Changing your display timeout will affect your battery life, though
One of the first things I did after getting a Samsung Galaxy S5 was extend the timeout period on the display. By default, the screen shuts off after 30 seconds of inactivity, which not only means you have to wake it up again by hitting the power button on the right side, but if you've got a lock code in place, you need to go through that rigamarole as well.
While this sort of flies in the face of our top tips for extending your Galaxy S5 battery life, you have to balance that with having your phone work the way you want it to work. If you find yourself bothered by the same thing, here's how you fix it.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the gear icon in the top-right. Tap the Display icon, which should be near the top.
- Tap Screen timeout and pick however long you're comfortable leaving the display active. Remember, your battery will take a hit for leaving the display on for longer periods of time.
- If you're feeling fancy, you can enable Smart Stay here as well. It will use the front-facing camera to figure out if you're looking at the screen, and if you are, it will keep the screen on. If you're not looking at it, the standard timeout period will kick in.
That's about all you need to know about keeping your screen awake long enough for your personal tastes and usage patterns. Personally, I tend to jump between my phone and other stuff often, so my wait time is higher. Other display options are available from the same section, including setting a screen saver when your device is charging, and enabling high touch sensitivity so you can use the Samsung Galaxy S5 with gloves on.
Take a look at the rest of our Galaxy S5 how-to content for more pointers.
Reader comments
How to keep your Samsung Galaxy S5 display awake longer
Is there a way to add the timing before you insert the security pattern?? Why on earth the phone goes off in just 3 seconds?
When I press the home button I have only 3 seconds to insert my security pattern, otherwise the screen goes off agian, could this time be longer? or does anyone have idea how to longer this time period?
Am I the only one around here who uses the power button to turn the screen off???
Only Samsung owners would need an article explaining how to do this...
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I always use 2 minutes cause I hate having to tap the screen over and over while reading stuff
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Smart stay was my favorite feature on my Note 2 and it's what will probably keep me coming back. Their very useful.
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I appreciate the fact that AC is trying to help those who are not tech savvy and those who may be having their first experiences with android and/or the galaxy series.The don't post any more or any less on other devices IMO. Some of you go out of the way to whine about articles on a device you didnt buy just for the sake of being whiny. If the Samsung articles bother you so much then stop clicking. Seems easy right?
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Well-said.
This happens with every. Single. Flagship. That's. Released.
AC posts their helpful articles on it, new users whine & complain, and then a new flagship is released and the other new users whine & moan about that one.
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Admins, would you stop with these unnecessary Samsung Galaxy S5 articles? You're making it sound like the phone is a brand new gadget that no-one has seen before...it's the same Galaxy Sx phone and like other Android phones.
Really? You tell me how the menu is the same from the Fascinate to the S5 outside hitting the menu key and going to settings?
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Then don't read. Plenty of people that have owned the s3 don't even know about smart stay, let alone someone new to the galaxy line.
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How is this any different than any other Android phone with the same setting?
+1. The whole article is marketing bullshit.
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Oh, no, marketing, the world is coming to an end.
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So it is the same menu on every phone? All the options are exactly the same?
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When you buy any device you should run through every single setting on it. Take some time out and do that. Take full advantage of your devices. If more people did that they'd be much happier with their purchases.
Nexus 4 - CM10.1.3
Exactly how you learn to use your device! Otherwise you're driving blind.
Note: smart stay doesn't work in dark places. The camera can't detect your face, so the screen will time out really fast.
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True, it has to be ideal light condition
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Yeah smart stay was a bust
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If your in the right position, the light from the screen is enough to allow the screen to work with smart stay.
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How long before the phone is 'locked' after the screen timeouts can be set under 'Lock Screen' / Lock Automatically. Set it to 30 sec or more and you won't need to unlock the screen if does happen to timeout while you're reading something or whatever.
Yeah I was going to say this should have been included in the article. Then you have a delay before your password kicks in after the screen times out.
Can you please explain to me how to make a phone call with the Samsung Galaxy S5? Thank you!
A phone call...? What's that?
The button that looks like a phone, tap it, then dial phone number including area code, then hold phone up to ear.
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why can't i just say "siri call mom"?
Siri lives in the house one street down.
ಠ益ಠ
Why don't you cut the Samsung crap already? How much are they paying you anyway?
More than you are obviously...
If they get paid for this stuff then good for them. I haven't thrown any "real" money towards this website and i doubt you have either.
While I do think they are getting pretty nit picky with the feature articles on the S5 they are helpful to some.
The phone has an enormous amount of settings, toggles, and features tucked away that many people would never see or known about. Combine that with the amount of Galaxy phones that usually sell and one of the most popular android blogs on the internet and you get a lot to write about on a very popular line of phones on a very popular web site.
I do hope they combine some of these articles so there are fewer of them and I mostly am only waiting for the GS5 review in all honesty but I would not call them a shill just yet.
They are covering the flagship phone from the biggest Android OEM and doing a damn fine job. Don't hate.
Precisely! There's a ton of crap talkers on the forums in this site!!!
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+2
If other phones were this feature rich, I am sure they would cover those as well. AC is a one stop shop for knowledge, either here or in the forums. I found the HTC articles very useful with my m8. Gonna miss those speakers at the end of the week when I get my s5
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Considering how many Galaxys Samsung sells, they can increase readership to the site with these articles.
Bingo.
This obviously is for newbies who are like: "I traded my S5 for an iPhone, the screen kept going off every 30 seconds i just stared at it without touching it, this was very annoying"
Your so ignorant
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Not any worse than all the coverage of the HTC (M8). I do agree ...... that to much content is spent on these two devices. But, guess what, they didn't ask me! lol!!!