When your phone is closed

You can do a lot on the external display.

To wake it, lift, nudge, or tap your phone. Then you can use these gestures on the screen:

  • To unlock your phone, swipe up.
  • To open quick settings, swipe down.
  • To put it to sleep, double tap the screen. (If this gesture doesn't work, turn it on.)

Check battery and notifications

To check your battery percentage, tap .

Notification icons appear next to at the bottom of the external display. To check notifications:

  1. Tap a notification icon to open the list.

  2. In the list:

    • Tap down arrow to see bundled notifications or more notification info.
    • Swipe a notification sideways to dismiss it.
    • Swipe down to close the notifications list.

Open/close camera

Twist the phone twice quickly to open the camera.

To close the camera, swipe up.

To learn about camera features, read the Camera app's help.

Use phone as mirror

Use your external display as a mirror. The high quality cameras let you to zoom in for details.

  1. With the phone closed, open the camera:

    • Twist the phone twice.
    • Or, double press the Power button.
  2. For the best angle, turn your phone so the camera is at the top.
  3. Tap Photo > Mirror and take a look.

  4. To zoom in/out, tap more options icon then drag up/down.

  5. To take a selfie from the mirror:

    • To add optional frame, tap more options icon > . To see another frame, tap again.
    • To add optional filter effect, like cracked glass or frost, touch & hold the screen. Move your finger and touch & hold again to see the next effect.
    • Tap the screen or press the Volume up button to take the photo.

Answer or make calls

Task Gesture to use
Answer call Flip phone open
End call Flip phone closed
Make call Swipe to Contacts panel
See more options during call Tap the display

You can change how your phone handles calls when you flip it open/closed.

If you reject a call, you can send a quick text message from the external display.

Unlock for information panels

You can open quick settings, check battery percentage, check notifications, and open the camera when your screen is locked. When you unlock it, you can do that and much more!

Swipe up to unlock it, then touch a shortcut to go to that panel, or swipe sideways to the panel.

Open an app. Tap edit icon to change available apps.

View events from your Calendar.

  • Touch the date to view the full month.
  • Touch a day to see events and reminders.
  • Touch to view today.

Flip open to edit or add events and other Calendar tasks.

See the current forecast.

Touch to view extended weather information.

Touch to change location settings.

Send texts and make calls.

If you don’t see , touch down arrow.
View your daily exercise activity. You can add this panel.
See headlines and information about your favorite topics and locations. You can add this panel.

Customize what you see

You can customize the external display by touching & holding a blank spot on the Home panel.

Add, remove, rearrange information panels

  1. Touch & hold the screen, then tap Manage panels.

    The Home panel stays in place and can't be removed.

  2. Adjust the other panels:

    • To add one, tap .
    • To remove one, tap .
    • To rearrange a panel, hold & drag it to a new position.

Personalize the look and feel

For the home and lock screens on your external display, you can change the wallpaper, font, clock and much more.

  1. Touch & hold a blank space on the external display, then tap Lock screen or Home screen.

  2. Tap an icon to change features.

    Wallpaper
    Font style
    Accent color
    Amount of image blur on lock screen for privacy
    Themes and clockfaces
  3. Tap Save to save changes.

Change or remove app shortcuts on home screen

The external display home screen includes four app shortcuts, which you can change or remove.

  1. Touch & hold a blank space on the external display.
  2. Tap Home screen.

  3. Adjust shortcuts:

    • To remove a shortcut, on the home screen image, tap its icon.

    • If you don’t want to see any shortcuts, remove them all.
    • To add a shortcut, tap .

Change wallpaper

  1. Touch & hold the screen, then tap Home screen.
  2. Select a design and associated options.
  3. Touch to apply it.

Change animated clockface

  1. Touch & hold the screen, then touch Themes.
  2. Swipe through clockfaces to find the one you want.
  3. If the clockface has additional settings like color options , you'll see icons at the bottom of the screen. Set options as desired.
  4. Touch to change it.

More settings

For more personalization options, like display and font size or flip actions, go to Settings > External display.