S Pen remote control features on your Galaxy phone
Imagine the S Pen with all of its awesome features, like the Air command menu. Now, imagine it with even more cool features. If that sounds too good to be true, you're mistaken - because the Galaxy Note series, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, and Galaxy S22 Ultra have S Pens that are even mightier than before. Not only can you write on the screen, you can control apps remotely and unlock your phone.
Note: Information provided applies to mobile devices sold in Canada. Available screens and settings may vary by wireless service provider, software version, and device model. Many S Pens have some handwriting compatibility between devices, however the remote control functions may not operate. If you need a replacement, purchase the correct S Pen for your phone.
The S Pen can act as a selfie stick, but probably in a different way than you are thinking. It can take photos on your phone remotely with just a click of its button. And it can do other cool things too, like browsing photos and pausing music.
Here are the different actions you can do with remote controllability:
- Open Camera and take pictures: Hold down the Pen button on the side of the S Pen for about 2-3 seconds to open the Camera app on your phone. Then, press the button once quickly to take a picture! You can also press the button two times in a row to switch the Camera from Regular mode to Selfie mode.
- Browse Gallery: Instead of swiping through all your pictures, press the Pen button on the side of the S Pen once to view the next picture. Press the button twice to go back to the previous photo.
- Play, pause and skip songs: While a media app, such as Samsung Music or Spotify, is open, press the Pen button on the side of the S Pen once to play or pause a song. Double press the button to skip to the next song.
Note: The function will not work if you open up music files from the My Files app. It needs to be through a compatible app.
You keep pressing the Pen button twice instead of once, and you are getting mixed up. No worries, you can change the S Pen's actions and commands to make them more natural for you. You can also change which app opens when you hold down the Pen button.
- Change which apps opens
Open the Air command menu using your S Pen, and then tap Settings in the lower left-hand corner. Next, tap Air actions, and then tap Hold down Pen button to.
From here, choose an app to open or choose an action to perform when you hold down the Pen button on the side of the S Pen.
- Change App actions for the S Pen
To change the S Pen commands for supported apps, open the Air command menu using your S Pen, and then tap Settings in the lower left-hand corner. Next, tap S Pen remote or Air actions, and then scroll down to App actions. Tap your desired app (such as Camera), and then tap the command you want to change (such as Switch cameras) listed under Single press or Double press. Finally, choose your new desired shortcut from the drop-down menu.
- Disable or reset App actions for the S Pen
To change the S Pen commands for supported apps, open the Air command menu using your S Pen, and then tap Settings in the lower left-hand corner. Next, tap S Pen remote or Air actions, and scroll down to App actions. To enable or disable an app action, tap your desired app, and then tap the switch to turn it on or off. You can also tap the More options icon (the three vertical dots) and then tap Reset S Pen to make all of the App actions return to their default actions.
Anywhere actions on compatible phones can be customized as well. This will give you a lot of flexibility since Anywhere actions can be used on any screen on your phone!
Note: Anywhere actions are only available on the Galaxy Note20 5G, Galaxy Note20+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra (with an S Pen Pro), and Galaxy S22 Ultra.
To change the default commands for Anywhere actions, open the Air command menu using your S Pen, and then tap Settings in the lower left-hand corner. Next, tap Air actions, and scroll down to Anywhere actions.
Select your desired gesture (such as Left and back), and then select your desired action. You can choose a Navigation option or an app to open. Once you have made your selection, it will automatically be applied. Just press and hold the S Pen, and then perform the appropriate action.
Oh no, your phone locked while you were daydreaming. Instead of typing in your PIN for the millionth time, just use your S Pen. That is right, if your phone locks while you are using your S Pen, just press the Pen button to unlock it.
This feature is only available when you have a Lock screen set up, so make sure you have one before trying out these steps. When you are ready, open the Air command menu using your S Pen and then tap Settings in the lower left-hand corner. Then, tap the switch next to "S Pen unlock" to turn this feature on.
You will be asked to enter your Lock screen information; once it is entered, you can start unlocking the phone with your S Pen. Just press the Pen button and it will unlock instantly.
Even if you set up the S Pen unlock feature, your phone may still require your PIN, Pattern, or Password in the following cases:
- If you locked your phone with the S Pen inserted and then take it out.
- If four hours pass without an additional unlock operation after unlocking of your device.
Note: This action only works if the S Pen is currently connected to the phone.
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