16 hidden Samsung Galaxy S8 features

The Galaxy S9 is Samsung's newest S Series phone, but the Galaxy S8 is still a fantastic and cheaper choice.

If you have one or are planning to buy one, here are the features you need to know about. 

Originally published March 30, 2017.
Last updated Dec 10, 2018.

The camera settings menu reveals a floating shutter button you can move anywhere on the screen. Tap it to take a picture.

Slide the built-in, onscreen shutter button up or down to zoom in and out.

If you prefer the Back button on the right, and Recent apps on the left, you can swap the default order.

To play music or other audio on two Bluetooth devices -- like headphones or speakers -- find Bluetooth in the settings (make sure Bluetooth is on), press the menu button and select "Dual audio." Ta-da! 

Dig into the navigation menu to skip the lock screen when you press the home button while the screen is off.

Pick your favorite color for a navigation bar that stands out.

You can make the capacitive home button more or less sensitive to pressure.

Long-press an app icon to launch various shortcuts (yes, we know this is part of Android Nougat, and it also mimics Apple's 3D Touch).

Significantly, Samsung has programmed shortcuts for its native apps too, like the camera.

Samsung Health has a new tab called Experts. If you subscribe to a service, provided by Amwell, you can contact a doctor at any time.

If you're signed up, you can tell the physician what's bothering you and get a consultation from the phone.

Samsung's had this for a long time, but it looks different now. Turn it on and you can shrink the screen at any time (it doesn't have to shrink right away).

You can either swipe diagonally or press the home button three times to shrink the screen. The settings gear you see makes it easy to switch back.

I can't get over the irony. We've spent so much time getting away from tiny screens, yet we sometimes want to go back. Also, everything in this mode looks adorable.

Look closely and you can see a thin blue line around the screen edge. Some notifications trigger this subtle display, but look fast!

The previous model had a standalone gaming mode and battery optimizer, but this setting is new to the Galaxy S8.

I love swiping up on the home screen to get to apps. But if you prefer an app button, you can have that instead.

In theory, you can see even more on the Always-On display, but we haven't been able to make it work... yet.

Samsung's Reminders app is also a good place to save links you come across while using Samsung's browser. 

Tap on the menu icon, then Share > Reminders to save links to the Reminders app. 

With Samsung Cloud's Link Sharing feature, you can share files up to 1GB in size with friends and family members. Its primary use is to make sharing videos easier. 

There are even more advanced features and customization tools inside, many of which carry over from the Galaxy 7 and earlier. 

Check out everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.