Now that the Oreo update debacle has settled for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ (still a bit of an ongoing battle for the Note8, but it’s getting there), Samsung has decided to give the devices a new cosmetic update. One of the longstanding features of Samsung devices has been their Always On Display, which is a visual treat on their super AMOLED panels. It lets you check the time and notifications at a glance. Granted that it does affect your battery life a little, it shouldn’t be much of a bother. Over time, Samsung has slowly been adding features to the Always On Display. The latest addition to the Always On Display for the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 allows you to add a GIF to it.
The ability to add GIFs makes sense, considering that it was already possible to add photos to the Always on Display. It was a simple, but effective way to personalise your phone even when it was idle. Samsung has made it easier for users to capture GIFs directly with the camera, and now you can add those GIFs to your home screen. The feature was added in version 3.2.26.4 of Always on Display and will be available to users in the next few days. It works with both downloaded and natively shot GIFs. All you need to do is tap on the “Add to Always On Display” option when any GIF is opened.
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The only limitation with the new feature is the GIF can’t be too long. You will see a failure notice if the animation length is too long. To fix it, tap the edit button in the Gallery to trim the GIF by removing frames. Rinse and repeat until the GIF size is deemed to be ok. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that the GIFs don’t loop on the Always on Display, so you don’t want to pick one that’s too short either. It’s essentially a neat little animation that’ll play every time you lock or unlock your device.
Source: XDA developers
