Samsung distributes an update to fix the Galaxy S8′s connectivity issues

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.

 

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Daily Deal: Take 56% off a Samsung Wireless Charging Pad

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.

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Switch to stock Android navigation keys on your Galaxy S8 with this little app

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, the thread on XDA has various options uploaded by users, so you can download the ones you want. You can also change the order of keys after installing the custom icons (from the Settings » Display » Navigation bar menu) to match stock Android. To go back to the original icons, simply find the app in Settings » Apps and uninstall it (the name of the app should start with “com.samsung”).

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Samsung ranks tenth in Forbes’ list of world’s most valuable brands for 2017

Samsung is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and valuable brands in the world, but how does it fair against the likes of Apple, Facebook, and Google? Forbes releases a list of world’s most valuable brands every year, and it released its new list for 2017 yesterday. As per the new rankings, Samsung is currently the tenth most valuable brand in the world. The top place has been tightly held by Apple, following by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Coco-Cola, Amazon, Disney, Toyota, and McDonald’s.

Forbes analysed more than 200 global brands by looking at their earnings for the past three years and then allocating a percentage of those revenues based on the roles the brands play in their particular fields. The American business magazine arrives at a final score for each brand depend on the performance of the brands. Samsung’s brand value has been rated at $38.2 billion, making it the tenth most valuable brand in the world. In comparison, Apple’s and Google’s brand values are $170 billion and $101.8 billion, respectively.

You can look at the complete list of top 10 most valuable brands in the table below along with their brand values as determined by Forbes.

Rank	Company Name	Brand Value ($Bil)
1	Apple	$170.0
2	Google	101.8
3	Microsoft	87.0
4	Facebook	73.5
5	Coca-Cola	56.4
6	Amazon	54.1
7	Disney	43.9
8	Toyota	41.1
9	McDonald’s	40.3
10	Samsung	38.2

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STARZ video streaming app is now available for Samsung’s Smart TVs

STARZ has announced that its video streaming app is now available on select smart TVs from Samsung. STARZ’s premium subscribers can now watch a huge collection of video content from the channel, including the its original TV shows like American Gods, Black Sails, Outlander, and Power. Subscribers can also watch hundreds of movies and first-run films on a compatible smart TV from Samsung using the new app.

Interested users can subscribe to STARZ for $8.99 per month through their website or the Samsung App Store within the Smart Hub. The company says that it has designed the smart TV app with content discovery and navigation in mind. Subscribers will have access to a collection of over 4300 videos. The app is already available for competing smart TV platforms, including Amazon AppStore, Apple TV, Google Play, and Roku.

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Thoughts on the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint sensor: What’s the fuss all about?

Many Samsung fans were up in arms when it was confirmed that the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint sensor is placed at the back, alongside the camera. Some of us here at SamMobile were extremely critical of this, too, but I don’t personally agree with all of the flak that Samsung is having to take because of this decision.

This is the first time that Samsung has placed the sensor here, and it had no other option. Optical fingerprint sensors aren’t ready for primetime, and it had to free up space for that gorgeous Infinity Display.

The company hasn’t done anything unusual. Rivals like LG and Huawei placed the fingerprint sensor on some of their smartphones at the back a long time ago. The only difference is that none of them positioned the sensor as close to the rear camera as Samsung has. This is what concerns most potential customers. They feel that they will end up smudging the camera lens every time they want to unlock their phone.

Galaxy S8 owners might find it relatively easier to use the fingerprint sensor, but prospective Galaxy S8+ buyers may be concerned about having to stretch a bit too much to use the sensor. I’ve been using the Galaxy S8+ for a few weeks now and have configured the fingerprint sensor as the preferred screen lock type.

This is my main device so you can imagine that it’s locked and unlocked countless times every single day when I’m out rushing to get things done and even when I’m fumbling for my phone in bed at night with the lights out and no glasses. I have a habit of placing my phone face down, be it any surface, so my index finger naturally stretches up to touch the sensor as I hold the phone to pick it up and face it towards me.

I can tell you this much: You get used to it. Using a fingerprint sensor on the back of a big device like the Galaxy S8+ might appear to be daunting, but it really isn’t. You will get used to the new placement within a couple of days and after that, it won’t even register as a change.

It certainly helps that there’s a metal rim surrounding the fingerprint sensor. The rim acts as a guide so that you easily know precisely where you have to place your finger to unlock the device.

Granted, if you normally place your phone face up, it will take longer to get used to the new placement. That’s because it’s not possible to unlock the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ when the handset is placed on its back. You have to pick up the phone first and then place your finger on the sensor.

Samsung has tried to make the repositioned fingerprint sensor more useful by adding the finger sensor gestures feature. It’s buried in the Settings app and isn’t enabled by default, but it does make a difference. Here’s how you find and enable this feature.

Once enabled, the feature allows you to swipe down and up to open and close the notification shade respectively. So the couple of seconds that you would have lost having to pick up the device first are recovered when you quickly open the notification shade with a swipe of your finger without having to reach out to the top of the display.

You’ll also notice that the fingerprint sensor is faster than it has ever been on any previous Samsung device. It’s smarter as well. It can read the fingerprint from any angle. So even if you registered your fingerprint vertically, the sensor can read it horizontally. It’s the little changes that show Samsung has been considerate in its repositioning of the fingerprint sensor.

Thus, in my opinion, all of the fuss about the fingerprint sensor being in the wrong place is just that: fuss. It’s not something that negatively impacts the user experience or proves to be a nuisance if you’re using the Galaxy S8 as your daily driver. Like all changes, it takes getting used to, and it becomes second nature before you know it.

I’d trade the home button mounted fingerprint sensor for the gorgeous Infinity Display any day. I’m glad that Samsung did what it did to bring us a device that really takes you by surprise when you hold it for the first time. Fewer devices have that ability to excite you and for me, the Galaxy S8 takes the cake.

Do share your thoughts about this in the comments below. Also, do let us know which is your preferred screen lock type for the Galaxy S8 by voting in our poll.

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Galaxy S8 Tip: Use fingerprint sensor gestures to access the notification shade

We’ve already brought you a long list of Galaxy S8 Tips & Tricks to help you get the most out of your new Samsung flagship smartphone. Today, we have another one. You must already know that the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint sensor is placed at the back, alongside the camera. The difference of opinion regarding the new placement notwithstanding, the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint sensor has another trick up its sleeve besides controlling access to the device.

The fingerprint sensor supports gestures which can be used to open and close the notification shade. You swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to open the shade and up to close it. This feature can be located inside the Settings menu and is disabled by default.

Here’s how you can enable it on your Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+:

Step 1: Open the Settings app from the app drawer or by tapping on the gear icon in the notification shade.

Step 2: Tap on Advanced Features followed by Finger sensor gestures

Step 3: Turn the toggle ON.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do to enable the finger sensor gesture feature on your Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. It’s pretty easy to enable this feature and it does make life easier if you’re using the fingerprint sensor as the primary screen lock type on your phone.

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