LG G3 Universal “One Click Root” with Stump Root App

Brandon Orndorff
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LG G3 Universal “One Click Root” with Stump Root App

There have been a lot of tools released to root the LG G3 although none as easy as Stump Root. Not only does this make rooting the LG G3 easy for even the most novice users but it works on all US carriers G3’s. This said there was also nothing released for the Sprint variant of the LG G3 until this handy little app. The process couldn’t be easier, all you have to do is download the app and tap the button.

How to Root the LG G3Just to clarify this app roots all US variants on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and others.

How to One Click Root the LG G3:

  1. Download and install Stump Root (Download Link)
  2. Run the app on your LG G3
  3. Tap the button labelled “Grind”
  4. The app will then ask you to reboot the phone
  5. Wait for your G3 to reboot
  6. Download and install “SuperSU” from Google Play
  7. Congrats your LG G3 is rooted!

NOTE: If you choose to do so you can uninstall Stomp Root after you complete the process as it is no longer needed and did its job.

As we said earlier this root method works on all US variants of the LG G3. This said the developer says that it may work on non-US variants although it has yet to be tested thoroughly. Those that have been waiting for a full proof method to root your device now have it. Please feel free to let us know if you run into any issues or notice anything odd trying to complete the rooting process via comments below.

Android Wear Inexpensive Smartwatch Comparison

Brandon Orndorff
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Android Wear Inexpensive Smartwatch Comparison

First of all we would like to say that the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live smartwatches are both very nice watches and have about the same features. Also both watches do require Android devices running version 4.3 or newer. The comparison will show the pros and cons of each watch as well as features that may be on one and not the other. Even with this said neither Android Wear watch is perfect and being the first two available on the market still have a lot of room for improvement.

LG G Watch VS Samsung Gear LiveThe biggest factor in deciding which watch is right for you will be the design as the software is identical with a few minor changes you may not even notice as a normal user. Both Samsung and LG had to adhere to Google’s policy of not being able to modify the Android Wear OS which may prove to change in the future as more watches are available and the operating system is updated.

LG G Watch vs Samsung Gear Live Design Comparison
The first design feature we will mention is the G Watch has a slightly larger screen at 1.65” vs the Gear’s 1.63” screen. This said you will not notice the different even side by side. The biggest two design features on these watches are the watch face and wristbands. They each win one of these style design features which will come down to personal preference. The LG G Watch has a minimalistic watch face that is not very impressive although its silicon wristband is much better than the Gear Live wristband. The LG G Watch has a wristband you expect to see on any other watch able to be changed out as well. The Samsung Gear Live has a beautiful designed face with a metallic border that conforms to your writs and looks very nice although the wristband has serious room for improvement being a press in band much like that of a Fitbit flex and other cheaper wristbands.

What does give an advantage to the G Watch is its clean “no button” watch as opposed to Samsung’s single button on the side of the watch. While the button is useful when rebooting the watch without having to go through the process via its software you will find yourself rebooting the watch without wanting to when bending your wrist. Next lets talk about screens, the clarity when looking at the watches side by side clearly goes to the Gear Live as the colors are noticeably more crisp and bright. All this said when the watches are on your wrist side by side you will most likely still want to go with the Samsung Gear Live on looks alone.

LG G Watch vs Samsung Gear Live Feature Comparison
As stated earlier they are both using a clean version of Google’s new Android Wear OS for wearables although there are a few features that are different between the devices. Samsung attempted to one up theirs with a heart rate monitor which does add a little benefit to it over the G Watch. This said the heart rate monitor is less than perfect but does prove useful when working out. You will also notice that the watch faces available are slightly different. If you like the analog style watch then Samsung seems to have you covered with a few extra but as far as digital faces LG’s G Watch has one full screen Digital face that Samsung does not that is nice. Another feature worth mentioning but boils down to complete personal preference is the physical button that is found on the Samsung Gear Live and not the LG G Watch.

LG G Watch vs Samsung Gear Live Hardware Comparison
When it comes to straight specifications the LG G Watch wins without dispute. While again like software the watches have about the same specs when it comes to processor, memory and storage the G Watch has a larger 400mAh battery giving it a longer life between charges. With the LG G Watch battery you can get a full day no problem with the promise of up to a day and a half. The Gear Live’s smaller 300mAh battery will last all day light use but you will never get more than a day out of it.

Charging gives a huge benefit to the LG G Watch since it has a charging cradle that is not only magnetic but easy to set your watch on to charge in a split second. The Samsung Gear Live has a clip on charger that proves to be harder to connect and disconnect than just using a micro USB cable alone. Both devices take advantage of low energy Bluetooth 4.0.

Personal Opinion on both Android Wear Watches
Personally we prefer the Samsung Gear Live for the sole purpose of style. It doesn’t just look like a block on your wrist but an actual watch you would’t mind wearing in public. This said from features the heart rate monitor is not a big deal to us and the LG G Watch easily puts itself in the lead when concerning the charging cradle, lack of a physical button that gets pushed nonstop, and a much nicer wrist band. Either way it will ultimately come down to personal preference and price. The Samsung Gear Live sells for $199 and the LG G Watch comes in at $229, both available at the Google Play Store.

How to Install an LG G Watch Custom ROM

Brandon Orndorff
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How to Install an LG G Watch Custom ROM

There is already a ROM available for the LG G Watch called “Gohma” by a developer named 4ndro1d. While this is the ROM that we will be focusing on in this article others as available will be installed in much if not the exact same way. We install custom ROM’s on our devices for many reasons but the main reasons are to improve battery life and overall performance of devices. This particular ROM also promises increased vibration intensity and reduced lag between screens. I would also make mention that this particular ROM for the LG G Watch is the first and since there is no factory image available at this point has a feature to flash back to the stock ROM from within it.

What to Keep in mind before installing the LG G Watch Custom ROM
The bootloader will need to be unlocked although its a simple process since it was never secured in the first place. There is no need to root the G Watch as this particular ROM will do that for you without you having to do anything. You will need Windows drivers and if you ever update the watch the ROM will need to be re-installed. Without further rambling here are the instructions to complete the custom ROM installation.

How to Install LG G Watch Custom ROMHow to install a custom ROM on the LG G Watch

  1. Install the Universal ADB Drivers (download)
  2. Turn on your G Watch and wait a minute before moving on to be sure its fully booted
  3. Tap on the time on the watch face so you see the words “speak now”
  4. Tap the words “speak now” to get a list of options
  5. scroll down to the second to last option labelled “settings” and select it
  6. scroll down and next select “About”
  7. Scroll down to “Build Number” and tap it 7 times until it says “You are now a developer”
  8. Swipe back to settings and you should now see “Developer Options” select it
  9. Next from within developer options enable “ADB debugging”
  10. Download the ROM you want to install (Download Gohma)
  11. Extract the ROM package somewhere you can find it
  12. Open a Windows command prompt and navigate to the folder you placed the ROM
  13. From within the folder type “adb reboot-bootloader” and press enter
  14. Wait for the LG G Watch to reboot into the bootloader
  15. Now type “fastboot oem unlock” and press enter
  16. Choose “yes” and it will unlock the bootloader as well as reboot the smartwatch
  17. Last you will need to re-sync your LG G Watch and phone.

While we will likely see new ROM’s available as Android Wear is used more this one claims to be a battery saver and this is something we are all looking for in our smartwatches to get more than the 24 hours on a full featured watch. While we can’t vouch for the battery saving yet we will be testing this LG G Watch ROM over the next several days to see how it goes.  As always if you have any questions feel free to drop us a line in the comments below.

Accessories to Improve Battery Life on the Samsung Galaxy S5

Brandon Orndorff
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Accessories to Improve Battery Life on the Samsung Galaxy S5

One of the biggest questions when buying or owning any smartphone is improving the battery life to last at a minimum one full day of normal use. The Samsung Galaxy S5 already has a pretty good battery and many great features baked in like power saving mode. Sometimes this just isn’t enough to keep the battery charged all day and in this case you will need accessories that can supplement this need like a power bank case or external power bank to increase battery life and/or recharge the device on the go.

Generic Galaxy S5 Power Bank CaseGeneric 3500mAh Power Bank Case for the Galaxy S5
The one we decided to check out is a simple 3500mAh Power Bank case that is easy to place your phone into as well as having a kickstand as a bonus feature. Adding your phone to the case is as easy as opening the flap covering the charging port and sliding the GS5 into a micro USB attached to the case and sliding the top of the case down securely. You can see this in action via our video at the bottom of this post.

The Power Bank case adds very nice protection to the back and corners of the device with little protection to the front of your phone. This said you will likely want to use a tempered glass screen protector with this case instead of your standard flimsy screen protectors to be sure the front is well protected. The only other downside to this case is the fact that it about doubles its thickness and weight no longer giving you the thin light feel of the Galaxy S5 alone. You have to keep in mind that the added battery life if a requirement makes this all worth it.

How the 3500mAh Power Bank Case actually works
Once you have your Galaxy S5 in the case you have two options at all times which I will explain. There is a button on the bottom left of the power bank case to turn the cases battery on. Option 1 is leaving the case off and your phone running as it does without the case at all and option 2 is turing the case on by pressing the button and using the cases battery instead. While we say the case doubles battery life we really mean you have a captains choice battery that you can switch between internal and external battery as you like. You will notice when your using the cases battery that there are four lights to the right of the power button that show you how charged the case itself is when in use. Charging the Power Bank Case is also managed by you as in when plugged into a wall charger with the case off it will charge the case, when plugged in and the case turned on it will charge your phone. Again this is a second battery and not an extended battery.

enCharge 2000mAh External Power Bank
The 2000mAh external power bank that we are using as seen in the video below around the 4 minute mark is a small one that can fit into your pocket as well as having a small enough cable to be easily mobile. This is more of an emergency way of getting battery power when you need it and your phone is dead. This particular Power Bank also has a flashlight that can be used to make it more of an accessory for even your emergency kits for hurricanes or whatever you may have one for. Tapping the power button on the device once will turn on one or all of the four lights to the right of the button to show its current charge level. Each light corresponds to 25% battery life. Double tapping the power button quickly twice will turn on an LED flashlight on the front of the device. This is a great as a way to get a little extra use out of your Galaxy S5 although is not meant to get another full charge out of the device.

Conclusion
Personal thoughts about both devices and how I use these types of devices. I personally have an external Power Bank in my cars glove box in case I need a little extra juice in a pinch and this has proven useful. The Power Bank case is a little too heavy and bulky for my liking although I keep one in my book bag so when out and about I can easily change to the case if my battery is almost dead and i want to use the phone a bit longer. An example is when sitting at Starbucks writing articles like these I tend to use my phone a lot and it dies by lunch time and I can just pull out the case and put the phone into it and get use for the rest of the day easily without having to find a plug. Plugging into a wall when needing the phone for calls throughout the day gets annoying to say the least.

LG G Watch Affordable Wearable Review

Brandon Orndorff
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LG G Watch Affordable Wearable Review

The LG G Watch is one of the first Android Wear devices available and started shipping out earlier this month. There is finally a smartwatch that is affordable and still has all the features you expect from a smartwatch. This is the first smartwatch released by LG and is available on the Google Play Store. While this is a useful watch there are a few pros and cons about the device.

We do have to mention that with the high price tags on smartwatches right now the $230 price point using a new Google OS is quite nice. The watch is also compatible with devices running Android version 4.3 or newer over a Bluetooth sync sending notifications to the watch and allowing a good bit of interaction. You can also decide which apps you want the watch to get notifications from while turning off those you don’t want to see.

LG G Watch Android Wearable Specifications
LG G Watch ReviewThe G Watch is has some pretty good specs although we would like to see better battery life as you won’t likely get more than a day out of the battery without having to charge it again. This said the specifications are nice for a watch with its 1.2 GHz processor, 512 MB of memory and 4GB of storage. Here is the full list of specs:

  • Android Wear Operating system
  • 22mm changeable silicon wrist strap
  • 1.65” 280 x 280 IPS LCD display weighing 63 grams
  • 400 mAh internal battery giving about 36 hours of power (24 more likely by our experience)
  • 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
  • Low energy Bluetooth 4.0 for syncing the watch to your phone
  • 9 axis accelerometer/compass/gyro

LG G Watch Wearable Design
The G Watch is a nice looking watch although it is a bit boxy for our tastes with its rectangular minimalistic design it still fits the wrist comfortably with a screen large enough to use. The watch is rather thick just under 10mm from wrist to screen. There are no buttons on the watch itself at all making the screen the only form of input. The wrist band that you get with the watch is actually very comfortable with a clasp that is easy to manage. This said you can easily replace the band with any band you choose to meet your style. The most interesting part of design is actually with the charging cradle and not the watch itself. The charging cradle is a magnetic base that has terminals on it allowing you to leave the cradle plugged into power on your nightstand or wear ever and setting the watch one it securely in seconds.

LG G Watch Features
The watch is literally a screen on your wrist that basically gives you the Google Now functions along side your devices notifications. You can easily swipe up and down to see different cards containing things like weather, notifications, emails, text messages and even has a pedometer built in showing your steps. You can complete many functions on the device with voice by saying “OK Google” when the watch is awake. You can swipe right to remove notifications and swipe left for more options pertaining to the notification like responding to text messages and emails.

Conclusion
The LG G Watch is easily one of the best smartwatches for the price available right now but thats not a hard task with only two Android Wear devices currently on the market. This said if you are looking for an affordable smartwatch that allows you to interact with your phone without ever touching it this is a great device to check out. I have had it on my wrist for several days now and have to say that it does save time not having to pull my phone out of my pocket to see who is calling or to respond to a quick text message.

Review: Spigen Slim Armor Case for Galaxy S5 Protection

Brandon Orndorff
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Review: Spigen Slim Armor Case for Galaxy S5 Protection

The Galaxy S5 Slim Armor case unlike other highly protective cases adds almost no weight and makes the device feel as thin as it does without a case at all. The Slim Armor case by Spigen is a two part case having its polycarbonate and TPU layers to create a protective case all the way around the device. If you follow Android Advice you know we are partial to Spigen and with good reason. Grab a Spigen Slim armor and something like an Otterbox Commuter or Defender series and let us know which you’d rather lug around.

Galaxy S5 Spigen Slim Armor Case Review GS5 Spigen Slim Armor Case Design
The Slim Armor case first of all comes in many colors including white, black, red, blue and gold. The case is very slim and lightweight to create the most comfortable experience of any protective case available right now. There is a raised bevel all the way around the front of the device to allow setting the Galaxy S5 face down without worry of scratching it. We also have to mention that the case has a perforated back to make it look and feel exactly the same as the stock battery cover on the device. This perforated back also adds a little more slip protection that the smooth backs we are used to. The cutouts for the power, volume rocker, infrared, headphone jack and micro USB ports are all but perfect. You will also notice on the back the cutout is clean around the camera, flash and heart rate sensor with the bottom of the heart rate sensor being cut at an angle to allow your finger to easily slide onto it. Overall this Galaxy S5 case fits the phone perfectly at every angle.

GS5 Spigen Slim Armor Case Protection and Features
Since the case is made from both a polycarbonate and TPU shell it protects very well against scratches and impact from drops. The web pattern TPU layer of the case also helps with the impact protection adding just enough more protection when dropping from higher than older Spigen cases. As stated before this also adds a little slip protection so that you don’t have to test it. We have to admit that the ease of installation is up there on the best aspects of the case being able to slide the phone right in from nothing to case in about 3 seconds.

Conclusion
As we said before we are a little partial to Spigen for our protective daily use cases although we would like to hear your input on the matter via comments below. The case is clean and looks as stylish as any other protective case without adding the bulk others do. You can also get this case around $25 which makes it a little easier to choose over other expensive cases. You can see our other reviews via our YouTube channel in the sidebar and we still have a few more cases to come this week.

How to Install the Android L Keyboard on older Devices

Brandon Orndorff
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How to Install the Android L Keyboard on older Devices

Since the announcement of Android L and the release of the developer preview there have been many new APK’s released for apps within the new OS and this time we have the Android L Keyboard APK. This has been modded from the developer preview and works on all device version 4.4.2 and up regardless if rooted or not.

Android L Keyboard DownloadWhat you get with the new keyboard is its new Flat UI design. Below is the same app that Google quickly pulled from the Play Store the other day. Of course it was downloaded and saved before this happened by many in the community.

Pre-Requisite to install the Android L Keyboard
Navigate to your installed apps and search for the Google Keyboard LatinlMEGoogle. Once you find it delete it as it cannot be installed when you try to install the new.

Download and Install the Android L Keyboard

  1. Download the Android L Keyboard APK directly to your phone (Download Link)
  2. Navigate to and enable “Unknown Sources” to allow APK installation (generally “Settings -> Security -> Unknown Sources”)
  3. Navigate to your phones Download folder and tap the Android L Keyboard APK to run it
  4. Here you can see the permissions of the Keyboard APK, click Install
  5. Wait for it to complete and you will then have the Android L Keyboard

With the developer preview being ripped apart by so many developers we will likely see a lot more APK’s available to get your device looking and feeling like Android L whether you get the official update or not. After you have installed the newest Google Keyboard let us know what you think of it. Also any issues you run into or steps we may have missed would be appreciated in the comments below.

TSA will require International Travelers to Prove their Phones Work

Brandon Orndorff
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TSA will require International Travelers to Prove their Phones Work

Many times when traveling through TSA checkpoints people are asked to power on electronic devices like phones, tablets and laptops to prove that they work although this may be mandatory very soon. This mandatory status will currently only be instated for those traveling on direct flights from some International locations overseas to the USA. If you cannot power on your device you will be asked to leave it behind so be sure its fully charged before getting on any International flight just to be safe. This comes from enhanced security measures ordered by Jeh Johnson the Secretary of Homeland Security.

If TSA asks that you turn on your device they are really asking you to prove that its not a bomb made to look like a mobile device. While there are people out there that could make a hollowed out phone power on and still have a bomb in them the thought is that its highly unlikely. This said it is one step closer to making our airlines a little safer as annoying as this can become. Again be sure your devices are fully charged when passing through TSA checkpoints as the security measure could cost you a phone.

“As the traveling public knows, all electronic devices are screened by security officers. During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones. Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft. The traveler may also undergo additional screening. – TSA.gov”

If for some reason you cannot power up the device before boarding one of those international flights you will either have to miss the flight to save the phone or part ways with it. This said if it does not power up you will also have to go through further screening even if you leave it behind since they cannot verify that its not a bomb. Be safe and charge the device completely as well as carrying a battery pack and or additional battery. Thank you terrorists for yet another security measure implemented by Homeland Security.

If you have anything to add to the conversation we would love to hear from you via comments below as this will likely be a very controversial measure taken by TSA and could cost business travelers millions in lost electronics.

Install Google Play on your Desktop via Raccoon

Brandon Orndorff
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Install Google Play on your Desktop via Raccoon

If your device is not supported by the Google Play Store due to either developer setting incompatibility or maybe its because you have a custom ROM you can still get the apps you want. We run into bugs after updating apps all the time and would love to revert back to the previous version of the app. Now you can do this easily with Raccoon current version bing 2.3 by XDA Developer onyxbits.

Onyxbits has created a Google Play Desktop client that allows you to download the APK files that you want as well as cache them locally on your computer so that you can keep multiple versions of the same app. This could prove incredibly useful for many other reasons that those we mentioned already although these are the most known reasons.

Google Play Desktop ClientHow to Install Raccoon Google Play Desktop Client:

  1. Install Java if you don’t already have it installed
  2. Download and run raccoon.jar by double clicking it (Download page)
  3. Enter your username and password when prompted (use a junk account if you have one)
  4. type “Onyxbits” into the text field
  5. You will now see a list of all developers apps
  6. Here you can search for apps or download a prebuilt list of apps
  7. You can then download the APK file and transfer it to your device however you like (easiest by just transferring via USB)
  8. Enable “Unknown Sources” if you haven’t already to allow the APK to be installed

If you have any further questions feel free to ask as we will be playing with this in more detail to see its limits and additional features if an exist. We linked directly to the download page on Onyxbits site so you always get the most recent version as we assume this will grow over time.

We would love to hear your comments and concerns via comments below. This is relatively new so there isn’t currently a whole lot on the Raccoon Google Play Store Desktop Client and we love to hear feedback on projects like these from our followers.

How To Install, Setup, and Use Kids Mode on the Galaxy S5

Brandon Orndorff
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How To Install, Setup, and Use Kids Mode on the Galaxy S5

Whether or not you like to hand your phone to the kids they are a great way to keep them busy in many different situations. Out to dinner and your 4 year old is getting fidgety, hand him/her your phone and let them play for a bit to calm them down. This said kids can do a number on phones and have them so messed up that you have no idea what they did or how to fix it. You may even have files missing that are important without realizing they are gone until you go looking for them. There has been more than once even I have had to factory reset a device sue to my daughter having a little fun with settings.

No matter what you may think its very difficult to keep your kids off your phone but now you can hand it to them without worrying about anything with the Galaxy S5 Kids Mode. Before Kids Mode there were other solutions like third-party apps and Amazons very own FreeTime for their Kindle Fire tablets although none quite so easy or feature rich. Once setup the Galaxy S5 Kids Mode allows one tap child friendly mode making it as easy as humanly possible.

All this said Kids Mode is just another parental control app with all of the settings and security you would expect, although with its second completely separate environment makes everything kid friendly as well as easily cleaned out. A brief list of what the GS5 Kids Mode does for you is as follows:

  • Protects sensitive data with its separate environment and parental controls
  • Allows addition of more kid friendly apps, games and books
  • Nearly impossible for your children to bypass kids mode once active
  • Comes pre-installed with 5 kid friendly apps to allow use right away
  • Very easy to use for both children and parents

How to Setup and Use Galaxy S5 Kids Mode
Generally Kids Mode will not be installed completely on the device but will have a widget to allow you to add and download the missing files easily. Here are the instructions in order to setup Kids Mode so that its ready when your child wants the phone:

  1. Long press on an empty spot on any home screen until you are in edit mode
  2. tap widgets and search through them for the kids mode icon (little alligator)
  3. long press the icon and place it on your home screen wherever you prefer for easy access
  4. If you notice that the icon has a small down arrow on it tap it to open and download the missing files.
  5. After opening the kids mode app for the first time you will need to setup a PIN (only used for kids mode and is completely separate from all other phone security)
  6. Next you will need to setup a child profile (currently only allows 1 profile to be setup)
  7. Here you will add your childs name and birthday as well as a photo if you choose to do so.
  8. Congrats you have kids mode setup and ready to use!

Once installed and setup you will notice that there are two small icons on the bottom right. Both of these require your PIN to access one of them being the Menu for parental controls and the other to exit kids mode. The first being the menu will give you the following options to setup beyond default features:

  • Edit the profile you created earlier
  • Check the activities that your children are using like time used and most used apps
  • Set time limits for your kids to limit their play time each day
  • Add any apps already installed on your device to kids mode for them to use
  • Add any existing pictures or videos on the device to kids mode for them to see
  • Ability to download additional apps from the kids store like learning apps and books
  • Several other minor settings that can be changed.

The only way to exit kids mode is using the PIN you provided when setting it up, if you reboot the device when in kids mode it will boot back up into kids mode since that was the last state it was in. This said if you do type in the PIN wrong five times you will get a link that says “forgotten your PIN?” tap this link and it will redirect you to an exit page and last tap that and it will return to normal mode. The next time you open kids mode it will ask you for a new PIN. No word on if this is a bug or designed this way and some devices don’t seem to work using this method. Either way the younger children on the device will not likely go through that entire process. Since Kids Mode is targeted at young children and not Teens this will not likely be an issue.

How to Remove Kids Mode Files to Clean up Device Storage?
Kids tend to create a lot of content from Videos to voice recordings and pictures. This said they will likely start filling up the device storage rather quickly and you will want to do some cleanup. The following is step by step how to remove Kids Mode files created without messing with your own data.

  1. Go to your app drawer and select “My Files”
  2. Tap on “Device Storage” option to view your Android file structure
  3. Tap on the Kids Mode Folder and there you will see a folder for each Kids app installed
  4. Within each of these folder you can delete the files generated by the associated app
  5. long press any file within the folder you want to clean and it will change to multi-select mode
  6. Then select each file you want to remove by tapping them
  7. Last select the trash icon at the top of the screen and delete them
  8. Rinse and repeat.

If you have any additional questions about Kids Mode on the Galaxy S5 feel free to drop us a line below in the comments. Also be sure to check out the videos within this article and I tried to walk through everything in great detail to make the process as simple as possible for parents. I myself have a young daughter and another on the way which makes this a very useful feature.

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