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Samsung

Guides for Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 & S Pen

520 guides

Network & Connectivity2

Change SIM Card Icon

If both SIM slots show the same generic card icon in the status bar and quick panel, it gets hard to tell which SIM handles calls and which one runs mobile data. One UI lets you assign a different icon and color to each SIM, but that option sits inside the SIM card manager, not in the notification shade. Without changing it, both lines stay visually identical until you tap into the settings.

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Apps & Installation2

Schedule Update Installation

Not every firmware update on your Samsung phone has to go in right away. Installing it in the middle of the day means the restart interrupts whatever you're doing. Samsung lets you pick a time within the next 24 hours so the install and restart happen automatically when you're not using the phone.

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Calls & Messages2

Clear Call Log

Every incoming, outgoing, missed and rejected call stays listed in the Samsung Phone app until you remove it yourself. Old numbers, call times, durations and even the SIM card used pile up over weeks, which can be a privacy issue if someone else picks up your phone. There is no automatic cleanup, so the log only grows unless you clear it manually.

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Notifications & Focus2

Vibrate While Ringing: Turn On or Off

If your Samsung phone stays silent on the desk during an incoming call, the vibration for ringing is switched off in your sound settings. This toggle controls only the ring vibration, separate from notification vibration or Do Not Disturb rules. Missed calls at work or in a bag often trace back to this single setting.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Turn On/Off Recycle Bin in Gallery

Deleted a photo or video by mistake and worried it is gone for good? On Samsung phones, the Gallery app can hold deleted files in a Trash folder before removing them permanently. If that safety net is switched off, one accidental swipe or tap on Delete removes the file immediately with no way back.

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Network & Connectivity2

Change SIM Card Name

If your phone only shows SIM 1 and SIM 2, it is easy to grab the wrong line when you place a call or send a text on a dual-SIM phone. Samsung lets you replace these generic labels with a name you actually recognize, but the option sits inside the SIM card manager rather than the general network settings. Without renaming, call logs, message previews, and quick settings keep showing the default slot number instead of a clear label.

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Notifications & Focus2

Turn Do Not Disturb On/Off

When Do Not Disturb silences every call and notification on your Samsung phone, a call from your parents can end up muted right along with spam. Do Not Disturb runs either as a manual toggle or on a fixed schedule, and it treats every contact the same until you define exceptions. Missing an urgent message or a wake-up alarm often traces back to this one setting being active without you noticing.

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Other2

Change Default Search Engine

Every search from the Samsung Internet address bar lands on Google, even though you would rather use Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex or another provider. The Samsung browser ships with Google set as the default, and that setting hides inside the browser menu rather than the main system settings, so most people never find it.

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Battery & Power2

Show Battery Usage Stats

If your Samsung phone drains faster than expected, it is hard to tell which app or setting is responsible without a breakdown. Samsung's battery usage screen logs consumption hour by hour for up to seven days and marks exactly when the phone was recharged. That level of detail helps you spot whether an app, a screen-on session, or a background process is pulling the most power.

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Network & Connectivity2

Set Up Access Point Name (APN) Manually

If mobile data won't load on your Samsung phone even with full signal, a missing or incorrect access point name (APN) is often the cause. Carriers normally push this setting the first time you activate a SIM, but a SIM swap, factory reset, or firmware update can wipe it out. Without a valid APN entry, your phone has no address to route data traffic to your carrier's network.

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Display & Home Screen2

Remove a Folder from the Home Screen

A folder full of apps keeps taking up space on your home screen even after you have moved the apps out of it. On Samsung phones, folders behave like ordinary app icons, which confuses users looking for a delete option in a settings menu.

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Calls & Messages2

Block Unknown Callers Automatically

If your Samsung phone keeps ringing with calls that show no name or number, spam and private-number callers are getting through unfiltered. This happens because the option that blocks hidden caller IDs is turned off by default in the calling settings. Once switched on, any call without a visible phone number gets rejected before it can ring.

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Network & Connectivity2

Turn Bluetooth Tethering On or Off

If your tablet, laptop, or smartwatch can't get online through your phone's Bluetooth connection, Bluetooth tethering is probably switched off. This feature turns your phone into a small Bluetooth hotspot and shares its mobile data with every paired device automatically.

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Security & Privacy2

Change Clock Style on Lock Screen

If the lock screen clock always shows the same digital format and you want a different layout, color or extra details like seconds and date, the option is buried inside the lock screen settings rather than the display menu. Some phones also show a grayed-out clock style option when Roaming Clock is active, which stops you from customizing anything until it's turned off.

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Network & Connectivity2

Change Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi Band

When several devices crowd the same Wi-Fi channel, your Samsung hotspot connection can slow down noticeably. Switching the mobile hotspot band lets you pick a less congested frequency, but the option disappears if Wi-Fi sharing is turned on.

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Notifications & Focus

Weather Notifications in Status Bar

If your Samsung phone keeps pushing a weather update into the status bar or notification panel, that alert actually comes from the Google app, not a dedicated weather app. It reappears every time conditions change, even if you never asked for it and have no weather widget installed. Turning it off means adjusting a notification category rather than uninstalling anything.

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Other2

Number Row on Samsung Keyboard

If your Samsung keyboard suddenly shows a full row of digits above the letters, or that row is missing and you have to tap and hold a letter until a popup with the number appears, the number row layout has been switched. This setting decides whether typing numbers takes one tap or a tap-and-hold, and it changes how much space the keyboard takes up on screen.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Hide or Unhide Gallery Albums

When apps like messaging, social media, or cloud backups create extra folders in your Gallery, the album list gets cluttered fast. These auto-generated albums often hold screenshots, downloads, or app-specific media you never meant to scroll through daily. Samsung Gallery lets you hide those albums from the overview without deleting any photos or videos inside them.

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Display & Home Screen2

Add Bookmark Shortcut to Home Screen

If you open the same website every day, digging through saved bookmarks in Samsung Internet gets old fast. Pinning that page to your home screen turns it into a tappable icon, right next to your apps, that you can move or drop into a folder like any other shortcut.

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Other2

Turn Off System Animations

Motion effects on Samsung phones can trigger discomfort or mild dizziness for people sensitive to visual movement. Menu transitions, app switches, and other interface animations stay active by default until you turn them off. This control sits inside a Samsung accessibility feature, not the general display menu, which is why many users never find it.

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Security & Privacy2

Remove Face Recognition Data

If facial unlock keeps failing or you no longer want your phone to recognize your face, the stored face data is still sitting in Biometrics and security. Beard changes, glasses, or a general preference for PIN unlock can make this scan outdated. Removing it disables Face Unlock until you set it up again.

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Other2

Auto-Punctuate on Double Space Tap

Double-tapping the space bar on a Samsung keyboard sometimes adds a period automatically, sometimes it doesn't, and that inconsistency throws off your typing rhythm. This behavior depends on a keyboard setting called 'Double tap space bar to add period', which is turned off by default. Whether the shortcut works for you or not, this one setting is the reason.

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Notifications & Focus2

Add Alarm Widget to Home Screen

Checking whether tomorrow's alarm is still active means opening the Clock app every time, even for a quick glance. Samsung's Alarm widget puts a single alarm directly on your Home screen, so you can switch it on or off and see the time without unlocking into the app. Each widget only tracks one alarm, so multiple alarms need one widget each.

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Display & Home Screen2

Customize Secure Folder Name and Icon

If your Secure Folder still carries its default label and icon, anyone glancing at your app list can spot exactly what it hides. Samsung lets you rename it and swap the icon for something less obvious, but the icon options are limited to presets and the initial letter of your chosen name. You cannot upload a custom image as the icon.

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