Android News

We publish  a lot  of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a  daily recap . Here’s what we published today. Business Samsung sets up a $445 million fund for small suppliers Deals Daily Deal: Save 18% on a 32GB Evo Select microSD card Phones Samsung announces the Galaxy Feel in Japan Samsung Galaxy Note 8 front glass panel shows a Galaxy S8-like bezel-less design Samsung is using different names for Galaxy S8 colors in Taiwan Samsung itself confirms the Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017) Sprint is giving away free Galaxy S8 smartphones Tips & Tricks Galaxy S8 Tip: Here’s how you create folders inside the app drawer

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ come with a range of customization options for the home screen. Samsung’s new Experience launcher does away with the app drawer button but gives you an option to get it back. You can even disable the app drawer altogether and put all your apps on the home screen, and also included is the ability to hide apps in the drawer . Some of you might have noticed, however, that you can’t make folders inside the app drawer the same way you could do on previous Samsung devices. Well, the process has changed, but you can still make folders inside the app drawer. Follow the steps below to find out how. Create a folder in the app drawer Step 1 : Open the app drawer (by swiping up or down on the home screen, or using the dedicated app drawer button if you have that enabled). Step 2 : Press and hold on one of the apps that you want to put inside a folder. Stop pressing the icon once you see a few options pop up next to it. Step 3 : Tap the  Select multiple items  op

If you’re running low on storage, you’ve come to the right place. For a limited time only, you can bag yourself a 32GB EVO Select microSD card for $12.99 (18% off). What’s neat about the EVO Select range is that it not only offers one of the fast transfer speeds on the market, but all of the cards are also waterproof. Like the sound of 32GB EVO Select microSD card and want to bag yourself one? Hit the Buy Now button below. We really advise you to hurry though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this specific deal, and — as we say time and time again — once it’s gone, it’s gone. Buy now

With the new Gear 360, capture 360º views of the world in 4K. You can also broadcast live in 360º to share your most memorable moments in real time. For more information: http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-360/ From: Samsung Mobile

Samsung has announced a new smartphone called the Galaxy Feel in Japan. At first glance, the handset looks a lot like the Galaxy A3 (2017) , but under the hood it sports slightly more impressive internals, like a 1.6GHz octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. Other notable specifications include a 4.7-inch HD screen, a 16MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP selfie shooter and a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. The Galaxy Feel also ships running Android 7.0 Nougat skinned with Samsung’s new Experience user interface . Unfortunately, we don’t have any information with regards to pricing. All we know is that those interested in the handset in Japan can register their interest starting today through NTT DoCoMo, with sales scheduled to take place sometime in mid-June. There’s no word on whether the Galaxy Feel will launch outside of Japan.

This year’s global TV market sales are heating up. Now in the second quarter of 2017, global TV manufacturers are vying for the attention of consumers by showcasing their latest premium TVs – products that are presently driving the entire television market. Among them, Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 1 TV maker for 11 consecutive years, is looking to yet again take the lead with its 2017 QLED TV.   In the first segment of the “THIS IS QLED TV” series, Samsung Newsroom will illustrate how the company is working to lead the premium TV market with the QLED TV.       QLED TV Becoming a Trend in China Premium TVs that utilize Quantum dot technology are rapidly becoming more popular in China – the largest TV market in the world – thanks to the efforts the QLED TV Alliance , led by major distributors and manufacturers including Samsung Electronics.   Quantum dot TV sales made up around 1 percent of the total TV market in the first quarter of this year. By early May, however, t

We’ve seen a lot of rumors and reports about the Galaxy J5 (2017) and the Galaxy J7 (2017) over the past few weeks. Samsung is yet to officially launch the new Galaxy J (2017) series. The company has now confirmed the existence of these handsets on the Korean information page for Kids Mode. The information page lists the devices that Kids Mode is compatible with, devices like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6 series, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A series and more. It also lists the Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017) even though these handsets haven’t been announced. The Galaxy J3 (2017) is on there as well but it’s probably the version that’s not going to be sold in markets other than the United States. The Galaxy J3 (2017) for the U.S. has model number SM-J327 while the one for EU and other markets will have model number SM-J330 and will feature different specifications. We can also see the Galaxy J7 Pop and J7 Max on the list. Even the Galaxy Note 7 is on there

Earlier today, a number of publications reported that Samsung has released “three new colors” of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in Taiwan — Ice Lake Blue, Smoked Purple Grey, and Quicksand Gold — but it turns out the hues aren’t actually new. Samsung has actually decided to rebrand the Coral Blue, Maple Gold and Orchid Gray color variants of the Galaxy S8  and Galaxy S8+ for the Taiwanese market. It’s unclear why it made the decision to do so, but it’s something it’s done in the past. As Abhijeet pointed out in his recent column , it’s best to keep your color grudges aside when deciding what color Galaxy S8 to pick up. A lot of negative stigmas are attached to the Maple Gold variant, and it’s probably the best of the bunch. What color Galaxy S8 did you opt for? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below. Source

Sprint is running a new contest called Twin 2 Win and it has 16 Galaxy S8 smartphones to give to the winners. Don’t worry, you don’t need a twin sibling in order to participate, the contest is actually about twinning with your pet. You need to share a photo of you and your pet, preferably in matching outfits, with Sprints and it will award those who submit the best pictures with a free Galaxy S8. Content entries can be submitted to Sprint through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The procedure for Facebook is that you head over to the carrier’s page, find the contest post and then leave a comment with your photo and the hashtags #Twin2Win and #Sweepstakes. Twitter users have to follow @Sprint and post a photo on their profile with the same hashtags. Following @Sprint on Instagram is required as well coupled with the hashtags mentioned above. This contest is going to end on May 29 and Sprint will then select two winners randomly every day who will receive the free Galaxy S8 . Winners w

Samsung Electronics has announced that it’s setting up a $445 million fund to help small suppliers. It’s the biggest South Korean company to announce this step after the country’s new President Moon Jae-in said that more needs to be done to protect small businesses in South Korea. President Moon Jae-in took office earlier this month after his predecessor was impeached following a corruption probe that has ensnared Samsung as well . The company is alleged to have paid bribes to win the government’s support. Samsung Electronics vice chairman and heir apparent Lee Jae-yong remains behind bars since he was indicted on multiple charges which include bribery and embezzlement. The company said in a statement that it decided to set up this fund after meeting with suppliers late last year. Samsung explains that the purpose of this fund is to enable small suppliers to borrow cash interest-free for a year so that they can pay their subcontractors promptly. Samsung is going to run this fund unt

Samsung had announced that it won’t discontinue the Galaxy Note lineup  even after the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco. The company plans to unveil the  Galaxy Note 8  sometime later this year, but leaks have started flowing in already. A dummy unit of the smartphone was leaked earlier this week, hinting towards an in-screen fingerprint reader. Now, a new video posted on Twitter shows the alleged front glass panel of the Galaxy Note 8. As you can see in the video, the glass panel of the Galaxy Note 8 looks quite similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+ , albeit slightly larger in size. If this turns out to be true, Samsung’s next flagship phablet will end up looking a lot like the Galaxy S8 and S8+, thanks to its bezel-free Infinity Display. However, you should take this video with a pinch of salt as it can be fake. The Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to feature a 6.3-inch QHD display , a 12MP+13MP dual rear camera setup , and an in-screen fingerprint reader. Note8? pic.twitter.com/aZPsIevLbF — 萌萌

Samsung has released 358 new themes in its Theme Store this week, and we’ve selected twelve of them for you. You can see that a lot of theme developers have started including AOD modes into their new themes, and a bunch of them are Full Color AOD modes. There are three Material themes from Cameron Bunch in this week’s list, and if you’re someone who likes stock Android UI, do check out those themes. Three themes from the Mixed Grace series by Felipe Leite make it to the list as well, and I must admit, they appear very well designed. Other new theme packs that we liked for this week’s Themes Thursday include [Pixome] White Room (AOD), [Viva] Rainbow Candy, [ZEM] Pink Room, [Zen] Romantic London, Balloon Flight Adventure (AOD), and EiD – Run (AOD). Which new themes did you like? [Pixome] White Room (AOD) [Viva] Rainbow Candy [ZEM] Pink Room [Zen] Romantic London Balloon Flight Adventure (AOD) EiD – Run (AOD) Material Black (Android 7+) Material Dark (Android 7+) Mate

We publish a decent amount of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up with every post. But, we think we’ve come up with an ideal solution — a  daily recap . So, without further ado, here’s what went live today: Business Samsung drops plans to sell its home network business Camera Gear 360 (2017) price and release date confirmed for the United States Deals Daily Deal: Save 15% on a pair of Samsung’s Gear Icon X wireless earphones Display Samsung details world’s first 9.1-inch stretchable AMOLED display Firmware News Galaxy A8 (2016) Nougat update release possibly due soon Galaxy J5 (2016) receives April security patch in Europe General Samsung bets big on foundry business, reveals roadmap for 4nm process Samsung Newsroom Mexico is now live Samsung will release the DeX station in Canada tomorrow Phones Samsung explains ho

Berlin-based Chaos Computer Club recently demonstrated how the Galaxy S8′s iris scanner could be tricked . The method involved using a printed infrared image of the human eye attached to a contact lens. That was all they needed to trick the iris scanner into unlocking the device. Iris scanner functionality is still rare on smartphones so it’s a pretty big selling point for the Galaxy S8. However, it’s not ideal to know that a feature that’s meant to protect your phone can be tricked with relative ease. Samsung’s initial response to the matter was meant to assure customers that the iris scanning technology in the Galaxy S8 has been developed through rigorous testing to prevent attempts to compromise its security. It also said that if there was ever a potential vulnerability, it would respond as quickly as possible to fix it. A spokesperson for the company told The Korea Herald today that fooling the Galaxy S8′s iris sensor is “unrealistic,” adding that it’s hard to see that happenin

Amazon has cut the price of Samsung’s Gear Icon X  wireless earphones by 15%, meaning you can currently pick up a pair for just $169.99. What’s great about these earbuds is that they not only bundle rear-time voice feedback for workout progress, but also have 4GB of integrated storage, so you can leave your phone at home and still listen to music. If you like the sound of the Gear Icon X and want to take advantage of the deal, simply hit the Buy Now button below, and if you’re not entirely sold, be sure to check out our comprehensive review. You’ll probably need to hurry though, as Amazon has only assigned a small amount of inventory for this specific promotion, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

We had reported last month that Samsung is planning to launch 32GB storage variant of the Galaxy J7 Prime in India. Now, Samsung has announced that it has launched the 32GB storage variant of not only the Galaxy J7 Prime but also the Galaxy J5 Prime. Earlier, these smartphones were available in the country with just 16GB internal storage. The Galaxy J5 Prime with 32GB internal storage is priced at INR 14,900 (approx. $230) and the Galaxy J7 Prime with 32GB internal storage is priced at INR 16,900 (approx. $260) in India. Both smartphones are available in Black and Gold, and can be purchased through Samsung’s official online store. Both dual-SIM smartphones are compatible with LTE networks.

To coincide with the Galaxy S8′s release in China , Samsung has shared a post on its Newsroom highlighting the different ways it optimized the handset for consumers in the region, which include building a new Calendar application that allows users to simultaneously view the solar and lunar calendar, and introducing the option to purchase additional data in Smart Manager. The firm also launched two exclusive interactive services — the Samsung Assistant application and Yellow Page, a service accessible via a tab in the Messages and Phone application. Both of the tools were designed specifically to help consumers use their Galaxy S8 to do tasks that are traditionally done offline in China, like making a doctor’s appointment. Obviously, Samsung has made a slew of changes to the user interface as well. The Chinese variant of the Galaxy S8, for example, displays all of the applications on the home screen by default, though users have the option to use the standard arrangement, which featu

Samsung SDS , the South Korean chaebol’s IT Solutions arm, was in talks with Ireland-based Allegion to sell off its home network business. However, the company has now announced that it has decided not to go forward with its decision, hinting at failed negotiations. Currently, Samsung Group companies Samsung Electronics (22.58 percent) and Samsung C&T (17.08 percent) as well as Lee Jae-yong (9.20 percent) own a majority of shares in the company. Allegion had showed interest in acquiring Samsung’s home network business thinking about its brand name and sales channel in South Korea’s soaring home security market. The company’s smart door locks business makes up for less than 2 percent (US$143.10 million) of the revenue. Samsung SDS had been trying to sell off less profitable businesses under its umbrella such as logistics and home security amid the ongoing leadership shuffle at Samsung Group.

Samsung Display confirmed a few days back that it was going to unveil the world’s first stretchable OLED display at SID 2017 in Los Angeles. It has presented a paper entitled 9.1-inch stretchable AMOLED display based on LTPS technology at the symposium. The stretchable panel in the future display zone at Samsung Display’s booth saw a great deal of interest from exhibitors at SID 2017. The PI that is formed on this 9.1-inch stretchable AMOLED display is on shrinkable film substrate. The stretchable area is patterned. A multi-touch sensor is integrated simultaneously with the structure in which TFT and OLED are formed on the patterned PI. Samsung’s paper also revealed that stretchable AMOLEDs can be implemented in both convex and concave shapes, up to 12mm in concave shapes. The stretchable display will be usable for a variety of applications, including but not limited to clothing and even human skin as it’s not restricted by shape in any way. Samsung is already the market leader for

Samsung continuously seeks to make a difference in communities across the globe. On May 4, 2017, Samsung Electronics Indonesia teamed up with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) to build critical facilities for communities in Rowosari Village, Indonesia.   Samsung has been working closely with HFHI since 2013 and looks forward to continuing its efforts with HFHI to provide assistance to communities across the world. From launching Samsung Solar Powered Internet School in South Africa and Zambia, to building and renovating houses for hundreds of families all around the world, Samsung accomplished a myriad of successful projects its strong partnership with HFHI.     Part of the SamsungCare program, the ‘Building Homes and Community for Hope’ campaign seeks to improve the quality of life through better access to education and local facilities. The campaign saw the construction of a Samsung Smart Library, a community function hall and maintenance and repairs of 31 local residen

Samsung is the world leader in semiconductor technology, and it is set to start the world’s largest semiconductor plan in July . The company was one of the first in the world to bring 14nm and 10nm processes for fabricating smartphone processing chipsets. Now, the company has announced a detailed foundry process technology roadmap, revealing information about 8nm, 7nm, 6nm, 5nm, and 4nm processes. Kinam Kim, President of Samsung Electronics’ Semiconductor Business, detailed the company’s foundry process foundry roadmap at the Samsung Foundry Forum 2017. The 8nm LPP (Low Power Plus) process is claimed to offer the most competitive solution before transitioning to EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) process, offering improved gate density and performance compared to the 10nm LPP process. The 7nm LPP fabrication process from Samsung will be the first to offer EUV lithography solution, and it has been developed in collaboration with Dutch photolithography systems company ASML. The South Korean

Samsung has started pushing out last month’s security maintenance release for the Galaxy J5 (2016) in Europe. The upgrade — J510FNXXU2AQD2 — addresses 49 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android OS and packs 16 additional patches for the firm’s Galaxy-branded smartphones, which include a fix for a weakness that allowed prying eyes to access crash log files. As we’ve come to expect, the update is making the rounds in stages. To see if the OTA is ready for your Galaxy J5 (2016) , all you have to do is open up Settings , then select the Download Updates Manually  from the Software Update section. On the other hand, you can always wait until you receive a push notification instructing you to install the upgrade, but it could take a little longer to arrive.

Following a brief early access phase , Samsung has launched its mobile payment platform — Samsung Pay — in Hong Kong, with support for American Express, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Citibank, Dah Sing Bank, DBS and Standard Chartered. “Less than two years ago, Samsung Pay came to life in Korea with a simple mission: To empower customers with mobile payments that are simple, secure and available almost anywhere,” said Thomas Ko, VP of Samsung Pay. “Today, Samsung Pay is so much more. Our launches in different parts of the world demonstrate governments’ and consumers’ changing attitudes towards progressing to a cashless society.” According to PocketNow , customers in the region will only be able to take advantage of Samsung Pay if they own an NFC-enabled Galaxy device that was released in fall of 2015 or later, which means it isn’t available on the Galaxy S6 and  Galaxy S6 edge . Via Source

Over the past few months, we’ve seen Samsung launch dedicated information hubs for key markets. Samsung announced the launch of Samsung Newsroom Russia just three days ago. It features content in the Russian language targeted towards local media and consumers in Russia. It was the eighth such newsroom that Samsung has launched so far, and it’s adding another one to the list today. The company today launched Samsung Newsroom Mexico, it’s a Spanish-language information hub which will offer readers the latest news and information about the company in that particular language. It will be the official Spanish-language site for the company to share its latest news, recent innovations and services, corporate vision and the various activities that it carries out in different markets. The newsroom will feature a variety of quality content which will include feature articles, high-definition photos and videos, infographics and a dedicated space for live streaming of important Samsung events.

The DeX station is an accessory that Samsung unveiled alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ back in March. It enables these smartphones to power a PC-like experience on an external display for enhanced productivity. The handsets come with productivity apps that have been optimized for DeX. The Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone to come with support for DeX. All this is made possible by the DeX station which features Bluetooth support, an HDMI port, Ethernet port, two USB ports and a USB Type-C port. It powers a desktop-like user interface with multiple windows, a full-size browser with tabs and Android apps. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ may have been released in most markets across the globe but Samsung has made the DeX station available in only a few markets. Samsung Canada has now confirmed that the DeX station for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be released in the country tomorrow, May 26. It will be priced at $249. The DeX station is great for enhancing the functionality of the d

  Today, Samsung launched the Samsung Newsroom Mexico site, a new Spanish-language information platform, with the objective of offering all the latest news and information about the company to media outlets and consumers.   Samsung Newsroom Mexico will be the official site for the company to share its latest news, recent innovations and services, corporate vision, as well as various activities carried out in different markets across the globe. Mexico’s newsroom will offer a wide variety of engaging content, including feature articles, infographics, high-definition photos and video, as well as a space dedicated to live video streaming of important Samsung events.   Mexico marks the second country in Latin America to launch a newsroom platform, following Brazil, and is the first Spanish-language site in the region. Globally, Mexico’s newsroom is Samsung’s ninth, following the Global and local editions in the United States , Korea , Vietnam , Brazil , India , Germany and Russia

We reported last week that automatic HDMI switching in Samsung’s 2016 smart TVs was proving to be a nuisance for users. The TV automatically switches to the HDMI input when the device that’s connected to it via HDMI is powered on, even when another input source is in use. Reports also suggested that affected models were switching over to the HDMI input even when they were in sleep mode. It wasn’t immediately clear how to stop the TV from doing this as automatic HDMI switching hasn’t been described as a feature so the user manual doesn’t have any instructions on how to disable it. Samsung itself did say what users could do to stop the TV from switching to the HDMI input on its own. Samsung has now issued a statement on the matter which confirms that it is aware of the issue and that it’s working on a firmware update which will help address this. It hasn’t really explained why the TVs do this but at least it’s promising to release a firmware update. “Samsung has been following the

Samsung launched the Galaxy A8 (2016) last year in South Korea last year. The handset has an Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. It also has a 5.7-inch Full HD display. Additional features include a fingerprint sensor, 3,500mAh battery, Samsung Pay and more. The company hasn’t updated this handset to Android 7.0 Nougat as yet so it’s still on Marshmallow. The Galaxy A8 (2016) was mentioned in the list of Nougat-compatible devices from Samsung so it was only a matter of time before this update arrived. A GFXBench listing for the Galaxy A8 (2016) model number SM-A810 shows that a unit of the handset was benchmarked running the latest version of Android. These benchmark listings are often great indicators about impending major firmware updates. It’s quite likely that Samsung might soon release the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Galaxy A8 (2016), given that it has already released said update for the Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016). The Galaxy A5 (2016) w

Samsung unveiled its new Gear 360 (2017) camera back in March alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The company has now confirmed the price and release date of this 360-degree camera for customers in the United States. The Gear 360 (2017) has been priced at $229 which is a full $100 cheaper than the original Gear 360. The Gear 360 (2017) has 8.4-megapixel image sensors with Bright Lens F/2.2 on both dual fisheye lenses. It is capable of recording video in true 4K resolution. It offers access to multiple photo effects, viewing modes, editing tools and filters so that users can add their personal flair to the photos. It also allows for the effortless conversion of 360-degree videos into standard format for easier sharing. The Gear 360 (2017) supports the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S6 series as well as the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). Samsung has already released the companion app for this camera on the Google Play Store. Samsung has confirmed that the Gear 360 (2017)

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced a comprehensive foundry process technology roadmap to help customers design and manufacture faster, more power efficient chips. From hyper-scale data centers to the internet-of-things, the industry trend to develop smart, always-on, connected devices requires giving consumers an unprecedented amount of access to information in new and powerful ways. Specifically, Samsung is set to lead the industry with 8nm, 7nm, 6nm, 5nm, 4nm and 18nm FD-SOI in its newest process technology roadmap.   “The ubiquitous nature of smart, connected machines and everyday consumer devices signals the beginning of the next industrial revolution,” said Jong Shik Yoon, Executive Vice President of the Foundry Business at Samsung Electronics. “To successfully compete in today’s fast-paced business environment, our customers need a foundry partner with a comprehensive roadmap at the advanced process nodes to achieve their b

Welcome to the latest edition of  Wallpaper Wednesday . This week we’re highlighting four space-themed backgrounds. All of the images are available in a suitable resolution for the  Galaxy S8 ,  Galaxy S8+  and just about any other smartphone (or even tablet) on the market. If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on the photo to maximise it, then click and hold to save it. Once the picture is stored locally, open up  Settings , locate and select  Wallpaper , then just press the image to set it as your background. Apocalypse Expedition Meteor Observatory Solar Sphere Download Note:  We’ve tried our best to identify the creators of all of the wallpapers featured in this week’s column. However, the images appear to lack copyright information, artist signatures or any real trace of origin. If you created a wallpaper we’ve posted and would like credit, or would rather we remove the image, kindly  co

We publish  a lot  of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a  daily recap . Here’s what we went live today. Deals Daily Deal: Take 56% off a Samsung Wireless Charging Pad Firmware News Samsung distributes an update to fix the Galaxy S8′s connectivity issues General Samsung ranks tenth in Forbes’ list of world’s most valuable brands for 2017 SK Telecom and Samsung win Infrastructure Innovation Award Opinion Thoughts on the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint sensor: What’s the fuss all about? Phones Galaxy S9 reportedly codenamed ‘Star’ as development begins early Tips & Tricks Galaxy S8 Tip: Use fingerprint sensor gestures to access the notification shade Switch to stock Android navigation keys on your Galaxy S8 with this little app TV STARZ video streaming app is n

We all understand how we use our phones. Until now. See how the new Galaxy S8 changes the way you shop, protect, play, and work. From: Samsung Mobile

Samsung’s now in the midst of rolling out a maintenance update, which bundles all of the changes included in this month’s security release, in addition to a slew of additional bug fixes, for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the United Arabic Emirates. More specifically, the upgrade appears to address a whole host of issues related to Bluetooth connectivity, including a patch for a nasty bug which resulted in a handset rebooting when controlling music playing through a wireless speaker. What’s strange, however, is that the firmware is actually identical in size to the update that started making the rounds in India last week, but it doesn’t appear to bundle any of the same changes. To see if the OTA is ready for your unit, open up Settings , tap Software Update , then press Download Updates Manually . If it doesn’t show up, it simply means it hasn’t reached your device yet — so repeat the process in a few hours.  

While stock lasts, you can pick up Samsung’s original Wireless Charging Pad for $17.66 (56% off). What’s more, the promotion is available worldwide — so you’ll be able to bag yourself one for the reduced price if you reside in the UK, US and pretty much any other country that has access to Amazon. To go ahead and make a purchase, press the Buy Now button below. You’ll probably want to hurry though, as it inventory won’t be around for too long — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. If you miss out on this particular offer, don’t worry. We cover a new deal every single day, so be sure to check back for tomorrow.

Don’t like the funky icons Samsung has used for the software navigation keys on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+? Want to switch to the ones from stock Android? Some folks over at the XDA forums have created a solution to do just that. A simple app install followed by a reboot will replace the icons on your S8 or S8+. Going back to the stock icons is as simple as uninstalling the app. To get the stock Android navigation keys, download this app’s APK and install it on your phone (you will be prompted to enable installation of apps from unknown sources, just use the “for once” option to allow installation). Restart the phone and you should see the new navigation keys. We have noticed that performance on the phone can be a bit jittery after the reboot, but it should go back to normal in a minute or two. Hopefully, Samsung will one day allow themes to change the look of the navigation keys, but until then, this should be a good alternative. If you’re looking for a different set of icons, t