10 Hidden Features on the LG G6 That Will Make Your Life Easier

The LG G6 has just launched and with it comes a new aspect ratio, premium build, and interesting two camera setup. If you picked up one of these guys, though, there’s definitely some hidden features that I think will help you get more out of the phone. From customization, to camera tricks, here’s some features that might not have been apparent (see: hidden) that I think you should know about.

Here’s my video on the top 6 hidden features, check out the full 10 below.

Best deal on an unlocked LG G6 I could find here.

Get Your App Drawer Back

So in an odd choice in my opinion, LG went a bit of an iPhone route and laid out all the apps installed on the phone on the home screen and hid the app drawer that we’re used to. And if that’s cool with you, then cool, but if you miss the app drawer (like I do) you can easily get it back.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on the Display tab then Home Screen.
3. Tap on Select Home.
4. Select Home & App Drawer.

Then you’ll have your good ol’ app drawer back like you’re used to.

Scale Your Apps to Fit Better on the 18:9 Screen

So one of the most unique factors about the G6 is the 18:9 (2 to 1?) screen that allows for larger screen real estate with a slimmer phone profile. Unfortunately, the apps you use on Android don’t really know how to use this new aspect ratio automatically, but can take advantage of it if you tell them to.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Go to App Scaling in the Display Tab.
3. Tap on any apps you want to adjust and then tap on Full screen (18:9) to get it to fill up the entire screen or tap the other options if that ends up not working well for the app.

Get Up to 5 Software Buttons Instead of Three

I’ve said it a million times: get rid of the physical buttons on Android phones. For a while now, Android has had software buttons that can change dynamically depending on the screen your on and make the use of physical buttons pretty obsolete. Finally some manufacturers are getting on board and LG, with the new G6, did just that.

In addition to finally removing them, LG even added a neat feature to add a couple more buttons for added functionality.

1. Go to Settings > Home Touch Buttons.
2. Tap on Button Combination.
3. Drag and drop whatever buttons you want onto the screen at the top, you can have a total of 5.

Tip: Because of the extra tall screen it might not be a bad idea to add the Notification pull down button to make it easier to view notifications with one hand.

Enable “Night Mode”

So technically LG calls it “Comfort View” but it’s the same concept. You can reduce the blue light coming from the device to help with eye strain. Unfortunately you can’t schedule it (copyright somewhere?) but it’s still nice to turn manually later in the day.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Comfort View in the Display tab.
3. Turn it on at the top right and set the level for the Blue Light Filter from Low to High and even Black & White if you’re feeling nutty.

Enable Knocking on the Screen to Wake It

You might have seen the ability to double-tap on your phone’s screen to wake it before, but never is it more handy than when the front of your phone doesn’t have any buttons. Here’s how to enable what LG calls KnockOn to be able to do just that.

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap on More.
3. Turn on KnockOn.

Now, double tapping on the screen will turn it on.

Add a Screensaver to the Phone

Screensavers have been around for a long time. They were a way to stop the screen from getting burnt out from being stuck on the same image for too long (which is no longer an issue with modern screens) they are now just fun to have. LG added screen savers to the G6 and they can either display a clock or grab photos from your Google Photos account.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose More from the Display tab.
3. Tap Screensaver.
4. Turn it on at the top right and then tap which you would like to use.
5. You can then tap the gear next to them to further customize that particular screen saver option.

Enable an Always On Display

Now, while not as nice as on an AMOLED display thanks to those not powering black pixels (they’re actually turned off) and saving power, it could be handy to have your IPS display on you G6 show an always on display and still not use up too much power. Here’s how to turn on the AOD on the G6.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on Always On Display under the Display tab.
3. Turn it on at the top right and tap on content to chaneg what is displayed.
4. Choose from the options (I like the analog clock myself cause, you know, I’m classy).
5. You can also set the daily time out by tapping that to choose when it doesn’t turn on the display (say for when it’s next to your bed at night and you’re trying to sleep).

Have your Phone Automatically Perform Actions for You

Another cool hidden feature on the G6 is the ability to have the phone automatically perform specific actions based on the location of the phone as well as things like if you plugged in the headphone jack. (I, personally, use the headphone jack one to launch Spotify.)

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on Smart Settings in the General tab.
3. Then tap on one of the options they have (from At Home, Away from Home, When Earphones are Plugged In, or When Bluetooth Device is Connected).
4. If you select At Home or Away from Home you can set your current address as your Home and then choose what sound profile, Bluetooth, and Wifi do when you get there (and when you leave). So, for example, you can silence the phone when you get home, turn on the Bluetooth to connect to your speaker, and turn on Wifi to connect to your home network.
5. You can also select an app to open when you plug in the headphones.
6. And select an app to open depending on what Bluetooth device connects to the G6.

Open the Camera Quickly

I need quick acccess to my phone’s camera. Sometimes the moment to take a photo can pass you by while unlocking the phone and trying to find the darn camera app so I love when manufacturer’s either have a dedicated camera button or at least a shortcut via hardware to get to it. LG has thankfully done the latter.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on Shortcut keys in the General tab.
3. Then just turn them on. This will allow you to double tap the volume down button to get to the camera when the screen is locked (and also double tap the volume up button to take a quick note: bonus).

Easily Create a Gif from your Photos

Lastly, I found this feature entirely on accident but thought it was a neat thing to have for anyone who likes posting to social media. The gallery app on the G6 has a super easy way to make Gifs from the photos you have on your device.

1. Open the gallery app.
2. Tap the three dots at the top right corner and select Create a Gif.
3. Select the photos you want to turn into a gif.
4. Adjust the gif settings and preview the gif.
5. Hit Save.
6. You’ll find the new gif in the gif folder in the gallery.

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Conclusion

And there you go! 10 hidden features on the new LG G6 that I thought you might find useful. Let me know if you knew about them or if they helped you in the comments below or reach out to me on social and chat with me there, always a pleasure to hear from you guys.

Thanks for reading!