Samsung is giving away free AKG headphones with its flagship devices in the US

Samsung flagship smartphones are some of the most expensive devices in the Android ecosystem. The company, however, tries to soften the blow by offering some freebies when you purchase its top-end models. Gear VR headsets, memory cards, wireless chargers, etc. are some of the common freebies you get when you opt for Galaxy flagship smartphones.

Currently, the company is rerunning one such promotion in the US. Customers who buy a Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9/S9+, Galaxy S8/S8+, or Galaxy S8 Active will receive wireless AKG headphones, which are normally priced at $180, for free. The offer is valid for both the unlocked and carrier variants but is applicable only on the purchases made on the Samsung US website or Shop Samsung app.

Offer available until the end of this month

Samsung came up with a similar promotion earlier this year, but that was before the launch of the Galaxy S9 series. The company has now brought back the same promotion along with including the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the list of eligible devices.

In case if you are not aware, the AKG brand belongs to Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung. Ever since Samsung acquired Harman, it has been using the AKG brand and expertise to market the audio capabilities of many of its devices.

The offer is available until the end of this month. If you don’t want the free headphones, you can swap them for heavily discounted accessory bundles instead. You can find more details about the offer here.

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Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2018) is one step closer to launch after FCC stop

Based on leaks and certification listings, we have been reporting about the impending launch of the Galaxy SM-T595 tablet for some time now. While the official moniker of this tablet hasn’t been confirmed, it’s being referred to as the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2018) because of the model number and Samsung’s naming pattern.

The tablet has now moved one step closer to launch by obtaining the FCC certification. Earlier this month, the same tablet has been spotted on the Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance websites undergoing necessary approvals. As is the case with these certifications, they haven’t revealed anything significant about the tablet.

Will come with a USB Type-C port

The FCC documentation says that the tablet will come with a USB Type-C port and the Wi-Fi alliance listing says that it will run Android Oreo 8.1 out of the box. Other than these small bits of information, nothing much is known the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2018) so far. Given that Samsung is already working on a flagship tablet and that the previous Galaxy Tab A 10.1 was a mid-range device, the 2018 model will also probably be a mid-range offering.

Last week we exclusively reported that the upcoming Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2018) and Galaxy Tab S4 would launch in Black and Gray color options. Our sources also told us that these devices might launch in July or August. The flurry of certifications does hints at the possibility that the tablet might see a formal launch in July, before the rumored Galaxy Note 9 launch event in August.

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All Samsung Good Lock 2018 features explained

Some of you may remember an app Samsung released for Marshmallow-powered devices called Good Lock. It was a powerful customization app for the user interface which as you might imagine was very well received. The Good Lock team was also quick to incorporate suggestions from users to further improve the app’s capabilities. The app wasn’t updated for Nougat, though, so it essentially faded to black.

We reported last week that Samsung has finally released a new version of this app that’s compatible with devices running Android 8.0 Oreo. Good Lock 2018 has only been released in South Korea and the United States so far. Much like its predecessor, Good Lock 2018 offers access to a variety of apps that customize the look and feel of a compatible device’s user interface. In this post we’ll explain all of the Samsung Good Lock 2018 features and what you can do with them.

Samsung Good Lock 2018 features

Good Lock itself doesn’t have the customization features. Think of it as a hub which lists all of the individual apps you require to customize the look of your device. The apps can be used to customize the task changer window, lock screen, quick settings menu, set up routines for the device and more.

The four core apps that Good Lock works with are Task Changer, LockStar, QuickStar and Routines. An equal number of additional apps are recommended as well, Edge Touch, EdgeLighting+, Sound Assistant and One-Hand Operation+, for enhanced customization.

Task Changer

The Recent apps interface can be customized with the Task Changer app. It offers a variety of animations and even has a Mini Mode that places the menu in the lower half of the screen. This makes one-handed operation easier. You will be able to drag and drop apps to enable multi-screen or pop-up window modes as you do with the default interface. You can download the Task Changer APK from our database.

LockStar

LockStar is one of the core Samsung Good Lock 2018 features and it offers a plethora of customization options for the device’s lock screen. It can be used to configure the items that show up on the lock screen and their placement. It also offers a wide variety of background and clock styles. It’s possible to have multiple lock screens saved so that you can switch them up as per your liking. Download the APK here.

QuickStar

The QuickStar app bundles three features together, Coloring, Simple Indicator and Notification Multi-Window. It’s available for download from our database.

Coloring
Coloring can be used to customize the colors of the quick settings menu, change its background color, transparency, the icon colors and also to add blur and dim effects. Play around with the options and you can perfectly match your wallpaper to the quick settings menu.

Simple Indicator

Simple Indicator is a powerful feature that lets you decide which icons you would like to remove from the Status Bar. The exhaustive list includes options for the Battery, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Alarm, Time, Airplane Mode icons among others. Simply pick and choose the ones you want to keep.

Notification Multi-Window

Last but not the least, Notification Multi-Window enables you to open apps in multi-window view from the notification directly. Swiping right on the notification will reveal the multi-window icon next to the default icons for notification settings. It allows you to check a notification without having to stop what you’re doing on the phone.

Routines

Routines allow you to combine various functions to create new features. You can create a movie theater routine for example. Select the location for the theater you frequent and then configure the brightness to be turned all the way down and Do not disturb mode to be enabled. The device will automatically do that when you reach the theater. Routines can also be created based on when headphones are connected or a specific battery level is reached. It’s available for download from our database.

Note: You need to follow these instructions to get the apps working on your device if you’re not based in the US or South Korea.

Additional Samsung Good Lock 2018 features

Edge Touch, EdgeLighting+, Sound Assistant and One-Hand Operation+ are among the four additional Samsung Good Lock 2018 features that are recommended. Here’s what they’re capable of doing.

Edge Touch

If you’d like to have customizable zones around the edges of your handset’s display that don’t register touch input then Edge Touch is the app you should download. The app can be used to configure the length and thickness of the edge zones. Download it from our database.

EdgeLighting+

EdgeLighting+ does what the name suggests, allowing you to tweak the edge lighting that comes up when a notification is received. The app can be used to customize the color, animation effect, width and transparency of the edge lighting effect. The APK can be downloaded here.

Sound Assistant

Sound Assistant offers enhanced customization options for the handset’s sound settings. The app lets you ensure that the volume buttons adjust the media volume and not the notification volume. It supports customization of individual app volume and allows you to create and activate personalized sound settings. Sound Assistant APK is available in our database.

One Hand Operation+

One Hand Operation+ does what the name suggests, makes it easier to control the device with one hand. It offers options to show small handlers on the left/right edge of the screen for easy control of the device with the thumb. A short horizontal swipe mimics the Back key while a long horizontal swipe opens the Softkey panel. Get the APK here.

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This concludes our explanation of the Samsung Good Lock 2018 features. If you’re into customizing the look and feel of your device then you should certainly check out these apps as they really let you customize the minutest of details so that the interface suits your preferences and makes life easier for you.

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How to enable Good Lock 2018 apps

For some very odd reason, Samsung has kept Good Lock 2018 and its core apps limited to the US and South Korea. This means that even if you download and install the Good Lock 2018 APK, it’s not going to work. You can download the individual apps from the links given above and then follow the steps below to enable them.

How to enable Good Lock 2018 apps

Step 1: Download and install the Task Changer, LockStar, QuickStar and Routines apps.

Step 2:Install Activity Manager from the Play Store. The app lets you enable hidden activities and create home screen shortcuts for them.

Step 3: Launch the app and wait for all activities to load. Once that happens, search for Task Changer and tap on it.

Step 4: Tap on the three-dot menu next to “Task Changer Settings” followed by Create shortcut. This adds a shortcut for Task Changer Settings to the home screen.

Step 5: Repeat the steps above for the other apps.

You will then find shortcuts for all four core Good Lock 2018 apps on the home screen. They can then be used to configure all of these customization features for Oreo-powered Samsung handsets. This method is absolutely necessary until and unless Samsung releases Good Lock 2018 for markets as it essentially works around the limitation of a dud Good Lock 2018 app.

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AT&T starts rolling out the Galaxy S7 Active Oreo update

We reported last week that the Galaxy S7 Active Oreo update may be released soon after the handset was spotted at the Wi-Fi Alliance for its certification running Android 8.0. The Wi-Fi certification is often one of the final stages before the rollout of a major firmware update so it’s not surprising to see AT&T release Oreo for the Galaxy S7 Active less than a week after it was certified.

Galaxy S7 Active Oreo update

Samsung released Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge not too long ago. The update continues to make its way to more markets and carriers gradually. AT&T was actually the first major carrier in the United States to release Oreo for the aforementioned handsets.

It’s going to be the only carrier to release the Galaxy S7 Active Oreo update because this handset is exclusive to AT&T. No other carrier in the United States sells the Galaxy S7 Active. AT&T is now rolling out firmware version G891AUCU3CRE7 for the Galaxy S7 Active and it weighs in at 1.5GB.

All of the new features introduced in Android 8.0 Oreo are part of this update alongside Mobile Hotspot APN support and FirstNet IOC2 which is meant for emergency first responders. The April 2018 security patch is also included in this release.

AT&T has started rolling out the Galaxy S7 Active Oreo update over-the-air so it may take a couple of days for the update to go live for all users. The update features Samsung Experience 9.0 as well which brings some user interface improvements to the handset.

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