What is the S Pen and how do I use it?

The S Pen is a special stylus integrated into the Galaxy Note series, as well as some of the later Galaxy Tabs.

To use the S Pen, remove it from your device by pressing gently on the end. On removal, your device will vibrate briefly. You can also activate the S Pen by hovering it over the screen and quickly pressing the S Pen button at the end twice.

Read on to find out how to make the most of the S Pen with your Galaxy device and read our FAQ to find out what makes each S Pen unique.

Please note: New features have been introduced with each new Galaxy Note and S Pen. Therefore, some of the features mentioned below may not be available on older models.

A useful function of the S Pen is Air Command. This creates a small icon on your screen that appears when the S Pen is activated and can be clicked on to expand and show S Pen features and functions.

If Air Command doesn't appear when you activate the S Pen, you may need to switch it on. The path to turn it on will be different depending on your model and operating system.

Using your S Pen as a remote control lets you take photos from a distance, control PowerPoint presentations, browse Gallery and more.

With the Galaxy Note10/Note10+ you can go a step further and use Air Actions to control your phone with six gestures (left/right, up/down, swing left/right.

Follow the below steps on your Galaxy smartphone to activate the S Pen remote control functions.

1 Go to "Settings", then tap “Advanced features”.

Advanced features selected

2 Tap “S Pen”. 3 Tap “S Pen remote” or “Air Actions”. 4 Tap the switch to activate “S Pen remote".

S pen remote switch selected

You can also activate it via the Notification panel:

1 Swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to open the Notification panel. Then, drag the notification down to expand the menu.

2 Slide the notification panel to the left. 3 Tap “S Pen remote” or “S Pen Air Actions”.

Tap S Pen remote or S Pen Air Actions

4 A message will pop-up, asking you if you want to keep using your current S Pen or connect a new one. In this example, choose “Keep using current S Pen”.

Pop up message displayed

Please note: Make sure the S Pen has enough battery for the Bluetooth connectivity to work properly.

Change and customise the app, features or actions of your S Pen button to adapt it to your preferences and needs.

Please note: This feature is available on the Galaxy Note9 and Note10/Note10+. Availability and design might vary depending on the model type and operating system installed.

1 Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Notification panel. 2 Tap and hold "S Pen air actions".

Or, go to "Settings", tap "Advanced features", tap "S Pen", then tap "Air actions" to open the S Pen remote settings screen.

3 Under the heading "App actions", select an app to customise. In this example, "Camera".

Camera app selected

4 Change actions by tapping items under the headings "Single press", “Double press”, and "Gestures".

Camera actions options displayed

Please note: Like other Bluetooth devices, the S Pen’s max range is 10m. The Note8 S Pen cannot be used as a remote control or use Air actions.

The Pen button can be found on the side of the S Pen. You can customise the use of the Pen button in two ways:

Press and hold

You can choose which app you would like to open when you press and hold the Pen button on your S Pen for a few seconds.

1 Go to "Settings", then tap “Advanced features”. 2 Tap “S Pen”. 3 Select “S Pen remote” or “Air actions” to open the S Pen remote settings screen. 4 Tap “Hold down Pen button to”.

5 Select the app or feature you wish to be launched (e.g. Camera, Calculator, Translate), in this example “Camera”.

Camera app selected

6 Whichever app you select will be launched when holding down the S Pen button for 2-3 seconds.

Single or double press

1 Go to "Settings", then tap “Advanced features”. 2 Tap “S Pen”. 3 Select “Air actions” or “S Pen remote” to open the S Pen remote settings screen.

4 In the “App actions” section, tap the apps you wish to customise air actions for, in this example “Camera”.

Camera app selected

5 Tap next to “Single press” to choose what you want to happen when you press the button once.

Single press options displayed

6 Tap next to “Double press” to choose what you want to happen when you press the button twice.

Double press options displayed

Thanks to the S Pen you can forget about running back into the frame after setting the timer on the camera or squeezing into the image due to lack of space. Use the S Pen as a remote control to take the perfect selfie or group photo.

To activate this feature, first follow the steps above in the section "Use the S Pen as a remote control" to activate the S Pen remote control settings.

The S Pen is connected via Bluetooth to your device and can work as a remote control camera trigger from up to 10m away.

1 Set the phone at a distance. 2 Place yourself nicely in the frame. 3 Press the S Pen button once to snap a picture. 4 Press the S Pen button twice to switch between front or rear camera.

You can also use your S Pen to create a GIF. Follow our step by step guide to find out how to create a GIF from a video clip.