On the bright side, the On5 is sturdy and small, offers decent battery life at 2600 mAh, and has a removable battery. Unfortunately, the On5’s downsides include only 8 GB of storage (although expandable), a subpar camera, and mixed reviews regarding performance and the display. Still, if you can overcome some of the cons on this budget phone with some of our tips, tricks, and hacks, you can have your cake and eat it too. Because, let’s face it, what good is cake if you can’t eat it? And all of the features that make the Samsung Galaxy On5 special are the sprinkles on top.
1. Use Dual Sims
You can use 2 SIM or USIM cards to have two phone numbers or service providers on a single device. Before you insert any SIM card(s), make sure to power off your Samsung first. Then remove the back panel and battery. And like all Samsung phones with dual SIMs, you can access a SIM card management menu through Settings.
2. Use Download Booster
As long as you don’t mind using a little data to shorten the length of your On5’s download duration, Download Booster is win/win. It harnesses both Wi-Fi and mobile data simultaneously to speed up the downloading of apps and other online files. You can access it from Settings > More Connection Settings > Download Booster.
3. Move Apps from Storage to micro SD Card
This tip is on here because with only 8GB of storage, you are going to need it. You must have Android Marshmallow 6.1 or higher though. You will also need to have a micro SD card inserted into your phone. Please keep in mind that not all apps can be moved. Any apps or files that are ineligible will be grayed out. This will include the default apps that came with the device. So, turn on your phone and go to the Settings menu. Choose Apps, then the app you wish to move. After making your selection, tap Storage > Change. Next, choose SD Card to move the app over to your external memory card. To confirm, tap Move. You can even change your default storage to be your SD card.
4. Smart Manager
This is your dashboard for the current health status of your On5. With just a glimpse, you can assess storage, battery, RAM, and system security. Optimization of these settings is available with the press of a finger. To access, just go to Apps > Smart Manager > CLEAN ALL.
5. Edit Quick Settings
The device functions you use the most often aren’t necessarily the defaults in your Quick Settings. To customize, drag down your status bar to display your Notification panel. Tap on the drop-down arrow, and choose Edit. Now you can drag the settings and arrange them according to your own usage. Although not limited to just the Samsung Galaxy On5, it’s still a useful tip.
6. Use the USB OTG
Another way to get around the storage issue on this phone is to take advantage of the USB OTG functionality. USB OTG (USB On The Go) also enables you to connect your phone to other hardware, such as keyboards. That means that you can connect your external storage drive to your On5 and view those files on your Samsung. It also means you could connect a mouse to your phone if your screen was damaged or you just don’t feel like tapping on it to type a paper. It provides a means of user-friendly storage or sharing multimedia files with your phone. You simply connect a USB flash drive or USB cable from a compatible device to the USB port on the adapter and insert the adapter into your On5. Some USB OTGs are even compatible with printers. Many USB OTG cables are also capable of data transfer either direction: from the external device to the On5 or vice versa.
7. Take Control of Your Device
Do you like the idea of Smart Manager but want even more control? There are apps for that, especially if you are willing to root your On5. Check out these apps that manage your CPU, battery, internal storage, and more. Tinycore keeps tabs on your CPU and RAM, Greenify—your battery, mSpy if you want to track your child’s activity, and Clean Master to clean and boost your RAM. Download: Tinycore – CPU, RAM monitor Download: Greenify Download: mSpy Download: Clean Master
8. Delete and Disable Apps
With space at a premium on this phone, and even just the default apps and operating system already taking up half of your storage right out of the box, some app management advice is bound to be useful. Unfortunately, complete control over your apps can only be achieved through root. While bloatware apps can’t be uninstalled without root level authority, you can disable them by going to Settings > Applications > Application Manager > app of your choosing > Disable. Uninstall any third-party app by going to Settings > Applications > Application Manager > desired app to uninstall > Uninstall. This trick for the Samsung Galaxy On5 could turn into an even more effective hack if you follow the next tip below. Then you can even remove default apps.
9. Root Your On5
As we’ve mentioned, your best bet at truly establishing full control over your device is to root it, but it isn’t without risk, as with more power comes more responsibility. If you are up for it, you will need to make sure you are prepared with the proper USB drivers (You are going to need to connect your phone to your computer.), your particular model’s root files (not typically hard to find with a search), Samsung Odin software, and a custom recovery such as TWRP. Copy the root file (such as SuperSU) to the internal storage from your computer. You will then be able to use Recovery Mode to install the root file from internal storage, and reboot your On5.
10. Install Themes
Themes can transform your UI into your that of your very own style. So, ouch, you might feel a little slighted by Samsung when you realize that the built-in Theme Store available on the On7 doesn’t exist on the On5. But don’t, because you can still install themes on your own; you don’t need Samsung’s help. You will want a theme compatible with your device (although you can change your On5 to look like a different device), but you can find plenty on Google Play or XDA. The process for some XDA themes is a little more involved, whereas those on Google Play usually only require an install and the tap of a button or two. Download: Theme for Galaxy On5 Pro HD
11. Customize Font
Sure, some apps allow you to change the text within, but the On5 allows you to change the main default text itself. Navigate to Settings > Display > Font. Here you can change not only the size of the default text, but the style also. Your On5 will show you a preview at the top.
12. Private Mode & Hidden Apps
More now than ever, we all have reason to be concerned about our privacy. That’s where Private Mode comes in. It helps you keep certain images, files, and other media private. To enable, go to your app drawer, then Settings > Private Mode. Additionally, you can hide apps you don’t want others to see by paying a visit to your app tray. From there, tap on Edit, and apps that can be hidden will display a minus sign in the top right corner. Tap on Turn Off to hide.
That’s a Wrap!
How’s that for a budget phone? Sure, storage space could be better, but we’ve discussed some workarounds. You will definitely be able to get more from your phone after following our advice on rooting and customization. And when there’s a new story everyday about another data breach, keeping your information private is more important than ever. Was this helpful? Do you have others to add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comment section. We hope you are enjoying the best of both worlds: budget-friendly and plentiful features. Featured Image Credit
