Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Fix Camera Flashes When Alarm Goes Off After Update to the Android 4.3

An insider named Heather has sent me an email to ask why her phone give her a camera flashes when the alarm on her phone goes off. She said that the flash light is so bright and disturbs her. This issue begin occurs once she update the phone to the Android 4.3.

See also: How to Fix Recurring Old Download Notifications in Android 4.3 in Samsung Galaxy S3

Apparently, some of users who already updated their phone to the Android 4.3 also encounter the same problem where their phone does the camera flash when the alarm goes off or when receiving an incoming email or calls. Well, it's actually not the "real" problem because it's triggered by the new option under accessibility option called flash notification, so you don't need to worry.


How to get rid camera flashes when the alarm goes off or when receiving new email or calls on Android 4.3?
If you feel bothered with this issue, then below are the steps to fix it:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap My device.
3. Tap Accessibility.
4. Scroll down to find Flash notification option. Check the checkbox next to this option to turn it on and then uncheck the checkbox again to turn it off.
5. Restart the phone.

As confirmed by Heather, she said that once she done the step above, now her phone's camera no longer flashes whenever the alarm on her phone goes off. So, hope this helps :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Fix Recurring Old Download Notifications

One of the insider has leave her comment here to ask why the notification list in her phone repeatedly shows old downloads and can't be cleared. She realized that this issue occurs once she updated the phone to the Android 4.3. She said that she already done removed all the files in the Download folders through the My files app, but that's not works.

See also: How to Use Notification Bar on Samsung Galaxy S3

Indeed, this issue won't damage the phone, but not actual download notifications sometimes become so annoying. So, if you're also encountering the same problem once you perform update on your phone, then below are some possible methods that you can do to fix them:

Method #1: Clear all download histories in the Download app
The first method that you can do is by clearing all the download histories in the Download app by following the step below:

1. Go to Apps through the Home screen.
2. Tap Downloads.
3. Clear all download histories in the Internet downloads and Other downloads tab by ticking all the box in the left side of the download history, and then tap the Trash can icon to delete all of them.

Method #2: Clear cache and data of the Download app
If the #1 is not works, then try to clear cache and data of the Download app through the Settings menu as listed in the step below:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Application manager.
3. Swipe to the All screen.
4. Scroll down to find Downloads, then tap it.
5. Tap Clear cache button.
6. Tap Clear data button followed by tapping OK button.
7. Tap Force stop button followed by tapping OK button.
8. Restart the phone.

Method #3: Clear cache and data of the Download manager
If both of the steps above are not works, then try to follow the steps listed below:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Application manager.
3. Swipe to the All screen.
4. Scroll down to find Download manager, then tap it.
5. Tap Clear cache button.
6. Tap Clear data button followed by tapping OK button.
7. Tap Force stop button followed by tapping OK button.
8. Restart the phone.

Well, these are the possible methods that you can do to fix recurring download notification after updating your phone to the Android 4.3. As usual, I didn't include the factory reset as one of methods to fix this problem due to the risks. However, if you know another methods that works to fix this problem, then I'll appreciate if you willing to share them through the comment below :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Select Multiple Email Messages in Gmail App

One of the feature available on Gmail app is the sender image which is display the sender's picture if available or the first letter of the sender's name in the left side of each email message. This feature will help you more easier and faster to know the email sender without having to read the sender's name first. By default, this option is enabled. But, if you don't want to use this feature, you can easily turn them off through the settings.

See also: How to Enable or Disable Sender Image in Gmail App in Samsung Galaxy S3

For the record, if you change this option, this will also change the way you do to make multiple selection in this app. So, depend on how you set the sender image option, there are two ways to select multiple email messages in the Gmail app as listed in the steps below:

Methods #1 : When the sender image is enabled
If you decide to leave this option to stay enable, then here's the step to make multiple selection:

1. Open Gmail App.
2. Tap the sender image to select the email message. You can see the image sender replaced by the check mark icon as a sign that the message has been selected.
3. Tap another sender image in another email message to make multiple selection.
4. Now you can do whatever you want with the selected email messages, such as delete all of them.

Method #2: When the sender image is disabled
In addition, if you decide to turn off this option, then here's the step to make multiple selection:

1. Open Gmail app.
2. Long tap one of the email message you wish to select until the email message is highlighted as a sign that it has been selected.
3. Tap another email messages you wish to select with a single tap to make multiple selection.
4. Now you can do whatever you want with the selected email messages, such as delete all of them.

As each person has their different option which they can choose either to enable or disable the sender image, so by knowing both of the steps above to make multiple selection, now you can still do so no matter what the option you have been choose. So, hope this helps :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Enable or Disable Sender Image in Gmail App

All of the Android-based smartphone users, including with the Samsung Galaxy SIII users of course have at least a single Google account in the phone. This account can be used to access Google Play store to allow the user to download contents from there or to access another Google services available in the device, such as Gmail app which can be used by the user to send or receive email messages.

See also: How to Compose and Send Email Message in Gmail App in Samsung Galaxy S3

As another apps, Gmail app also provide the user some improvement in each update, such as displaying sender image in the left of each incoming message. The sender image will make you more easier to know who sent you an email message without having to read the sender's name first. If the sender already added in the Contact app and have a picture enabled, then the sender image will display the picture. If not, the sender image will display the first letter of the sender's name.


How to enable or disable sender image in Gmail app?
Some of the user may be find the sender image is useful, but for others may not. So, if you want to enable or disable this option, then kindly follow the steps listed below:

1. Open Gmail app.
2. Tap the Menu key then select Settings.
3. Tap General settings.
4. According to your current settings, tap Sender image to enable or disable this option. When the checkbox next to the option is ticked means the option is turned on.

Well, by knowing the step, now you can set this option as you want. If you love the app to display the sender image, then you can leave it on. While if not, you can turn this option off to set back the inbox to looks like as the way the old Gmail app do to show the incoming email messages. So, hope this helps :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Get Back the Delete Button in Gmail App

In the Gmail app, you can find the mark as unread button as one of the icons available in the toolbar when you're opening an email message. You can use this button to mark an email message as unread so you can easily find it later by using the search function. For some peoples this will be very helpful to avoid the certain email message to lost among many other email messages, especially if they receive a lot of email messages every day.

See also: How to View Only Unread Email Message in Gmail App in Samsung Galaxy S3

Unfortunately, the mark as unread button makes the delete button no longer appears in the toolbar resulting you need to do the two steps to delete an email message. For some peoples who often use the delete button, this of course will impact them. Luckily, there's a simple tweak that you can do to bring back the trash can icon to the toolbar in Gmail app.


How to restore the delete button in the Gmail app?
Here are the steps to do so:

1. Open Gmail app.
2. Tap the Menu key then select Settings.
3. Tap General settings.
4. Tap Archive and delete actions.
5. On pop up menu select Show delete only.
6. Now, whenever you open an email message, the delete button will be available again in the toolbar.

Indeed, each person may have different options. So, if you don't mind if the delete button is replaced by the mark as unread button, then you don't need to perform these steps, but if you prefer to put the delete button back on the toolbar, then you can easily restore the button by using the steps above. So, hope this helps :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to Switch Between Email Accounts

The ability to manage multiple email accounts owned by the Samsung Galaxy SIII is one of the reasons why lot of peoples decide to choose this Android-based smartphone as their devices. Moreover, this phone also provide the stock Email app to facilitate users to receive or send email through it. By using this app you can easily add a POP3 e-mail accounts, Microsoft Exchange email accounts, etc.

See also: How to Add a Microsoft Exchange Email Account on Samsung Galaxy S3

The stock Email app also allows you to manage multiple email at once with ease. You can switch between your email accounts to use them to send an e-mail message or to check whether you have an incoming email message or to do something else you want with them, such as reply, forward or delete email messages in the selected account.


How to switch between email accounts in Email app?
Here are the steps you need to do :

1. Open Email app .
2. Here you can see the Email app display your email messages from the active email account .
3. Tap the account name box at the top of the screen in the right side of the Email app icon to see the drop down menu contains all of your email accounts, and then choose the account you want to view . You can also choose Combined view which will display all of your email messages from all of your email accounts .
4. Your email messages from the selected account will be displayed . From here you can read, send an email message, etc.

By knowing this step, now you can easily switch between email accounts when you want to do something with another email account. So, hope this helps :)

Samsung Galaxy S3: How to View Only Unread Messages in the Gmail App

Mark as unread is one of the option available in the Gmail app. This option will allow you to mark the selected email message as unread, so you will be much more easier when you want to do something with them later, such as replying or forwarding an email message. This is certainly will useful to avoid the email message lost in hundred of your email messages, especially if you're the one who received a lot of emails every day.

See also: How to Mark an Email Message as Unread in Gmail App on Samsung Galaxy S3

In the other side, you might be disappointed to know that the Gmail app on your phone doesn't provide the options to show all unread messages. But, you don't need to worry, you still can do that by using a little trick by utilizing the search function in the Gmail app.


How to show all unread messages in the Gmail app?
Below are the steps to do so:

1. Open Gmail app.
2. Tap the Search icon.
3. Type is:unread in:inbox in the search box and then tap the Search button.
4. All unread messages in your Gmail inbox will be displayed.
5. Tap the desired unread message to open it. From here you can do whatever you want with the email message, such as replying or forwarding the email message to the desired contact.

For the record, this step only show unread messages temporarily, so you have to do this steps each time you want to see all of your unread messages, but since all the search term are saved by the app so it will help you to do the same search more easier later. However, by knowing this simple trick, at least now you can easily display all unread messages in the Gmail app on your phone though there's no actual option to do so. So, hope this helps :)