Samsung owners receive free phone upgrade with a life-saving new feature for all drivers in latest Android release
SAMSUNG users may notice something a little different when they next take their phone in the car thanks to the company’s latest Android update.
The tech giant has been gradually rolling out the fresh Android 14 software to a whole host of Samsung devices.
If you want to know when your handset is due to receive the update, check the full list here.
At the forefront is Samsung’s very own One UI 6 that provides devices with a major facelift.
Android 14 itself introduces a number of big changes and among them is something important for all drivers, as Sam Mobile found.
The latest discovery is a silence while driving feature to stop disturbances.
It kicks in automatically when your phone cleverly detects that you’re in a car.
Your handset does this using motion sensors and Bluetooth connections.
It essentially works like “Do Not Disturb”.
So, things like calls and text message notifications are limited to avoid distracting you.
But for the feature to work at all you’ll have to enable it in the settings first.
How to turn on silence notifications while driving on Samsung
To ensure notifications don’t disturb you when you’re driving, start by opening the Settings.
Find Safety and emergency.
Then select Silence notifications while driving.
Turn the toggle to On.
It’s not clear what exactly Samsung means when it says “limit”.
But we expect most text message notifications won’t appear nor will calls.
However, if it is anything like other “Do Not Disturb” features, someone trying to call you repeatedly may be able to get through – this is designed for emergencies when they need to reach you.
Samsung – a brief history
Here's what you need to know...
- Samsung is a major South Korean company made up of many businesses that operate globally
- It’s known locally as a “chaebol”, which means “business conglomerate”
- It was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company
- But over several decades, it branched out into food processing, insurance, textiles and retail
- It wasn’t until the late 1960s when Samsung entered the electronics industry – for which it’s best known in the west today
- It also launched businesses in construction and shipbuilding in the 1970s
- Today, Samsung’s most important sources of income are its smartphones and computer chips
- The firm accounts for around 20 per cent of the South Korea’s GDP
- More than 270,000 staff are employed by Samsung globally