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Acquisitions Editor
Aaron Black

Project Editor
Lynn Northrup

Technical Editor
Andrew Moore

Copy Editor
Lynn Northrup

Production Editor
Barath Kumar Rajasekaran

Manager, Content Development & Assembly
Mary Beth Wakefield

Vice President, Professional Technology Strategy
Barry Pruett

About the Author

Guy Hart-Davis is the author of various computer books, including Teach Yourself VISUALLY Android Phones and Tablets, 2nd Edition; Teach Yourself VISUALLY Apple Watch; Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPhone; Teach Yourself VISUALLY iPad; Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro, 2nd Edition; Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Air; Teach Yourself VISUALLY iMac, 3rd Edition; and iWork Portable Genius.

Author’s Acknowledgments

My thanks go to the many people who turned my manuscript into the highly graphical book you are holding. In particular, I thank Aaron Black for asking me to write the book; Lynn Northrup for keeping me on track and skillfully editing the text; Andrew Moore for reviewing the book for technical accuracy and contributing helpful suggestions; and SPi Global for laying out the book.

How to Use This Book

Who This Book Is For

This book is for the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application. It is also for readers who want to expand their knowledge.

The Conventions in This Book

Steps

This book uses a step-by-step format to guide you easily through each task. Numbered steps are actions you must do; bulleted steps clarify a point, step, or optional feature; and indented steps give you the result.

Notes

Notes give additional information — special conditions that may occur during an operation, a situation that you want to avoid, or a cross reference to a related area of the book.

Icons and Buttons

Icons and buttons show you exactly what you need to click to perform a step.

Tips

Tips offer additional information, including warnings and shortcuts.

Bold

Bold type shows command names, options, and text or numbers you must type.

Italics

Italic type introduces and defines a new term.

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Samsung Galaxy S6

CHAPTER 1

Getting Started with Your Galaxy S6

Meet the Galaxy S6’s Hardware and Controls

After getting your Galaxy S6 and unboxing it, you should plug it in to charge if the battery level is low. If your carrier has not installed a SIM card, you should install one. You can then start the Galaxy S6 and meet its hardware and controls. The Galaxy S6 has three physical buttons: Power, Volume, and Home. The phone also has two soft buttons, the Recents button () to the left of the Home button, and the Back button () to the right.

Meet the Galaxy S6’s Hardware and Controls

If necessary, insert a SIM card. Insert the SIM-removal tool into the hole and push to open the SIM tray. Insert a nano-SIM card and replace the SIM tray.

Press and hold the Power button for a couple of seconds.

The Galaxy S6 vibrates to indicate that it is starting.

At the top of the screen are the following:

The earpiece for making phone calls.

The front camera.

The proximity/gesture sensor.

The light sensor.

The notification light.

As the Galaxy S6 starts, its name and model number appear on-screen, followed by the Samsung logo.

The Home button, which incorporates the fingerprint sensor, is at the bottom of the screen.

On the left side of the Galaxy S6 are the volume buttons.

You press the upper button to increase the volume.

You press the lower button to decrease the volume.

On the back of the Galaxy S6 are the following:

The main camera lens.

The flash for the main camera, and the fingerprint sensor, built into a single unit.

At the top of the Galaxy S6 are the following:

The microphone for the speakerphone.

The infrared LED.

When the Galaxy S6 finishes startup, you can perform the initial setup routine, as explained in the next section, “Perform the Initial Setup Routine.”

Perform the Initial Setup Routine

The first time you turn on your Galaxy S6, it displays the Welcome screen, on which you choose which language to use. You then perform the initial setup routine, a one-time procedure in which you select essential settings and connect the phone to a wireless network.

During setup, you can use the Tap & Go feature to transfer settings and data from another Android device to your Galaxy S6.

Perform the Initial Setup Routine

Turn on your Galaxy S6 by pressing and holding the Power button on the right side for a couple of seconds.

The Welcome screen appears.

Tap the language you want to use.

You can tap Accessibility if you need to use accessibility features during setup.

Tap Start ( ).

Note: If the Smart Network Switch dialog box opens, tap Cancel to close it. See the first tip for more information.

The Wi-Fi screen appears.

Tap the Wi-Fi network to which you want to connect.

The dialog box for connecting to the network opens.

Type the password for the network.

You can tap Show password ( changes to ) to display the password.

Tap Connect.

Your Galaxy S6 connects to the network.

The Connected to Wi-Fi network readout appears briefly.

Tap Next.

The Terms and Conditions screen appears.

Under Diagnostic Data, tap Consent to Provide Diagnostic and Usage Data ( changes to ) if you do not want your Galaxy S6 to provide diagnostic data and usage data to Samsung.

Tap Next.

The Terms and Conditions dialog box opens.

Tap Agree if you want to proceed.

Your Galaxy S6 checks for software updates.

The Tap & Go screen then appears.

You can now set up your device using Tap & Go, as explained in the next subsection, or manually, as explained in the subsection “Set Up Your Galaxy S6 Manually.”

Set Up Your Galaxy S6 Using Tap & Go

With the Tap & Go screen displayed on your Galaxy S6, turn on and unlock your other Android device.

Bring the two devices back to back.

A tone plays when the Near Field Communication chips — NFC chips for short — connect.

Note: You may need to move the devices around to line up the NFC chips.

Your Galaxy S6 displays the Check your other device message once the devices have established the NFC connection.

The Tap & Go dialog box appears on your other device.

Tap Lock & Verify.

During the initial setup routine, you can choose whether to back up the data from your Galaxy S6 to your Google account. You can also decide whether to allow apps to determine your location and send anonymous location data to Google’s servers, and whether to allow Google’s location service to scan for Wi-Fi networks even when Wi-Fi is turned off. Google uses the data provided to improve location accuracy.

Your other device locks, and the Restore Accounts screen appears, prompting you for your unlock method to verify your identity.

Provide the unlock method. For example, type your PIN and tap Next.

Another Tap & Go dialog box appears, prompting you to copy accounts and data to the Galaxy S6.

Tap OK.

The Tap & Go screen displays its progress as it adds your accounts to the Galaxy S6.

The Google Services screen appears. Go to the subsection “Finish the Setup Routine.”

Set Up Your Galaxy S6 Manually

On the Tap & Go screen, tap Skip.

The Add Your Account screen appears.

Tap Enter your email and type your e-mail address.

Note: You can tap Or create a new account to create a new account.

Tap Next.

The Password screen appears.

Type your password.

Tap Next.

The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy screen appears.

You can tap Terms of Service to view the Terms of Service.

You can tap Privacy Policy to view the Privacy Policy.

Tap Accept.

The Google Services screen appears, and you can proceed as explained in the next subsection.

During the initial setup routine, you can set your Galaxy S6 to use a Samsung account. This is a free account that enables you to store data on Samsung’s servers, share it among your devices, and restore it if your device suffers a failure. If you do not have a Samsung account yet, you can create one during setup.

You can set a wake-up command that you speak to wake your Galaxy S6 with your voice. You can then give commands with your voice.

Finish the Setup Routine

On the Google Services screen, tap Back up your phone’s apps, app data, settings, and Wi-Fi password ( changes to ) if you do not want to back up these items.

Tap Use Google’s location service ( changes to ) if you want to turn off location services.

Tap More.

The lower part of the Google Services screen appears.

Tap Help improve location services ( changes to ) if you do not want to send anonymous data to Google.

Tap Help improve your Android experience ( changes to ) if you do not want to send diagnostic and usage data to Google.

Tap Next.

The Samsung Account screen appears.

You can tap Sign Up with Google ID or Create Account to create a new Samsung account.

You can tap Sign In to sign in to your existing Samsung account.

Tap Skip.

The first Set Wake-Up Command screen appears.

Tap Set.

The second Set Wake-Up Command screen appears.

Note: Samsung states that your wake-up command should be three to five syllables long, but gives the two-syllable example “Hi there.” Choose a distinctive command that you will not say in normal conversation.

Tap Start.

The third Set Wake-Up Command screen appears.

Following the on-screen prompts, say your wake-up command four times.

The fourth Set Wake-Up Command screen appears, showing example voice commands.

You can tap Expand ( ) to see more examples.

You can tap Try Again to re-record your wake-up command.

Tap Done.

The Add Fingerprint screen appears.

You can tap Later to skip adding your fingerprint.

Tap Add.

Your Galaxy S6 includes a fingerprint-recognition feature that helps you to keep your valuable data and personal items secure against intruders. After registering your fingerprint, you can unlock your Galaxy S6 quickly and easily by placing your finger on the Home button. You must also set a password in case fingerprint recognition fails.

You set up fingerprint recognition by scanning your finger or thumb in various positions. Register multiple fingers in case you abrade the skin on your fingertip or injure your finger.

The Disclaimer dialog box opens, warning you that your fingerprint will be registered and stored with your device.

Tap Confirm.

The Disclaimer dialog box closes.

Tap Continue.

The Add Fingerprint screen for registering your fingerprint appears.

Place your finger or thumb on the Home button repeatedly, following the prompts.

The indicator shows your progress.

The Complete screen appears briefly.

The Add Fingerprint screen prompts you to enter a backup password.

Type the backup password you will use.

Note: For security, use at least 8 characters in your password; 12 characters or more is better. Do not use a word in any language; you could use random characters, or create a memorable password by using the first letters of a memorable phrase or sentence, such as a line from a song. Include uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.

Tap Continue.

The Add Fingerprint screen prompts you to confirm your backup password.

Type the password again.

Tap OK.

The Enable Fingerprint Lock dialog box opens.

Tap OK if you want to use Fingerprints as the method of unlocking your Galaxy S6. This is usually the most convenient.

The Setup Complete screen appears.

You can set the Easy mode switch to On ( changes to ) if you want to use Easy Mode. See the second tip for more information.

Tap Finish.

The Home screen appears, and you can start using your Galaxy S6.

Connect to a Wireless Network

To get the most use out of your Galaxy S6, you likely will need to connect it to several wireless networks in different locations. Many wireless networks broadcast the network name, and often you need to provide only the password to make a connection. To connect to a wireless network that does not broadcast its name, you need to type the name to identify the network and then provide the password. For some networks, you may need to specify an IP address or proxy server details.

Connect to a Wireless Network

Display the Wi-Fi Screen

Pull down from the top of the screen.

The Notification panel opens.

Tap and hold Wi-Fi ( ).

The Wi-Fi screen appears.

Connect to a Wireless Network That Broadcasts Its Name

If the Wi-Fi switch is set to Off ( ), set it to On ( ).

Tap the network to which you want to connect.

A dialog box opens for connecting to the network.

Type the password.

You can tap Show password ( changes to ) to display the characters.

Tap Connect.

Your Galaxy S6 connects to the wireless network.

Connect to a Wireless Network That Does Not Broadcast Its Name

On the Wi-Fi screen, tap More.

The menu opens.

Tap Add network.

The Add Network dialog box opens.

Type the network name.

Tap Security and then tap the security type, such as WPA/WPA2/FT PSK.

Tap Password and type the password.

Tap Connect.

Your Galaxy S6 connects to the network.

Connect to a Network and Specify Settings

Tap the network.

The network’s dialog box opens.

Type the password.

Tap Show advanced options ( changes to ).

To set IP address information, tap IP settings, tap Static, and then choose the settings.

Note: To set proxy server information, tap Proxy, tap Manual, and then choose the settings.

Tap Connect.

Your Galaxy S6 connects to the network.

Explore the User Interface and Launch Apps

When you press Power or Home to wake your Galaxy S6 from sleep, Android displays the lock screen. You then unlock your phone to reach the Home screen, which contains a Favorites tray of icons for running frequently used apps, shortcuts to apps, and the Apps icon for accessing the full list of apps installed.

You can add other icons to the Home screen as needed. When you launch an app, its screen appears. From the app, you can return to the Home screen by pressing Home. You can then launch another app.

Explore the User Interface and Launch Apps

Press Home.

The phone’s screen lights up and displays the lock screen.

Note: You can use various means of unlocking the lock screen. The default is the swipe explained here.

Swipe up.

The Home screen appears.

Note: If your Galaxy S6 displays an app instead of the Home screen, press Home.

Tap Apps ( ).

The Apps screen appears.

Tap the app you want to use, such as Calculator ( ).

The app opens.

Use the app as needed. For example, tap the buttons to perform a calculation.

In the Calculator app, the result appears here.

Press Home.

The Home screen appears.

Tap Apps ( ).

The Apps screen appears.

If the screen is full of apps, swipe your finger from right to left across the screen.

Note: If the Apps screen is not full, most likely there is no second screen of apps to display.

The next screen of apps appears.

Tap the app you want to launch.

The app opens, and you can start working in it.