If you’re looking for a bigger home screen that is easier to deal with for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, then let me show you how to enable Easy Mode.
The Galaxy S7 Easy Mode that is built into TouchWiz isn’t necessarily unique. It is essentially just a Custom Launcher with bigger icons and a much easier to learn interface. Custom Launchers are pretty popular in the Play Store and you can find multiple ones there that do something very similar to what the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode is.
One of the most popular Custom Launchers in the Play Store actually costs about 10 dollars to unlock the premium version. So it’s nice that Samsung has included a fully featured version for free with the S7 and S7 Edge.
The regular TouchWiz launcher for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge is fairly customizable and this is great for those who want to tweak it exactly how they want it. The thing is, some people feel it is too difficult and confusing to learn. There’s a lot there and for someone who just wants to use their phone to call people, browse the web, text and do a few other things (maybe some casual gaming), then the stock TouchWiz launcher can be overkill. This is where the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode comes into play and that’s what I’m going to show you right now.
Galaxy S7 Easy Mode
- Launch the Settings Application
- Scroll Down and Tap on the ‘Easy Mode’ Option
- Switch it From Standard Mode to Easy Mode
- Enable/Disable the Easy Mode Apps You Want to See
- Then Press the ‘Done’ Button at the Top
Explanation
There are a couple of ways to enable the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode and the one described in the tutorial above is just one of them (I show both ways in the video though). It is the easier route since the option is right there in the main Settings list. Once you enable the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode from here. You’ll have a list of basic applications at the very bottom of the page. These are set to On by default, but you can scroll down and disable any applications you don’t want to see on the home page. For example, if you have no need for a Calendar app to be on the home screen, then simply disable it and you won’t see it.
You can always add the Calendar (or any other app you choose to disable from here or remove elsehwere) anytime in the future so feel free to experiment with how things are setup. Once you have the settings set to how you like it, then press the Done button at the top and you’ll be taken directly to the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode home screen. You’ll see your clock with a date and a place for weather. Then under it you’ll see a number of applications. The icons are much larger than you’re probably used to and that will either be a good or bad thing. It’s just how things are though.
Swiping to the right will bring up the far left panel and this is where you can store add quick access to your favorite contacts. You’ll always be able to swipe to the far left home screen and quickly call or text anyone that you’ve added to the list. Swiping to the left will take you to the far right panel and this is where you can add more applications. You can put your favorite apps and games here and they will always be there for you to access them quickly and easily. This will look and function very similarly to the regular TouchWiz launcher, but the actually user experience is different.
For example, you can’t move around apps by pressing and holding them. Instead, you have to remove the shortcut and then add it in another place. There’s no way to add apps from the app drawer. Instead, you’ll have to tap on one of the blank plus icons and then add it in from the list of apps. For some people this will seem like the ‘longer route’ but when you think about the basic interactions, it’s much easier for someone who is new to smartphones (or even Android) to learn. A lot of people take for granted the basic interactions (like pressing and holding to move an app for example) that we have known about Android.
This stuff isn’t known by everyone though. We all start from somewhere and the Galaxy S7 Easy Mode is a great way to slowly introduce the mobile platform to someone without forcing them to learn everything all at once. Doing that can overwhelm someone and it could give them a bad experience with the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge.
