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Samsung’s newest foldable – the Galaxy Z Fold 5 – is finally here, and it’s time to go over some tips and tricks for the new foldable. So that you can get the most out of your newest device. Some of this tips and tricks you might already know, while others you may not.
Get an S Pen
To really take full advantage of your new Galaxy Z Fold 5, it’s a good idea to get a S Pen. Now while you can use the S Pen Fold Edition, it’s smarter to get the new Slim S Pen Case. That’s because you’re going to have a case to house the S Pen. It’s also just $99 which includes the S Pen. And normally that S Pen costs around $70 or more. So it’s a pretty good value.
Grab a good case
We have already done a round up on the best cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but our number one option is the Eco-Leather Case. This is a really good looking case for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and comes in both phantom black and icy blue colors. So it can match your Galaxy Z Fold 5, depending on the color you picked up. This case is about $80, but if you want something a bit cheaper, check out our round up here.
Use the Flex Panel
A pretty cool feature that is located in Labs (Settings > Advanced Features > Labs) is the Flex Mode Panel. Essentially, this allows to have the Flex Mode Panel in any app.
So when you open the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and have it at a 90-degree angle, you’ll get a control panel on the bottom half with the actual app on the other side. Basically, the bottom half of the phone will give you a trackpad, with a few other shortcuts on the left-hand side. Making it easier to navigate through your Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Using the taskbar makes life easier
Surprisingly, this is a feature that Google actually added to foldables with the Android 12L update. It’s a taskbar that’s similar to what you’d see on a laptop or desktop. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the apps from your dock there, along with four of the most recently opened apps. And on the far left side, there’s a button for the app drawer. This allows you to quickly switch between apps. And even drag-and-drop apps into multi-window and pop-up view.
This is close to what you’d see with DeX enabled, but not quite.
Get used to using multi-window and pop-up view
Two features that Samsung has really leaned on with its foldables are: multi-window and pop-up view. Of course, multi-window is not new. This is something Samsung has had since the early Galaxy Note days. But it has continued to get better over the years, especially with foldables.
You can drag and drop apps onto the left, right, bottom or top of the display and use two apps at the same time. Samsung does allow you to use up to three at a time.
Another feature is pop-up view. Which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s basically like having a window open in a desktop device like your computer. You can drag and resize it as well. This is really good since a lot of apps don’t work all that well on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, since many are being forced to stretch to fill the whole screen. Keep in mind that this screen is almost a square, and not a rectangle like most phones.
Never use the front-facing camera again
While we will be doing a separate article on tips and tricks for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 camera system, this is a pretty good tip to include here. With the Galaxy Z Fold 5 having that front-facing or outer display, there’s really no reason to use that front-facing camera on either display. Instead, use the back cameras.
Open your Galaxy Z Fold 5, and then tap the button on the upper right corner. It will look like a square with one side being filled in. This is going to put the view finder on the front display. So you can take a selfie with the rear cameras, and still see yourself to frame the picture correctly.
Use different home screens for each display
Did you know that you can keep both home screens the same, or set up different layouts for each display? Well, you can on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 – you can’t on the Pixel Fold, interestingly. Head into Settings > Home Screen > Cover Screen Mirroring.
By turning off Cover Screen Mirroring, you can set up two entirely different home screen layouts on your Galaxy Z Fold 5. Or if you prefer them to be mirrored, you can leave it on. Just remember that the main display will hold fewer icons this way, so it can mirror properly.
Download Gboard and ditch Samsung’s Keyboard
You should always download Gboard if it is not the default keyboard, but especially on a foldable. Google has done a good job at making its keyboard work really well on larger displays like foldables and tablets. That includes having the split keyboard, making it easier to type on this larger display. Gboard also offers all sorts of other great features, like the ability to theme with your wallpaper.
Get experienced with Good Lock
Good Lock is a must-download app for any Samsung device. And with a foldable, there’s so many more features available with Good Lock. Basically, Good Lock is a customization app that has a bunch of other apps that plug into it. And can essentially change every part of the phone. From the look and feel, to even changing some of the settings. This includes forcing apps to go from the main display to the cover screen (by default it does it the other way around only). Or filling in the under-display camera with black pixels, so it stands out a bit more.
These are really just the beginning of what Good Lock can do.