Samsung is looking at introducing some new features to its older Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 smartphones. A new firmware updates the Always On Display feature on the three smartphones to add GIF support.
It is to be noted that the GIF support for Always On Display was always present in these smartphones, however, the GIFs did not really show as GIFs but as static images. As part of the latest update, the company appears to have fixed the issue.
With the latest update, the GIFs will be shown in their true animated avatar when the Always-On display is enabled. However, the GIF animations appear to run only after locking the phone and only for a short time before again going still. If you want to animate it, you will have to double tap the GIF.
How it works
If you a Galaxy S8/S8+ or Note 8 owner, you can enable the GIF support for Always-On display by heading to Settings -> Lock screen and security -> Always On Display and then choose Clock or Home button and clock. You will have to return to the Lock screen and security section and tap Clock and FaceWidgets option.
From here, select the clock style which has a blank part in it. Once you select the specific clock style, you will be able to select a GIF file from the phone’s gallery or choose one of the default options, and hit Apply.
As SamMobile notes, the smartphones need to run Android 8.0 Oreo for the feature to work. Once you apply the settings, you will be able to see the GIF animation play every time you turn off the screen and Always On Display pops up.
