Galaxy S4 Guides

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Galaxy S4 KitKat update: top 12 new features and improvements

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galaxy_s4_kitkat_updateFinally, Samsung Galaxy S4 KitKat update is available for more and more carriers.  Now, let’s explore the top 12 new features and improvements in this Galaxy S4 KitKat update (4.4.2).

Because the system update need approval from individual carriers, you may wait a bit longer time than the others depending on the carrier, model, and region.

Galaxy S4 KitKat update: Samsung did it right this time

The Galaxy S4 KitKat update  is more or less incremental in the user interface. Most users will just feel slightly new interface after getting this Galaxy S4 KitKat update.

This Galaxy S4 KitKat (4.4.2) update is far better than the S4 Jelly Bean 4.3 update, which is probably the worst Android update. As detailed in this post, there were so many problems in the S4 Jelly Bean 4.3 update.

So far, after trying the Galaxy S4 KitKat update, I’m quite happy with it.

1. Full screen music player on lock screen

The Samsung Galaxy S4 KitKat update brings the full-screen music player control to the lock screen. You can control your music player in the lock screen without unlocking the your Galaxy S4.

The good news is full screen music player on lock screen works for most music players, not just the stock Samsung music player or just Google Play music. Amazon MP3 player works  as well.

2. Quick access to camera  from lock screen

After getting the Galaxy S4 KitKat update, you will find the camera app shortcut in the lock screen. Essentially, you can snap pictures quicker.

This is a small, but very useful feature.

3. Change home screen easily

In Android KitKat 4.4, Google makes it easier to change launchers (of course, your home screen). Samsung did not crop this feature in this Galaxy S4 KitKat update.

Now after … Read the rest

Top 5 problems after Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S4, and the solutions

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s4-jb-4-3-update-problemsIt is estimated that  about more than half of Galaxy S4 users now enjoy Android 4.3. As summarized in last post of  Top 10 new or improved features in Jelly Bean 4.3 update for your Samsung Galaxy S4, most of users feel happy with the upgrade.

Of course, some Galaxy S4 owners encounter some problems after the 4.3 upgrade. Some of these problems can be very disturbing, and therefore these  owners may get frustrated. In this post, I will share with you the  5 most common problems you may encounter after the Jelly Bean 4.3 update and the solutions. S Health problems, missing mobile data toggle, apps on lock screen, annoying security warning,  and lack of Outlook sync will be covered. If you have any other problems, you may post them in comment box below.

S Health Problems after Jelly Bean 4.3 update

The most widely reported problems is related to S Health. It seems this Android 4.3 update for S4 messed up the S Health app.

The problems include:  1). missing S Health after Jelly Bean 4.3 update; 2). S Health cannot start; 3). missing blood pressure and blood glucose related functions.  I already shared the solutions for these three problems in our Newsletter (you may subscribe to it in the subscription box below, or in the sidebar).

If you cannot find S Health in your S4 after the 4.3 upgrade, You can try to open Samsung Apps. Please note, you  need a Samsung account for Samsung Apps. Once in Samsung Apps, tap Menu button and select “purchased”. You should be able to find S Health app there. You can install it from there.

The second issue with S health App after the update is that S Health cannot start. It can be simply no response, or … Read the rest

Google Play Store Edition Galaxy S4: is it better or worse than the original S4?

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gogole-play-edition-galaxy-s4As announced in Google I/O 2013, Google edition of Galaxy S4 now is available  for order on Google Play Store (US only currently). You can get one at $649 with free shipping.

Google edition Galaxy S4 comes with stock Android 4.2.2. It means it is a vanilla version of Android like that in Nexus devices. The controversial TouchWiz skin  was stripped, and the stock UI was loaded. So, users will get the “pure” Android experience without bloatwares and hacks from manufactures. The 16GB Google Play version of Galaxy S4 has a usable storage of 12.65GB; while the original one you get from the carriers has only about 9GB.

Sizable Nexus users have been enjoyed such benefits for long time.  Nexus devices receive the update from Google directly. This means once the new version of Android is announced, the Nexus users will get it just in a couple of days.  However, for Samsung Galaxy S, S2 and S3 users, they have to wait at least 6 months to get such updates. In some regions, the update may be not available at all.

Another benefit enjoyed by  Nexus users is that there are no bloatwares from manufacturers and carriers. such bloatware not only eats the precious internal storage, but also may degrade the performance of the handset. Most of the bundled apps are not needed for most users.

Of course, some customizations from the manufactures  do add extra functions and features. For example, most of the prominent (useful or useless) features in Galaxy s4 as explained in the S4 features page are only available from Samsung.

Google edition of Galaxy S4 has no differences with  the original S4 when we talk about the hardware. Both comes  5″  full HD AMOLED display,  Qualcomm Snapdragon 600,  2GB RAM, 13MP/2MP … Read the rest