Samsung Moves Features From Note7 To Galaxy S7 Phones

Samsung needs to stay relevant, and what better way than to beef up it’s remaining flagships!

After several legitimate cases of Samsung Galaxy Note7 catching fire came to light, airlines took measures to ferry the devices (and the passengers) safely by introducing fire containment bags specifically for the Note7. This was followed by Samsung replacing the affected devices, till all hell broke loose and a total recall of the devices was ordered by Samsung.

The Note7 has since been officially discontinued for its explosive temperament and found its final resting place — it is now no longer in the hands of commercial users.

But in order to have some lingering memories of the Note7, Samsung is porting a few features across to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung has updated the Always On Display (AOD) feature on the Galaxy S7 with functionalities imported from the Note7.
This update was reported by a user on the XDA Forums wherein Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge models will see an update notification (tagged v1.4.02) on the Galaxy Apps store with a new calendar option, a new digital clock with customizable customer text signature. The package isn’t complete as yet as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners will also be able to view the currently playing music track using the Always On Display.

A word of caution before you run for the update — the user on the XDA Forums also cautioned other users that the new AOD software update has reportedly broken (rendered unusable) older, existing features that were part of the original feature set of these two devices.

Users have reported that notifications from the Samsung e-mail app do not show up on the S7 and S7 edge. Also, the distinguishing experiences that relied on the S-Pen on the Note7 aren’t present in this port-over as neither of these devices have the S-Pen functionality built in.

The biggest benefit of this update for the S7 and S7 edge users will be that the updated Always On Display will henceforth consume less than 1% of battery every hour, which is quite good!

Is Samsung trying to make an effort to console users who have switched from Note7 to move to the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge instead of jumping ship to another brand’s flagship? Perhaps. It may be a last-ditch effort to keep a small legacy of the Note7 alive and flickering till the Note 8 is introduced (if at all).

Samsung is going to really have to do a lot of thing to rebuild its credibility of being a tech mover-and-shaker by fixing the bugs and better incorporating the features to enable their users, who are sensitive to even the minutest of errors.

Also, when viewed in terms of competition, this strategy by Samsung looks like a smart move as it will help its remaining two flagships survive in the face of launch of competing top-drawer devices like the Google Pixel and Pixel XL earlier this month.

Originally published at Chip-Monks.