Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Set Homepage in the Stock Browser App in Android 4.4 Kitkat

Bookmark webpage is a feature that you can find in the stock Browser app in the Samsung Galaxy SIV. You can use this feature to mark a webpage so that you can load them later easier without having to enter the webpage address(URL). This will of course will make you easier and faster accessing your favourite webpage and prevent you from a trouble of forgetting the webpage address.

See also: How to Bookmark a Webpage and View It in the Stock Browser App in Android 4.4 Kitkat in the Samsung Galaxy S4

Aside from bookmark a webpage, the stock Browser app also has another useful feature which will facilitate your browsing activities. One of which is a feature that will allow you to assign a webpage as your homepage so that whenever you're opening the stock Browser app, the webpage that you've assigned as the homepage will be automatically loaded.


How to set homepage in the Stock Browser app?
There are 3 methods that you can use to set homepage in the stock Browser app. You can see them below.

Method #1: From the settings menu of the Internet app
This is a common method used by users to set their homepage. Here are the steps:

1. Open Internet app.
2. Tap the Menu key, scroll to the bottom to find Settings and then tap it.
3. Tap Set homepage.
4. Here, you'll see four options available, they are:
• Default page: select this option if you want to set the default webpage (it's usually a Samsung webpage) as your homepage.
• Current page: select this option if you want to set currently opened webpage as your homepage.
• Most visited sites: select this option if you want to set the most visited sites as your homepage.
• Other: select this option if you want to set another webpage as your homepage. When you select this option, you'll be asked to enter the URL of the webpage you want to set as your homepage.
5. Tap Done button.
6. The selected homepage will be set.

Method #2: From the bookmarks
This method will allow you to set one of bookmarked webpages as the homepage. Here are the steps:

1. Open Internet app.
2. Tap Bookmark icon located at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Bookmarks tab.
4. Long tap the required bookmark.
5. On pop up menu select Set as homepage.
6. The selected bookmark will be set as the homepage.

Method #4: From the Internet histories
This method will allow you to set a webpage that you've ever visited as the homepage. Here are the steps:

1. Open Internet app.
2. Tap Bookmark icon located at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap History tab.
4. Tap the required history of a webpage.
5. On pop up menu select Set as homepage.
6. The selected history of a webpage will be set as the homepage.

I personally prefer to set the most visited sites as the homepage because it'll make me easier and faster accessing up to 6 webpages of the most visited sites whenever I'm opening the stock Browser app.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Bookmark a Webpage and View It in the Stock Browser App in Android 4.4 Kitkat

Internet app is one of the stock apps available in the Samsung Galaxy SIV that you can use to browse webpages. You need to have an internet connection to make this app works. You can get it by connecting to a Wi-Fi network or by using mobile data.

See also: How to Connect to a Wi-Fi Network in Android 4.4 Kitkat in the Samsung Galaxy S4

As with another stock apps, Internet app also has come with some useful features that will facilitate your activities while using this app. One of features available in this app is a bookmark feature. This feature will allow you to bookmark a currently opened webpage to make you easier to access them later.

How to bookmark a webpage?
You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Open the Internet app.
2. Tap the address bar, and then enter the web address or URL by using the on-screen keyboard and then tap Go.
3. The webpage will be loaded shortly.
4. Once the webpage is fully loaded, tap Bookmark icon located at the top right corner of the screen.
5. In the Bookmarks tab, tap Add bookmark.
6. If necessary, you can create new folder for your bookmark by tapping My device option and then tap Create new folder icon . Enter the name for your new folder then tap Done button. Now, you can select the newly created folder to save your bookmark.
7. If necessary, you can edit the bookmark name in the Title field.
8. Tap Save button.
9. The webpage has been bookmarked.

How to view a bookmarked webpage?
When a webpage has been bookmarked, then you can easily access the webpage later by following the steps below:

1. Open the Internet app.
2. Tap Bookmark icon located at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Bookmarks tab. Here all bookmarked webpages will be displayed.
4. Tap the desired bookmark you want to view.
5. The selected bookmark will be loaded shortly.

Given its function, it'll be useful if you use bookmark feature to bookmark your favourite webpages so that you can access them easily whenever you want without having to enter the web address. Aside from bookmark favourite webpages, I usually use this feature to bookmark a useful webpage that I find while I'm browsing webpages but having no time to read it. So, by bookmarking the webpage, I can easily load then read them later without struggling hard to remember what the web address are.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Enable or Disable Notification Reminder in Android 4.4 Kitkat

If you have updated your Samsung Galaxy SIV to Android 4.4 Kitkat, you may noticed that most of new features were added under the accessibility menu. One of which is called notification reminder. Enabling this option will make your phone beeps at set intervals to remind you of any unread notifications.


How to enable or disable notification reminder?
There are 2 methods available that you can use to enable or disable this option, through the Settings menu or through the device options.

Method #1: From the Settings menu

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap it.
4. Scroll down to find Notification reminder, then tap the ON/OFF switch to enable or disable this option. When the ON/OFF switch is on the right side or shows green means the option is enabled.
5. Tap Notification reminder.
6. Tap Reminder interval, then select from the following options:
• 3 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 3 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 5 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 5 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 10 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 10 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 30 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 30 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 1 hour: select this option to make your phone beeps every 1 hour until the unread notification is opened.
7. Select the desired reminder interval you wish to use.

Method #2: From the Device option
This method can be used only if you have been added the accessibility shortcut to the device options. Well, here are the steps:

1. In any screen, long tap the Power key.
2. On pop up menu select Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to find Notification reminder, then tap the ON/OFF switch to enable or disable this option. When the ON/OFF switch is on the right side or shows green means the option is enabled.
4. Tap Notification reminder.
5. Tap Reminder interval, then select from the following options:
• 3 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 3 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 5 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 5 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 10 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 10 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 30 minutes: select this option to make your phone beeps every 30 minutes until the unread notification is opened.
• 1 hour: select this option to make your phone beeps every 1 hour until the unread notification is opened.
6. Select the desired reminder interval you wish to use.

Once you activated this feature, when you have an unread notification, the phone will keep beep at set intervals until the notification is opened. So, now you don't need to worry missed any notifications on your phone.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Fix Can't Find Floating Keyboard Icon in Android 4.4 Kitkat

When I was writing about new options and features were brought by Android 4.4 Kitkat in my Samsung Galaxy SIV, there was a new feature called floating keyboard I didn't include because the feature was suddenly gone and I can't find it. FYI, the floating keyboard feature will make the keyboard floats and movables to any parts of the screen so that you can use the whole screen to display currently open application.

See also: New Options and Features in Android 4.4 Kitkat in the Samsung Galaxy S4

After some further investigations, I found that floating keyboard will be automatically disabled when I turned on magnification gestures feature. I guess, it's because the magnification gestures feature doesn't work in the keyboard therefore the user is only allowed to display the keyboard in the normal state. So, if you're also experiencing the same problem with me(can't find the floating keyboard icon) then you can bring it back by turning off the magnification gestures.


How to disable magnification gestures?
There are two methods available that you can use to disable this feature, through the Settings menu or through the device options.

Method #1: Settings menu

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap it.
4. Scroll down to find Magnification gestures, then slide the ON/OFF switch to the left to disable this option.
5. Now, go to a screen or an app where you can enter text (e.g: Messaging app, Email app, Browser app, etc).
6. Tap and hold the key in the left side of the space bar and then select the floating keyboard icon to switch between normal and floating keyboard.

Method #2: From the device options
This method can be used if you have been added the accessibility shortcut to the device options. Well, here are the steps:

1. In any screen, long tap the Power key.
2. On pop up menu select Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to find Magnification gestures, then slide the ON/OFF switch to the left to disable this option.
4. Now, go to a screen or an app where you can enter text (e.g: Messaging app, Email app, Browser app, etc).
5. Tap and hold the key in the left side of the space bar and then select the floating keyboard icon to switch between normal and floating keyboard.

I personally prefer to use the normal keyboard than the floating one because the floating keyboard makes the keys are smaller than those in the normal keyboard. The small keys in floating keyboard make me have difficulty to use them well. So, how about you? Do you like to use floating keyboard?

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Enable and Use Magnification Gestures in Android 4.4 Kitkat

If you're like me, after Samsung Galaxy SIV was updated to Android 4.4 Kitkat, the most of new features are added in the Accessibility settings. One of which is called magnification gestures. This feature will allow you to zoom in or out by using gesture in any screen easily.


How to enable or disable magnification gestures?
Generally, there are two methods available that you can use to enable or disable this option. Oh, I've just remembered, a few days ago, an insider asked me why her phone automatically zoomed out if she tapped the screen rapidly while she was playing a game. Apparently, she has accidentally enabled magnification gestures on her phone. So, if you're also experiencing this problem, you can use the step below to disable the magnification gestures.

Method #1: From the Settings menu

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap it.
4. Scroll down to find Magnification gestures, then tap ON/OFF switch to enable or disable this option. When the switch is on the right or shows green means the option is enabled.

Method #2: From the device options
You can use this method if you have added the accessibility shortcut to the device option. If you don't know how to do so, you can see the complete steps here. Well, to enable or disable magnification gestures through the device menu, do as follows:

1. Long press the Power key.
2. On pop up menu select Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to find Magnification gestures, then tap ON/OFF switch to enable or disable this option. When the switch is on the right or shows green means the option is enabled.

How to use magnification gestures?
If the magnification gestures has been activated, you can use this feature anywhere except the keyboard and navigation bar. Well, here are the steps:

1. In any screen, triple tap the screen to zoom in or zoom out. The screen will be framed with the blue light as a sign that you're in the magnified state.
2. While zoomed in, you can do the following actions:
• Pan: you can do so by dragging two or more fingers across the screen.
• Adjust zoom level: you can do so by pinching two or more fingers together or spread them apart.
3. Triple tap the screen to return to the normal state.
4. You can also temporarily magnify what is under your finger by using the following steps:
• In any screen triple tap the screen and holding.
• Without lift your finger, drag your finger to explore different parts of the screen.
• Lift your finger to return to the normal state.

For the record, when this feature is enabled, the response time in Phone, Calculator and other apps could be slowed down. So, have you used this features? Has this feature helped you to improve your experience while using this phone?

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Show Accessibility or TalkBack Shortcut in the Device Options in Android 4.4 Kitkat

After my Samsung Galaxy SIV had updated to Android 4.4 Kitkat, I then dug into the Settings menu to discover new options or features were brought by this Android version. Soon, I noticed that most of new features are added under the Accessibility menu, one of which is called Single tap mode(this is my favourite one). This feature will allow you to dismiss/snooze alarm or timers as well as answering or rejecting call with a single tap.

See also: How to Enable and Use Single Tap Mode in Android 4.4.2 Kitkat in the Samsung Galaxy S4

Well, if you usually access the Accessibility settings through the Settings menu, you can access it easier and faster from any screen by adding its shortcut to the device options by using the Show shortcut option. Through this option, you can also show the TalkBack shortcut to the device options.

How to show Accessibility and/or TalkBack shortcut in the device options?
Below are the steps to do so:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap it.
4. Scroll down to find Show shortcut, then tap it.
5. Now, you'll see two options available, they are:
• Accessibility: select this option to show the Accessibility shortcut in the device options. It'll allow you quickly accessing the Accessibility menu by long pressing the Power key.
• TalkBack: select this option to show the TalkBack shortcut in the device options. It'll allow you easily and quickly enable or disable the TalkBack mode from the device options by long pressing the Power key.
6. Select the desired shortcut you want to show in the device options by ticking the box next to the option. You can select one of them or both of them.
7. Tap Apply button.
8. The selected shortcut will be added to the device options.

After the Accessibility and the TalkBack shortcut have been added to the device options, now you can access them easily from any screen by long pressing the Power key. In some cases, some users have accidentally enabled the TalkBack mode and they have difficulties to get out from this mode, so by adding the TalkBack shortcut to the device options you can disable(or enable) the TalkBack mode easier and faster compared if you should struggling to find TalkBack mode option through the Settings menu.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Switch Between Installed Keyboard Apps in Android 4.4 Kitkat

One of advantages owned by Android phones, including with the Samsung Galaxy SIV, is easiness to install third-party apps, either from the official source, Google Play Store, or from another unofficial sources. This of course will help you when you are not satisfied with the stock apps performance or when the stock apps don't have a feature you're looking for.

See also: How to Download and Install Free Apps from Google Play Store in the Samsung Galaxy S4

One of the most frequently installed third party apps is a keyboard app. Well, though the Samsung Galaxy SIV has been equipped with the stock Samsung keyboard, but some users said that some features in this keyboard app don't work in line with their expectations. When you already have installed third-party keyboard app in your phone, you can change the input method so that you can use that keyboard app.


How to change input method?
Generally there are two methods available that you can use to switch between installed keyboard apps. You can see them below.

Method #1: From a screen or an app where you can enter text
As the example, I'll try to change the input method through the Messaging app

1. In the create new message screen, swipe down the top of the screen to open the notification panel.
2. Under the Notifications section, tap Choose input method.
3. All installed keyboard apps will be displayed in the Choose input method pop up menu.
4. Select the desired keyboard app you wish to use.
5. The selected keyboard will be applied and you're ready to write your message with the newly selected keyboard.

Method #2: From the Settings menu

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My Device tab.
3. Scroll down to find Language and input, then tap it.
4. Under the Keyboards and input methods section, tap Default.
5. All installed keyboard apps will be displayed in the Choose input method pop up menu.
6. Select the desired keyboard app you wish to use.
7. The selected keyboard will be applied.

For those of you who have some keyboard apps installed in the phone, you can use one of methods mentioned above to switch between them. So, if you're using third-party keyboard app, which keyboard app do you like best?