Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Use It as a Flashlight in Android 4.4 Kitkat

I believe that most of you ever hear or know that some phones can act as a flashlight or torch light. In some conditions, this ability will be so helpful for instance when you want to search something in the dark or when you need a portable light for any purpose. Actually, Samsung Galaxy SIV has no default option to let you set the phone as the torch light, but you still can do so by using the assistive light widget. This widget will allow you to instantly turn on or off the camera flashlight with a single tap. It'll be easier than you have to open the Camera app and then turn on the flashlight from there.

How to add the assistive light widget to the Home screen?
Before using the phone as the torch light, you have to add the assistive light widget to the Home screen by using the following steps:

1. Long tap on any free space in Home screen.
2. On pop up menu select Apps and widgets.
3. Tap Widgets tab.
4. Swipe the screen to the right or to the left until you find Assistive Light 1x1 widget.
5. Tap and hold the widget to move it to the Home screen.
6. Release the widget to place it in the Home screen.

How to use the phone as a torch light?
If the assistive light widget has been added to the Home screen, then now you're ready to use the phone as a flashlight by using the following steps:

1. Turning on the flashlight
   Tap the assistive light widget icon in the Home screen to turn on the camera flashlight. When the flashlight is on, the assistive light icon in Home screen will turn green and the white light icon will be displayed on the status bar.
2. Turning off the flashlight
   Method #1: Through the Home screen
   
   • Tap the assistive light widget icon in Home screen to turn off the camera flashlight. The assistive light icon in Home screen will turn grey and the white light icon on the status bar will disappear as a sign that the flashlight is turned off.
   Method #2: Through the notification panel
• When the screen is unlocked or locked, swipe down the top of the screen to open up the notification panel
• Tap the assistive light notification to turn off the camera flashlight. The assistive light widget icon in Home screen will turn grey and the white light icon on the status bar will disappear as a sign that the flashlight is turned off.

FYI, since the widget can't be customized and can't be turned on or off automatically, therefore the flashlight will stay on even when the screen is off unless you turn it off manually through the Home screen or the notification panel.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Change Date and Time in Android 4.4 Kitkat

By default, the date and time in the Samsung Galaxy SIV is set automatically so that the phone will allow the network to set the date and time for you. However, in case if you want to adjust the date and time or change the date and time format, you can do so with ease through the settings menu.

How to set date and time?
Below are the steps to do so:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap More tab.
3. Tap Date and time.
4. Change the date and time:
To set the date and time automatically:
• Check the box next to Automatic date and time to enable this option.
• Now, the phone will use the network-provided date and time.
To set the date and time manually:
• Clear the checkbox next to Automatic date and time to disable this option.
• Tap Set date and then adjust the date by tapping the up arrow icon or the down arrow icon and then tap Set button.
• Tap Set time and then adjust the time by tapping the up arrow icon or the down arrow icon and then tap Set button.
5. Change the time zone:
To set the time zone automatically:
• Check the box next to Automatic time zone to enable this option.
• The phone will use the network-provided time zone.
To set the time zone manually:
• Clear the check box next to Automatic time zone to disable this option.
• Tap Select time zone and then select the required time zone from the list.
6. Change the time format:
   Depending on your current settings, tap Use 24-hour format to enable or disable this option. If this option is enabled then the phone will show the time in 24-hour format, while if this option is disabled then the phone will show the time in 12-hour format or AM/PM format.
7. Change the date format:
• Tap Select date format.
• Select the desired date format (dd/mm/yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy, yyyy/mm/dd).
8. Once done, the date and time on the phone will be displayed according to the date and time setting you have just set before.

FYI, wrong date and time can cause some problems in your phone, for instance you may encounter no-connection error while accessing the Play Store. So, by knowing this step, now you can easily set or correct the date and time automatically or manually as well as adjust the date time format according to your need.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Change Default Search Engine in Internet App in Android 4.4 Kitkat

Internet users always grow from time to time. It triggers the emergence of many new websites that provide various information for the users. To help you find the webpage and/or information you're looking for in Internet with ease, then you can use a search engine. The search engine will help you to find a webpage contains with the information as same as the search term you have typed in the search field in the search engine. By default, when you type a word in the address bar of the Internet app, then you'll be given with the search result of the word you have typed by using the default search engine.

How to change default search engine in Internet app?
By default, the Internet app uses Google search as the default search engine. However, if you want to use another search engine as the default then you can do so by using the following steps:

1. Open Internet app.
2. Tap the box in the left side of the address bar and you'll see some search engine options displayed in the drop down menu:
• Google search: select this option if you want to use google.com as the default search engine in Internet app.
• Ask Jeeves: select this option if you want to use uk.ask.com as the default search engine in Internet app.
• Yahoo! UK & Ireland: select this option if you want to use uk.search.yahoo.com as the default search engine in Internet app.
• Bing: select this option if you want to use bing.com as the default search engine in Internet app.
3. Select the desired search engine you want to use.
4. Type the search term in the address bar and then tap Go. The Internet app will automatically search the search term by using the search engine you have selected before.
5. In the search result page, you can tap the link to open the webpage in the currently opened tab or you can long tap the link and then select Open in new window to open the webpage in the new tab.
6. To make you easier to find the webpage you have found through the search engine, you can bookmark the webpage or save the webpage to read it later offline.

FYI, the selected search engine won't change even when the phone is restarted or turned off, it will only change and re-use Google as the default search engine if you clear the Internet app data from the app info or from the application manager. From the four search engines available, I prefer to use Google search as the default search engine because it gives me more accurate and relevant result. So, how about you? Which search engine do you like best?

Samsung Galaxy S4: How Turn Off Notifications Sound During Calls in Android 4.4 Kitkat

Today an insider sent me an email and asked me how to disable notifications sound while she was on an active call. She said that the notifications sound really disturbed her and it became worse when she was wearing headset. The sound interrupted her conversation because it made her check her phone instinctively and in some cases it also made her difficult to hear clearly the person she was speaking with. Well, if you have the same problem with her, then you can fix it by setting the phone to silence the notifications sound when you have an alarm or a new message during call.


How to turn off in-call notifications sound?
There are two methods available that you can use to disable notifications sound while you're in an active call, through the Settings menu and through Phone app.

Method #1: From the Settings menu

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Tap Call.
4. Tap Call alerts.
5. Clear the checkbox next to Alerts during calls to disable this option.
6. Once done, alarm and message notifications sound will be turned off during calls.

Method #2: From the Phone app

1. Open Phone app.
2. Tap the Menu key and then select Call settings.
3. Tap Call alerts.
4. Clear the checkbox next to Alerts during calls to disable this option.
5. Once done, alarm and message notifications sound will be turned off during calls.

Basically, the notifications sound during calls feature is designed to inform you when your alarm goes off or when you have a new message while you're in an active call so that you won't miss them. But, for any reason if this option bothers you, then you can easily turn this option off by following the steps mentioned above.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Customize Call Alerts in Android 4.4 Kitkat

To meet the basic function as a phone, Samsung Galaxy SIV has provided their users with the stock Phone app that can be used to make or receive calls. This app is equipped with various useful features which will be able to improve your experience while using this phone for call activities, one of which is the ability to change ringtone as your liking so that you'll be easier to know when you have incoming calls on your phone.

See also: How to Change Ringtone in the Samsung Galaxy S4

Aside from assigning ringtone, you can also customize call alerts which will let you set the phone to play a tone or vibrate when your call is answered or ended, set the phone to play the minute minder tone during a call as well as set the phone to play a tone when you have notifications during a call.

How to customize call alerts?
Kindly using the following steps to do so:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device tab.
3. Tap Call.
4. Tap Call alerts. Here you'll see the following options:
• Answer vibration: enable this option if you want your phone vibrates when the other party answers your call.
• Call end vibration: enable this option if you want your phone vibrates when the other party ends your call.
• Call connect tone: enable this option if you want your phone plays a tone when your call is connected.
• Minute minder: enable this option if you want your phone plays the minute minder tone during a call.
• Call end tone: enable this option if you want your phone plays a tone when your call is ended.
• Alerts during calls: enable this option if you want your phone plays a tone when an alarm goes off or when you receive a new message during a call.

Some users may be helped with this feature, but some others may not. But, given all options under call alerts are the optional features, then you're free either to enable or disable them without worrying it will bring any error on your phone.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Enable and Use Panorama Mode in Camera App in Android 4.4 Kitkat

Have you ever wanted to take a wide landscape image or commonly referred as panoramic photo as you can see in the header of a webpage for instance? If so, you can easily do so by using panorama mode in the stock Camera app in the Samsung Galaxy SIV. Panorama mode works by taking consecutive multiple shots that will allow you to capture landscape image up to 360 degree in a full rotation and then stitches them into a single picture.

How to take a panoramic photo?
Before taking a panoramic photo, here are some tips that will help you to have a better panoramic picture:

• Take a panoramic photo in a good light situation. If you take the photo in a low-light situation or at night, make sure the phone is moved slowly to let the phone gets enough light to make a good low-light shot.
• Don't change the phone position--if possible--by holding the phone as steady as possible.
• Don't move the phone too fast to avoid missing frame and make sure to follow the guiding frame while moving the phone.

Now, you're ready to take a panoramic photo by using the following steps:

1. Open Camera app.
2. Enable panorama mode by tapping and then select Panorama.
3. Tap to take picture and then move the phone in one direction slowly and steady to let your phone takes another shot well. FYI, because this mode takes multiple shots, make sure to hold the phone as steady as possible and move slowly by following the guiding frame.
4. To stop shooting tap .
5. If you didn't stop shooting manually, the phone will automatically stop shooting when the blue frame reaches the end of the guiding frame.

Based on my experience, one thing that makes it hard to have a good panoramic photo is the difficulty to keep the phone position. That's why I can conclude that the result will be much better if you take panoramic photos by using a tool to help you to keep the phone position, for instance by using a panoramic tripod head.

Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Take HDR Photos in Android 4.4 Kitkat

In the Samsung Galaxy SIV, the stock Camera app comes with several camera modes, one of which is the HDR mode. HDR itself is stands for High Dynamic Range. This mode is designed to help the user solves the problem of underexposed or overexposed image. HDR mode works by taking more than one pictures and then merge them to have the final picture with good exposure, soft and rich colors. Given to its function, this mode is best used to take landscape pictures or building where the scene usually has a significant difference between foreground and background (e.g: taking picture of the building under the bright sky).

How to take a HDR picture?
Below are the steps to do so:

1. Open Camera app.
2. By default, the camera uses auto as the camera mode. To change the camera mode, tap and then select Rich tone (HDR).
3. If necessary, you can zoom in or out before taking a picture, either by using the Volume key or the pinch-to-zoom gesture.
4. By default, the camera focuses in the middle of the screen. If you want to change the focus point, tap on the screen where the camera should be focused. The focus icon will turn green when the focus has been locked.
5. Tap to take a picture. As a note, to get the best result, make sure to hold the phone as steady as possible while taking a picture because HDR mode needs to take more than one pictures.

FYI, I've tried using HDR mode to take a picture of building when the sky is very bright(see the picture above). The picture that was taken with HDR mode had a better exposure portion than the picture that was taken with Auto mode. So, how about you? Have you ever tried the HDR mode?