Manage Applications on Samsung Galaxy S8

9 Parts:

Clearing application cache and Data

Force Stop, Disable, and Uninstall Apps

Installing and Updating Apps

Enable or Disable Add Icon to Home Screen for New Apps

Closing Recently Used Apps and Using Split Screen Mode

Add and Remove App Shortcuts from the Home Screen

Change the Default Application and Manage Permissions

Syncing Apps with Online Accounts

...More

Understanding app management on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ is highly essential because let's face it, everything about the phone is based on applications. When you make a call or send a message, you're using an app, when you take photographs and shoot video, again you're using an app. Without functioning applications, The Galaxy S8/S8+ (or any smartphone for that matter) would be useless.

Clearing app data and cache is sometimes necessary because, after a while, frequently used applications can slow your device down. Knowing how to change the default apps for primary functions like calling, texting, surfing the web and managing email, for instance, is good to know as well. Updating apps should also be done regularly to ensure you're always using the latest versions, for both security and performance reasons. Uninstalling apps, as well as removing their shortcuts is essential, especially if you're someone who likes to test out a lot of applications.

In the following Article, we'll walk through the steps involved in managing applications, using a Samsung Galaxy S8 running Android Nougat.

Contents

1 Clearing application cache and Data
2 Force Stop, Disable, and Uninstall Apps
3 Installing and Updating Apps
4 Enable or Disable Add Icon to Home Screen for New Apps
5 Closing Recently Used Apps and Using Split Screen Mode
6 Add and Remove App Shortcuts from the Home Screen
7 Change the Default Application and Manage Permissions
8 Syncing Apps with Online Accounts
9 Comments

1
On the home screen, swipe up to get to the app drawer.
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2
From the app drawer, tap "Settings".
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3
On the SETTINGS screen, tap "Apps".
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4
Once on the APPS screen you can select an app or, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner for additional sorting options.
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5
With the apps are organized the way you like, scroll through and tap an app that you want the cache cleared from.
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6
From the APP INFO screen, tap "Storage".06
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7
On the APP'S STORAGE screen, tap "CLEAR CACHE".
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8
Clearing the App's Data is done on the STORAGE screen also
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Please be careful here, clearing an app's data will reset everything and bring it back to its original state (fresh install).
If you're willing to reset all the app's settings, tap "CLEAR DATA".
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9
WE can also clear the cache for all the apps on the S8
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Head back to the main Settings screen, then tap "Device maintenance".
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10
Once inside DEVICE MAINTENANCE, tap "Storage".
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11
On the STORAGE screen, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, followed by "Storage settings".
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12
Here on the INTERNAL STORAGE screen, tap "Cached data", then tap "CLEAR" when the pop-up appears.
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Sometimes you may want to stop or disable an app. On devices without root access, system and pre-installed apps cannot be uninstalled.

1
From the main SETTINGS screen, tap "Apps".
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2
Sort the apps by tapping the three-dot menu in the upper right corner or, scroll through and tap one.
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3
On the APP INFO screen, tap "FORCE STOP"
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Depending on what app you're stopping, it may cause errors, so be careful.
When the warning pop-up appears, tap "FORCE STOP".
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4
While Still on the APP INFO screen, tap "DISABLE" to turn it off
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Just as with Force Stop, you'll see a warning pop-up reminding you that disabling pre-installed apps can cause issues with other installed applications.
Unless it's an integral system app, most bloatware can be disabled without any problems. Tap "DISABLE" to turn off the app.
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5
Uninstalling an application is handled from the same place
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Select an app from your list and tap it.
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6
One on the APP INFO screen, tap "UNINSTALL"
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When the pop-up window appears, tap "OK". Again,
unless your device has root access, you won't be able to uninstall a system or pre-installed application.
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7
You can also uninstall an app directly from the home screen
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Tap + hold the app's icon, then select "Uninstall".
Tap "OK" to uninstall the app from your device.
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1
To install an application, go to the app drawer, then tap the "Play Store" shortcut.
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2
Once in the Play Store, search for the app you want, then tap it when the results populate.
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3
On the App's information page, tap "INSTALL"
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Once it's installed, tap "OPEN".
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4
Some apps have intro screens that give an overview of how it functions
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Tap or skip through each screen to proceed.
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5
Depending on the app, it may request permission to access various parts of your device
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Tap "ALLOW" to continue.
You don't have to allow access but remember that the app may not function as it should if you don't.
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6
To check for app updates, open the Play Store app, tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper left corner, then tap "My apps & games".
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7
On the My apps & games screen you'll see any applications that have available updates
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You can tap "UPDATE ALL" (if there is more than one) or, "UPDATE" next to an individual application or game.
You can also scan for issues with any apps by tapping the refresh icon near the top.
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8
You can also set your device to update your apps and games automatically
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Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper left corner, followed by "Settings".
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9
On the Settings screen, tap "Auto-update apps"
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When the pop-up box appears, choose one of the three options; "Do not auto-update apps, Auto-update apps at any time (data charges may apply), or Auto-update apps over WiFi only.
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1
If you'd rather not have an icon added to your home screen each time you install a new app, disable the feature
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From the app drawer, tap the "Play Store" icon.
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2
Inside the Play Store, tap the hamburger menu in the upper left corner, then "Settings".
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3
On the Settings screen, remove the checkmark next to "Add icon to home screen"
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This will ensure that no shortcuts get added to your home screen after installing new apps.
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1
To close any applications you have running, first, tap the recent apps icon in the lower left corner of your display.
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2
You can either tap, "CLOSE ALL" or, tap the "X" in the top right corner of an individual app.
You can also close an application by swiping from left-to-right.
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3
To view two applications at the same time, tap the split-screen icon on one of the apps
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Once both apps are visible, move the horizontal line up or down to expand or shrink the app's viewable portion.
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4
You can also pin a specific area of one application to the top portion of the screen by tapping the square icon in the app's title bar.
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5
Move the box around to select the desired section of the app, then tap "DONE".
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6
To get out of split-screen mode, tap + hold the split-screen icon until the first app goes fullscreen.
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1
To delete an app's shortcut from the home screen, tap + hold the icon, then select "Remove shortcut".
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2
To add an application shortcut to your home screen, access the app drawer by swiping up.
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3
Locate the app, tap + hold the icon until the quick launch menu appears, then select "Add shortcut to Home".
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1
To make an app the default for a particular function such as browsing, go into Settings, then tap "Apps".
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2
Scroll through and tap the app you want to make the default
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For our example, we went with Chrome because the Galaxy S8's default browser is the Samsung Internet app.
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3
On the APP INFO screen, tap "Browser app"
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This will be different if for example you're making a message or calling app as default.
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4
On the BROWSER APP screen, select the radio button next to the app you wish to make the default
.
In our case, it's Chrome.
You'll now notice that the default has changed on the APP INFO screen.
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5
To view which permissions are granted for various functions, head back to the main APPS screen
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Next, tap the three-dot menu in the top right, followed by "App permissions".
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6
On the APP PERMISSIONS screen, tap a function
.
For our example, we went with the camera.
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7
Here on the CAMERA PERMISSIONS screen, all the apps/functions that have permission will be toggled on
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You can sort them by tapping the three-dot menu in the top right corner, for a more organized view.
To disable access to an app/function, toggle the off the switch next to it.
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1
To edit which apps (or all) get synced with your online accounts, tap the "Settings" icon from inside the app drawer/tray.
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2
Inside SETTINGS, tap "Cloud and accounts".
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3
On the CLOUD AND ACCOUNTS screen, tap "Accounts".
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4
Now tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner, followed by "Enable auto sync".
This will ensure that any changes made to your accounts online will get automatically copied to your device.
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5
To sync individual accounts, select an account from the list.
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6
On the accounts screen, first toggle any option you want to be synced up
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Next, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner, then tap "Sync now".
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