Tips on S Pen Air Actions

The S Pen which comes with Samsung Galaxy7 S22 Ultra, and S23 Ultra is super powerful. Unfortunately, Samsung has no extensive guide on using S Pen. Most of the users think that it is a dumb style and probably rarely do web searches to find usage tips. With the S Pen and ESP32, you can control the lights and smart devices in your house with Air Actions. We are coming to that part at the end of this article.

I have noticed that most of the users initially try to utilize the Air Actions, but they fail and never try it twice. S Pen and Air Actions are not marketing gimmicks. Samsung officially provides a few examples for the n00b. The examples are boring. But one has to start with boring examples.

The button on the S Pen does certain remote control actions, they are not Air Actions. The remote control functions are not proximity-dependent. We are describing under two sub-headers.

The Remote Control Function of S Pen

The remote control functions of S Pen are simple and anyone can master them.

Single Press: Camera – Capture. Media – Play/Pause
Double Press: Camera – Switch Front/Rear, Camera Change; Media – Next
Press Hold and Left/Right Movement: Camera – Change Mode (still photography, videography etc.), Media – Previous/Next
Press Hold and Up/Down Movement: Camera – Switch Front/Rear, Camera Change; Media – Volume Up/Down
Press Hold and Rotation: Camera – Zoom in and out

These functions are similar to the signs we need to know to drive a car or two-wheeler. You can use these remote control functions within a distance of 30 meters. They are designed for listening to music (probably with Samsung Buds) and photography/videography.

The Air Actions of S Pen (Gestures)

The Air Action feature requires a minimum distance of 10 cm from the screen. They are intended for complicated, advanced usage. You need to press hold the S Pen button and perform a gesture.

Although Samsung provides examples of Air Gestures with apps such as Samsung Internet App, they are practically useless at home unless you are projecting your smartphone screen to a larger screen (a TV or a projector).

Get an idea of all the Air Action gestures from Settings > Advanced Features > S Pen > Air actions.

For advanced usage with Air Actions (such as controlling your smart devices at home), you need to download the Application named Good Lock (it is from Samsung Good Lock Labs). Tap “Life Up” and install the “Routines+” plugin. Now go to Settings > Modes and Routines (it is old Bixby Routines).

If condition -> select S Pen actions, select a gesture.
Then condition -> select Control Smart Things > Run a Scene > Select your intended action (on, off, dim etc.).

Now this total thing (I mean Samsung Smart Things) can be tied with projects created with ESP32. That part I described a year back in this guide How to Connect Bixby with ESP32 Arduino. You can actually control many smart devices if they support Smart Things.