Samsung Galaxy Note 10 tips & tricks

We love the Galaxy Note 10 range from Samsung. Not just becuase there’s also a Plus model this year but also becuase they are packed with tech wizardry. So much so that it’s easy to miss some of the most useful features so we’ve picked our favourites.

Perhaps you’re wondering what the Note 10 is capable of in order to buy one, or you’ve got a brand new one and want to make the most out of it. Either way, we’ve been scouring the settings menu for the best bits you might never find.

So here are our Galaxy Note 10 tips and tricks.

Change the home screen grid

Ok, this isn’t some new fancy feature for 2019 but when you first boot up the Note 10 the homescreen looks a little odd.

Perhaps you disagree (and you’re welcome to) but we think that at screen like this with just four app icons across the width doesn’t look right. Visually it looks more like a kids phone or a larger view for those with poor eyesight.

If you long press the homescreen in some blank space or pinch it, select ‘home screen settings’ followed by ‘home screen grid’. Here you can choose from various sizes.

Customise the side key

As you might know, the Note 10 doesn’t have a dedicated Bixby button. However, the ‘side key’ or can summon the digital assistant with a long press.

Luckily, though, you can choose what the button does if you’re not going to make use of Bixby.

In the setting menu – search for ‘side key’ – you can switch it back to being a normal power button on a long press. You can also choose what a double tap does including launching the camera or a paricular app.

Try Air Actions

It’s up to you whether this is a gimmick or not, but it’s certianly worth a try.

With the Note 10, the S Pen can now be used like a magic wand; waving it around in the air can control certain apps. For now it’s limited to things like the camera and gallery but hopefully developers will make good use of it going forward.

In the camera app for example, you can change between modes with a horizontal swipe (while holding down on the S Pen’s button) or switch cameras with a virtical gesture. You can also zoom in and out with a circular motion.

Make use of Wireless PowerShare

This isn’t a new Samsung feature but its unlikely you’ll be moving from an S10 to a Note 10.

The Galaxy Note 9 could be used like a powerbank to charge other devices. A pretty handy thing but you needed to use a cable.

Well the Note 10 can do it wirelessly. Just switch on Wireless PowerShare in the quick settings menu and put 

it’s just then pretty much out of action while it’s happening since th

Convert notes to Word and more

A huge reason to buy the Note 10 over other phones is the ability to take notes with the S Pen stylus.

Writing quickly in your own handwriting is brilliant but if you want to then use these it can be a little tricky, especially if you’re a bit messy.

Luckily, the Note 10 can convert your writing to text and into various file formats including Word and PDF. Tap the share icon in the top-right corner and choose the format you want.

Link to Windows

This might essentially be the Your Phone app which is already available to other Android phones, but the Note 10 version is better.

It’s easier to set up, runs faster, doesn’t need Bluetooth and offers screen mirroring. Head to Settings > Advanced features > Link to Windows and follow the instructions.

Once you’re up and running, you can control your Note 10 from a Windows PC or laptop, including things like grabbing your photos and get notifications.

AR Doodle

This is another one that might be a complete gimmick but hey, it could keep your kids entertained for a while at least.

Samsung now lets you draw on yourself with the S Pen and whatever you draw will then move around if you move your head or mouth. You can choose from different colours and pens, then go wild.

When you’re done – hopefully with a result much better than ours – you can record a video and send it to someone.

Dark mode

These dark modes on phones and apps seem to be all the rage and the Note 10 has one you can make use of.

If you dislike seeing a lot of bright white tones while using a phone, particularly at night time, then dark mode will be a real boon. It changes much of the user interface to an AMOLED black.

You’ll find it in Settings > Display > Night Mode where you can also set it to come on at scheduled times if you only want it on in the evening for example.

Edge Screen

It’s a little bit old now, since Samsung has been offering curved screens for a while but we wanted to remind you about Edge Screen.

This super handy feature is especially useful on a large screen devices, and means you can swipe in from the side of the display to open panels.

These can be customised to give you quick access to things like your favourite apps and contacts.

Motions and gestures

Some of the things on offer here have been around for a while but they’re still useful today. Many of which are switched off by default so do head into the settings menu and see what you might make use of.

Motions and gestures include the ability to wake the phone when you pick it up and others like Smart stay which keeps the screen on as long as you’re still looking at it, bypassing any screen time out.

Even the things that are switched on are hidden unless you know about them. Palm swipe to capture a screenshot is potentially useful.