spoken text into another language and view or hear the translation. Higher-quality versions of some languages are offered as free downloads.
Samsung Apps. This is Samsung’s app store. Many of the important preinstalled Samsung apps are updated through this online store. When you tap the Galaxy Gifts and Galaxy Essentials widgets (see the following sidebar) or choose Galaxy Essentials from the Apps menu, you’re taken to Samsung Apps.
YouTube. View YouTube videos over your Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
