You can now sideload Bixby Routines on a Galaxy S9 or Galaxy Note 9!

Bixby Routines, an IFTTT alternative from Samsung, is probably the most useful Bixby feature on Galaxy smartphones. The feature debuted with the Galaxy S10 series and was found on devices like the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Note 10. Even some mid-range phones like the Galaxy A50 have it.

Everyone expected that Samsung would release Bixby Routines to older flagships such as the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy Note 9 as a part of the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 update. However, it was missing from the beta builds, and in the end, was absent even in the stable update. Now, it is being reported (thanks Android Police) that users can enable the Bixby feature by sideloading the APK file.

Sideloading Bixby Routines on a Galaxy S9 or Note 9 works great

And we can confirm that sideloading the APK does work on the Galaxy S9, S9+, and Galaxy Note 9. Some users report that it also works on Android Pie on the Galaxy S8 and S8+, though not without issues. A few users have noticed app crashes when they sideload Bixby Routines on their Galaxy S8/S8+.

You just need to download the APK file of the latest version of Bixby Routines from our APK archive, install it on one of the phones mentioned above, and search for the feature in Settings » Advanced Features. It should be visible right at the top of the list, enabled by default. Tapping on it will show you a list of pre-configured routines that you can enable with a single click, and you can also create custom routines in the My routines tab.

Since the feature is not enabled by default on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy Note 9, the quick setting toggle isn’t enabled by default. So, you’ll need to enable it by editing the quick setting toggles in the notifications shade. Here are seven examples of how to use Bixby Routines on Galaxy phones.

It isn’t clear whether the workaround is possible because Samsung is working on enabling Bixby Routines with a future update or if it is just an oversight in the company’s part. So, there’s a possibility the South Korean firm could disable the workaround with an update later on.

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Galaxy Fold update brings February 2020 security patch

Samsung’s most expensive Galaxy smartphone-cum-tablet has received a new update with the latest security enhancements. The LTE variant of the Galaxy Fold is currently being updated with software version F900FXXS3ATA3 in France. The update should soon be out in other markets as well; as we have seen previously, those who own the 5G variant might have to wait considerably longer for the latest Android security patch to arrive on their phone.

The February security update for the Galaxy Fold only has security fixes to offer. No new features or other improvements are onboard. And, in case you’re wondering, that means Android 10 is still not available for the device. It won’t be for another two months, going by the Android 10 roadmap Samsung has posted for eligible Galaxy devices. The Galaxy Fold is slated to get its first major Android update alongside many mid-range Galaxy phones, though one can hope Samsung will try to hurry things up and release the update earlier than planned.

For now, you should grab the February security update on your Galaxy Fold. You can do that by going into the device’s settings, selecting Software update, and tapping Download and install. If it doesn’t show up on the first try, simply wait a while and check for the update again. If waiting isn’t your style, then you can update right away by downloading and flashing the relevant firmware on your Fold using a Windows PC. You can download Galaxy Fold firmware from our firmware archive.

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US carriers start rolling out One UI 1.5 update to Galaxy Watch LTE

More than three months ago, Samsung started rolling out Galaxy Watch Active 2 features and watch faces to the Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Watch Active as a part of the One UI 1.5 software update. Now, the same update is being rolled out to the LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch in the US.

All four major carriers in the US — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon — have started rolling out the One UI 1.5 update to the LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch on their respective networks. The 120MB update was first released by T-Mobile more than a week ago, and it is now joined by the three other carriers, according to Reddit posts and official support webpages. The update is now available for both 42mm and 46mm variants of the smartwatch.

The One UI 1.5 update brings 17 new watch faces, UI tweaks, more customization options, S Health enhancements, improved lap-time tracking (cycling and running), and Bixby improvements to the smartwatch. UI improvements and enhanced customization features include My Style functionality and additional watch face complications. The My Style feature allows users to match the look and feel of the watch face to their attire by just clicking a picture.

Other new features that come with the update include improved Always On Display readability (in charging and battery saving modes), emojis with various skin tones, an ability to automatically track swims, easier reordering of quick panel icons, alerts for low heart rate, and an improved version of Bixby. A new indicator now shows the apps that are running in the background such as workout tracking, timer, and calls.

If you live in the US and own the LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch, be sure to check for the new update via the Galaxy Wear app on your smartphone.

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Galaxy S20 4G to have 8GB RAM and a lower price in some markets

The Galaxy S20 4G models are not going to have the same memory configuration as the 5G variants in every country, according to a new tip passed along by @rquandt via Twitter. While the 5G Galaxy S20 variants will come with 12GB of RAM as standard, the 4G variants sold in some markets will be limited to 8GB of RAM.

This might sound like a bad thing at first, but if it’s true, keep in mind that this will be Samsung’s way of lowering the flagship’s entry-level price barrier only in certain markets. In addition, storage configurations will not be affected and every Galaxy S20 variant will feature 128GB of built-in storage as standard, regardless of region and connectivity features.

Galaxy S20 Ultra won’t get the same treatment as it’s exclusively-5G

An 8GB of RAM limit on 4G models might actually be good news for prospective buyers residing in countries where there is no 5G infrastructure yet. It’s been proven that 5G increases a smartphone’s RAM usage, so 8GB should technically be enough for the 4G variants.

In other words, customers in non-5G markets won’t have to pay extra for additional memory that they might not need. Of course, this would apply only to the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+, as the Galaxy S20 Ultra is expected to come in 5G flavor as standard.

In theory, this could bring the base price of the Galaxy S20 4G in some markets all the way down to around $850, from the rumored $999 price. It’s conjecture at this point so keep a pinch of salt nearby, as the price gap between the 8GB and 12GB Galaxy S20 models might be narrower. Nevertheless, some market watchers do expect $850 to be the actual entry-level price of the new flagship series. Of course, nothing is confirmed until Samsung spills the beans but we’ll find out soon enough.

Not all Samsung Galaxy S20 4G models are equal. Some countries are getting an entry level config with 8 GB RAM instead of 12 GB to allow for lower pricing of the base models. 128GB flash memory on all variants and no other differences though.

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 6, 2020

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Analysts expect Galaxy S20 to debut for $850 and outsell the Galaxy S10

The Galaxy S20 series is less than a week away from its official debut and market analysts have already begun evaluating the lineup’s estimated market performance based on preliminary details. In a paper published earlier today, industry analyst firm Counterpoint Research revealed its expectations for Samsung’s upcoming flagship to surpass the Galaxy S10 lineup in sales numbers throughout the first year of availability.

Counterpoint Research expects Samsung to sell over 40 million Galaxy S20s in the first year on the market, exceeding Galaxy S10 sales by a few million units.

Counterpoint Research expects the base Galaxy S20 model to cost $850

It’s important to note that these estimates are based on an ‘expected price tag of $850’ for the Galaxy S20 base model, which would undercut the Galaxy S10 launch price by $50. However, recent reports from other sources claim that the Galaxy S20 is likely to have a starting price of $999. There’s no way to confirm whichever price tag is correct, but we’ll find out soon enough at Unpacked.

The market research firm expects Samsung’s next flagship sales to be driven by the rumored camera specs and 5G, ‘resulting in another year of growth for a Samsung flagship release.’ The question is whether the 40 million sales estimates would remain unchanged in case the Galaxy S20 base model would launch for a starting price of $999. A $150 price difference is not negligible, especially when it comes to market research.

Either way, there’s always a chance that the Galaxy S20 series will fall below analyst expectations even if it will sell better than the Galaxy S10 did. It happened with the Galaxy S10 itself when analysts from Counterpoint Research determined that it didn’t distance itself far enough from its predecessor. But an $850 base price for the Galaxy S20 would be a recipe for success, and it would likely guarantee 40 million sales in the first 12 months of availability. Samsung needs this more than ever, especially after Apple managed to dethrone it in global shipments throughout Q4 2019.

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Samsung Electronics was US’ largest home appliance vendor in 2019

Samsung Electronics was the largest home appliance vendor in the United States throughout 2019, marking the company’s fourth consecutive year in pole position. Its home appliances have been purchased by enough people to cover an impressive 20.5% of the entire US market.

Samsung sells a wide variety of home appliances in the United States, ranging from dryers to refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens.

Samsung tops all home appliance categories, save for microwave ovens

Last year, the company managed to top nearly all of these individual segments, except for the microwave oven market. Samsung was the 2nd largest microwave oven vendor in the United States with 14.5% of the market. That’s still three-to-one, as Samsung secured its leading position in the other segments and was the largest vendor of dryers, washing machines, and refrigerators.

Samsung’s dryers covered 20.8% of the US market, securing the company’s top spot on the podium for the third consecutive year.

Likewise, Samsung has been the leading washing machine vendor for four years in a row and captured 20.5% of the market in 2019. As for refrigerators, Samsung took over 23.7% of the segment, while its french-door refrigerators have been the top-selling products in their category for eleven consecutive years, covering 32% of the market by the end of 2019.

Samsung Electronics will likely maintain its top spot throughout 2020 given the new and impressive range of updated home appliances unveiled at CES 2020. Its 2020 Family Hub refrigerators, for example, have been upgraded and updated in key areas and they now leverage better AI and IoT features.

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Daily Deal: 15% off Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony is known for producing high quality audio products for excellent prices. They offer a good range of speakers, recording devices and headphones. These over-ear headphones come with Digital Noise Canceling meaning you’ll be well isolated from your surroundings when enjoying your favorite music. This is perfect for when you want to focus on work or you want some peace while riding the train. It’s great for when you’re on a plane as well. You’re now able to grab one at 15% off which is a huge discount for a high-end product from Sony.

Hit the Buy Now button below to get one while they’re still on stock!

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Galaxy Z Flip Joker & Harley Quinn edition already available for pre-order

We’re just days away from Samsung’s February 11 Unpacked event in San Francisco where the company will unveil the Galaxy S20 lineup and the Galaxy Z Flip. There’s a lot of excitement for its new foldable smartphone and there have been significant leaks recently which have given us a pretty good look at the device.

Since clearly secrecy is not a priority for the Galaxy Z Flip, we’re now seeing a lot more of the device. This Galaxy Z Flip Joker & Harley Quinn edition, though, isn’t something that we’ll be seeing at Unpacked.

Caviar shows off the Galaxy Z Flip Joker & Harley Quinn edition

That’s because this isn’t some promotional tie-up between Samsung and DC Comics. The Galaxy Z Flip Joker & Harley Quinn edition is a third-party creation. It’s made by Caviar, a Russian boutique firm known for its ostentatious treatment of mobile devices. One such example is its $58,000 Galaxy Note 9 Fine Gold Edition which had a back panel that contained an actual one kilogram of pure gold.

Leveraging the Galaxy Z Flip’s clamshell form factor, Caviar has adorned it with a gold-plated back with colorful images of both the Joker and Harley Quinn. There’s embossed engraving all around in the form of card suits. Caviar will only be selling 54 units of this $5,210 Galaxy Z Flip, a nod to the number of playing cards in a conventional joker deck. It’s accepting pre-orders already through its website.

Caviar has rather smartly listed their limited edition device just a day before Birds of Prey (new Harley Quinn movie) opens in cinemas across the globe, apparently, it doesn’t really matter to the company that the underlying device itself has still not been officially announced by Samsung.

Raise your hand if you want to buy this personification of having more money than you know what to do with. No one? Okay.

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Android and Samsung Twitter accounts team up, tease ‘something exciting’

Here’s something interesting: The official Twitter accounts for Android and Samsung Mobile are suggesting that Google and Samsung will have something special to announce together at the latter’s February 11 Unpacked event, where the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip will be unveiled.

A few hours ago, the Android Twitter account tagged Samsung Mobile in a message that says “Something exciting is just around the corner. See you at Unpacked” along with a video that shows the Android logo with its ‘n’ replaced with a white rectangular block similar to the one we see in Samsung’s official Unpacked promo. Samsung Mobile responded to the tweet with “Saved you a seat!”, so it’s all pretty mysterious and gives us no useful information.

Did Google and Samsung work together on the latter’s foldable device again?

All we can do is speculate, and the biggest suspect is that Samsung has worked with Google to optimize Android for the Galaxy Z Flip’s user interface. Google and Samsung worked together to make sure the Galaxy Fold’s folding display works well with Android Pie, with Google even working some of Samsung’s foldable UI elements into stock Android. For example, App Continuity, a feature that lets an app change seamlessly from the outer to inner display on the Galaxy Fold, was built into Android as native functionality for all foldable devices.

@Android Saved you a seat!

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 6, 2020

The two companies are also said to be working on integrating Google Duo into Samsung’s messaging app, but since that is reportedly going to be limited to South Korea, it’s probably not what is being teased here. Some are also speculating that Google could bring back its Play Edition series of smartphones, which saw manufacturers like Samsung release a variant of their flagship phones running vanilla Android, though that is just wishful thinking and isn’t likely to happen in this day and age.

Of course, it could be that the Android team is simply helping Samsung build up excitement for its event, as the Korean giant is the largest and most popular maker of Android phones around the world. Whatever it may be, it looks like Samsung Unpacked could still have a few surprises in store, and we can’t wait to find out what that is.

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Galaxy M31 to share most of its specs with the Galaxy M30s

The Galaxy M31 is set to be the first Galaxy M series smartphone that will launch in 2020, as Samsung confirmed when it started teasing the device online. The company revealed through those teasers that the Galaxy M31 will have a 64MP primary rear camera and a huge battery like its predecessors. Now, the folks over at 91Mobiles are reporting that the spec sheet for the Galaxy M31 will be quite similar to the Galaxy M30s.

Most importantly, the M31 will reportedly have a 6,000 mAh battery like the Galaxy M30s. As benchmarks had revealed, the M31 will be powered by the Exynos 9611 processor, another spec it will share with the M30s. It will have a quad camera setup at the back – the 64MP primary shooter will be accompanied by an ultra-wide camera, a macro camera, and a depth camera. The front-facing camera’s resolution remains unknown at this point, but a 32MP selfie shooter seems likely.

The Galaxy M31 will have a minimum of 64GB storage, as we had exclusively revealed, and the phone will apparently come in 4+64GB and 6+128GB configurations. It will run Android 10 with One UI 2.0 out of the box, which is to be expected from any Galaxy phone launching in the coming months. Finally, the M31’s display size will also remain the same as the M30s’ – it will reportedly sport a 6.4-inch Infinity-U Super AMOLED panel.

The Galaxy M30s offers a lot of bang for the buck and has helped Samsung improve its market share in India, and we can expect the Galaxy M31 to have an impressive value-for-money quotient as well. However, what the pricing will be is something only time will tell. With Samsung now teasing the Galaxy M31, it shouldn’t be long before the device goes official and availability and pricing details are announced.

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