Cell phone blues

[Hawkmoon]

My trusty Samsung J3 Eclipse cell phone finally reached the end. Battery life was getting poor, so Verizon replaced it with a Samsung S20FE 5G. It's supposed to be a much better phone, but I've had it for 12 hours and I already don't like it.

The bottom row of icons on the home screen is icons only, no text. I'm an analog person. I need text. All the orther icons have text -- are trhere any Samsung users out there who can tell me how to turn on text for that bottom row of icons?

TIA

[K Frame]

I don't know of a way to turn the labels for the bottom row of icons.

One thing you can do is move the icons up a row and put functions you never use on the bottom row.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/threads/how-do-i-get-labels-on-favorite-icons-at-bottom-of-screen.1038424/

[Hawkmoon]

Fantastic. So it looks like the only way to do it is to install the Nova Launcher app -- and that's something I would prefer not to mess around with.

This is fardling stupid. Generations of Samsung devices have all had text labels for the icons on the home screen. All the icons on the home screen. Who decided it was a good idea to remove the label just for the bottom row -- and to change the design of the icons at the same time, so someone (like me) who just changed to a new(er) phone is forced to guess what each icon means?

Idjits!

[WLJ]

My trusty Samsung J3 Eclipse cell phone finally reached the end. Battery life was getting poor, so Verizon replaced it with a Samsung S20FE 5G. It's supposed to be a much better phone, but I've had it for 12 hours and I already don't like it.

The bottom row of icons on the home screen is icons only, no text. I'm an analog person. I need text. All the orther icons have text -- are trhere any Samsung users out there who can tell me how to turn on text for that bottom row of icons?

TIA

Same phone I have and to be frank I never noticed since as they're fairly easy to understand icons. I'll nose around in it and see what I can find.

[lee n. field]

Fantastic. So it looks like the only way to do it is to install the Nova Launcher app -- and that's something I would prefer not to mess around with.

This is fardling stupid. Generations of Samsung devices have all had text labels for the icons on the home screen. All the icons on the home screen. Who decided it was a good idea to remove the label just for the bottom row -- and to change the design of the icons at the same time, so someone (like me) who just changed to a new(er) phone is forced to guess what each icon means?

Idjits!

For S&G I checked my Moto G Pure, Android 12.  It's as you describe.  Bottom icons are phone, chat, camera, and the spyware Interwebz browser I never use.  They are unlabeled, and obvious.

If I move one icon out of the row, another takes its place.

Get used to it.

[K Frame]

"and to change the design of the icons at the same time, so someone (like me) who just changed to a new(er) phone is forced to guess what each icon means?"

Prettty simple, really.

The icon that has what looks like a telephone handset on it?

That's the weather ap.

The one that has a big number on it with SUN at the top?

That's the solar tracker. When it changes to MON you can track the moon.

The one that has what looks like a face on picture of a camera on it?

No one is quite sure what that one does, so I'd ignore it.


You did notice that I said that you can move the app icons UP one row and then the names will very neatly display?

Do you know how to move the app icons or do you need assistance with that?

[BobR]

I woke up the other morning to an Android update to my phone. Now I have to learn it all over again!!!!   


bob

[Ben]

I woke up the other morning to an Android update to my phone. Now I have to learn it all over again!!!!   


bob

I haven't had an update in 4 years on my S9, thanks to Samsung's short and crappy update policy. I still haven't gotten around to a new phone and provider, but it appears security update periods are longer on the newer phones.

[Perd Hapley]

Hawkmoon, I have the same phone. Your best bet is to move the icons out of the bottom row, and leave it empty.

To move the icons, you just hold your finger on the icon until a window pops up, then drag the icon to an empty space further up.

[K Frame]

Hawkmoon, I have the same phone. Your best bet is to move the icons out of the bottom row, and leave it empty.

To move the icons, you just hold your finger on the icon until a window pops up, then drag the icon to an empty space further up.

Thank God someone finally recommended that!

Again.

I have a funny feeling, though, that you'll just get a repeat of "GEDOFFAMAHLAWN!"

[Hawkmoon]

Hawkmoon, I have the same phone. Your best bet is to move the icons out of the bottom row, and leave it empty.

To move the icons, you just hold your finger on the icon until a window pops up, then drag the icon to an empty space further up.

That worked -- mostly. The bottom row for me was five icons, and all the other rows have four spaces. I was able to move Phone, Messages, Contacts, and Settings. It won't allow me to move the Apps icon, so that's now all by itself on the bottom row.

I can live with that. Thanks.

[Perd Hapley]

Does the Apps icon look like this?



Did you know you can put more icons in another screen to the right? Swipe your finger across the screen and it will open a new screen or desktop or whatever they call it.

[MechAg94]

My bottom row has Phone, Messages (texting app), Chrome, and Camera.  All are icons I use a lot and I don't need text.  The Google App store can be anywhere since I don't use it very often at all. 

[Hawkmoon]

Does the Apps icon look like this?

No -- that's the Play Store icon.

Did you know you can put more icons in another screen to the right? Swipe your finger across the screen and it will open a new screen or desktop or whatever they call it.

Yes, I've known that for twenty years or more. I've had three Samsung cell phones and two other, off-brand Android phones, as well as four Samsung tablets. This new phone is the first one I've encountered that had icons without accompanying text. Obviously, the kids who set this up weren't taught that some people perceive graphically and some people perceive analog. I'm basically analog -- I read text rather than rely on pictures.

[K Frame]

My bottom row has Phone, Messages (texting app), Chrome, and Camera.  All are icons I use a lot and I don't need text.  The Google App store can be anywhere since I don't use it very often at all. 

Yep, exactly. The bottom row icons are ones that I use more than enough to know what they are without having to read what they are.

Phone, Visual Voice Mail, Calendar, and the Google Group (Basically a folder for the Google family of apps, including Gmail and Maps)

[dogmush]

I forget exactly when, but a couple android versions ago they changed that I think.  That "bottom row" isn't the home screen/desktop anymore.  It is trying to be like a task bar, and those 4 or 5 apps stay on the screen no matter which of your home screens you are on.  the idea (I presume) was you put the most used apps there and whereve on the phone's homescreen/desktop you are at you can get to the most used apps.  I guess since the planned on it being the most used apps they assumed you'd know what they are.  On my Pixel the spot that would be the labels is occupied by a search bar.  Samsung uses a skin on Android, so I'm not sure what's there on there UI.

I actually really like having that search bar and a couple apps handy no matter where I am in my phone, but I have three full screens of apps and widgets I use.  I can see how if you weren't using that much screen real estate it would be less useful.

Since we're sharing mine is set up to have Messaging app, Chrome, a folder that has camera and gallery in it, and a dynamic one that is my most recently used app, for a quick reopen.

[Perd Hapley]

No -- that's the Play Store icon.

Oh. I wasn't sure what you're talking about. If my phone has an Apps icon, I've never seen it.

...I'm basically analog -- I read text rather than rely on pictures.

I haven't seen "analog" used in that way before. I would think it would be the other way around. A digital watch writes out the time for you. An analog watch shows you a picture that you interpret to get the time.

[MechAg94]

nm

[K Frame]

Oh, and if you hate the bottom row not having text labels on them, for the love of God don't pull up the Edge panel!




Some edge panels do have app captions, but I don't think they do on all phone versions.

I rarely use the Edge panels, so I've no clue what mine even look like on my 23FE.

[Hawkmoon]

Oh, and if you hate the bottom row not having text labels on them, for the love of God don't pull up the Edge panel!

Wouldn't dream of it! I've seen references to that in trying to figure out some of the quirks of this new phone. Doesn't seem like anything I'm interested in.

I've also discovered that when I tap the Apps icon, I have three partial screen of app icons. On my old phone and on the tablets, I can grab any app icon and drag it around on that screen, or drag it to the adjacent screen.

That doesn't work on this phone. The only thing I can do is put a copy of an app icon on the home screen.

Why do they insist in "fixing" things that aren't broken?

[K Frame]

'That doesn't work on this phone. The only thing I can do is put a copy of an app icon on the home screen."

It should.

I had a 7, an 11?, and a 20 before I upgraded to my 23 and the ability drag icons between screens was available on all of them.

[dogmush]

The apps folder is alphabetical.  You can put them anywhere you want on your home screen(s).  At least on vanilla Android, it's been like that for a WHILE.  I actually prefer it. stuff I use is on my home screens and I know where it is (You can also put like apps in folders on your home screen).  for rarely used apps, I have to go to the apps folder, then I know it's alphabetical, so I can just scroll to find something.  There's also a search bar at the top of the apps folder.

It sounds like you are using (or Samsung gives you?) an icon to access apps in addition to just swiping up from the bottom? That seems redundant.

[Hawkmoon]

Every Samsung device I've had (three cell phones and four tablets) has had an icon for apps.

Now I'll have to dredge up one of the ZTE burner phones and see if they have it ... don't remember.

{Edit to add: Yes, they do.}

[dogmush]

per Google's onboard AI that's a holdover from an old version of Android.  (I haven't had a Samsung in a while, so I have to take their word for it).  You can turn it off in app settings.

I can say that the way Android's developers intend you to use it is to put the apps you use with semi frequency on your home screens in an arraignment that makes sense to you, and only swipe up to go to the full apps list occasionally for apps you don't use often, or have just added.  From your description of use it sounds like you had been using the apps list the way the home screen is intended to be used. (moving stuff around so it's in an intuitive spot for you).  I fully believe that Samsung's notoriously craptastic interface encouraged this for long after Android had moved on.


None of which helps you now that your phone does not work the way you liked.  You may or may not find it worth switching over to user designed home screens rather than using the apps button.  I only really started liking that set up when I started really using widgets.  Large clocks and calendars for easy glancing at, smaller dual time clocks and weather, some apps that I use on the screen, others grouped by type in custom folders, streaming music control widgets, etc.    Depending on how you use your phone, the juice might not be worth the squeeze.