How to use Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is a productivity and content-creation tool for Galaxy Note 9. It received a major update since its inception 7 years ago with Bluetooth features.

You can now use Galaxy Note 9 S Pen as a remote control for several apps, in addition to the traditional S Pen features such as air command and screen-off memo.

This Galaxy Note 9 guide explains the new features of this new S Pen, how to charge Galaxy Note 9 S Pen, and how to check the battery and Bluetooth connection status.

Please note, this guide is for the new S Pen bundled with Galaxy Note 9. For S Pen with previous generations of Galaxy Note devices (e.g., Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Note Pro, and Galaxy Note 8.0), please check this page.

Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ have an updated S Pen with gesture support. You may check this guide on how to use the Galaxy Note 10 S Pen.

Table of Contents hide

1) What’s new in the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

2) How to charge the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

3) How to check Galaxy Note 9 S Pen status (charging and connection status)?

4) Understand Galaxy Note 9 S Pen layout and functions

5) How to detach the S Pen from Galaxy Note 9?

6) How to store Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

7) How to use Galaxy Note 9 S Pen remote control?

8) How to change nibs for Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

9) How to use Air command on Galaxy Note 9?

10) How to use screen-off memo on Galaxy Note 9?

What’s new in the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

S Pen differs Galaxy Note devices from other Android phones and tablets. Samsung included S Pen in a few Galaxy Tab S and Galaxy Tab A tablets after they stopped making Galaxy Note tablets.

Over the years, Samsung only slightly tweaked the S Pen. From Galaxy Note to Note 4, there were no noticeable changes. Since Galaxy Note 5, a new design with a release spring has been adopted up to now. But it is only a cosmetic, not functional revision.

Galaxy Note 9 S Pen probably can be considered as a new generation of S Pen.

Although the physic design of the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is almost identical to that of Galaxy Note 8 (or Note 5), there are considerable new features introduced in the new S Pen on Galaxy Note 9.

The most significant change in Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is Bluetooth LE support.

So, in addition to all existing S Pen features, you can use the S Pen as a remote control, for example

Use the new S Pen as a shutter button for taking photos;
Use the new S Pen as a wireless presenter;
Use the new S Pen a remote control for media player apps;
Use the new S Pen as the cursor control when using Samsung DeX;
Use the new S Pen to open designated apps remotely.

We will explain S Pen remote controls in detail in this guide.

Another new feature of Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is the default colour of the screen-off memo matches the colour of the S Pen. Samsung called it the signature colour of the S Pen.

On Galaxy Note 5, Note 7 and Note 8, the colour of the screen-off memo is always white (on the black screen).

On Galaxy Note 9, the colour of the screen-off memo now matches the colour of the S Pen (except for the black S Pen which creates white screen-off memo). If you have a yellow S pen, the default colour of the screen-off memo will be yellow. For a purple (lavender) S Pen, the colour of screen-off memo will be purple.

You can disable this colour-matching options (signature colour) for screen-off memo and use the white colour as in previous generations of Galaxy Note devices.

Please be reminded that the signature colour in the screen-off memo may look nice when you are writing. But after you saved them, the black background colour becomes white, and therefore the colour may look ugly in Samsung Note or S Note.

How to charge the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

As a Bluetooth device, Galaxy Note 9 S Pen needs to be charged before you can use Bluetooth related features.

But you can still use Galaxy Note 9 S Pen just like the old S Pen even when the new S Pen is fully discharged. Only Bluetooth related new functions (mainly S Pen remote) will not be available in this situation. All other features and functions (e.g., tapping the screen, using air command …) are still available.

Charging Galaxy Note 9 S Pen should start automatically whenever you put the S Pen back into the S Pen slot. No external chargers needed. Currently, this is actually the only way to charge Galaxy Note 9 S Pen.

And charging the new S Pen is super fast. Putting Galaxy Note 9 S Pen into S Pen slot for 40 seconds will power it for 30 minutes of use. The technology behind is the supercapacitor. Galaxy Note 9 S Pen uses supercapacitors, instead of a battery to power it. Therefore, it can be charged almost instantly, and you do not need to wait for the charging.

Anyway, just remember:

Even when the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is fully discharged, you can still use it for normal S Pen features (just like old S Pen in Galaxy Note 8 or Note 5) except remote controls.
Charging Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is almost instant.
S Pen slot in Galaxy Note 9 is the charger for S Pen.

How to check Galaxy Note 9 S Pen status (charging and connection status)?

When the S Pen is taken out of the S Pen slot, Galaxy Note 9 will detect it. A Bluetooth connection between the S Pen and Galaxy Note 9 will be established automatically.

Of course, if you disable S Pen remote control, you are supposed to use the new S Pen exactly as the old one. No Bluetooth connection will be established.

In the status bar, you will see the S Pen icon if:

S Pen remote is enabled.
S Pen is taken out of the slot.

The meaning of the connection and battery status is explained shown in the following picture.

In some regions, there is a notification for S Pen when it is taken out of Galaxy Note 9. But in most regions, Samsung removed the notification in Galaxy Note 9.

For the meaning of other icons, you may check this guide.

Understand Galaxy Note 9 S Pen layout and functions

There are no changes in the layout and buttons of Galaxy Note 9 S Pen (compared to the Galaxy Note 5, 7 and 8 S Pen).

The 3 functional parts are S pen nib, S Pen button and S Pen release button as illustrated in the picture below.

S Pen nib functions differently when touching the screen or hovering over the screen.

When the S Pen nib touches the screen, you can use Galaxy Note 9 S pen to write and draw on the screen. You can also use it to perform any touch operations as if it is your finger.

When the S Pen nib hovers over the screen (without touching the screen), you may access additional info of the underlying object. For example, you may access air view features in some apps when you hover the S Pen nib over the screen. Please check this guide if you want to change the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen nib, or want to know which S Pen nib is better for you.

S Pen button allows you to:

Use S Pen remote. As explained in the S Pen remote guide, you can press the S Pen button to launch a designated app. When you are using an S Pen remote-supported app, you can press the S Pen once or twice to perform certain operations (aka app actions).
Access Air command. When you hover the S Pen nib over Galaxy Note 9 screen, you can press the S Pen button to access air command.
Select items. When the S Pen nib touches Galaxy Note 9 screen, you can press and hold the S Pen, then drag the S Pen over items to select them.

S Pen release button is for you to remove/detach the S Pen from Galaxy Note 9 (read on …).

How to detach the S Pen from Galaxy Note 9?

As mentioned earlier, Samsung has adopted a new design for the S Pen since Galaxy Note 5. You need to press the release button to detach the S Pen from the S Pen slot.

To remove or detach the S Pen from Galaxy Note 9, as shown in the animation below, you need to press the S Pen release button first, then pull out the S Pen from Galaxy Note 9.

If you try to pull out of the S Pen without press the release button to disengage it first, then you may damage the S Pen.

How to store Galaxy Note 9 S Pen?

Once you finish using S Pen, you should store Galaxy Note S Pen in the S Pen slot so that:

You will not lose the S Pen.
You can charge the S Pen.

When you put back the S Pen, make sure, the S Pen nib, not the release button, goes in first. If you find it is hard to insert the S Pen back to the slot, you should check whether you insert it in the wrong direction.

Although Samsung changed the design so that you cannot insert the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen in the wrong direction (as in Galaxy Note 5) to avoid possible damage to the S Pen slot, it is still possible to damage the S Pen slot and the S Pen if you use excessive forces.+