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Samsung

Guides for Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)

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Other2

Turn On/Off Bold Font

If every app on your Samsung suddenly looks like its letters gained extra weight, the system-wide Bold font toggle is likely active. This setting thickens all text, including fonts that are already bold, such as Gothic Bold, which can make some layouts look cramped or hard to scan. It sits separately from font size, so changing text size alone will not fix it.

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Network & Connectivity2

Unpair a Bluetooth Device

When a Bluetooth accessory keeps reconnecting automatically or you no longer trust a device on the list, removing the pairing is the only reliable fix. A simple disconnect just drops the current link but leaves the device saved, so it reconnects the next time it is nearby. Unpairing removes the stored connection completely and forces a fresh setup if you ever want to use it again.

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Network & Connectivity2

Set Up Mobile Hotspot with a Custom Name and Password

The first time you turn on the mobile hotspot on a Samsung phone, it broadcasts under the device name with an autogenerated password. That default network name is often confusing for guests and reveals your phone model to anyone scanning nearby networks. You can replace both the name and password before sharing your connection.

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Notifications & Focus2

Delete an Alarm

When your Clock app fills up with old wake-up times, work alarms, and one-off reminders, finding the one you actually need gets tedious. A cluttered alarm list also makes it easier to accidentally leave an unwanted alarm active, which can go off at the worst moment. Clearing out unused alarms keeps your morning routine predictable.

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Photo, Video & Media

Change Video Resolution

If your videos look pixelated or your storage fills up too fast, the camera might be set to the wrong resolution. Not every Samsung model offers the same options: some stop at FullHD, while others let you record in UltraHD. Picking the right setting depends on what you plan to do with the footage.

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Apps & Installation

Allow or Block Apps for Edge Lighting

Edge Lighting only reacts to the Messages app by default, so notifications from other apps never trigger the curved glow. If a supported app is missing from the list, it stays invisible on the edge screen even with its own alerts turned on. You can pick exactly which apps light up the edge or switch on a setting that covers all of them at once.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Turn On/Off Mono Audio

If you share headphones or only wear one earbud, stereo playback leaves you missing half the sound. Samsung phones split calls, music, and video audio across left and right channels by default, so a single ear only catches part of the mix. Mono audio merges both channels into one so nothing gets left out.

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Network & Connectivity2

Change Preferred Network Mode

If your Samsung phone keeps dropping to a slower connection or won't pick up 4G or 5G even with full signal bars, the Network mode setting might be locked to an older standard. This option decides whether the device connects using 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G, and a wrong choice here cuts off faster networks completely. On dual-SIM models each SIM slot has its own separate setting.

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Notifications & Focus

Keyboard Vibration: Turn On or Off

If your Samsung phone stays silent when you type but you expect a light buzz with every key, the Samsung Keyboard vibration toggle is likely switched off. The opposite problem happens too: constant buzzing on every tap can feel distracting or drain battery faster than expected. This setting controls the haptic feedback for the on-screen keyboard only, separate from general system vibration.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Floating Shutter Button: Turn On or Off

Selfies get tricky when the on-screen shutter icon sits out of thumb reach on a big display. Samsung's Camera app has a separate floating shutter release that you can drag anywhere on the screen, but it stays hidden unless you switch it on in the shooting methods. Without it enabled, you're stuck reaching for the fixed shutter icon or the volume keys every time.

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Storage & Backup2

Mount SD Card Manually in Storage Settings

If your Samsung phone shows an SD card as inserted but the gallery, camera, or file manager still cant see it, the card is likely unmounted rather than broken. This happens after a restart, a card swap, or when the phone fails to auto detect the card on boot. Mounting makes the storage available again without formatting anything.

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Other2

Turn Auto Optimization On or Off

If your Samsung phone closes background apps and clears memory every night without warning, the daily 'Auto optimization' routine is likely running while the screen is off. Some people want it active to keep the device fast, others notice messaging apps or trackers losing connection right after the nightly cleanup. Whether to keep it enabled or turn it off depends on how you rely on background apps.

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Display & Home Screen2

Set Up Secure Folder

Storing sensitive apps, photos, or documents in the regular gallery or app drawer means anyone who picks up your phone can open them. Secure Folder creates an encrypted, password-locked space that keeps selected apps and files separate from the rest of your device. Many Samsung owners never turn it on because the option sits buried inside the security settings and stays invisible until activated.

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Notifications & Focus

Schedule Do Not Disturb Automatically

Turning Do Not Disturb on and off by hand every night or before every meeting gets old fast, and it is easy to forget switching it back off. Samsung phones let you set fixed days and times so the mode activates and deactivates on its own. A custom schedule name also helps when you want more than one routine, like work hours and sleep.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Enable Grid Lines in Camera

Framing a shot by eye often leaves the horizon tilted or the subject off-center in the final photo. Samsung cameras include an on-screen grid overlay meant to fix this, but many people never notice the toggle or don't know which pattern fits their shot. Portraits and landscapes benefit from different grid styles, so picking the wrong one still leaves composition guesswork.

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Other2

Find Nearby Places in the Phone App

Looking for a restaurant, pharmacy, or grocery store close by without switching to a separate maps app? The Phone app on Samsung devices has a Places tab that searches nearby locations by category or keyword, but it sits quietly next to Contacts and Recents and gets overlooked. Results come with ratings and directions once you know where to tap.

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Network & Connectivity2

Set Default SIM Card for Mobile Data

If mobile data feels slow after inserting a second SIM, your Samsung phone is likely still pulling data through SIM card 1 by default. On some models only that first slot supports fast LTE, so calls or texts on SIM 2 work fine while data stays sluggish. Switching the active data SIM fixes this without removing either card.

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Apps & Installation2

Clear App Data (Reset an App)

If an app keeps glitching, shows outdated information, or you want to sign out completely without uninstalling it, clearing its stored data usually fixes this. This removes login details, cached files, and any saved content like messages or documents, putting the app back to its state right after installation. Clearing app data is different from just clearing the cache and cannot be undone.

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Language & Input2

Turn Swipe Typing On or Off on the Keyboard

If dragging your finger across the letters does nothing, or the keyboard keeps guessing the wrong word while you glide between keys, the built-in gesture typing might be switched off or set to the wrong mode. Samsung labels this feature keyboard swipe control, while most other Android keyboards call the same trick glide typing or swipe typing. Getting the setting right decides whether the keyboard reacts to continuous finger movement at all.

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System & Settings2

Turn JavaScript On or Off in Samsung Internet

If buttons, menus, or forms suddenly stop reacting on a website in Samsung Internet, JavaScript has often been switched off. Some pages refuse to load content at all without it, since most modern sites rely on the scripting language for interactive elements. The toggle for this sits buried inside the browser's site permissions and is easy to overlook.

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System & Settings2

Check for Software Updates

If your Samsung phone still shows the old software version, the automatic background check may not have run yet. Update search only happens at set intervals, so a released patch can sit unnoticed for hours or longer. Triggering a manual check tells you right away whether a new version is actually available.

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Photo, Video & Media2

Rearrange Camera Modes

Panorama sits at the front while Video is buried three swipes away, and every shot turns into extra scrolling. Samsung phones list Photo and Video as fixed defaults, but modes like Live Focus, Pro or Panorama can be shuffled into any order you actually use. The stock layout rarely matches how most people shoot day to day.

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Calls & Messages2

Edit a Contact Group

A contact group on your Samsung phone rarely stays useful forever. Team members change, a birthday club grows, and the group ringtone you picked months ago no longer matches the rest of your alerts. Renaming the group, swapping members, or changing its sound is not obvious if you have never opened the group settings before.

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Network & Connectivity2

Turn Location Tags On or Off for Photos and Videos

Every photo or video you shoot with the Samsung Camera app can quietly attach your exact GPS coordinates to the file. Share that picture online or send it to someone, and the location data travels with it, revealing exactly where it was taken. Most people only notice this after a photo has already exposed a home address or workplace.

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