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Tips<br />
Tricks Hacks Apps<br />
Customisation<br />
The apps and expertise you need to reinvent a device<br />
Just because the user interface (UI) of<br />
your <strong>Samsung</strong> device looks and works a<br />
certain way the first time you pull it out of<br />
the box, that doesn’t mean it has to stay<br />
like that for the rest of its life. There are lots<br />
of simple and effective ways to change the<br />
look and feel of your <strong>Samsung</strong> experience,<br />
and we’re going to look at a few of them in<br />
detail now.<br />
There’s no rooting necessary here – all<br />
you’ll have to do is download a few apps and<br />
set up a few preferences and you’ll be taking<br />
control of your UI in no time.<br />
In fact, there are plenty of ways you<br />
can customise your UI without having to<br />
download anything. Dive into the Settings<br />
menu of your phone or tablet and you’ll find<br />
a wealth of things you can tweak and play<br />
around with.<br />
If you want to change the font size of<br />
your interface head into the Accessibility<br />
menu. Here you can also turn on TalkBack,<br />
change the sound balance and modify a<br />
number of different settings that affect the<br />
way the phone works across a range of<br />
situations or environments.<br />
Things as simple as altering the lock<br />
screen settings can change the way you use<br />
your device. You can add shortcuts to your<br />
lock screen to open up apps straight out of<br />
your pocket.<br />
Some smartphones have motion control,<br />
reacting to being picked up and put down<br />
or flipped over in different ways. You can<br />
control this in the Motion section of the<br />
settings. You can also change what certain<br />
swipes and gestures do here.<br />
The Display menu offers even more<br />
customisation options. Here you can adjust<br />
what your notifications bar does, plus<br />
play around with various settings like the<br />
wallpaper, LED indicator and colour of the<br />
screen, to name just a few.<br />
In these tutorials we’re going to look<br />
at how you can get the most out of your<br />
notifications bar, an easy way to customise<br />
the LED light on your device, a clever<br />
launcher app that lets you use your phone<br />
one-handed, a new and incredibly useful<br />
download manager and a clever little beta<br />
app that means you can silence your phone<br />
in advance. We’ll even throw in a couple of<br />
extra tips and hints to get you on your way.<br />
By the end of this masterclass, you may never<br />
look at your <strong>Samsung</strong> <strong>Galaxy</strong> device in the<br />
same way again.<br />
Customise your UI Three ways to change how you interact with your <strong>Samsung</strong><br />
Download a launcher<br />
Downloading a different launcher<br />
app will change your home screens.<br />
Some will just add a few aesthetic<br />
tweaks, but others completely<br />
overhaul the way you activate apps or<br />
access your contacts.<br />
Pick some widgets<br />
Adding widgets to your home screen<br />
lets you customise its look and gives<br />
you quick access to apps and useful<br />
info. There are loads on the Google<br />
Play Store, and a lot of devices come<br />
with certain widgets pre-installed.<br />
Find what works<br />
Almost every aspect of your Android<br />
experience can be modified. If you<br />
don’t like the apps you’ve currently<br />
got, then go and find new ones.<br />
Without a doubt, experimenting is the<br />
best way to get the UI you want.<br />
Will<br />
rooting<br />
give me<br />
more<br />
options<br />
Absolutely.<br />
Installing a<br />
custom version<br />
of the Android<br />
OS gives you<br />
more freedom.<br />
But it’s not a<br />
necessity; there<br />
are plenty<br />
of apps and<br />
widgets that<br />
can change the<br />
look and feel of<br />
your device.<br />
20 <strong>Samsung</strong> <strong>Galaxy</strong> Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks