Last Updated on December 14, 2020
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is one of 2014’s best flagships. Its great CPU and a stellar camera make up for its comparatively unattractive design. Now that the Galaxy S5 is more than a year old, it’s time we showed you some ways to improve your handset.
1. Galaxy S5 Cinema mode
Cinema is the best viewing mode for watching videos, playing games and even shopping online. It’s easily located in the settings under Display. Cinema mode provides for the best color replication and makes your viewing experience more enjoyable.
Try checking out the tips and tricks video below in cinema mode for a start.
2. Galaxy S5 One-handed operation
For small-handed folk, using the 142 x 72.5 mm Galaxy S5 one-handed might seem impossible. Luckily, Samsung has a feature that’s designed to help, called one-handed operation mode.
It reduces the size of the screen you’re using, so you can reach everything within it using just your thumb.
To enable this feature, go to settings > sound and display > one-handed operation. Once it’s enabled, you can trigger it by swiping your thumb in and out of the sides of the screen. It includes quick access to certain apps on the bottom and side of the minimized window; you can also adjust their size by pulling on the outer corner of the screen.
3. Galaxy S5 Private mode
It’s not unusual for phone users worry about their privacy, so Samsung built a privacy feature for the Galaxy S5. Private Mode allows you to hide documents, videos, pictures, etc, so that they are only accessible by entering a pin code.
First, enable the feature in your settings under the personalization subcategory, then switch it on and create a PIN. You’ll see that the mode has been activated in the notifications bar. Now, go to your gallery app, for example, and long press on the pictures you want to keep private. Tap the ‘menu’ button and select ‘move to Private’.
These pictures will then be moved to another folder, which will disappear when you exit private mode.
4. S Finder
You can use S Finder to find anything on your Samsung Galaxy S5, whether it’s an app, an event, a contact, a Google Drive document or other file. Simply pull down the notification bar and you will see the S Finder button. Tap on this and it will open a new window where can enter your search criteria. This will save you a lot of time normally spent wandering in the smartphone wilderness.
5. Switch to List View in settings
When I first saw the new TouchWiz settings menu, I couldn’t believe how unwieldy it was. To help make navigating it a little easier, you should switch the default icon view to the much-easier-on-the-eye list view. This should reduce time spent scrolling through it.
6. Turn on Power Saving Mode
If this isn’t one of the first things you do when you get a new Galaxy device, it should be. I recommend you familiarize yourself with the S5’s two power saving modes and what they actually do. Ultra Power Saving Mode is an extreme case, road-trip, long-day, no-power, emergency-situation option that will largely cripple your S5’s functionality in order to drag out the battery life.
This mode is not ideal for everyday use. The regular power saving mode, however, can be used more often, but you might want to enable background data and perhaps turn off grayscale mode to adapt the function so it’s just right for your needs.
7. Use Samsung’s Toolbox
Samsung’s clever floating bubble, Toolbox, gives you quick access to a customizable group of your favorite apps from any screen. It’s a nifty little feature that everyone should be using. Just head into settings (easily accessed by dragging from the top down with two fingers from any screen) and turn Toolbox on. You can then drag the little triple dot bubble around to keep it out of your way, or tap it to open your favorite shortcuts.
8. Set up the finger scanner properly
Despite the criticism of the Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner, it does work consistently… if you know how to set it up properly. When you register your prints, make sure you hold the phone exactly as you would when you unlock it, so you swipe your thumb down sideways over the home button. This means the print that the device registers is actually the one you’ll be using to unlock it, and not some awkward version that requires two-handed unlocking.
9. Use it with gloves on
There’s no need for a special pair of touchscreen gloves with the Galaxy S5. By increasing the pressure sensitivity, it’s possible to quite easily navigate it even when your hands a warmly clad in wool. Simply go to Settings > Display and tickIncrease touch sensitivity.
10. Enable the Download Booster
Samsung equipped the S5 with Download Booster, a tool that helps you grab larger files quickly when you’re in a rush or extremely impatient. The way it works is by combining the Wi-Fi with LTE. In doing this, the feature can dramatically increase download speed.
But beware that this does mean you’re going to be using a considerable amount of mobile data, so unless you have a very generous payment plan, or you’re really desperate, it might be best not to use it too much.
To enable it, you just have to go to Settings and scroll down to Network connections. There, you will see the Download booster option. Press on that, and then slide the toggle to the right.
