Know the tips and tricks for Galaxy S4 hidden features, secret quick fixes for camera issues and practical ways to extend battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Features

1. Unhide All Shortcut Toggles

For easy access of the volume control, screen brightness, S Beam, NFC, Smart Stay and Air Gesture, swipe down of the notifications bar to see all available shortcut toggles.

2. Remote Control

Use the Infrared blaster and WatchOn app to control TV sets and cable boxes using Galaxy S4. Launch the application and configure it using the built-in wizard on your phone.

3. Using Best Photo

Use the "Best Photo" camera feature to allow Galaxy S4 shoot 8 successive burst and creates the best image among them with automatic removal of closed eyes issue and other distortions.

4. Customise the Lock Screen

Add widgets on the lock screen such as SMS or email and put some personal message for spice. Simply go to "Settings > My device > Lock screen and then pick Options" to customise it.

5. Xbox 360 Controller

Purchase an USB On-the-Go cable to make your Galaxy S4 control XBOX 360 as if playing the same with a controller.

6. USB Flash Drives

You can connect a USB flash disk to your handset to view, edit and transfer data files from your internal storage or microSD card. Use the USB OTG cable, attach the USB flash disk then connect it to the Galaxy S4.

7. Do Not Disturb Mode

Activate "Do Not Disturb" mode to block incoming calls, notifications, alarms and even the LED indicator to prevent disturbances during your sleep or meeting.

8. Headset Control

Use the headset to control music playback, answer or end incoming calls and launch S Voice to announce notifications, hear messages and make direct calls.

9. Air Gestures and Motion Control

If you are fancy with advanced controls and navigation, use "Air Gesture" by turning it on the "Settings > My device > Motions and gestures > Air gesture."

10. Save Power Anytime

For low battery or better conservation of power, swipe down on the notifications bar and activate the "Power Saver" tool to help extend battery throughout the day.

11. Take Photos Using Your Voice

You can command your Galaxy S4 to shoot images using your voice. Go to "Camera > Menu > Settings > Voice Control" to enable hands-free photo shoot.

12. Smart Alerts

Get notified by your phone with new alerts through vibration once you pick it up from idle state. Go to "Settings > My device > Motions and gestures > Smart Alert."

13. Call Rejection

Avoid annoyances, unwanted numbers and stalkers by activating incognito mode of Galaxy S4. Go to "Applications > Menu > Call settings > Call rejection" to filter incoming calls on your phone.

14. Enable Glove Mode

If you live in a cold city and use gloves often, increase the sensitivity of Galaxy S4 to respond from your gloves. Go to "Settings > My device > Display > High touch sensitivity."

15. Air View for Quick Info

View instant thumbnail or quick info on items by hovering your finger above them using Air View. Go to the device's setting and configure "Air View" feature.

16. Managing Data Traffic

Go to "Settings > Connections > Data Usage" to manage data consumption over 3G/4G network on your Galaxy S4.

17. Using Eyes to Control

Make eye contact and put control over your phone during movie marathon or Internet browsing. Go to "Settings > My device > Smart Screen > Check Smart Stay > Check Smart Pause and turn on Smart Scroll."

18. Tracking Down Your Galaxy S4

Download and install the Lookout Mobile application which will help you in the future tracking down your lost or stolen Galaxy S4.

19. Improving Keyboard Experience

Swiftkey feature is included on Galaxy S4 keyboard which learns how you type and intelligently predict the next word to create better sentences.

20. Speeding Up Home Key

Remove the "S Voice" launcher from the home button to speed up its performance. Double tap Home button > Menu > Settings > Uncheck "Open" via Home key.

21. Checking Alerts Hands-Free

Go to "Settings > My device > Motions and gestures > Air gesture > Quick glance" then wave your hand over the screen show notifications bar icons, missed calls, new messages, battery life and current time without touching the phone.

22. Multi-Task with Dual Window

Multi-task using the "Dual Window" mode on several applications such as YouTube, Twitter or Facebook and check emails while reading notifications from Facebook or tweets from Twitter.

23. Quick Access to Settings

Long press any toggle on the notifications shade to directly access its settings.

24. Google Now

Quickly launch Google Now feature by holding down on the Home key then swipe up to search over the Internet, view cards and other functions.

25. Easy Mode UI

Use Easy Mode to give a neat and simpler user interface on your first use. Then switch back to Standard mode anytime you're ready for advanced functions.

Common Camera Bug Fixes

26. Sudden Close or Crash

Reboot your smartphone to refresh the app, RAM and system but if it's still unresolved, go to "Apps manager > Camera > Force stop > Clear cache > Clear data" then launch the camera again.

27. "Warning: Camera Failed"

Go to the "Apps manager > Camera > Force stop > Clear cache > Clear data" then launch the camera again and see if it's resolved.

If not, switch the phone off, press and hold "Volume Up + Home + Power" keys to reboot into Recovery mode then select "wipe cache partition."

If both cannot fix it, go to "Settings > Accounts > Backup and reset > Factory data reset > Reset device > Delete all" but perform a backup first.

28. Black or Blank Screen

End all running applications by using the "Task manager" then reboot your smartphone. If the camera hangs up, remove the battery for at least one minute before reinserting it.

If still persisting, turn the device, switch it on then tap continuously on the Menu key > Safe mode > Launch camera. Once the Safe Mode solved the issue, disable or uninstall all recently installed apps.

As a last resort, perform a factory reset on your device.

29. Damaged Camera Lens

Only your service centre can fix this issue if there is any physical damage on the camera lens. Some warranty effects do not cover such damage on your device.

30. Malfunctioning Camera Flash

Make sure that the "Flash" feature is on and the device isn't on low battery then disable filters, effects and uninstall third-party camera apps. Reboot the device.

Check for any software updates to solve bugs and improve the camera itself. For physical aspect, clean the flash and lens with soft cloth dampened in mild soap and water. If nothing works above, visit your local service centre.

Tips on How to Extend Battery Life

31. Control Screen Brightness

Reduce the brightness to its readable level and disable the "Automatic Brightness" feature to save power. Dim the screen to converse energy when you are about to go to sleep.

32. Manual Syncing of Data

Sync apps to data manually to avoid higher power consumption and increased data usage. Go to the app such as Facebook or Gmail, open the settings and select syncing frequency to "manual" or "never."

33. Monitor Power Consumers

Go to "Settings > Battery" to view which apps are eating the most then uninstall or disable these apps to improve battery life.

34. Minimise Screen Timeout

Select the screen timeout duration according to your desire such as 10 or 30 seconds to save more juice on the battery.

35. Disabling Wireless Radio

Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and mobile data when not in use. Prefer 3G connectivity for mobile data instead of LTE to conserve power.

36. Airplane Mode

Activate "Airplane Mode" in zero coverage areas or during quiet hours if you're not expecting any notifications.

37. Using the Task Manager

Hold and press the "Home" key and swipe left or right to remove applications on the task manager which helps both the battery and memory.

38. Use "Back" Key for Closing Apps

Close applications using the "Back" key instead of the "Home" key to avoid it lurking on the forefront memory.

39. Recharging Cycle

Sometimes drain your Galaxy S4 then recharge it without interruption once a month to boost battery life using proper recharging cycle. In addition, reboot the phone after every full recharge.

40. Avoid Heat

Never let your Galaxy S4 stay on hot areas or surfaces to avoid instant battery drains. Cooler temperatures are good with Lithium-ion batteries.

41. Darker Wallpapers

Maximise the battery saving power Super AMOLED display by putting a static and dark wallpaper on your screen.

42. Avoid Third-Party Apps

No need to install third-party power saving or task managing apps as Samsung already installed theirs on Galaxy S4 and you should utilise them often.

43. Power Saving Tool

Activate the "Power Saving" mode on the notifications shade to disable wireless connections, stop background apps syncing, reduce brightness, reduces screen timeout and more to save energy during low battery situations.

44. Disable Galaxy S Features

Disable Galaxy S apps and features if necessary to extend battery life throughout the day.

45. Stop the Wi-Fi Hotspot

Sharing mobile data is good but it drains power on the Galaxy S4 so monitor the "Hotspot" or turn it off if not in use.

46. Reboot Regularly

Reboot to refresh the system and free memory load anytime during the day. Most errors are resolved by a reboot.

47. Software Updates

Never forget software upgrades via Samsung Kies or built-in update checker on your device. New firmware usually provides battery enhancements.

48. Quite Mode

If you are going to bed, put the device on silent mode, reduce the brightness to minimum and close all apps to extend battery life during the night.

49. Using Camera Video Light

Camera video light drains a lot of power and should only be used if the phone has a good battery level.

50. Compressing Data

Some browsers can compress data which helpful on the battery during transfers and Web page loading. If you are using Google Chrome, launch the app and go to "Settings > Bandwidth Management > Reduce Data Usage."

51. Factory Reset

Factory reset can solve various issues such as bugs, errors and even battery life. Before doing a factory reset, create a backup first of all important things stored on your Galaxy S4.