Use Air actions with your S Pen on your Galaxy tablet
If you've got a Galaxy tablet that comes with an S Pen, that means you can take advantage of the awesome Air actions feature. "Air actions" is an umbrella term for all of the remote controllability gestures you can use with the S Pen. There are App actions that let you control certain apps or Anywhere actions that let you navigate your tablet's interface with a few flicks.
Information provided applies to devices sold in Canada. Available screens and settings may vary for tablets sold in other countries.
App actions are preset commands that come with specific apps, like Camera or Gallery. You can perform various actions, such as skipping to the next song in your playlist, switching between front and rear cameras, toggling through different camera modes, and much more. However, the available actions will vary depending on the app you're using.
Every compatible app comes with preset S Pen gestures that you can use to perform the different actions. The gestures include flicking the S Pen:
- up, down, left, or right.
- in a clockwise or counterclockwise circle.
To perform a gesture in a compatible app, flick your S Pen in the appropriate direction while holding down the S Pen button.
There are quite a few App actions, so it might be difficult to remember every single one. No worries, you can view all of the different App actions any time you want, and you can even customize the ones you aren't crazy about.
Open Settings, and then search for and select Air actions. Tap your desired app under App actions. Here you can see all of its default gestures. You can also view commands by opening a compatible app and hovering your S Pen over the blue Air command icon. The app’s default actions will appear in a small window.
To customize the gestures, navigate back to the Air actions menu, and then tap your desired app. Tap your desired gesture (e.g. Left), and select a new command.
Anywhere actions are only available on the GalaxyTab S7 and Galaxy Note20 5G phones.
The Galaxy Tab S7 has Anywhere actions, which are actions that can be used on any screen. And the best part? They aren’t limited to specific apps! For example, the Right and back gesture will always open Recent apps, no matter what screen you're on.
Just press the S Pen button, and then perform the appropriate action. Here are the default Anywhere actions you can perform:
- Left and back: Go to the previous screen.
- Up and down: Go to the Home screen.
- Right and back: Go to Recently opened apps.
- Down and up action: Open Smart select to take a screenshot.
- Shake: Open Screen write to draw on the current screen.
If you find yourself not using some of the Anywhere actions, why not edit them? You can make the command something else that you'll be more likely to use.
To edit the preset Anywhere actions, open Settings, and then search for and select Air actions. Select your desired gesture under Anywhere actions (such as Left and back), and then select your desired action. You can choose a navigation option or an app to open. Once you’ve made your selection, it will automatically be applied. Just press and hold the S Pen button, and then perform the appropriate action.
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