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17 hidden Galaxy Note 8 features

Bet you didn't know you could do this on Samsung's new Galaxy Note 8 phone.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 31 Sarah Tew/CNET

So you know all about the Galaxy Note 8's S Pen stylus, dual camera and app pairing for split-screen mode, but we uncovered other tricks beneath the surface.

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2 of 31 Sarah Tew/CNET

For example, you can rotate the Air Command menu wheel to select more shortcuts. This is the first time you can launch directly into a new note from here.

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Live Message is also a brand-new Note 8 feature you can access from here.

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Open up a website and you'll be able to scroll down the page by hovering the S Pen in the lower corner of the screen. 

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A carat points the way.

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If you want to keep a note handy for later, you can turn it into a floating app bubble you can move around the screen.

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You can use Live Message, which is an animated GIF of a note you write, directly from the keyboard. Press and hold the microphone/settings button...

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...then select the Live Message option from the pop-up list.

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You'll be able to craft new Live Messages.

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And also choose saved messages from your collection.

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You can share them through apps that support animated GIFs.

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The Note's note-taking app has an eraser button, but there's a handy shortcut, too.

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Just press the button on the S Pen...

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...and glide the stylus across the screen to erase.

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Here's a camera carryover from the Galaxy S8 phones. If you tap and pull the shutter button, you can drag a floating shutter button onto the screen. That might help you take photos without reaching your hand so far.

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Filters are a lot harder to find on the Note 8. Use your finger or the S Pen stylus and swipe left from the right edge of the camera app. Your filters will pop up.

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Here's how you zoom in and out on the Note 8's camera (also present in the Galaxy S8). Slide the shutter button up to zoom in and down to zoom out.

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Did you know you could use Bixby Vision (part of Samsung's AI software) to identify objects you select?

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From the Air Command menu, choose Smart Select, then select the text or image you want to look up, and tap on Bixby Vision (the eyeball) to identify your selection.

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A browser shortcut will let you open a new tab, share and change text size.

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Tap this floating button in the browser to get started.

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Just like in the Galaxy S8, you can change the color of your navigation bar in the navigation settings under Display. Unlike the S8, the colors are so muted, it's almost unnoticeable.

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For example, does this look like light green to you?

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You can also now hide the navigation bar entirely. Double-tap the dot all the way on the left. Don't worry, it's easy to bring it back, too.

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Another trick introduced on the Galaxy S8 (and other Android phones) lets you swap the order of your Back and Recents buttons.

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To translate a whole sentence instead of a word, tap the teal button in the translation box (to the left of the word "Spanish" in this picture) and highlight the sentence you want. Then hover the S Pen and your translation will pop up.

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The Galaxy Note 7 was so short-lived, you might not have known you could create animated GIFs from videos. Well, it's baaaaack! (Hint: You record a video using the smart select tool.)

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If your handwritten note spills out of bounds, you can keep it within the ruled lines with a new tool.

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Easy writing pad gives you a space to write at the bottom of the page.

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The Note 8 will fit your chicken-scratch to one line.

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We'll add more hidden tips and tricks as we get to know the Note 8 even better. For now, dive into the good and bad in our Galaxy Note 8 hands-on impressions.

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