About Zachary Kew-Denniss
Zac has been writing about Android as a hobby since he was a teenager and fulfilled his ambition of doing so professionally when he joined Android Police in 2020. Zac specializes in Samsung products, writing tutorials, update hubs, buyer guides, and more. If you want to dive deep into customizing One UI, buy the best case for your new phone or tablet, or learn more about new Good Lock features, there’s an article here to help you do just that.
Outside of the Samsung realm, Zac has experience with Chromebooks and Pixel devices, Android/Google TV, and an expanding role in device reviews. After hours, you’ll find him building Legos, collecting Transformers, spending too much time in Kerbal Space Program, and installing the latest developer preview or beta software on his phone or tablet.
Latest Articles
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Common problems and how to fix them
Get your unruly phone in tip-top shape with these quick fixes.
The Galaxy S21 FE hasn't been as easy to recommend as its predecessor, thanks to stronger competition from similarly priced phones like the Google Pixel 6. But if you like Samsung phones and its software features, the S21 FE offers an excellent middle ground between midrange devices and flagships by including a strong processor, decent cameras, and a great display while excluding luxuries like wireless charging. Like all smartphones, the S21 FE has its share of bugs and issues, and we've rounded up five of the most common problems and how to fix them.
The most obnoxious thing about pairing a Galaxy Watch4 with a new phone just got fixed
Taking a tour of your watch is no longer mandatory
Thanks to its excellent hardware and feature-packed software, the Galaxy Watch4 is one of the best smartwatches you can buy. Sadly, Wear OS has one flaw that can be particularly annoying — having to factory reset the watch when you want to connect it to a new phone. Making this process even worse is an unskippable "welcome to your watch" tour that greets you when the watch has connected to your new phone. Thankfully, a recent update has made the whole ordeal easier.
Samsung Galaxy S20 displays are mysteriously failing
Lines of dead pixels are streaking down the screens of some Galaxy S20s
Samsung phones usually have excellent displays, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. Last year we learned about a spate of dying Galaxy S20 screens, where the phone would show a green tint and have visible lines running across it. We hoped that would have been the end of things, but now, less than a year later, another display problem seems to be affecting some unlucky Galaxy S20 phones.
Samsung's latest keyboard update aims to help you make fewer typos
The Samsung Keyboard update should make it more accurate to type on
Samsung's default keyboard has never been particularly popular, mainly because of its poor typing accuracy and sub-par text correction. To Samsung's credit, the keyboard receives frequent updates, including helpful features, and it adapts to the different screens of phones like the Z Fold3 better than other keyboard apps do. But these bonuses have never been enough to overcome the significant issues. This week, a new update is rolling out to the app that is set to improve the typing experience and includes some new options for keyboard layouts.
How to use custom icon packs on Samsung One UI 4
Make your home screen look just right
One UI 4 added a feature that was strangely absent from Samsung's Android skin for a long time — icon pack support. Sure, you could download and use custom icons from the Galaxy Store, but most downloads only covered a few major apps, so it wasn't worth the trouble. With One UI 4 finally allowing you to get more fully-featured icon packs from the Play Store, let's take a look at the process of applying them to some of the best Android phones out there.
Samsung's product ecosystem is the closest you'll get to Apple's in the Android world
But is it any good?
One of the reasons many people go all-in with Apple products is how they seamlessly interconnect. That level of interoperability is hard to let go of once you've experienced it. For a long time, users have been crying for this kind of ecosystem in the Android space. Well, as far as I'm concerned, it already exists in Samsung's product lineup, and it is far more open than Apple's. So, what benefits do you get from immersing yourself in Samsung's ecosystem, and is it worth it?
Samsung hopes a tailor-made SoC will do for Galaxy what it did for iPhones
Exynos hasn't yet meant 'exclusive'
Samsung has been outfitting its international phones with Exynos chips for years now — often to the chagrin of customers who might prefer the superior performance of Snapdragon chips (like we get in the US). Despite Exynos misgivings among users, Samsung may be about to seriously recommit to its processors, with plans for what sound like the company going all out on Exynos for an upcoming phone.
Samsung's March 2022 security update is available for more Galaxy devices internationally
Now arriving for the Galaxy Fold2, Fold3, and several other devices
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Samsung has a reputation for releasing monthly security updates before anyone else, and the company is on form today as the March 2022 patch starts rolling out to users. The first devices to see it are the newly released Galaxy S22 series.
10 years ago, the Samsung Galaxy S2 changed my life in ways I couldn't imagine
Samsung's first smartphone hit is my origin story
On April 4th 2022, it will have been ten years since I bought my Galaxy S2 — the first Android smartphone I ever owned. Buying a phone felt like an insignificant decision, just a way to pass the time while I was stuck indoors with a broken foot for several months. Little did I know that buying that phone would be the first step toward a new goal in life.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 deserves a built-in S Pen, but not before these improvements
Here's what we want to see before an S Pen on the Z Fold4
The Galaxy Z Fold3 is one of the best Android phones I've ever used. Having a phone when you need it and a tablet when you want it rolled into one device makes sense. I love the Fold3, and I love using a compatible S Pen with it. Samsung's stylus is excellent no matter what phone you use it with, but having the larger screen of the Fold makes it better. When rumors suggested the Fold4 would have a built-in S Pen, many people were overjoyed at the idea, and you'd probably expect me to feel the same. And while I do want an included S Pen in the Fold series at some point, I think there are more important issues that need to be ironed out first.
11 tips, tricks, and apps to get the most out of Samsung's S Pen on the Galaxy S22 Ultra
It's more than just a stylus
The S Pen has been a cornerstone of Samsung phones and tablets since the release of the original Galaxy Note in 2011, and while the Note branding is all but dead, its legacy lives on in the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series.
How to factory reset your Samsung Galaxy phone
For when you're trading it in, handing it down, or just need a clean slate
Resetting your phone isn't something you'll need to do often, but sometimes doing so is necessary, whether a software update has caused bugs, or it's time to upgrade and trade in your current device. The process of backing up your data and resetting a phone varies slightly depending on the manufacturer, so let's look at how to do it on a Samsung Galaxy device.
You can now uninstall Chrome web apps through Windows system settings, but there’s a catch
Better than nothing
Last week Google released Chrome 99, which includes plenty of optimizations and improvements to keep the browser machinery well-oiled. One of the new features it picked up introduces the ability to uninstall Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) right from Windows settings, just like you'd do with a native Windows program. While that sure sounds great in theory, it turns out there's a bit of a catch in just how it works.
Google Play Books is finally getting its Material You widget
Sadly there's no Material You for the app itself
For better or worse, Google's Material You is one of the most significant redesigns Android has ever seen. A big part of that overhaul focuses on the use of app widgets, and it finally feels like companies are paying attention to them again. Back in the December feature drop, Google announced a new library widget for Play Books, and now three months later, it's finally rolling out.
Material You is the perfect opportunity to bring back Android's old album art wallpapers
A fresh take on a throwback feature
Toward the end of 2013, Google introduced the Nexus 5, the first phone to ship with Android 4.4 KitKat right out of the box. It was a fairly substantial update over Jellybean, with one feature in particular that I loved: lock screen album art. Android could take the album art or thumbnail of whatever media was actively playing on your device and use it as a wallpaper for your lock screen. Unfortunately, Google decided to remove the feature in Android 11. But Android 12 has made customization the focus of Android again, and with dynamic theming now the star of the show, this is the perfect time to bring lock screen album art back.
Here's every new Samsung Good Lock 2022 feature
MultiStar now allows you to run apps on the Flip3's cover screen
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Good Lock is one of the best parts of One UI, providing a plethora of customization options usually found in custom ROMs. Good Lock's modules are often broken whenever a new version of One UI is released, but the team of developers managed to get all of them working with One UI 4 before it was released to the public. Now, Good Lock's 2022 update has started rolling out, bringing plenty of new options to coincide with the release of some of this year's best phones.
Here's everything new in Samsung's One UI 4.1 update
10 features coming soon to a Galaxy near you
Samsung released One UI 4.0 in late 2021, bringing Material You and the rest of Android 12's features to a number of Samsung phones. As is usually the case with new devices, the Galaxy S22 series has launched with an improved One UI 4.1 version, replete with bug fixes and other optimizations over 4.0.
Five obscure beginnings to some of our favorite smartphone features
They've been around longer than you'd think
Many features we now consider standard equipment for our smartphones weren't so common a few years ago. Looking into the origins of some of them can be surprising for several reasons: sometimes they're older than expected, more recent than you remember, or originated in a device you've never heard of before.
Samsung's January 2022 security update is arriving for more phones in the US
Now available for the T-Mobile Galaxy Note10 and Verizon Tab S7+
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Samsung's been doing its part to earn a reputation for delivering regular, reliable updates for all its phones, flagship and budget alike. That continues today as the unlocked Galaxy S21 series receives the January 2022 security patch, only a few days after international models.
Samsung's December 2021 security patch spreads to more Galaxy phones internationally
Now available for the Galaxy Tab S5e
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It's not quite December yet, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from starting to update the first of its devices with the new December 2021 security patch. Kicking things off this week are the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Fold3 running their latest One UI 4 beta.