Samsung Galaxy S5: How to Enable and Customize Easy Mode in Android 4.4.2 Kitkat

Samsung Galaxy S5 allows you to change your default Home screen from the standard mode to the easy mode. When easy mode is enabled, you can use your phone more easily because the layout and the settings will be simplified, the large font will be applied throughout the phone and the apps or contacts can be accessed quickly. This feature will be useful for those of you who are new to smartphone or those of you who want a simpler layout or those of you who want to use the phone for doing the basic activities only.


How to enable Easy Mode?
Since your phone uses standard mode by default, then if you want to use easy mode you have to enable it manually by using the following steps:
  1. Swipe down the top of the screen to open up the notifications panel.
  2. Tap to go to the Settings menu.
  3. With the Settings menu is displayed in grid view, scroll down to the Personalization section and then tap Easy mode .
  4. Tap Easy mode to select and enable it.
  5. Scroll down to the Easy applications section and you'll see a list of apps. By default, all apps in this list are selected/enabled which mean all of them will be viewed in simpler layout when you use them in easy mode. Thus, if you disable an app in this list, then the app will be viewed in the standard layout when you use this app in easy mode. The apps are:
    • Camera
    • Clock
    • Email
    • Gallery
    • Internet
    • Messages
    • Music
    • My Files
    • Phone
    • S Planner
    • Video
    • Voice Recorder
  6. Tap Done button to save the change and apply the selections.
  7. The easy mode will be applied.

How to customize easy mode?
Once easy mode is applied in your phone, you can customize this mode according to your need, for instance you can add or remove apps in Home screen, add or remove contacts in Home screen, show or hide additional Home screens and also access the settings menu.


Remove apps from the Home screen in easy mode
In case you want to remove unwanted or unused apps from Home screen, then you can do so by using the following steps:
  1. In the Home screen, long tap the Recent apps key or tap to open up the additional options and then select Edit.
  2. All removable apps, either in the main Home screen or in the additional ones, will be labelled with .
  3. Tap in the required app you want to remove.
  4. Tap OK to confirm.
  5. The selected app has been deleted from the Home screen and the slot will be available for you to add another app.
  6. To remove more apps, repeat from the step #3.
  7. Press the Back key to exit from the edit screen.


Add apps to the Home screen in easy mode
You can use the available spots in the Home screen to place another apps by using the following steps:
  1. Tap ,either in the main Home screen or the additional ones, to add apps.
  2. Select the desired app you want to add.
  3. The selected app has been added to the Home screen.
  4. To add more apps, repeat from the step #1.


Enable or disable additional Home screens for apps in easy mode
By default, easy mode has a main Home screen and an additional Home screen to place apps. But, you can enable or disable two additional home screens for placing apps by using the following steps:
  1. In the main Home screen, long tap the Recent apps key or tap to open up the additional options and then select Edit.
  2. Enable additional Home screen for apps:
    • Swipe the screen from right to the left until you see a Home screen that has Show and Hide button.
    • Tap Show button.
    • Now, you can use the available spots in this additional Home screen to add other apps.
  3. Disable additional Home screen for apps:
    • Swipe the screen from right to the left until you see a Home screen that has Show and Hide button.
    • Tap Hide button.
    • The Home screen has been disabled and hidden. FYI, the apps you have added to this Home screen won't be removed.
  4. Press the Back key to exit from the edit screen.


Add contacts to Home screen in easy mode
You can use the available spots in the additional Home screen for contacts to place new contacts or the existing ones by using the following steps:
  1. From the main Home screen, swipe the screen from left to the right.
  2. Tap and then you'll see two options available, they are:
    • Create: select this option if you want to use the selected slot to place a new contact.
    • Existing: select this option if you want to use the selected slot to place an existing contact.
  3. Depending on your selection, follow the on-screen instructions to complete adding contact to the Home screen.
  4. To add more contacts, repeat from the step #2.


Remove contacts from Home screen in easy mode
In case you want to remove contacts from your Home screen, then you can do so by using the following steps:
  1. In the main Home screen, long tap the Recent apps key or tap to open up the additional options and then select Edit.
  2. Swipe the screen from left to the right.
  3. Tap in the desired contact you want to remove.
  4. Tap OK button.
  5. The selected contact has been removed from the Home screen.
  6. To remove more contacts, repeat from the step #3.


Enable or disable additional Home screen for contacts in easy mode
By default, easy mode has an additional Home screen for contacts. But, you can enable or disable an additional home screen for placing contacts by using the following steps:
  1. In the Home screen, long tap the Recent apps key or tap to open up the additional options and then select Edit.
  2. Enable Home screen for contacts:
    • Swipe the screen from left to the right until you see a Home screen that has Show and Hide button.
    • Tap Show button.
    • Now, you can use the available spots in this Home screen to add contacts.
  3. Disable Home screen for contacts:
    • Swipe the screen from left to the right until you see a Home screen that has Show and Hide button.
    • Tap Hide button.
    • The Home screen has been disabled and hidden. FYI, all contacts you have added to this Home screen won't be removed.
  4. Press the Back key to exit from the edit screen.


Access and use the settings menu in easy mode
You can access and use the settings menu in easy mode use by using the following steps:
  1. From the main Home screen, swipe the screen from right to the left to find the Easy settings icon and then tap it to go to the settings menu. Or, swipe down the top of the screen to open up the notifications panel and then tap to go to the settings menu.
  2. In the Easy settings, you can see some menus available, they are:
    • Sound mode: use this menu to change sound mode.
    • Font: use this menu to change the font size and style.
    • Brightness: use this menu to change the screen brightness and disable/enable auto brightness.
    • Ringtone and volume: use this menu to change ringtone and adjust the volume for call, notification and media.
    • Wi-Fi: use this menu to enable/disable and customize Wi-Fi.
    • Bluetooth: use this menu to enable/disable and customize Bluetooth.
    • Data usage: use this menu to see your data usage.
    • Wallpaper: use this menu to change the wallpaper for your Home screen and Lock screen.
    • Easy mode: use this menu to disable easy mode and re-enable standard mode.
    • Screen lock: use this menu to change the screen lock method.
    • Notification panel: use this menu to customize your notifications panel.
    • More settings: use this menu to access the settings menu in standard mode.

Since this mode will simplify the layout and the settings, then you may notice that you can't perform some actions or use some features while you're in this mode, for instance you can't use zoom function when you take a picture or use multi window while the easy mode is being activated.

2 comments:

  1. My grandson got my Samsung note 4 and the screens have plus (+) signs all over them. I though it was a screen overlay and it might be but I went to gallery and I deleted the pictures that had plus signs on them but they are still there. He has icons on there that I can not remove. As a matter of fact I cant remove anything because the trash can does not appear. Please help me if you know what to do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Betty Breland,
      Thanks for coming.
      If you don't mind, please send me a screenshot of that plus (+) signs and the pictures that cannot be deleted from your Gallery app. You can send it to rehanp2001@gmail.com

      Delete

Hi the insiders,
Thanks for coming and I hope you can get something useful here.
Before submitting your comment to ask about an issue, please make sure to provide information as much as possible (at least write your model number and Android version) and describe the problem clearly.
Also, since all comments will be moderated, all comments with irrelevant links(if any) or contain with offensive/harsh word will be deleted.
The last, if you have a question and can't find the relevant article, please feel free to reach me through the Contact us page. I'll be more than happy to reply the email and answer the question :)