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The best Samsung Galaxy S20 tips and tricks – Neowin

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It has now been over a week since Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20 lineup went on sale across the world. Apart from packing these devices with top-notch internals, Samsung has also added plenty of new and useful software features to them which you are unlikely to discover if you don’t prod through the Settings menu. If you have recently gotten your hands on the Galaxy S20, S20+, or the Galaxy S20 Ultra, check out the best tips and tricks for these devices to get the most out of them.

The tips below will help you in discovering some hidden and lesser-known features of the Galaxy S20 and further improve its usability.

Record screen

Samsung is including a native screen recorder on the Galaxy S20 series. This means you won’t have to rely on a third-party solution from the Google Play Store if you ever need to record the screen on your S20.

To start a screen recording, expand the Quick Settings panel and tap the ‘Record Screen’ button. You can also customize the screen recorder including the resolution, whether you want to record system sounds, audio from the internal microphone, and more. For this, go to Settings -> Advanced features -> Screenshots and screen recorder -> Screen recorder settings.

Customize the Side key

The Galaxy S20 series does not come with a dedicated Bixby button. However, by default, if you long-press the side/power button, it will open up Bixby while a double press will open the camera app. If you want though, you can assign the side key to bring up the power menu instead of Bixby. Navigate to Settings -> Advanced features -> Side key and then change the ‘Press and hold’ option to Power off menu. If you wish to, you can assign the double press action to a custom app of your choice or disable the action altogether.

Link to Windows

The Galaxy S20 series comes with a ‘Link to Windows’ feature that will let you seamlessly send and receive texts from your Windows PC, make/receive phone calls, mirror your phone’s screen, and more. While the Link to Windows feature is found in previous flagship Samsung devices as well, Galaxy S20 owners get to exclusively enjoy universal copy/paste. This means you can paste the clipboard content of your PC on your Galaxy S20 or vice versa. Additionally, the Your Phone app will support RCS messaging on the Galaxy S20 lineup, though this is limited to only the default Samsung Messages app.

You can follow this guide to set up the Link to Windows feature on your Galaxy S20 and PC.

Screen zoom

You can take full advantage of the display of the Galaxy S20 by displaying more content on it at any given time. Previously, this required changing the DPI from the developer settings but Samsung has improved the Screen zoom feature on the Galaxy S20 and allows one to reduce the size of the UI elements by a notch. Alternatively, if you want, you can increase the size of the UI elements in case you don’t have 20/20 vision.

120Hz refresh rate

The Galaxy S20 series comes with a 120Hz AMOLED display. However, for battery life reasons, Samsung ships these phones with the display refresh rate set to 60Hz. This means you will have to manually switch the display to 120Hz to enjoy the smoothness it offers. While power users are going to be aware of this, the average Galaxy S20 user is not. You need to at least experience the smoothness that a 120Hz display brings to the table before dismissing it as a gimmick.

Enable the 120Hz display refresh rate on the Samsung Galaxy S20 by going to Settings -> Display -> Motion smoothness and switching it to ‘High refresh rate.’ If you are traveling or want to extend the battery life of your Galaxy S20, you can switch it back to 60Hz.

Samsung Pay

This is not really a new feature, but it is easily one of the most underrated ones in my opinion. Samsung Pay is like Apple Pay or Google Pay on steroids. While the latter two payment solutions require an NFC-based payment terminal to work, Samsung Pay can work with any traditional payment terminal without any issues thanks to its MST technology.

Samsung Pay has been a part of all major flagships from the company released over the last few years and the Galaxy S20 series is no exception to this. Once you set up Samsung Pay, you will be surprised at how easy it is to use and how it works with all kinds of payment terminals.

Enable One-handed mode

The Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra are massive devices that you are going to struggle to use one-handed in many situations. In such scenarios, you can use the one-handed mode in One UI on the Samsung Galaxy S20. The feature is disabled by default so you will have to enable it first.

Navigate to Settings -> Advanced features -> One-handed mode. You will need to select how you want to enable one-handed mode: by swiping down from the center of the bottom edge of the display or by double-tapping the home button. If you use the navigation gestures, the second option will not be available for you. Then, whenever you are struggling to use your Galaxy S20 with one hand, simply enable the one-handed mode. This will shrink down the UI and scale it to the left/right part of the display so that you can easily reach the desired content.

Lock apps in memory

The Galaxy S20 series comes with oodles of RAM which makes them perfect for heavy multitasking. However, if you wish to, you can take things up a level by locking an app in the memory. The app will then always be loaded in the RAM which will ensure that it will load instantly whenever you open it. On the Galaxy S20 and S20+, you are limited to locking only one app in memory while on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, you can lock up to three apps in memory.

To lock an app in memory on the Galaxy S20, bring up the Recent Apps view and then tap the icon of the app that you’d like to lock. From there, select the ‘Keep open for quick launching’ option. A locked app will always be present in the Recent Apps view with a lock icon.

Run apps in window mode

Here’s another tip to further improve the multitasking experience on the Galaxy S20 series. You can run apps in a window mode. So, if required, you can read something in Chrome while running Google Keep in window note for quickly taking notes. Or you can have two documents open for quickly referencing them. What’s even better is that you can have multiple apps open in window mode at the same time.

Bring up the Recent Apps view and tap the icon of the app you’d like to run in window mode. Then, select the ‘Open in pop-up view’ option. Do note that not all apps support this feature and the option will be missing for incompatible apps.

Install Good Lock

Samsung has greatly improved its skin and One UI on the Galaxy S20 series offers plenty of customization options. But if you want to customize things even more or just want more useful options to play around with, install Good Lock on your device. The app and its modules will allow you to make changes to the System UI including the ability to customize how the Quick Settings panel looks, the lock screen style, the Recent Apps view, and more.

There is also a Theme Park Good Lock module using which you can create and apply themes on your Galaxy S20. Good Lock and its modules are available to download from the Galaxy Store. Do note that the app is not available in all parts of the world, so you might have to sideload it.


What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for the Galaxy S20 series? Share with us in the comments below!

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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