13 Best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Tips, Tricks and Hidden Features

Continuing the annual tradition, Samsung returns with a new addition to its Note lineup. And it is amazing! With a top-notch processor and a stylus that also functions as a remote, the $1,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a solid package.

In addition to the dual aperture camera and customizable S Pen, the Galaxy Note 9 offers a plethora of useful settings and features.

In this post, we have curated the best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 tips, tricks, and hidden features to help you maximize this flagship phone.

1. Turn Your Phone into a Wi-Fi Repeater

Your new Galaxy Note 9 can also function as a Wi-Fi Repeater. It’s located under the Wi-Fi settings.

To enable the Mobile Hotspot, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Then, turn on both the Wi-Fi sharing and Mobile Hotspot. That’s all you need to do!

Other devices can connect to your phone as a regular Wi-Fi network. Customize the connection name and strengthen the password to prevent unauthorized access.

2. Rock the One-Handed Mode

The Galaxy Note 9 boasts a 6.4-inch display, making it difficult to maneuver with one hand. However, there are occasions when the Note 9 can be operated single-handedly.

To resize the screen quickly, simply tap the Home button three times. No need to go into the settings each time you want to do this.

To enable this setting, go to Advanced features > One-handed mode and toggle the Button switch.

3. Fine-Tune the Edge Panel

With over a dozen multipurpose panels, Edge Panels significantly boost productivity. By default, the Note 9 has only two active panels – People and Apps. If you want additional shortcuts, you can add them in Edge Settings under Display.

Select the panels you need and reorder them as required. Experiment with calculators, news headlines, and more.

If you’re not satisfied with the built-in options, you can look for third-party alternatives. To do this, tap the three-dot menu in the Edge Panels settings and choose Download.

4. Hide the Navigation Bar

Ditch the navigation bar by going to Settings > Display > Navigation bar and toggle the switch for Show and hide button. This adds a tiny black button to the edge of the navigation bar. Double tap the dot to make the bar disappear. Swipe up from the screen’s edge to retrieve the navigation bar.

You can dress up the navigation bar in pastel colors through the native settings. If you don’t like the built-in colors and would like something bold, you can use cool apps to customize the navigation bar.

5. Make the Notifications Transparent

Don’t like the white block of text? Replace it with a transparent block. Head to Display > Notifications and set Transparency to High.

What’s great about this trick is that the text color is automatically reversed to improve screen legibility.

6. Adjust the Display Color

The Note 9 offers three screen modes to choose from: Basic, AMOLED Photo, AMOLED Cinema, and Adaptive display. While the first three are automatic modes, the adaptive display is customizable. So, if you prefer warm screen tones, you can set your preferred tones here.

You can find these settings in Display and Screen Mode. If you have knowledge of the RGB color spectrum, you can access Advanced options to adjust specific hues.

7. Choose the Edge Lighting Color

Edge lighting in the Galaxy Note lineup offers a cool effect. Previously, the options were limited, but now you can adjust the thickness, color, and effects. Choose from four effects (Basic, Multicolor, Glow, and Glitter) and combine them with a thicker band for added drama.

To make changes, go to Display > Edge screen > Edge lighting > Edge lighting style. Also, customize the apps that use the Edge lighting effects.

8. Tweak the Always On Display Screen

Samsung’s Always On Display (AOD) is one of my favorite features. The ease of monitoring notifications, time, battery levels, and weather make it a ‘too good to be true’ feature.

Samsung has recently added a GIF feature to its lock screen settings. This feature allows users to choose from a variety of interactive and fun GIFs, such as smiling rabbits or neon-colored parrots. To access this feature, go to Always On Display > Settings > Image/GIF.

Tap on the Add GIF and choose from the available options. Alternatively, you can download a third-party GIF and use it through the Add Image option.

If you prefer a minimalistic approach, the Galaxy Note 9 offers a variety of clock faces. Simply select from the available range of clock faces (analog or digital), choose your color, and let the Always On Display screen shine.

Note:

The Galaxy Note 9 is smarter than most devices, and its built-in settings prove this. ‘Turn on Wi-Fi automatically’ is one feature. This feature identifies your frequently accessed networks and connects to them automatically.

This option can be found under Advanced Wi-Fi settings. Simply enable it and let the Note 9 figure out which one to connect to.

Back in June 2018, Samsung released an impressive collection of clock faces for the AOD screen. However, they never released it to the Galaxy App store, which means you’ll have to sideload the app.

If you love tinkering with your phone, you can try this app. Once installed, the clock styles will appear at the end of the AOD Clock Style list.

Choose one and click Apply to bring that style to the AOD page. Pick a color and save. Thank me later.

11. Pin Text to the AOD

If you tend to forget tasks and assignments, the Pin to AOD is one of your best options. This trick allows you to pin notes to the Always On Display screen so that you’re reminded of the task whenever you look at your phone.

To make a text-only note in Samsung Notes, simply save it with a character limit of 40. Then, tap the Share icon > Text only and choose Always On Display.

This way, the text will be pinned to the AOD screen. The default timing to display the notification is thirty minutes. However, if you wish to extend the time, double tap on the notification icon.

Annoyed by countless folders in your photo gallery? Now you can hide them at your will. Just go to the Albums tab, tap the three-dot menu, and select Hide and unhide albums.

Select the desired albums and tap Apply for a simple and straightforward process.

13. Tag People in Gallery

The Google Photos People feature is similar to the People feature on the Samsung Experience UI. However, on the Samsung Experience UI, the person’s contact needs to be present in the contacts for this feature to work.

Open a picture and tap on the person icon at the top. Tap on a face in a photo and enter a name from your Contacts. The next time you need pictures of that person, simply tap their name.

Live on the Edge!

These tips, tricks, and hidden settings of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 can help you explore your new phone. Share with us any new discoveries you make.