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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

#1 – Never lose your S Pen!

The S Pen is integral to the power of the Galaxy Note 3 – not something you want to lose. Here’s how you can set the Note 3 to alert you that you may have left the stylus behind:

Go to Settings > Controls > S Pen
Uncheck “Turn off pen detection”
Check S Pen keeper

This will only work when the screen is off, and if you press “okay” when it warns you once, it won’t warn you again until you redock the S Pen and leave it behind again. So be careful!

#2 – Control your Galaxy Note 3 while wearing gloves

The capacitive screen on the Note 3 isn’t only good for writing and drawing with a stylus, it can also be set to operate while wearing gloves, but you’ve got to enable the option:

Go to Settings > Controls > Increase touch sensitivity (it’s the very last option)
Turn this ON!

#3 – Type with one hand

The Galaxy Note 3 is HUGE which may turn some small-handed people away, but if difficulty in one-handed typing is a concern, please know you can adjust your keyboard accordingly!

Go to Settings > Controls > One-handed operation
Check “Use for all screens”
Only check other boxes if you want them automatically resized all the time

The S Pen also makes typing with Swype an absolute pleasure… give that a try as well!

#4 – Block notifications while you’re sleeping

You don’t want to miss an important call or text from a family member or friend in case of emergency, but notifications from apps and drunk dialing idiots threaten to keep you up all night. And those stinking LED notification lights are BRIGHT! Luckily the Note 3 has a feature for this specific problem called “Blocking Mode”:

Go to Settings > Device > Blocking Mode (the last option)
Turn the feature on
Press “Blocking Mode” to set options
UNCHECK “Turn alarm and timer” unless you want to be late for work
UNCHECK “Always” and set the time period you’re sleeping (otherwise turn this feature on/off at night and in the morning)
MAKE SURE you set your list of “Allowed Contacts” who can bypass this feature (family, friends, booty calls, etc…)

#5 – Lower the screen saturation and contrast

Is Samsung’s outrageously bright and colorful Super AMOLED screen a little TOO bright and colorful? You can do more than lower the screen brightness and instead tone down the contrast and saturation:

Go to Settings > Device > Display > Screen Mode
Select “Professional photo” or “Movie” to tone down the screen if you feel the colors are too vibrant

It doesn’t have a huge impact but it can certainly help.

#6 – Vibrations too strong?

The default notification vibrations are pretty darn strong! You can turn them down:

Go to Settings > Device > Sound > Vibration Intensity
Adjust your incoming call, notification, and haptic feedback vibrations as you see fit!

You can also set your phone to vibrate even when ringing (great if you’re at a bar, party, concert, or other loud place) and change the pattern of the vibration from the same settings area.

#7 – Show the battery percentage in the status bar

It can be really annoying trying to guess how much battery you have left by estimating how much of your little icon is filled up with green. We want numbers! Here is how you can put your exact percentage in the notification bar:

Go to Settings > Device > Display
Scroll down and select “Show battery percentage”

Ah… much more helpful.

#8 to #12 – Motion controls annoying? Only enable these!

Samsung has a boat load of features that detect your eyes and your hands and attempt to behave automatically based on your intents. Most can be annoying but some are pretty useful. I recommend turning ALL of them off except the following. Go to the Settings > Controls > Motion Control section for all of the below:
See notifications without touching your phone!
Air gesture > Quick Glance > On. Wave your hand over the screen for a quick look at notifications. (Turn Air jump, Air browse, and Air call-accept off)
Added Stylus hovering functionality!
Air view mode > On > Auto. This provides extra features when hovering over items with the S Pen, for example popping up larger images when browsing the gallery or scrolling pages up/down. Open “Air view pen options” to see exactly where it works.
Special Air Command Features!
Air Command > On: Quickly add recent attachments and frequent recipients by hovering over these respective fields
Turn both Motions & Palm Motions OFF
Prevent screen from sleeping when you’re looking at it!
Smart Screen > Smart stay > On. Uncheck the rest of these features.

#13 – Search for settings

Already overwhelmed? You can now search your settings to more easily find hidden options!

From the home screen press the Menu button
Select “Settings”
Tap “Search” at the top and have at it! Don’t forget this feature is here… it’s very useful.

#14 – Customize your quick settings buttons

Prefer to have different quick setting toggles in your notification bar? You can change them easily:

Pull down the notification bar
Tap the square icons at the top right
Tap the pencil icons at the top right
Drag available buttons to the Notificaion panel (you’ll have to replace an existing button)
Re-order as you like by dragging and dropping

#15 to #18 – Customize your lock screen

Your lock screen can be more than just a lock screen… you’ve just got to set it up. You can find all of these options in:
Settings > Device > Lock Screen.
15) Add quick launch icons to your lock screen.
Shortcuts > On. Further customize by tapping the icons and selecting your own quick launch apps!
16) Add widgets to your lock screen
Multiple Widgets > On > Favorite Apps. The “Camera” option is relatively useless since you can set a quick launch icon (above) to your camera and it launches much more quickly and smoothly.
17) Personalize with contact info and personal message
If you lose your phone, it’s helpful if your screen shows your contact information so a good samaritan can help you retrieve your device. You might also want to add a little of your own pizzaz.
18) Create a memo without unlocking
Action Memo on lock screen > On. To create an “Action Memo” without unlocking your phone, simply hold down the S Pen button and tap anywhere on the lock screen twice. An Action Memo note will immediately pop up at your disposal! Make sure the setting is enabled in

#19 to #25 – Home Screen Shortcuts

When you’re on the home screen the following buttons provide extra functionality.

19) Hold back button to enable/disable Multi Window
20) Double Press Home Button for S Voice
21) Hold Home button for Recent Apps and access to RAM Manager and Google Now
22) Press Home Button for My Magazine
23) Swipe up from the home button for My Magazine
24) Hold Menu Button for S Finder
25) Press Menu Button to edit your Home Screens, access settings, and read help docs

#26 – Prevent Air Command from launching when stylus removed

Air Command is greatly, but you might get restless if the menu pops up EVERY time you remove the Stylus. You can choose to turn this off (or toggle to automatically open Action Memo, which is probably more annoying).

Go to Settings > Controls > S Pen > Pen detachment options
Select “None”

#27 – Capture screen without S Pen & Screen Writer

To get a screen capture without using Air Command, simply hold the Home and Power Button at the same time. You can also prevent the screen captures from entering edit mode by going to Settings > Device > Display > Edit after screen capture (the last option)

#28 – Turn your phone into a Senior Citizen Saver

Did you buy the Galaxy Note 3 for Grandma or Grandpa because they don’t need a telescope to read the print on the HUGE 5.7 inch screen? Make things even simpler by transforming their phone into an incredibly basic layout that’s hard to NOT understand.

Go to Settings > Device > Easy Mode
Turn it on!

#29 – Display your app drawer in alphabetical order

If you’ve got a ton of apps, flipping through page after page to get to something specific can be a hassle. You can change the layout of your app drawer very easily to make it more convenient:

Open you app drawer
Press the menu button
Press “View type”
Select either “Alphabetical list” or “Alphabetical grid” depending on your preference

#30 – Unlock your phone by saying “Hi Galaxy”

I’ve seen many people complain that saying “Hi Galaxy” won’t work and they can’t find the option in the Note’s settings. That’s because the option is actually hidden in the settings of the S Voice app!

Open S Voice (double tap Home Button or open from your app tray)
Press the Menu button
Select “Settings”
Check “Wake up command”
Turn “Voice wake-up” On to activate S Voice even while the screen is off!

Note: “Hi Galaxy” won’t simply unlock you’re phone… it must be followed by a voice command to become useful (see below)

#31+ – Master the voice commands!

Create and use your own Voice Commands
In addition to all of the default voice commands (see below), you’re able to set 4 custom voice commands (using your own voice) that will trigger actions from the lock screen (display must be on)!

Go to Settings > Device > Lock Screen > Wake up in lock screen
Turn this ON
Tap one of the “Wake-up function” items #1-4
Tap “Change function” to select an action when your keyword is spoken out loud. Select from one of the following:
1. Unlock
2. Check for missed calls
3. Check for missed messages
4. Open Camera
5. Check Schedule
6. Play Music
7. Record Voice
8. Turn on/off Hands-free Mode
Re-enter the same Wake-up function ,tap “Change command”, tap the microphone button, and speak your customized voice command out loud four times.
You’re ready to go! Open the lock screen on your display (swipe to unlock) and say your voice command out loud!

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