Original Galaxy A5 gets a new update but it’s not what you think it is

Samsung has started rolling out a new firmware update for the original Galaxy A5 in Europe. It has been a while since this handset received a new update, it was last updated to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow back in the summer last year. Samsung is now rolling out a new update for the SM-A500 but it’s not what you think it is.

The original Galaxy A5 is going to remain at Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow after this update because Samsung has only sent out a security patch for this device. What’s interesting is that this device isn’t even receiving the latest security patch for the month of January 2017. Firmware version A500FUXXS1CPK6 actually brings the November 2016 security patch for the original Galaxy A5.

This update is now being gradually rolled out across Europe for the unlocked variant of the Galaxy A5. If you’ve not yet received the update you can head over to our firmware section and download it manually.

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Sprint fires up LTE Advanced for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in select cities across the United States will now get significantly faster mobile data speeds on Sprint. The carrier has confirmed that it has fired up three-carrier aggregation and thus brought faster LTE Advanced support to these handsets. There are a total of seven devices on Sprint’s network right now that support three-carrier aggregation, only two are from Samsung, and the carrier says that all seven account for almost 20 percent of its postpaid user base.

Sprint claims that the switch to three-carrier aggregation is going to offer subscribers peak speeds of up to 200Mbps which is a significant improvement over two-carrier aggregation that provides speeds of up to 100Mbps. LTE Advanced involves using multiple LTE bands to allow for greater bandwidth speeds. As the number of bands go up so does the data rate, at least in theory. Sprint has now enabled three-carrier aggregation via an update for both Samsung flagships. Users in cities like San Francisco, Dallas, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Chicago, and more will now be able to enjoy faster mobile data.

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Themes Thursday: Four themes you should not miss checking out

Welcome back to this week’s Themes Thursday! Samsung has released 84 new themes for compatible Galaxy smartphones over the past one week, and we think you might be interested in having a look at the four themes that are listed below.

The Candie Round and Oreo themes are pretty similar with material wallpapers, clean dialer design, and bright colour combination. If you like darker theme packs, check out the Peanut theme with squircle icons. However, all these themes are paid. If you want a no-frills free theme, check out the Voyage theme from Samsung.

Candie Round | Paid

Oreo | Paid

Peanut | Paid

Voyage | Free

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Daily Recap: February 2, 2017

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the bulk of the news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the United States to keep up-to-date with every post that goes live on SamMobile. But, we think we’ve come up with the perfect solution — a daily recap.

In the list below, you’ll find all of the stories we published today. Chances are, you’re not going to be interested in every one of them. To help you find what’s important to you, we’ve split them into their respective categories — so if you want to see the latest Galaxy S8 news, locate the Phones subheading.

Business

Samsung may set up a plant to manufacture home appliances in the US

Deal

Daily Deal: Score yourself a 3,100mAh Portable External Battery Charger for 90% off

Firmware News

Latest Galaxy Note 5 update for India brings Samsung Pay app

Verizon’s now distributing the January security patch for the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5

General

Samsung to release Tizen 4.0 in September 2017

Samsung sixth in the world in brand value

Phones

Buy a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge from T-Mobile and get a year of Netflix free

Galaxy J7 (2017) reveals specs once again on Geekbench

Galaxy S8 battery reportedly being made by a Japanese company

Samsung files trademark for ‘Galaxy J7 Sky Pro’ in the US

Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay Mini launch for Android officially confirmed

Tablets

Windows 10-powered Galaxy TabPro S2 receives Bluetooth certification

Tips & Tricks

How to configure SOS Contacts on the Gear S2 and Gear S3

Nougat Tip: Get brightness control back in the notification shade

TV

Samsung may start sourcing display panels from LG by June

Watches

BMW Connected app released for Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S3

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Galaxy S8 battery reportedly being made by a Japanese company

The press is definitely going to pay a lot of attention to the Galaxy S8′s battery given that it’s the first flagship smartphone that Samsung is releasing after the disastrous battery failure of the Galaxy Note 7. The batteries for that handset were supplied by Samsung’s own battery-making division as well as ATL, a Chinese supplier. Samsung recently confirmed exactly what went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7 and detailed that batteries from both manufacturers had flaws. Perhaps that’s why the company is going to source the Galaxy S8 battery from a Japanese company.

Local media reports out of South Korea suggest that Samsung has decided to source the Galaxy S8 battery from Murata Manufacturing Works in Japan. It took over Sony’s battery business in June last year and will function as the second supplier for Galaxy S8 batteries. Samsung’s own division – Samsung SDI – will continue to supply batteries for the company’s next flagship in bulk. The orders are reportedly going to be divided between Samsung SDI and Murata Manufacturing at a rate of 8 to 2.

It was even rumored at one point that perhaps Samsung might start sourcing the Galaxy S8 battery from LG’s battery division, LG Chem, but recent reports say that it’s unlikely for that to happen now.

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How to configure SOS Contacts on the Gear S2 and Gear S3

We’ve previously showed you how to configure your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to send SOS alerts to contacts in the event of emergency. However, sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where it’s virtually impossible to pull out your smartphone — so Samsung’s baked a similar feature into the software of the Gear S2 and Gear S3.

Once enabled, Gear S2 and Gear S3 owners will be able to triple-press the home button to send an SOS request to their emergency contacts. Unfortunately, the wearable version is unable to record audio or take a photograph, but it does retrieve the coordinates of your location using GPS and attach them to a message that’s automatically send to predetermined recipients.

In addition to sending an SMS, users also have the option to place a call to emergency contacts. Obviously, for Bluetooth variants of the Gear S2 and Gear S3, this will only work if your device is paired with your smartphone (the same applies to the default text function), while those in possession of an LTE model will be able to use their unit’s SIM to access cellular capabilities.

Here’s how you set it up:

1. Open up the Samsung Gear application on your smartphone.
2. Locate and select Send SOS Requests.
3. Slide the toggle at the top from Off to On.
4. Select at least one emergency contact.
5. Once you’re done adding emergency contacts, go back to the main Send SOS Requests menu.

That’s all there is to it. Now when you triple-press the home button, your watch will send an SOS alert to your predefined contacts. If you are worried about accidentally sending SOS requests, you can enable a countdown option to add a 5-second wait before a message is sent. Also keep in mind that since the SOS feature uses SMS, you will be charged based on your carrier plan. 

If you happen to run into any issues along the way, do be sure to let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll do our very best to get you back on track. You can also reach out to us over on Facebook and Twitter, but unfortunately we can’t promise an as speedy response time as we can on our own platform.

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Daily Deal: Score yourself a 3,100mAh Portable External Battery Charger for 90% off

Oh, boy! If you’re in the market (or not for that matter) for a portable battery bank, you’re going to want to pin your ears back as we have a fantastic deal for you today. While stock lasts, you can score yourself a Samsung-branded 3,100mAh Portable External Battery Charger for just $6 (90% off). Yes, you read that right — $6.

By far my favourite feature about this particular external charger is that it comes with an integrated retractable microUSB cable, so you don’t have to carry around any added bulk. When your phone is running low, you simply attach it to the power bank and let it recharge. It also sports an LED to indicate the unit’s battery level.

If you like the sound of the 3,100mAh Portable External Battery Charger  and want to take advantage of the deal, simply hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll need to hurry, though, as Amazon has only assigned a small amount of inventory for this specific promotion, and we have a feeling it’s going to sell out pretty quickly.

Buy Now

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