Top 10 new features in Galaxy Note after ICS update

After the official release of ICS 4.0.3 update for Galaxy Note  in May and ICS 4.0.4 update last week, some users asked me what the new features are. Thanks to Samsung’s Touch Viz UI, most users will not visually find any changes after the update. Here I prepared the top 10 new features in your Galaxy Note after the ICS update.

Each update fixes some bugs and the performance should be improved, so we usually recommend users to apply the update, although some new problems may be reported, e.g. battery issues, RAM issues. Given the short lifespan (1-3 years) of samrtphones, it is impractical to wait for the perfect firmware.

In this post I will try to introduce you the features. I will create  tutorials for some of these features later.

1. Pop- up play (ICS 4.0.4 update is needed)

Pop up play was debuted on Galaxy S3  last May. In the Googl Play store, there are a few paid apps (e.g., Stick it! (Pop-up Player)) doing the similar job. What it does is quite simple, you can watch your video and use other apps at the same time. The video will be re-sized as thumbnail and you can move it to any locations on your screen. Pretty cool, right?

Of course, only the built-in video player support this. Once the video is open, you can find the re-sizing (or pop up play?) button in the top right corner. If you want to stop the video, just touch the video area and release your finger. If you want to go to full screen, you can long press the home button to get the task manager and open the video player.

Two limitations: 1). the size of the video cannot be adjusted, at lest I did not find any ways to adjust it; 2). If you want to go back to full screen, the video will be played from the beginning, not from where you stop in the pop up play mode. Thanks to julien for correcting me. (Tap the video,  it will go back to the full screen and continue.)

2.  S Note

S Note is part of the Samsung’s Premium Suite for Galaxy Note and is installed as part of ICS update. It comes with 6 samples, 6-page S Note Tips, and a 6-page productivity Tools Tips. So, you can start to use it quite easily.

With S Note, you can directly convert your handwriting into text, convert your drawing into polygonal shapes, and convert your writing into mathematical formulas. You can even import PDF file for annotation!

After the ICS update, you should be able to find this app among your applications.

3. My Story

My Story is also part of the Premium Suite for Galaxy Note. But it is not installed automatically during your ICS update. You can download it either from Samsung Apps or Google Play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.mystory)

This apps help you create multimedia letter or a card or an album. It comes with 4 templates (birthday, thank you,  letter in a bottle, ans memory).

This apps need verify your phone number. So, when you open it first time, it will ask your phone number and a verification code will be sms to you. So, remember to provide correct phone number, especially country code.

4. Face unlock

Face unlock is a standard feature in ICS (Android 4.0). You can unlock your phone by using your face (and the front camera). You can turn on this by going to settings–security–screen lock. Of course, if the light is so weak, you cannot use this feature. So, your Galaxy Note will ask you to setup PIN or password as well in case your face is not recognized.

5. Notification

In ICS, notification is significantly improved. Shortcut for Settings is added there. From the lock screen, you can also launch apps directly.

6. Data usage monitor

For people with data quota, monitoring mobile data usage is important to avoid hefty and stupid charges from the greedy telecom operators. In the past, you may use some apps, e.g. 3G Watchdog to monitor the data usage. Now, it is not necessary.

Under settings, now you can find Data Usage. All your data usage will be reported here. You can set the limit, and disable background data if your data quota is very low.

7. Developers options

Occasionally, some background processes (usually from poorly written apps) may drain your battery  quite quickly, and hog on the ram. So, your system may be not so responsive. IN ICS, you can go to Settings–Developer options to setup the background process limit. You can choose No Background processes as a test if you suspect the battery drain is due to background process. Normally, you should not choose no background processes, as Android system may need this function to improve performance.

Under developers options, you have a quite a lot advanced controls, e.g., show CPU usage, or force GPU rendering.

8. Quick access to task manager/ Swipe to close

At any time, long press Home button, you will get the task manger (pop up). From the thumbnail list of running and recent apps, you can swipe to left or right to close it . Touch it once to open the corresponding app.

9. Signature unlock (ICS 4.0.4 is required)

This is a cool feature, although not so useful. You can unlock your phone with your S Pen by signing on the screen. That’s it.

You can set it up from Settings–Security–Screen lock.

10. Chrome browser

ICS has a improved web browser. You can open up to 16   8 tabs (thanks for Thomas who found we can actually open 8 tabs in Galaxy Note, not 16, It seems Samsung gave us 50% discount.).  It sounds good?

Even better, you install Chrome browser ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome) on your Galaxy Note. It is super fast and you can even share the bookmarks and browser windows with your desktop!.

Any comments? please post in the comments section below or in our Galaxy Note forum.

This post was last modified on September 14, 2013 5:46 am

View Comments

  • Hey I too have a serious problem in my galaxy note......
    It was first having android os 2.3.5 & I upgraded it to 2.3.6. Then I upgraded it to 4.0.4 & it had problems after upgrading. Something is coming continuously which is giving information (like given in settings in about phone).First when I saw it I thaught it a widget but no.And there is another problem too.When I press the power button it doesnot lock.Even I have tried all locks but no, it doesnot work.............

    Please help me ! Please.
    Reply soon !

    • Probably never. The original Galaxy Note (N7000) will stop at Jelly Bean 4.1. Very likely, there will be no update for GT-N7000 any more.

      Galaxy Note 2 (currently on Jelly Bean 4.3) will may get KitKat update in Q1/Q2 2014. But due to the arrival of Galaxy Note 3 Neo, the KitKat update for Galaxy Note 2 may have low priority.

  • Hey, I have a problem with my documents folder, I dragged and dropped my work folder from my computer into the documents folder on my phone through Kies. However, when I access my folders on the phone, none of the sub-folders show up, so I just have one big folder with tons of stuff, rather than having everything organized into sub-folders. Anyone else have this problem? I know I can download a third party app for better organization of my folders, but I would prefer to avoid that.

    • Not sure about this issue. But why didn't you just copy the files in Windows or Mac without using Kies? After connecting your phone to PC with the USB cable, you can access the phone as an external storage.

  • When I answer or make a call on My SGH-I717, the other party is unable to hear me! Can you help me in fixing this problem??? I love my phone, this is the only problem I have right now

      • I have checked and its as high as it can be.
        Strange though because I am able to do a video recording and it comes out
        Could it be that the Mic is damaged and needs to be changed

        • You can try the voice recorder (pre-installed already in most regiond) to see whether it can detects the mic. You can also test with the headset.

  • Hi- I have Galaxy Note 4.0.4 ICS and I seem to have all the features you spoke of *except* the ability to use a signature to unlock my screen. Is there something I need to do to activate this or do you have any suggestions? Thanks!!!!

  • Hi, I'm using Samsung galaxy note 10.1 and after updating my phone, the long press home button show google instead of popping up task manager. How to change it back?

    Also, is there a way to safely revert back because I found this update sucks.

    • Long press home button ( or swipe up) is for Google Now in Jelly Bean. The Jelly bean update is quite good, and there are quite some improvements and new features. It is Samsung's UI spoils user experience a bit.

      The official way to revert back is to visit local Samsung service center.

      Anyway, my recommendation is keeping it for a few weeks and you may get to love it...

  • HEY! i got the galaxy note 1 recently for xmas, and i noticed the battery dies too fast. i charge my phone and then 3 mins later without using it it says "97%" of battery...i dont get it. i dont have much apps, or use it a lot. i turn off the wif-fi or other unnecesary stuffs..

  • Hey! I have a question. So I got the galaxy note 1. And i like how when you get a message you swipe. But i want to set up a passcode too. Like if i get a message i just swipe the little bubble that shows me the message in red..but i also need to put my passcode. Idk if you get me, im sorry my english is not that good.

      • Yeah i know, but then if i do that i wont be able to use the swipe mode..just as soon as i open my phone i will jst have to put the pin but i wont be able to swipe.

  • I have little issue with widgets sizes, my brother has galaxy note 2 he has full screen widgets display on home screen of different apps like flipboard and tweet caster on other hand i have note n7000 ics 4.0.4 unable to load full screen size widgets like note 2, i have tried all size small medium and larg but cannot fit, is it for JB or something else ?

  • I have updated my Note to ICS 4.0.4 Before the update, the HOME screen displayed a number of S MEMO's by default, and even after the update, these default MEMO's were re-displayed. However, after having deleted these, I cannot find any way, either in the manual or online, that explains how to create an S MEMO and then display it in full on the HOME screen. The only thing I've found is the BOOKMARK function, but its not the same. Can this still be done with ICS? The dafault memos are the castle, the dog, the map etc. I used to use this function to display a MEMO of things I wanted to see as I unlocked the phone.

    • You can open any S Memeo, then tap the menu button. You can choose Set as, then set the S memo as home screen wallpaper, lock screen wallpaper or as a widget. This is availabel in ICS.

      If you cannot find these S Memos, you can get from any other Galaxy Notes.

    • You may try to close recent apps, then try again. Some people get the error when try to insert a large image/pdf file. Seldom people get this error when inserting clip art.

      The reason I heard is due to insufficient contiguous ram. In other words, your system still have enough ram, but not enough contiguous blocks.

      • I just got the note 2 last week n it will not let me insert clipart. Or anything else from that pull down menu for that fact in s note . Never updated anything. Phones a week old. At &t galaxy note II.

  • Hi!

    I updated my Galaxy Note N7005 software to 4.0.4 and I got some issues with regards to lost signal reception. I can not text nor call or even receive them. Can you help me on this? Thanks

    • If you updated your Note through Kies or OTA, you can try to reset your phone (settings--back up and reset--factory data reset). After reset, you may also reboot your phone.

      If you updated your note through other methods, you may get wrong ROM.

  • i just update my samsung galaxy note in ics 4.0.4 ver. but when i using screen lock option it doesnt work

    now what can i do.......

    • Did you mean you cannot unlock your phone?

      If you cannot unlock your phone, you can go to local Samsung service center to unlock it. Or, if you have setup a Samsung account, and you have enabled remote controls on your Note (default is on in some regions), you can go to SamsungDive page (http://www.samsungdive.com/DiveMain.do) to unlock your phone.

  • I just got ma galaxy note wid 4.0.4......but sometimes d contacts open slowly in it.....it takes about 2-3 seconds to open....whereas on ma friend note it opens quiclkly............help me

    • When you open it first time after reboot, it is always slower. But anyway, the contact app is slow in all Samsung Galaxy models.

  • does samsung note 1 support s voice? If not, will s voice run after i upgrade my note to ICS? And what is the difference between s voice and voice command?thanks

    • No. S Voice is not available in Galaxy Note yet.

      The difference between s voice and voice command (aka Voice Talk), is the intelligence. Voice command only understands a fixed number of commands. While S Voice can understand more and do more. It is more for fun at this time.

      • thanks for the info. I just have one question left. Does N7000 note have 4g lte connection? If not, in which samsung units can i found 4g lte connection?

        • The newer batch (N7005) of Galaxy Note has LTE (actually, the official name is Galaxy Note LTE). The older batch (N7000) does not. You can find the LTE on the packaging for N7005 (in some regions).

          Of course, you can check with the vendor. The price difference (with or without LTE) is about $50 in most regions.

          For Galaxy Note 2, LTE is the default configuration. ( Only in a few regions, there is no LTE, probably because there are no 4G networks yet).

  • I have just updated to 4.0.4 but notification remain the same, no new items is added.
    do you guys know this issue.
    i have used middle east version and update with ODIN

  • a game as simple as 'take me home lite' says that my phone is too weak to handle it. thats just pretext. the thing is i am thinking of getting a new launcher and concerned if my phone can handle it. is it healthy for it? should i change the default launcher? i am no pro. i'll be doing it only for UI(which is kinda the only tech word i know, if it is considered a techword). i dont want to do anything harsh. i am the play safe kind of person. not gonna do anything thats not worth the risk. wont do anything beyond minimum risk. so should i go for it?

    p.s. : see my comment/query? see everything in lowercase? thats because my samsung keyboard's auto- capitalization has refused to work. i checked and set the settings. its just not working. whats up with it?

    • 1GB ram and A9 dual core cpu is still in the high end range. So, it should have no issue to run most games.

      The Samsung launcher is not so good, but it is not so bad either. Normally, it is safe to try different launchers.

      It works for me. Actually, I have to disable it as it is quite annoying.

  • after updatting to ICS I could not find facility of Show on map for GPS tagged photos which was there with previous OS on Galaxy note.

  • I have a new samsung galaxy note, and sometimes the back button just stops working until i restart. any idea what can be done?

    • It could be caused by apps. You can press home button to exit. Or long press home button to close recent apps.

  • Hi there,
    I've upgraded to 4.0.4, camera shutter sounds loud. I can't find way to off it.
    Please advise is there option to off the sound?

    • As I know, all international versions do not have the option to turn the shutter sound off, due to legal requirements (for privacy) in some regions, especially in EU. US models usually do have this option.

      If your phone is not rooted, you can lower down the volume before starting camera app.

      If your phone is rooted, you can delete the sound files (camera****) in /system/media/audio/ui.

  • Hey i recently bought(been 1 month) the galaxy note and i am willing to update it from 2.3.6(gb) to 4.0.4.(ics)
    well...problem is some of my friends updated it and they are saying the ics update is slowing down the phone horribly and some services like bluetooth service became unusable after update..i am from india..so my question is...is it safe to update note to 4.0.4??

  • After ics update i can't load flash videos anymore. It just shows a blue brick and that's it. I tried restarting it but it didn't work plz help

    • if you are using Chrome. yes, flash is not supported. But for the in-stock browser (internet app), you should have no issues with flash.

      • same here. can't run the flash videos, too. wasn't using chrome, but the same problem. don't have such problem with gb. pls advice how can i view, thx

        • did you try to reset the stock browser (menu--settings--advanced--reset to default)? You may also try to check whether enable plug-ins is "always on".

  • i updated my note to ICS 4.0.4 last week. after that it has started hanging. especially when i use my phone in the morning. when i go to application screen, it stuck in between when i slide to other screen. please help me out in fixing this problem.

    thank you.

    • Did you try to reboot your Note?

      You may also try to reset your Note (settings--back up and reset--factory data reset). Please back up your data before reset.

  • I found this very helpfull. I have updated my os now ICS. But the problem is in video player i still dont have the pop up play. Can you please help me with your expertise? Thanks a lot.

    • pop-up play is not available in some regions for unknown reasons. Very likely, all will be sorted out when Jelly Bean (android 4.1) update comes to Galaxy Note by the end of this year.

  • I have faced two few new loss of functions:
    1. Whenever I used my cordless mouse with note, the right click used to function as return button. But after 4.0.4 I have it does not and u have to end up keeping your phone in hand while connected to a tv or monitor. The right click for return is not even working for a USB mouse connected by OTG. Any comments or solutions.

    2. Another major problem is, my note has stopped recognising my samsung printer since 4.0.3. And this persists even with 4.0.4. I tested with other latest samsung printers also. Its not printing. Please help. This issue has drastically reduced work efficiency.

    3. Finally a petty issue. But for the sake of it. i found that the image rotating fuction of gallery is missing. Any ideas?

  • I found two new features after update my note... one is near proximity calling and other one is gallery update. We can play slide show of pics from the gallery and also we can directly launch the cam from gallery.
    what other cool feature we will get apart from the above.

  • One more important feature we are getting in ICS is near proximity calling. If you are viewing any message or contact just bring the phone closer to your ear and that number get dialed. Is it not available in all countries. In India I got it as a new feature.

  • Hi guyz I just upgraded mau note in 4.0.4 via wifi in Pakistan (purchased in spain)now every thing is fine accept PLAY STORE and GMAIL....I cant open play store and gmail.plz give me a soloution.
    tnx

        • Seldom people get problems with Play Store or GMail apps.

          First, make sure your Gmail password is correct.

          You may try to reset Play store or Gmail through settings--Applications--Google play store--clear data and clear cache.

          If you still get problems, you may visit local Samsung Service center for a thorough check.

  • Hi,
    I am still in the GNote version of 2.3.6. Please advise how can I updates to the latest version from Canada.

    Thanks

    • ICS update for Galaxy Note in Canada was rolled out in July. So, you should be able to get the update through OTA (settings--about phone--software update).

      Alternatively, you can install Kies (http://www.samsung.com/us/kies/) into your PC first, then check update from Kies after your Note is connected to the PC with the USB cable provided.

      Please be patient during the update, as it should take considerably long time.

  • I bought a note from dubai and i am using it in india. The.phone came with ICS 4.0.3 but i wanted to upgrade 4.0.4 but i couldnt find any upgrade available through samsung skies or through phone. Pls help if there is anything to do.

    • If the CSC code is XSG, the latest version is 4.0.4.

      Anyway, fi Kies says it is the latest firmware, probably the Note is not for UAE (although you bought it for UAE). So, you have to wait.

  • Hello,I just bot my new note couple of days ago.Since I was new to it I was checking its Smemo by writing few text in it ,after that I deleted my memo.But soon I realized that the memo in which I was writing contains the stars constillation photo is also deleted.After that I tried several sites to download it but couldnt find it anywhere.Then i tried to restore my phone to factory settings.But after restoring only galaxy note logo appeared in the bottom right side but not the picture.Please tell me how how will I get that again.

    • When you delete the memo, the image/photo used should not be affected.

      I am not sure which picture/photo you are referring to.

  • Hello, after updating Note to 4.0.4, I can no longer delete icons from home pages by sliding them downwards into delete, like before:(
    Is this a bug or is there a different way to delete icons?? TIA

      • In my 4.0.4. Note, long-pressing an app icon in any one of the seven screens does not cause a "dustbin" to appear where it can be binned by drag/dropping, like it used to do in the earlier version:(
        I have also tried long-pressing an app icon and quick-flicking to the edges of the the screen - it just bounces back.
        So, no joy, and I enquire whether any one using the 4.0.4 Note is successfully removing app icons, and, if so, does it need a special setting or an alternate method? TIA

  • Hi, I updated the Note with 4.0.4 yesterday. I'm having issue in launching S Choice app. When I click on S Choice app it says "Get the latest Samsung apps first". Any idea what is this and whats the issue?
    How can it be resolved?

  • B4 I cud adjust the screen brightness by touching the bar on top. But after updating the software I am not able to do it. Can some help me.........

  • I am from India. My note is automatically forwarding all the text messages I receive to my other phone. How do I resolve this?

    • The possible reasons of automatic sms forwarding include:
      1). you installed some apps to forward you sms. So, check the apps installed.
      2). you set it in Samsung Dive page. Visit http://www.samsungdive.com/ and check your phone settings.
      3). you enabled some sort of forwarding service with your service provider. You may call your service provider.

  • There are some issues I have:
    1) My menu icons get rearranged on their own atleast twice a day :/
    2)Y gallery and messaging esp the samsung keyboard freezes or force closes. Whemever i switch the phone on after power off it says sorry messagng unfortunately stopped :/
    3)netqorking apps like Chaton and Viber are crashing :/
    Help! !!

    • 1. do you mean app icons? It is very likely due to some widgets. Or if you using third-party launchers, a few of them also have such settings.
      2. probably you try to start too many widgets and apps. You can try to install autorun manager to disable some
      3. very likely, it is an app issue; not all apps works on ICS 4.0.4 and GN. You may report the issues to the developers of these apps. Of course, you can also tr yo close recent apps (long press Home button, swipe left or right to close recent apps individually) before launch these apps.

    • If convenient, you can visit Samsung service center, they can adjust it in a few mins. It seems the service menus for volume control is blocked in ICS update. You may try dialing *#197328640# to enter service mode, then choose 5. You can then adjust the volume. But apparently, for my not, tapping 5 will just return to main menu.

  • I tried to update my Galaxy Note from 4.0.3 to 4.0.4 but it failed.

    It appeared to download fine, rebooted and started to go into what looked like ClockWorkMod, but after a few second rebooted and message said it had failed

    I have unrooted my phone - could that be the problem?

    I've not changed the kernal just done an unroot, also I'd done a full reset of my phone before trying the update.

    • after un-root (factory reset will not remove root normally), you may try to move all .zip files in the root of the external SD card to any directory, i.e., do not leave any zip files in the root of the external SD card. Then reboot the phone and try the update again.

  • Can it improve my Battery... :((((((
    I am feeling like throw away my galaxy note or sell it at any cost due to poor battery performance...

    Please help me...

    • ICS 4.0.4 update fixed some battery drain bugs in ICS the 4.0.3 update.

      If you compare battery life with GB, there are almost no differences.

      If you have battery issue, you should update to ICS 4.0.4 for your Note.

  • Under "5. Notifications", you say: "From the lock screen, you can also launch apps directly."

    How exactly did you get this feature? Everyone I know who has upgraded to stock ICS 4.0.4 ROM on the Galaxy Note (N7000) does not have this feature.

    • Sorry for the confusion. If you get an notification, e.g., a new message, you can directly launch the message app, and read the message by tapping ht notification.(if you do not setup pin/password).

      For the default (vanilla) ICS, the lock screen allow you access camera. But in Samsung's TouchWiz, this is NOT implemented.

      Anyway, if you like this feature, you can install some apps in Play store. for example, Quick Launch - Lock Screen: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.conduit.locker

  • ok im sorry i didn't realise you could scroll on the menu pop up... yes the settings option is still there. feeling stupid! :)

    but i did notice that Voice Talk stopped functioning with ICS update.
    does this have anything to do with making S voice exclusively available to galaxy S3?

    • the Voice Talk still works. If it does not, check you language settings and voice recognizer settings.

  • I updated to ICS 4.0.4 here in India. There were a few glitches which I shall come back to later. My immediate concern is this. After upgrading to ICS i had activated "inverted rendering" [browser--->menu option--->settings----> accessibility---Inverted rendering] after activating inverted rendering there was a software update and now i can't access browser settings by clicking on the menu button when the browser is open. How do you access the browser settings now after the update?

  • When playing in pop-up mode, you can go back in full screen mode by double-clicking on the video. The video will then continue playing normally (ie, it won't go back to the beginning as stated in this article).

    @claudia Are you sure you're running version 4.0.4? The firmware lists I found online state that only 4.0.3 was released in Switzerland yet. And the pop-up video play is a feature of 4.0.4 only.

    • Julien ICS update could improve my Battery performance ???
      :( :( :( :( :( :(
      I am feeling like throw away my galaxy note or sell it at any cost due to poor battery performance…

      Please help me…

    • Thank you for correcting me. Yes, today I tried again, it works properly. Just tap it and it will continue. Maybe I was drunken that day when I wrote the post.

  • I've a problem with stock Mail app. On my note i setted a company exchange mail account.
    When I try to to get access to folders i can see only: inbox, outbox, drafts, trash, etc.. I cannot get inside inbox and inside each of subfolders.
    I can't neither move mails from inbox to subfolders, because i can't see them.
    I know that i should tap on the folder logo on the left and i should open the "tree" below, unfortunately it doesn't work!
    Anyone can help me?
    Thank,
    Andrea

  • Hi..
    I just updated to 4.0.4 on my galaxy Note in Switzerland and the pop-up-play is not there...sad! I really don't understand Samsung's update policy....

    • The pop-up play is only for the in-stock video player. Did you try to start the Video Player, then play a video, then in the top right, you should see a button as shown in the image.

      Anyway, several users reported this issue. Maybe, Samsung forgot to include it in some regions.

      • Yes, Samsung did not include it for certain regions but have not explained why. It's been reported missing by users with Hong Kong and Nordic region ROMs.

  • Hi, I had upgraded to 4.0.3 earlier but had a major issue. Battery was the second on my list as that didn't bother me so much. The big problem I had was typing whether it is SMS, email, search, etc basically my keyboard (standard/swype or even 3rd party) was either missing or no respond; because of this I had to used Odin to downgrade back to gingerbread. Do you know if this bug is resolve in 4.0.4? Thanks.

    • I am not aware of this issue. Sometimes, after major update, you need do a factory reset to remove some incompatible settings or caches.

  • Hello. I've just upgrade my Note to 4.0.4 but i can't find the popup play button in Movie Player. Any ideas? Thanks.

      • I have a question, I cannot find the Popup player icon in the stock video player and I have upgraded to 4.0.4 and I have attached 2 screenshots as well. One thing I just noticed today, was when pressing the power key when watching a video a lock icon appears on the screen which prevented me from using any of the onscreen touch controls. Is this something new? Or was it something I just never noticed before.
        Any help is much appreciated, thank you. :-)

        • Some users reported the ICS 4.0.4 for France does not have pop-up play. Anyway, the location of the icon is shown in the first screenshot in the post.

          No, it is not new and it is a feature for some time in TouchWiz. When you are playing video, you can lock the screen for your video. This is to prevent interruption of your video.

        • My apologies if I am making mistakes on posting. Please let me know. i am still trying to learn on here.


  • Hi, I'm not sure whether it is appropriate to ask question at here. I see there are a lot of experienced Galaxy Note users here so I would like to ask about the In-Call volume issue.

    I'm a new owner of Galaxy Note and I found out that the volume during call could not be reduced even I pressed the key at the side of the phone.

    One more thing is that, the person which I talk with claimed that he can't hear my voice well when I'm using the headset. The volume of mic seems to be very low.

    Please help me on this problems. Thanks in advance.

    • The volume key should work for in-call volume. When you clicked volume down, did the green bar appear on the screen? If it appears and responds, but there are no changes in volume, you probably need go to Samsung service center to reset the levels. They will put your phone into service mode then adjust the levels. (You can enter service mode by dialing *#197328640#, but it seems the audio settings are blocked now here).

      The bundled earpiece has a vol+ and -. Someone told me this also works for mic at the same time. Sounds unlikely, but I never test it.

  • Hi
    Does the ICS update bring the camera features to the Note - 1. Burst shot 2. Taking a still within a video recording.
    Or are those camera features hardware related?
    Thanks

    • No improvement in camera, based on my experience.

      Action shot can be used if you want to take a few pics continuously. Anyway, the camera sensor in Galaxy Note is not so good and is always slow.

      I think Galaxy S3 and a few Sony's Xperia can take still pictures while shooting video. Galaxy Note cannot do this as I know.

  • Where did my wallpaper go??? After installing the latest version, the wallpaper was gone. Originally it was in the earlier version, coz can't find it - not even in accuweather. It was live making rain, if the weather was rain, dark clodes, sun, etc. And it had a wave on the beach, really nice. And I miss it!!!! Anyone who knows how to find it again? Must be a Samsung app, but cannot locate it.... :-(

    • You can add it by tape menu (left) button, then you can choose wallpaper, then live wallpapers.

      Also, you can add AccuWeather as a widget (tape menu/left button, choose Add-Widgets)

      • Thanks for your reply. I do have accuweather, it was part of the "package" that came with the Note. And even after the last upgrade - 3 days ago, it is there. But the wallpaper has disapared.

        And it is also not in the availible wallpapers you refer to from menu. Even not possible to find it by search in all android wallpapers. :-))) As you understandd I've spent a lot of time and effort to recover "my favorite wallpaper"....seems it is gone for ever. :-)

  • I downloaded the ICS 4.0.4 update yesterday and I've been exploring the improvements compared to the 4.0.3. One thing I was looking forward to was the improved web browser with the possibility of opening 16 tabs. However I still can open only 8 tabs. I know that with chrome that's not an issue, but as chrome doesn't support flash yet I still use the original web browser more.

    • It seems Samsung gave us 50% discount. Yes, I tried, and I also can get only 8 tabs. I will correct the post until I find a way to get 16 tabs. Thank you for pointing this out.

  • Hallo,
    I just have bought brand new Galaxy Note and upgraded it to Android 4.0.3. It randomly turns off and freezes (usually within 5 minutes). I have made few factory resets and wiped cache partition. Did not help. I did not root. I can not believe that this is hardware problem. Poland. Can You help ? Elmar

    • Freeze or automatic shutdown can be a serious problem. It usually is caused by hardware (e.g., overheat). As it is still under warranty, it's better to ask for a replacement or repair from local Samsung service center.

      As you already did factory reset and it is new, so it seems the problem was not caused by personal settings. If you still want to try, you may try emergency firmware recovery through Kies (download and install Kies to your PC, start Kies, then connect your Note to the PC with an USB cable). Good luck.

      • Hi Note,

        Had similar problem on the auto shut down after updating the firmware ICS....
        Problem still unsolved after doing the following;
        - Updated the firmware
        - Hard reset and wipe out the whole memory and restore to factory default
        - Replace a new mother board

        However, it will not auto shut down as long as i connected the main power to the phone.....

        Pls advise. Thanks

        • I am having the same problem. My Note keep on automatically shutting down except when I am using the USB cable. Have you solve it?

        • It could be also caused by battery. Did you try your Note with a different battery? You may also clean the connector (when you remove the battery, you can find the the metal part between battery and your phone on your phone)

  • One question about Chrome

    After closing all the tabs,Chrome shows a gray page.Then I exit the app to desktop,CPU is still running in background .Is it a bug?

    thanks

    • No, as I know, it should be ok. As long as your phone can enter Deep Sleep state normally, it is nor necessary to worry about the running processes.

      Android is optimized to cache programs. In other words, once your "exit" the app, Android will change the status of this app (which is still residing in the RAM). Android will fully close it (release the RAM) only when the system or other apps need more ram.

      • But after I turn Chrome off,my phone still keeps warning.Then 20% battery used in half an hour. Nothing happen if I turn it off in the background.

        • thank you. problem is solved. it is because SKYVI settings. by the way, to your opinion, which is better; skyvi?assistant speaktoit?or AIVC Alice?

          • I occasionally use Evi. Not so fancy, but it is ok.

            Anyway, we hope the S voice will be ported to Galaxy Note.

          • As I know, only when in driving mode, the Note will read the messages. You may try to turn off driving mode, then reboot the phone to see whether the problem is there.

            Other than the driving mode, I have no clues on what else may read all incoming message. Maybe some installed apps? or accessibility settings (which can overwrite other settings)?

            If nit is really annoying, you may call local Samsung service center and they may have a correct solution.

          • thank you for reply. one more question please. I cannot turn off text-to-voice(speech). every message is read loudly. how can I turn it off?

          • Very likely, because of driving mode was turned on.

            You can turn it off (settings--language and input-Text-to-speech output, turn off/uncheck Driving mode)

          • Dear Galaxy Note, problem still exists. Document restored after application closed, again and again. I did all you said but no change. please heeelllp!

          • Not sure. If possible, you may visit local Samsung service center. Because this is a bundled software, the warranty should cover this.

          • hey! i have the same problem too. I've try 'factory data reset'. all of the applications that I've download were lost. but S note become normal again. i can insert picture in 'idea note' normally. but a few days later, that ” Document restored after application closed” come again. what should i do ? am i have to tap that 'factory data reset' every this problem occur? it's very inconvenience

          • Did you try to reboot your phone and try again?

            Also, you may to close some recent apps by long press Home button, then swipe left (or right) of recent apps to close them. This may give S Note more RAM.

            Another thing you can try is to clear the S Note cache and data (settings--applications--downloaded--S Note, press clear data and clear cache). Please backup your notes to your PC using Kies before doing this.

            As S Note is part of the UI, you cannot uninstall and re-install it. Yes, factory reset will erase all your data, but apps from Google Play store can be backed up (settings--Automatic restore)

          • I have problem with S Note when I try to insert picture to create idea note. It's shown " Document restored after application closed" . What should I do?

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