Here are my Samsung Galaxy A3 (2014) settings including miscellaneous notes. See also: Android App Settings, Useful Android Apps.
Battery stopped working December 22nd, 2020.
Bluetooth seems to use a lot of battery, even when not in use. This could be a bug related to Any.do app (3/2017).
Since about 2018 there seems to be a problem with the Wi-Fi chip.
The battery seems to empty faster if Wi-Fi is turned on.
Download certificates to the phone (for example for campus):
Settings, Wi-Fi, ..., Advanced, Install certificates, Local storage
Palm swipe from right to left. You need to keep the center of touch at the middle of the screen or your touch will not be recognized. See elsewhere.
The name of the main directory is impossible to guess:
/storage/C141-14EC/DCIM/Camera
I thought photos are inside the .thumbnails folder:
/sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails
Galaxy Apps (by Samsung) has some of the updates for this phone. See My Apps, Update. (My Apps can be found by clicking the three dots in the search bar, 3/2017).
The home screen mentioned above is for Google searches. Actually, they are called panels.
Drag an icon on one of the panels and a plus icon appears for the new panel. Drag the icon to the plus icon to add a panel.
Press and hold your finger on an empty part of your home screen panel (any panel is OK). Press the Widgets icon that appears.
Press and hold your finger on an empty part of your home screen panel (any panel is OK). Press the "Home screen settings" icon that appears.
Uncheck the "Flipboard Briefing" option.
Samsung Smart Switch
Install Samsung Smart Switch Mobile to A3.
Install Samsung Smart Switch for Mac to OS X.
Connect A3 to OS X.
The OS X app may crash. Try this: first connect phone to computer, unlock phone screen, start Samsung Smart Switch Mobile in phone. After all that, in OS X, start Samsung Smart Switch.
Drag (copy) ringtone (.m4r file) from Finder to Samsung Smart Switch app (Ringtones folder) on OS X.
Artist: Shawn Lee: Bully Theme (Running Theme).
Update: Dragging the whole .m4a music file instead of the shorter .m4r file seems to work with Android 6.
Samsung Smart Switch
Use directory /mnt/extSdCard/bluetooth/
With your computer's Smart Switch, click the down arrow for "Galaxy A3" and select the "folder" icon near the "Internal memory" text
(If the above doesn't work, try to use "Backup" from your computer, not from the phone, but I don't know how to access the backups.)
You need to have Bluetooth Sharing (not File Sharing) turned on in OS X. It may sound strange when receiving files, but that's the way it is.
Home and Icon Screens
Home Screen
Clock 4.0.1 (by Google) widget
Process: com.google.android.deskclock (store)
Icon Screens: General Notes
Theoretical maximum: 16 icons per screen. 4 (horizontal) x 4 (vertical).
Icon Screen 1
Photos (previously Gallery)
Contacts
Messages
Calendar
Swarm (Foursquare)
Weather (FMI Weather or Sää)
Gmail
Google (Google Search app)
Drive (Google Drive)
Adobe Acrobat (Adobe Systems)
Google+
Frequently Used Pages (bookmark)
Stopwatch & Timer+ (sportstracklive.com)
File Manager Pro (Cheetah Mobile, previously Rhythm Software)
Icon Screen 2
Maps (Google Maps)
Translate (Google Translate)
Play Books (Google Play Books)
Amazon Kindle
Calculator
QR Code Reader (Scan, Inc.)
(TrackID) (by Sony) (uses Facebook)
Ping (ilMobile Apps)
Speed Test (Speedtest.net / Ookla)
System bar (bottom bar)
Phone
Camera
Settings
"Apps" or "Middle button" with 16 squares (can't be moved to the middle)
Settings
Wi-Fi
[x] Smart network switch
Advanced (the three dots at the top and then "Advanced")
[ ] Network notification
[ ] Passpoint
[ ] Sort by: Signal strength
Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep
(*) Always
[ ] Always allow scanning
[ ] Wi-Fi Timer
MAC address: -
IP address: -
Bluetooth
Visibility timeout (the three dots at the top and then "Visibility timeout")
(*) 2 minutes
Tethering and Mobile hotspot
[ ] Mobile hotspot
[ ] USB tethering
[ ] Bluetooth tethering
Flight mode
Off
Data usage
[x] Mobile data (disabling this option disables data access, so don't disable)
[ ] Set mobile data limit
Advanced (the three dots at the top and then "Advanced")
[ ] Data roaming
[ ] Restrict background data
[x] Auto sync data
[x] Show Wi-Fi usage
Mobile hotspots
Location
Mode
(*) High accuracy ("Uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks to estimate your location")
( ) Power saving
( ) GPS only
Google location history
Off
NFC and sharing
[ ] NFC
[ ] Nearby devices
Printing
[ ] HP Print Service Plugin
[ ] Samsung Print Service Plugin
Download plug-in
[ ] Screen mirroring
More networks
Default messaging app
(*) Messages
Mobile networks
Access Point Names
Saunalahti NET
internet
Saunalahti MMS
mms
Network mode
(*) LTE/WCDMA/GSM (auto connect)
(*) WCDMA/GSM (auto connect)
( ) WCDMA only
( ) GSM only
Network operators ("Service providers" on some non-Samsung phones)
(*) Saunalahti
[ ] VPN
Sounds and notifications
Sound mode
(*) Sound
Volume
Ringtone & notifications: 8/10
Music, video, games and other media: 4/10
Notifications: 8/10
System: 7/10
Vibration intensity
Incoming call: 10/10
Notifications: 10/10
Haptic feedback: 8/10
Ringtones
Bully Theme (Running Theme) (by Shawn Lee)
Silent
Basic Bell
Basic Tone
Beep Once
Beep-Beep
Blue Duck
Chime
Club Magic
Crossing a River
Dreaming Tone
Echo Tone
Ecliptic
Executive Flair
Flying in the Sky
Glissando Tone
Hangouts Call
Imagination
Journey
Leisure Time
Meadow Sunrise
Mystic Tone
Ocean Voyage
Over the Horizon
Peaceful Strum
Pure Tone
Reverie
Rolling Tone
Scampering Tone
Silhouette
Time Traveler
Tinkling Tone
Twinkle
Writing Adventure
Vibrations
( ) Basic Call
( ) Heartbeat
(*) Jinglebell (easier to notice than the default "Basic Call")
( ) Ticktock
( ) Waltz
( ) Zig-zig-zig
Notifications
( ) Silent
( ) Beep Once
( ) Calendar Notification
( ) Charming Bell
( ) Chirps
( ) Crystal
( ) Drew Drops
( ) Flower Seed
( ) Flowers
( ) Hangouts Message
(*) Harmonics
( ) Harp Glissando
( ) Jewel
( ) Knock
( ) Marbles
( ) On Time
( ) Opener
( ) Postman
( ) Pure Bell
( ) Sweet Flavour
( ) Whisper
( ) Whistle
( ) Wine Glass
[x] Vibrate when ringing
Other sounds
[ ] Dialling keypad tone (Dialing keypad tone)
[ ] Touch sounds
[ ] Screen lock sound
[ ] Haptic feedback
Samsung Keyboard
[ ] Sound when tapped
[ ] Vibrate when tapped
Do not disturb (Android 5)
Allow exceptions
[x] Alarms (I may have an important alarm I have forgotten)
[x] Set schedule
Days: Monday (...) Sunday
Start time: 23:00
End time: 10:00 next day
Display and wallpaper
Brightness: about 10/10
Wallpaper: Black (my own image)
Themes
Samsung Basic
Natural
Craft
Classic
Sweet
Font
Font style
(*) Default
( ) Choco Cooky
( ) Cool Jazz
( ) Rosemary
( ) Samsung Sans
Font size
( ) Tiny
( ) Extra small
(*) Small
( ) Medium
( ) Large
( ) Extra Large
( ) Huge
[x] Screen rotation
[x] Smart stay ("Screen stays on as long as you are looking at it")
Screen timeout: 5 minutes
Screen mode
( ) Adaptive display (causes problems)
(*) AMOLED cinema
( ) AMOLED photo
( ) Basic
[ ] Auto adjust screen tone
[ ] Daydream
Touch key light duration: 1.5 seconds
Lock screen
Screen lock: secured with pattern
[x] Dual clock ("Show both local and home time zones when roaming")
Clock size: Large
Pattern type: Classic
[x] Show date
[x] Camera shortcut
Owner information: tomi.hasa@gmail.com
[x] Make pattern visible
[x] Vibration feedback
Lock automatically: 15 seconds after screen automatically turns off
[x] Lock instantly with power key
Notification panel ("Customise which quick setting buttons appear at the top of the notification panel")
Active buttons
Wi-Fi
Sound
Screen rotation
Power saving
U. power saving
Flight mode
Motions and gestures
[ ] Smart alert
[x] Mute/Pause
[x] Palm swipe to capture (easy/only way to screen capture (screencapture))
Accounts
Samsung account
Cloud (for Samsung account)
Storage usage
Total used: 597B
Memo, S Memo, S Note(.snb): 597B
S Planner: 0.00B
Internet: 0.00B
Contacts: 0.00B
Backed up data: 0.00B
Sync settings
[ ] Sync Calendar
[ ] Sync Contacts
[ ] Sync Internet
[ ] Sync Memo
Backup and reset
[ ] Back up my data
Factory data reset
Easy mode
(*) Standard mode
( ) Easy mode
Accessibility
Vision
TalkBack: Off
Font size: Small
Magnification gestures: Off
Notification reminder: Off
Negative colours: Off
Colour adjustment: Off
Accessibility shortcut: Off
Text-to-speech options
Hearing
[ ] Flash notification
[ ] Turn off all sounds
[ ] Samsung subtitles (CC)
[x] Google subtitles (CC)
Sound balance
[ ] Mono audio
[ ] Auto haptic
Dexterity and interaction
Assistant menu
Tap and hold delay: Short (0.5 seconds)
[ ] Interaction control
Private mode
Language and input
Language: English (United Kingdom)
Keyboards and input methods
Default
Samsung keyboard (easier than "Smart Keyboard Pro" on this phone)
[x] Samsung keyboard
[ ] Google voice typing
[x] Smart Keyboard Pro
Settings info: Android App Settings
Date and time
[x] Automatic date and time
Set date
Set time
[x] Automatic time zone
[x] Use 24-hour format
Safety assistance
Battery
Power saving
[ ] Power saving mode
[ ] Ultra power saving mode
App power saving
[Details]
[ ] App power saving
Comment: Do not use power saving for any app, the Internet/Wi-Fi connection will be disabled for example in Eon Altar.
Comment: You need to restart the phone after disabling the power saving mode.
[ ] Percentage on status bar
Storage
Unmount SD card
Format SD card
Security
Device administrators
[ ] Unknown sources
[x] Verify apps
Encrypt device
[x] Remote controls
Help
Developer options
How to enable developer options on A3
On "About device" section click the Build number several times (source).
Desktop backup password
[ ] Stay awake
[ ] Bluetooth HCI snoop log
Process stats
[x] USB debugging
Revoke USB debugging authorization
[ ] Allow mock locations
Select debug app
[ ] Wait for debugger
[x] Verify apps via USB
[x] Show touches
[ ] Show pointer location
[ ] Show screen updates
[ ] Show layout boundaries
[ ] Force RTL layout
Window animation scale: 1x
Transtition animation scale: 1x
Animator duration scale: 1x
Simulate secondary displays: None
[ ] Force GPU rendering: Use 2D hardware acceleration in applications
[ ] Show GPU view updates
[ ] Show hardware layers updates
[ ] Debug GPU overdraw
[ ] Show non-rectangular clips
[ ] Enable 4x MSAA
[ ] Disable hadware overlays
[ ] Strict mode
[ ] Show CPU usage
Profile GPU rendering: Hide
[ ] Enable OpenGL traces
[ ] Do not keep activities
Limit background processes: Standard limit
[ ] Show all ANRs
About device (on some non-Samsung phones: "About phone")
Software updates
Status
Legal information
Device name: -
Model number: SM-A300FU
Android version: see below
-----------------------------
Android version: 4.4.4 (initial version)
Baseband version: A300FUXXU1ANL4
Kernel version
3.10.28-3432061
dpi@SWDD5610 #1
Fri Dec 5 20:20:05 KST 2014
Build number: KTU84P.A300FUXXU1ANL4
-----------------------------
Android version: 5.0.2
Baseband version: A300FUXXU1BOK4
Kernel version
3.10.49-6027881
dpi@SWDD6105 #1
Sat Oct 31 05:19:05 KST 2015
Build number: LRX22G.A300FUXXU1BOJ5
-----------------------------
Android version: 6.0.1
Android security patch level: 1 April 2017
Baseband version: A300FUXXU1CPH3
Kernel version
3.10.49-8987886
dpi@SWDG2907 #1
Fri Apr 7 20:23:21 KST 2017
Build number: MMB29M.A300FUXXS1CQD5
-----------------------------
SE for Android status
FCC ID: A3LSMA300FU
RATED: DC 5V;1000mA
Battery capacity: 1900 mAh
Application manager ("Apps" on some non-Samsung phones)
Comment: apps in alphabetical order per section.
Running
Quick Connect Interactive
2.7 MB
Remote controls
7.08 MB
Android System
3.5 MB
Settings
106 MB
Knox Notification Manager
7.8 MB
Bluetooth Share
8.9 MB
SmartcardService
3.4 MB
Google Play services
32 MB
Google Play services
40 MB
PageBuddyNotiSvc
2.9 MB
S Voice
9.7 MB
S Finder
45 MB
Samsung Push Service
11 MB
Samsung Cloud Data
7.0 MB
Quick connect
6.1 MB
Samsung keyboard
29 MB
RAM
690MB used / 701MB free
Cached
TouchWiz Home
38 MB
Clock
7.0 MB
Foursquare
18 MB
Samsung Push Service
3.8 MB
Calendar Storage
6.2 MB
Swarm
18 MB
Contacts
11 MB
Samsung text-to-speech
27 MB
Calendar
8.6 MB
Memo
4.9 MB
Active applications
2.6 MB
com.qualcomm.times(...)
2.5 MB
Amazon Kindle
37 MB
Application Settings
Call
[x] Show caller information
Call alerts
[ ] Vibrate when answered
[ ] Vibrate when call ends
[ ] Call connect tone
[ ] Minute minder
[ ] Call end tone
[ ] Notify during calls
More settings
[x] Show my caller ID
[ ] Call waiting
[ ] Auto redial
[x] Noise reduction
Contacts
[ ] Swipe to call or message (swipe can be done by mistake)
[x] Only contacts with phones
Sort by: First name
(none)
Gallery
[ ] Sync via Wi-Fi only (when forget this setting, I don't need to wonder why pics are not synced, see the "Android App Settings" page for more information about Gallery)
[ ] Face tag
Internet
(not interested)
Messages
Default messaging app: Messages
[x] Delete old messages
Text message limit: 1000 messages
Multimedia message limit: 100 messages
[ ] Signature
S Planner
(not interested)
S Voice
(not interested)
Last modified: December 22nd, 2020
Author: Tomi Häsä (tomi.hasa@gmail.com)
URL: http://sites.google.com/site/tomihasa/samsung-galaxy-a3-settings