Table of contents:
- Use the applications in floating windows
- Improve the performance of the Galaxy A51
- Hide apps on the Samsung Galaxy A51
- Improves fingerprint recognition
- Turn off fast charging to extend battery life
- Hide photos, images and videos in Gallery
- Use your Samsung Galaxy A51 as an external battery
- Connect Samsung Galaxy A51 to TV
- Use Bixby Routines to automate actions
- Create a GIF with the Galaxy A51 camera
Do you have a Samsung Galaxy A51 and want to take full advantage of it? One UI is the customization layer that moves under all the mobiles of the Asian firm. This layer has dozens of functions and hidden settings that allow us to expand the possibilities of phones. Functions that we cannot find in the native version of Android or in the rest of the layers of the market. We have compiled several of these functions to get the most out of our phone.
index of contents
Use the applications in floating windows
Did you know that you can put applications in a floating window? Applications like YouTube, Google Chrome or even WhatsApp. In this case the process is as simple as going to One UI multitasking to see the open applications. Now we just have to click on the icon of the application in question. Finally, we will select the option to Open in pop-up view to create a floating window with the selected application, as we can see in the screenshot below.
Once the floating window has been created we can move it and resize it to our liking. We must bear in mind that some applications are not compatible with this function.
Improve the performance of the Galaxy A51
In our review of the Galaxy A51 on tuexperto.com we already talked about the performance problems of the phone. These problems can be alleviated by speeding up system animations, a process that requires activating development settings.
The steps to follow are those:
- Open the Settings application and navigate to the About phone section.
- Click on software information.
- Click 7 times on the Compilation number section.
- Go back to the Settings application and access the Developer Options section that will appear just below About phone.
We have everything ready to speed up the animations of the system. Within the Developer Options menu we will navigate until we find three options: Transition animation scale, Window animation scale and Animation duration scale. To improve the speed of the Galaxy A51 we recommend setting the figure at 0.5x. We can also choose to disable animations, although the change between applications will be much more abrupt.
Hide apps on the Samsung Galaxy A51
The latest One UI updates have brought to the Samsung layer the ability to hide apps without resorting to third-party launchers. To hide the applications on the Galaxy A51 we will have to go to the application drawer, that is, to the launcher where all the installed applications are shown.
In the upper search bar we will click on the three points in the right corner and then on the Home screen settings option. Finally we will slide to the option of Hide applications. Now we will be shown a list with all the installed applications. We can select one or more to hide them from Samsung's virtual desktop, as we can see in the upper screenshot. If we want to regain access to the applications we will have to follow the reverse process.
Improves fingerprint recognition
The on-screen fingerprint sensor of the Samsung Galaxy A51 was quite erratic during our tests. One way to reduce the error rate and increase the recognition speed is precisely to register the same fingerprint several times. The key is to place your finger in different positions when going through the registration process.
To register a fingerprint again we will have to go to the Android Settings. In the Biometric data and security section we will click on Fingerprints to add a new fingerprint. In our case, we have chosen to register the same fingerprint up to three times. Performance has improved a lot.
Turn off fast charging to extend battery life
We have already talked countless times about the disadvantages of using fast charging for long periods of time. Fortunately, Samsung allows you to disable fast charging on most of its devices. Also on the Galaxy A51.
The process is as simple as going to the Device Maintenance section that we can find in the Settings application. In the Battery section we will click on the three points of the upper bar of the application. Finally we will go to the Advanced Settings section, where we will find an option called Fast cable charging that will allow us to deactivate the fast charge of the phone.
Hide photos, images and videos in Gallery
For many years Samsung has allowed to hide any image or video through its native Gallery application. We will only have to select all the elements that we want to hide within the Gallery and then click on the three points on the top bar of the application. Finally we will select the option to Move to a secure folder.
Now the phone will ask us to register through a Samsung ID. We can use a valid Google account to register on the Samsung website. Later we will have to configure a password independent of the system password to protect any element that we have entered in the secure folder. We can move applications and even files stored in the internal memory of the phone.
Use your Samsung Galaxy A51 as an external battery
No, the Galaxy A51 does not have wireless charging or reverse wireless charging to charge other devices. What you probably didn't know is that you can use your phone as an external battery by means of a USB OTG adapter. We leave you with four of Amazon models compatible with any mobile with USB type C.
Once we have connected the adapter to the phone, we will only have to connect the USB charging cable to the USB A input of the adapter and then the secondary device. Of course, from tuexperto.com we recommend not to make a retired use of this function, since it can negatively affect the useful life of the battery.
Connect Samsung Galaxy A51 to TV
Samsung Smart View is the South Korean firm's wireless solution to connect your mobiles to televisions with Miracast technology. If we have a television compatible with this technology - not necessarily from Samsung - we can make use of this function on the Galaxy A51 to duplicate the image of the phone through our home WiFi. How? Very easy.
We will only have to slide the notification bar down until we find a function called Smart View. After activating the function in question, the phone will start searching for televisions compatible with Miracast or Screen Mirroring. Previously we will have to enable the function on the television.
Use Bixby Routines to automate actions
Bixby is Samsung's virtual assistant. One of the most useful functions that we can find in this assistant are the Bixby Routines or Bixby Routines. It is a feature that allows us to automate certain actions on our mobile phone. For example, turn off the WiFi when we leave the house, open the Spotify application when we connect a pair of headphones, activate the Dark mode when it is night or put the mobile on silent when we leave work. The possibilities are literally endless.
Activating this function is as simple as sliding the notifications menu down and clicking on the Bixby Routines option. If we keep the icon, we will access a list with several Bixby routines recommended by Samsung. You can know other routines in the article that we have just linked.
Create a GIF with the Galaxy A51 camera
You no longer need an application to convert MP4 videos to GIF. The Samsung Camera application allows us to create GIF videos without resorting to any third-party tool.
Within the application we will click on the gear wheel icon that we can see in the top bar of the interface. Finally we will go to the Hold down camera section and select the option to Create GIF. Now we just have to press and hold the virtual camera button to create a GIF with different images taken through the sensor of the Galaxy A51.
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