Samsung smart TV users facing issues with the HBO Max app

Samsung has been the world’s biggest TV brand for more than a decade, and its Tizen platform is the most widely used smart TV platform globally. It has apps for all the video streaming services, making it easier for anyone to stream videos from Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and more. However, Samsung smart TV users have been facing problems while using the HBO Max app.

Multiple users have complained that the HBO Max app doesn’t work on their Samsung smart TV. When users open the HBO Max app, it requests them to update the app to the newest version, but no update appears in the app store. According to users, this problem started appearing after the recent update to the HBO Max app. It is apparent from Reddit and Twitter threads that many users have been facing this issue, and HBO Max is yet to solve the problem.

Neither Samsung nor HBO have acknowledged this issue yet, which adds to users’ frustration since they are unable to stream their favourite movies and TV shows. Most users are forced to use other video streaming devices such as Apple TV and Chromecast to continue using the HBO Max app, which is completely unacceptable, especially after spending a lot of money on their Samsung smart TV.

Last year, Samsung smart TV users had faced an issue with the Disney+ app on TV models released in 2016.

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One of the most secure messaging apps for your Galaxy phone is getting new voice features

In the fuss that ensued in the messaging world after WhatsApp came up with a questionable new privacy policy, Signal emerged as one of the more popular apps owing to its focus on security and privacy and the open-source nature of its development. Plenty of Galaxy smartphone owners are using the app as well, and if you are one of them, you can now enjoy new features related to voice messages.

Signal has supported sending voice messages like any decent messaging app, but it has been a pretty basic implementation all this while. But with the latest beta release for Signal, there are multiple new quality-of-life and usability improvements that should make ex-WhatsApp users happy (or make it easier to switch for those thinking of doing so).

One, it now saves your voice message as a draft if you leave the app while recording the message, though it doesn’t give you the option to edit the saved draft. And two, you can now control the playback speed of voice messages. You can change between 0.5x, 1x, and 2x speed; apps like WhatsApp only let you speed them up, which makes Signal’s implementation more handy.

As mentioned earlier, these new features are available in the beta version of the app, which you can access by signing up for the beta program on Google Play. Just keep in mind that the beta version will install over the stable version of the app and going back to the latter will need you to uninstall the app completely. If you’re not okay with that, it’s best to wait for the stable Signal app to get these features, which shouldn’t take too long.

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The Galaxy Tab S7 FE is headed for Samsung’s backyard soon

South Korea may be Samsung’s home base, but the country surprisingly doesn’t get all new devices at the same time as other markets. The Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72, for example, have not yet made it to South Korea, nor has the company’s first-ever Fan Edition tablet. Well, at least part of that set to change soon: The Galaxy Tab S7 FE is headed to Samsung’s backyard in less than two weeks.

July 19th is the precise date, according to the latest report from the Korean media, though there don’t seem to be any other details available. We can expect both the LTE and 5G variants to be sold in the country, which is also the case for the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+. Of course, as we said in our review, that’s just one of very few similarities the Fan Edition model shares with its flagship cousins. The Tab S7 FE is a decidedly mid-range tablet that does some things well but is not fit for the Fan Edition label.

More details can be found in our review, but the gist is that you’re getting a massive 12.4-inch screen with great stereo speakers, a big battery, an S Pen, and all of the software features that make the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ stand out from the competition. There’s also a keyboard accessory you can buy separately, though getting the one sold with the Tab S7+ is a better option as both are priced similarly but the latter gets you a trackpad for a proper laptop-like experience.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE review

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The Apple threat in Samsung’s home country seems to have fizzled out

It was reported a couple of weeks ago that Apple would be establishing a more dominant position in South Korea’s retail market. It had apparently convinced LG Electronics to sell iPhones, iPads and the Apple Watch through its 400-strong retail network of LG Best Shops.

Retail sales still account for a significant chunk of smartphone sales in Samsung’s home country. Apple’s increasing influence would have given cause for concern to many local players. However, it seems that the threat has fizzled out for now.

Small and medium-sized retailers have forced a rethink

Some Korean media outlets had initially reported that Samsung actually reached out to LG through the country’s top mobile carriers, requesting the company to also sell its Galaxy smartphones at the Best Shops. However, that story was eventually retracted, so it may not have been accurate in the first place.

Even if Samsung wasn’t bothered by LG’s decision, many small and medium-sized electronics retailers in the country were. They feared a decline in their sales as they wouldn’t be able to effectively compete with LG’s nationwide retail network.

The latest reports out of South Korea reveal that LG has been paying attention to the public opinion regarding its cooperation with Apple. It’s said to have temporarily suspended the decision on its plans to sell Apple products at Best Shops. The company is particularly taking into account the concerns of the small and medium-sized retailers who will be most affected by this decision.

Samsung is simply monitoring the situation. An unnamed official quoted in the report says “We will closely monitor the market situation.” Obviously, the company won’t let Apple take the lead in its home market. So it the need arises, it would adopt new strategies to maintain its edge.

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Samsung releases July 2021 update for the flagship-killer Galaxy S20 FE

Samsung has begun to roll out the latest security update for its flagship-killer phone from last year, the Galaxy S20 FE (which will get a successor this year… eventually). The original flagship Galaxy S20 trio already received a similar update over the past week. The update includes the July 2021 security patch, which, as detailed by Samsung earlier today, brings almost a dozen fixes for various vulnerabilities, including a couple that affected Android’s Bluetooth functionality.

More than just security fixes in this update

The July update for the Galaxy S20 FE is rolling out to the LTE variant and sports firmware version G780FXXU4CUG1. The firmware version tells us the update brings more than just security fixes, but a changelog is not available at this time so we’re not sure what that could be. And since Samsung copy pasted an older changelog for the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra’s July update, we can expect the same to be the case for the Galaxy S20 FE.

Russia is the only country receiving the July update for the S20 FE, but you can be sure more countries will follow suit sooner rather than later. The 5G model should soon join the party as well. If you happen to own a Galaxy S20 FE, you can check if the update is available by going to its Settings » Software update menu. As always, our firmware archives are at your disposal if you prefer manually upgrading by downloading the latest firmware to your Windows PC.

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Good news for microSD expansion on the Galaxy S21 FE?

After the success of the Galaxy S20 FE, there has been a lot of interest around its successor, the Galaxy S21 FE. Given its Fan Edition status, people are interested to see if Samsung is keeping the microSD card slot or removing it as a part of its wider product strategy. Earlier today, the Galaxy S21 FE’s specifications were revealed, answering some of the important questions and bringing some good news to Galaxy fans.

Does the Galaxy S21 FE feature a microSD card slot?

The Chinese variant of the Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G9900) recently passed through the TENAA certification, and according to the listing, the device will be available in two storage variants: 128GB and 256GB. It also seems to feature a microSD card slot with support for up to 256GB microSD cards. However, we think that it is a mistake on TENAA’s part, and if the phone has a microSD card slot, it would support memory cards with up to 1TB storage space.

Galaxy S21 FE specs

The Galaxy S21 FE sports a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone runs Android 11 out of the box and comes equipped with the Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB RAM, a 32MP selfie camera, and a 12MP+12MP+8MP rear-facing camera setup. The 8MP telephoto camera appears to have a 3x optical zoom lens.

Samsung has powered the Galaxy S21 FE with a 4,500mAh battery that supports up to 45W charging. However, the device may or may not come with a charger in the box. Other features of the smartphone include an in-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, 5G, GPS, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and a USB Type-C port.

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Most used Samsung app in the USA? The answer isn’t what you think

A study by Comscore has shed light on some interesting stats for the most used applications on Android and iOS. To nobody’s surprise, pre-installed default apps dominate the list on each platform. Others are mostly social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, along with e-commerce sites like Amazon and Walmart. There are two Samsung apps on that list, too, but they aren’t what you think.

Samsung makes its first appearance at number 13 with Samsung Calculator, of all apps. It has 38.5 million active monthly users. One would expect Samsung Health or Samsung Pay to be on there. However, Samsung Email is the only other app that made it to the top 20, with a ranking of 19 and a monthly user base of 25.8 million users.

Then again, this study only observed habits for users based in the United States for a rather small sample set of users. Samsung has a paltry 27% market share in the region, compared to Apple’s 49%. Besides, most Android users almost certainly stick with well-established apps such as Google Maps and Gmail  instead of OEM-specific alternatives. Take the Galaxy Store, for example; although it come pre-installed on all Samsung smartphones, users still prefer the familiarity — and quality — of the Google Play Store.

Furthermore, the test methodology for the survey appears to be somewhat flawed, as it doesn’t distinguish between different Android OEMs. That could be the reason why more commonly-used Samsung apps are missing from the list and seemingly obscure ones like Samsung Calculator and Samsung Email got noticed.

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OnePlus surprises everyone with some free Samsung advertising

Don’t call it a “fail”; let’s say it was a moment of genuine clarity on the part of whomever was in charge of OnePlus India’s Twitter account. The very one that surprised us with a nice Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ad. “The enhanced #SPen is my weapon of choice”, said the tweet.

A bold choice of words, that one. Not too original, either, seeing how this overly dramatic copy has been been periodically circulated by Samsung since late last year. But it’s alright, OnePlus can work on its messaging and try to be more original next time around.

One year without a new Galaxy Note generation and even OnePlus is already desperate

There’s still time until the next Galaxy Note generation drops. There’s nothing but time, unfortunately – there’s no Note flagship coming this year, if you had forgotten. So we ought to be thanking OnePlus for brightening up this otherwise glum year for Galaxy Note fans. Or rather, the agency responsible for this mishap, which can’t be doing too badly if its client list includes both Samsung and OnePlus.

In the grand scheme of things, we’d rate this at four out of five “sent from iPhone” tweets. At least we know we’re not the only ones thinking about the Galaxy Note series and how it’s almost time for its annual upgrade… except it isn’t. Meanwhile, OnePlus got recalled back to the mothership last month as its parent company, China’s giant OPPO, started gathering its strength in order to try challenging Samsung’s global leadership in smartphones more directly. That’s going to be a tough battle for it to win. But hey, with the new(ish) S Pen being its “weapon of choice” – anything is possible, no?

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Samsung has an unassailable lead in the smartphone memory segment

Samsung is the world’s biggest memory chip manufacturer and the biggest smartphone memory brand as well. According to the latest numbers, the South Korean firm has an unassailable lead over its rivals SK Hynix and Micron Technology. Samsung may remain the number one brand for a long time.

According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, Samsung had a 49% market share in the smartphone memory chip segment during Q1 2021. SK Hynix, another memory chip maker from South Korea, was placed second with a market share of 23% during the same period. US-based Micron Technology had a 14% share of the market.

The global smartphone memory market logged revenue of a whopping $11.4 billion in Q1 2021, up from Q1 2020’s $9.4 billion revenue. That’s due to the rising demand for smartphones and tablets as people have started working from home, and e-learning has seen a sharp rise after the COVID-19 pandemic since last year.

In the NAND flash market, Samsung saw a growth of 18% year-over-year and had a 42% revenue share. SK Hynix and Kioxia Corporation had 20% and 19% market share, respectively.

In the DRAM (used for PCs, laptops, and servers) segment, Samsung had a 54% market share during the first quarter of this year. SK Hynix and Micron Technology had market shares of 25% and 20%, respectively. DRAM prices have increased over the past few months, which helped Samsung post a 54% rise in operating profit for Q1 2021.

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Samsung monthly updates: Bluetooth is Android’s weakest link in July 2021

Samsung took a while to push out its monthly security bulletin, much like it’s been slower-than usual to actually release it. Not that much slower, of course. But still, as the summer keeps heating up, so are Android vulnerabilities.

The July 1st OTA hence includes some 20 security fixes, two-thirds of which are Google’s doing. Among those, Bluetooth seems to be the most problematic technology right now. As the patch deals with a number of Bluetooth-enabled vulnerabilities, all but one rated as high-severity issues.

Expect the July 2021 update to land on your device in the coming weeks

The crux of the more serious issues appears to be near the kernel level, as evidenced by the fact that all Exynos 7570 devices have been vulnerable to at least one of these Bluetooth protocol shortcomings. So, devices like the Galaxy J3, Galaxy J4, and the Galaxy Xcover 4. Ditto for the newer Exynos 980 powering a select few Galaxy A series smartphones.

This might be why many of those entry-level models have been updated within days of one another, starting from last month. Some of this month’s patches already started rolling out with the June 1st, 2021 patch, only without explicit disclosure on Samsung’s part. Which is pretty standard, as far as security policies go. If anything, Samsung remains more transparent than pretty much every one of its rivals. To say nothing of how prolific it is.

Still, given the devices that started receiving it so far, the July patch is far from its target availability. So, expect things to pick up in the weeks ahead.

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One more affordable Galaxy A series smartphone incoming

Samsung has already launched a bunch of new mid-range smartphones in the Galaxy A, Galaxy F, and Galaxy M series this year, but the company isn’t done yet. We know that the company is working on the Galaxy M22 and the Galaxy M52 5G. Now, it looks like Samsung is also inching closer to the launch of the Galaxy A12s.

The Galaxy A12s, which hasn’t been announced yet, has appeared in the Bluetooth SIG database with two model numbers: SM-A127F and SM-A127M. Both variants of the smartphone feature Bluetooth 5.0 (with EDR and LE) and a dual-SIM card slot. Samsung has also published the support page for the Galaxy A12s on its Philippines website.

Going by the model number, the Galaxy A12s could be a slightly improved version of the Galaxy A12. It could have a slightly better processor, an improved camera setup, or a bigger battery. Given that the phone’s support page is listed on Samsung’s Philippines website, it is almost certain that the phone will be launched in the country.

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This app tells you if your Galaxy smartphone is still water resistant

Most Samsung high-end and premium mid-range smartphones have an ingress protection or IP rating. It signifies just how water resistant the device is. If your device is repaired or even just a few years old, chances are that it may not be as water resistant as you might think.

There’s really no way to test this without dunking the phone in water. If the seals are intact it will survive but if they’re shot, you can kiss your phone goodbye. Since there’s an app for almost everything these days, what if there was one that could tell you if the device was still water resistant?

Yes, there is an app for that

The Water Resistance Tester app claims to do just that. Developed by Ray W, the app relies on data from the barometric pressure sensor found in most devices to basically make a prediction about the state of water resistance.

They way it works is that the app measures pressure levels through the barometric sensor. When you launch the app, it tells you to leave your phone alone for a minute or two as the sensor is calibrated to measure the baseline. You’re then instructed to firmly press on the screen at two points with both thumbs. The app measures the pressure difference to let you know if the device appears to be water resistance.

It’s a solid proof of concept. You can test it by removing the SIM card tray on a device that was previously identified as water resistant. The app will throw up a negative result when the tray is popped out.

The app can be a bit temperamental. It gave us a positive and negative result in successive tests on the same Galaxy S21 Ultra. Not surprising, since the developer himself doesn’t provide any guarantees on the accuracy of the results. Even if positive results are all you get from the app, I’d still think twice before exposing the device to water for no good reason.

Water Resistance Tester is available as a free download from the Play Store. It has in-app ads that you can remove for a $0.99 donation.

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The Galaxy Note10 Lite picks up the July 2021 security update

The July 2021 security update has now started reaching  the Galaxy Note 10 Lite, with its debut arrival being recorded in Poland. We’ve spotted the new release, labeled by PDA version N770FXXS7EUF2, a few minutes ago. No other countries appear to be part of the deployment just yet. Neither do any other changes on top of the new security patch. This development comes barely a couple of days after the smartphone’s two older brothers, Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+, started receiving the latest security patch, as well.

The July 2021 security patch has been deploying the world over for a few days by now. During this period, Samsung kicked off 33 other deployments across 19 countries.

Only the European version is getting the July 1st patch for now

As per usual, you don’t have to wait for the July 2021 security update to reach your Galaxy Note 10 Lite on its own. Well, not without trying something first, at least. Namely, you can always try triggering a manual installation by going to Settings, scrolling down to the Software update section, and tapping Download and install on the final screen. Alternatively, our firmware archives have full system images containing the new update that you can download. Assuming you know how to manually flash the firmware to your device, that is.

A word of warning for those who decide to go the manual flashing route: do not forget to back up your data – better safe than sorry. And you shouldn’t be sorry if you’re a Galaxy Note 10 Lite owner, which should continue enjoying steady security patches for a couple more years at least. Hopefully, Samsung delivers another Galaxy Note generation by then.

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Bixby just got a big update with improvements you’ll want to check out

Bixby is still alive and well even though most people would just search for instructions on how to disable Bixby when they set up their new Galaxy phone. Samsung hasn’t given up on it yet and continues to make improvements.

The company has just released a big update for Bixby. While there’s not much in the way of new features, the update does make a few improvements that might get you to start using its voice assistant again.

New Bixby update is rolling out now

Previously, the results in response to your voice query would fill the entire screen. After today’s update, the response to any Bixby Voice query will only take up as much screen space as needed to display the response. It will also be displayed for a set duration only after which the result screen will automatically disappear. The default is 15 seconds.

Samsung has further improved Bixby’s ability to learn your preferences over time. When you invoke Bixby now, it will show hints, if “Personalized Bixby” is enabled the assistant will provide you with personalized app based hints.

Setting up “Hi Bixby” voice wakeup previously required training the assistant on your voice. You needed to say the hotword five times for the assistant to recognize your voice. Bixby now provides a default option of training-less wake-up to newly registered users. They’ll be able to use the “Hi Bixby” wakeup command without having to train the assistant on their voice.

Lastly, on the Bixby main page, a card titled “Add Quick Commands to home” is now available. Tapping on this will add a Quick Command icon to your home screen, allowing you to execute your quick commands swiftly.

The latest Bixby update is now rolling out through the Galaxy Store. Head on over to download it and see if this makes you want to use Bixby on the regular.

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Galaxy S21 FE camera info leaks: Are there any surprises in there?

The Galaxy S21 FE is expected to be launched sometime in Q4 of this year, but its design and specifications have been leaked already. Now that the Chinese variant of the phone has received the TENAA certification, more details about its specifications, including its cameras, have been revealed.

If you were expecting the phone to feature upgraded cameras, you would be disappointed. The Galaxy S21 FE appears to feature the same 32MP selfie camera that was used in its predecessor. Even the rear-facing camera setup seems to be similar to that of the Galaxy S20 FE. The upcoming affordable high-end smartphone features a triple-camera setup, consisting of a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. It can record 4K videos using front and rear-facing cameras.

The Galaxy S21 FE appears to come equipped with an octa-core processor with a clock speed of 2.8GHz, which means that the Chinese version uses the Snapdragon 888 chipset. We’ve come to this conclusion because the Exynos 2100 processor has a clock speed of 2.9GHz. The device also features 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal storage. It also seems that it has a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

Samsung has equipped the upcoming smartphone with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also features an in-display fingerprint reader, 5G, GPS, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB Type-C port, and stereo speakers. It also comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. It is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and supports wireless charging and up to 45W fast wired charging.

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Galaxy M52 5G battery capacity may not meet expectations

The Galaxy A52 5G turned out to be an excellent mid-range smartphone, featuring a high-refresh-rate Super AMOLED display, an OIS-equipped camera, stereo speakers, and water resistance. It was revealed four months ago that Samsung is working on more variants of the smartphone in the form of the Galaxy F52 5G and the Galaxy M52 5G. It was being expected that the Galaxy M52 5G could feature a 6,000mAh or bigger battery, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Samsung received China’s CCC (also known as 3C) certification for the Galaxy M52 5G’s battery (EB-BM526ABY), revealing its capacity and manufacturer. The battery is made by Samsung SDI and has a rated capacity of 4,860mAh (typical capacity of 5,000mAh). It means that those who were expecting the Galaxy M52 5G to feature a 6,000mAh or bigger battery are set to face some disappointment. Its predecessor, the Galaxy M51, had a 7,000mAh battery, which is much bigger than the Galaxy M52 5G’s battery.

It was revealed last week that the Galaxy M52 5G could come with the powerful Snapdragon 778G processor. The 6nm chipset from Qualcomm, which was launched a few weeks ago, features high-end specs in the form of four Cortex-A78 CPU cores, four Cortex-A55 CPU cores, the Adreno 642L GPU with support for Full HD+ 144Hz displays, and built-in support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6E.

We can expect the Galaxy M52 5G to feature a Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a high refresh rate, a triple or quad-camera setup, an in-display fingerprint reader, Android 11, and at least 25W fast charging.

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