Samsung Galaxy S5 help

[UffDa]

We finally decided that it was time to get some smartphones. We got a really good deal on two Samsung Galaxy S5 phones. The only problem is that the are smarter than we are.
After many false starts, I got my phone connected to wifi. Now how do I get on the internet? If I try to use Chrome or Google while connected to wifi, will it still use the cell phone
connection? (as in using up data) There is a lot of blah, blah, blah on the 'net about it, but very little how to. I even downloaded Samsung Galaxy S5 For Dummies, but still no
details.

Also, the phone asks for the network SSID. Where the hell do I find that. I guess it's another thing that you are supposed to know and if you don't, too bad, we're not going to tell you.

 

[leerehaende]

The SSID is the name of your wireless network at home. If no one fiddled with it you should find both the password and the SSID on the backcover of your router.

 

[22-rimfire]

The phone (data plan) should allow you to get onto the internet. In settings you should see a place to turn on wifi and bluetooth if that is the route you want for internet access. I have gotten a lot of help at the Verizon store where I have purchased my phones when little things come up that I don't understand.

For example, yesterday I dropped by Verizon as my tablet switched to spanish (maybe and update?) and I could not read the settings to change it back to English. Verizon helped out.

I want to get the S5 (upgrade for me), but I refuse to pay $150 or $200 to replace a phone that still works just fine. Verizon indicated that next week they just might be offering a very attractive deal on the S5. He said check on the 21st.

 

[Planterz]

When you connect to wifi your phone automatically disconnects the cellular data connection (but not the telephony - you can still make and receive calls).

As leerehaende said, the SSID is the name of your wifi. If it's not visible in the list, then you have your wifi set up where it doesn't broadcast the name, and you'll manually put the name into your phone (at the bottom of the list you'll see the option to add a network.

FYI, if you press and hold the wifi toggle in your notification quick settings, it'll take you to the list of networks. Much quicker than going through all the menus.

Any other questions you might have, feel free to PM me. I'll get an email notification and I'll respond quicker, because I only check Bladeforums a couple times a day these days.

 

[Mountainman38]

The S5 is a great phone. Great camera, beautiful screen, great for movies, music, the internet, Skype, texting, games, and a lot more.

I do think one of the biggest dangers of the S5 (and maybe others -- this is my first new smart phone in about 5 years) is that if you're not familiar with it, you can have it do a lot of things you might not want it to.

For instance, a quick swipe from either side to the middle and back will reduce the screen size, if you're having trouble reaching everything.

If you press and hold the return key (lower right) for a couple of seconds, the Multi-Window mode will be activated, which allows you to have a split screen. I find this very useful when referencing something in a different program.

I just figured out how to use NFC to quickly transfer pictures off of my camera, which is pretty cool!

Good luck, Uffda - I think you'll really enjoy your new phone.

 

[UffDa]

I am having 2nd thoughts about the S5. It can do wonderful things, but it became obvious early on that operating it is not intuitive.
Last night I tried to show my wife how to use "contacts". She insists on poking the screen with her fingernail. I told her 5 times that
will not work, you have to touch the screen with your finger tip. I left to do something else and I hear tap, tap, tap. :roll eyes: She
it one of those people that if she pushes a button and it doesn't work, she pushes harder. No amount of explaining gets through.

Anyway, if we keep these phones, I foresee a long frustrating learning curve both for me and her.

 

[Planterz]

I am having 2nd thoughts about the S5. It can do wonderful things, but it became obvious early on that operating it is not intuitive.
.
.
.
Anyway, if we keep these phones, I foresee a long frustrating learning curve both for me and her.

The one major fault with Samsung's flagship phones is that there's so many features. Most of which you'll never use or are redundant ones that do the same thing that Google already built into Android. Samsung throws them in there because they know that's what sells phones - lots of features. But the trade-off, which you're finding out, is that all this extra junk just makes things more confusing. And unfortunately, the settings and menus on the Galaxy S5 (and Note 4) are an absolute mess. I know Android nearly inside and out, but Samsungs throw me a curve because nothing is where it should be and it's far from intuitive.

If you decide to exchange your S5's, I would suggest looking at Motorolas. I don't know what provider you're with, but the Moto X is available with all of them, and the Droid Turbo (Verizon exclusive) is a beast of a device. Motorola sticks with a near-stock Android "experience", which is much simpler and less convoluted with unnecessary/unwanted features that confuse you. Let me clarify: Android is an open-source operating system (being Linux based), meaning anybody can use it for free. What Google produces is known as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), also referred to as "stock" Android. This is what Google uses on their Nexus devices. Manufacturers take AOSP and modify and build upon it. Samsung probably does the most modifying/adding. LG is pretty "heavy" too, as is HTC. Motorola however (having been briefly owned by Google - now Lenovo) keeps things relatively stock, with a few pretty cool added features.

I rarely do this, since I have scruples with Apple, but perhaps you and your wife might be better off with an iPhone 6 (or 6 Plus, if you want something gargantuan). iOS is pretty simple and easy to learn. Android fanboys like me poo-poo iOS for the lack of customization and depth of capabilities, but if all you want to do is make calls, get on the internet, watch some funny cat videos on youtube, do emails, then iPhones do that easily and well. Great cameras too.

One thought I have regarding your wife, look at the Note 3 or even Note 4 (more expensive, since it just came out). It's a big phone, so that might be off-putting. Other than its size, the Notes' key feature is the S-Pen - a proprietary stylus that fits inside the phone when not in use. It works as a "finger", but with more precision and added functionality (there's a button on the side of it). That way your wife can pull out the S-Pen and tap away with ease. You can also set it up so if the S-Pen gets too far away from the phone (like it was set on the table and forgotten), the phone will alert you and remind you to replace it in the phone.

 

[UffDa]

Thanks for the replies. I found my perfect phone.

 

[22-rimfire]

I am having 2nd thoughts about the S5. It can do wonderful things, but it became obvious early on that operating it is not intuitive.

None of them are intuitive to me. I mostly wanted something that "works" and is dependable over a longer period of time or at least the 2 year contract period at a minimum. The feature that appeals to me on the S5 is the water resistant feature not that I expect it to survive a dunking in the lake that lasts for more than a few seconds. Even perspiration can kill a phone and I usually carry mine in a shirt pocket. So, it gets "wet" from time to time.

You should ask yourself just what you are likely to use your phone for beynd makeing phone calls?

I have never listened to music on a cell phone.
I have never taken more than a few photos with a cell phone and those were simply for documentation purposes. Say I want to take a picture of my house quick and send it to somebody to find my house or of a part when I am working on my truck to take to the parts house. But general photos.... no. I have a camera for that which I use a lot.
I occasionally check email. But can not reply in a fashion I am comfortable with beyond a sentence or two. I usually use my tablet to check email when I am on the go.
I use my contact list a lot. The linked contact list to the phone is the single most useful function for me. The days of carrying an electronic pda are long over.

 

[Mountainman38]

...You should ask yourself just what you are likely to use your phone for beynd makeing phone calls?

I have never listened to music on a cell phone.
I have never taken more than a few photos with a cell phone and those were simply for documentation purposes. Say I want to take a picture of my house quick and send it to somebody to find my house or of a part when I am working on my truck to take to the parts house. But general photos.... no. I have a camera for that which I use a lot.
I occasionally check email. But can not reply in a fashion I am comfortable with beyond a sentence or two. I usually use my tablet to check email when I am on the go.
I use my contact list a lot. The linked contact list to the phone is the single most useful function for me. The days of carrying an electronic pda are long over.

22-rimfire, I would suggest that you try using your S5 for more than you do. If you have a good set of earbuds, music sounds great. I don't know what kind of work you do, but I spend long hours in front of a computer, so I like to have good music to listen to. I also greatly enjoy podcasts, as they help pass many hours of time while driving or doing tedious work.

I like my S5 because it lets me unclutter a lot of my life. I still carry a knife and a flashlight, but I don't have to worry about a camera (this one takes great pictures, and I always have it with me, unlike one of my cameras), an iPod or other music player, a movie player, a calculator, a calender, etc. I like having access to the internet wherever I am (settles a lot of arguments/answers a lot of questions at the dinner table), and is great for looking things up at the store.

 

[UffDa]

We have had these phones for 3 days and opted for new phone numbers. We are already getting wrong numbers.


I can see how people enter wrong numbers. It is very easy to fat finger numbers on the screen.

 

[555]

We have had these phones for 3 days and opted for new phone numbers. We are already getting wrong numbers.


I can see how people enter wrong numbers. It is very easy to fat finger numbers on the screen.

Try to manual dial while the better half is driving down a bumpy back road sometime.

Learning what the icons and the led lights mean (in the upper left) also helps a lot, in knowing what the phone is doing/received. I'd send you a text, but you changed your number again.

 

[22-rimfire]

You'll get used to the key pad. Takes a bit of time but not a lot of time.

The smart phones definitely lessen the need to carry a camera around for snap shots. I hear you Mountainman. I may give more features a try. Learning stuff like this beyond basic use is just not high on my list.

 

[Planterz]

We have had these phones for 3 days and opted for new phone numbers. We are already getting wrong numbers.

That's bound to happen. When I first got a cell phone I kept getting girls calling me thinking I was Johnny. In retrospect, I should have said something other than "wrong number, I just got this phone, and I'm not Johnny". Johnny seemed like he was quite the ladies man.

The really fun wrong numbers are when you get texts from some dude who thinks he's texting some chick he just met (but gave him a BS number). They're fun to mess with, although there's always the risk of getting sent a picture of their junk.

I like my S5 because it lets me unclutter a lot of my life. I still carry a knife and a flashlight, but I don't have to worry about a camera (this one takes great pictures, and I always have it with me, unlike one of my cameras), an iPod or other music player, a movie player, a calculator, a calender, etc. I like having access to the internet wherever I am (settles a lot of arguments/answers a lot of questions at the dinner table), and is great for looking things up at the store.

I personally think that the smartphone is the most important invention of our "time". You've got music, video, games, news, communication, a camera, productivity, weather, GPS/navigation, banking, etc. The invention and proliferation of the internet at the end of the 20th century connected the planet and gave us the wealth of the knowledge of the entire world. The smartphone puts all this in your pocket. It's quite an amazing thing.

 

[UffDa]

Hate is a strong word, so I do not hate this phone. I do however, dislike it intensely. My wife called me and I felt like I was talking on a calculator.
Fortunately, we got them at Costco so there is no problem taking them back.

This was a big mistake.