Calling all Samsung smartphone holders
As your devices become increasingly disparate, Samsung Kies is a useful tool for connecting your PC with your Samsung mobile, tablet or other device. It was developed with the aim of synchronizing multimedia, localized data and other content between your computer or laptop and Android device. You simply download the program onto your PC or notebook and Samsung Kies will ensure your contacts, photos, music and more are updated whenever you are online. Also, you can fire up your mobile apps on the big screen of your PC – pretty neat. Just make sure your phone and device are on the same wireless network, and you can seamlessly transfer over music, media files and more. This way you can rest assured all your personal or professional data is being aligned and backed up, silently and automatically in the background. Is it worth a spin? Read on and see whether Samsung Kies is a good fit for you.
Easy communication, data transfer and updates between your PC and Samsung device
Samsung Kies: a handy mobile-PC synchronization app
Samsung Kies was released in 2016 and is considered one of the major game-changers in smooth synchronization between PC and mobile, and easy file transfer. Initially through a USB cable, but now all you need is a decent broadband connection to start the stream of data. Downloading Samsung Kies is very straightforward. You simply install the software on your Windows computer. It helps of course if you also have a Samsung mobile or other device! Samsung Kies will then maintain data backups and notify you of firmware updates for Samsung products. This last point is particularly handy; your smartphone will run at its best with all the latest updates. When you link up your device, you will automatically get notified about the latest firmware available for your specific model. Note that due to technical limitations per country, it will need to have been released in your country first.
If you are considering Samsung Kies, bear in mind that there are two versions of the software: Kies 2.6 and Kies 3.0. The former works with Samsung Galaxy and Note devices that are operating with Android 4.3 systems or earlier. The more recent Kies 3.0 will run on Samsung devices using Android 4.3 and later. Let’s delve into the Pros and Cons of this seemingly efficient and harmless tool. One the plus side, Samsung Kies can be launched both from a USB cable and wireless connection. A handy alternative if you have a faulty port or dodgy connection. The one-click backup and restore is highly useful, and it supports S Memo and S Planner updates. Samsung Kies can easily control data in your library. And the best gleaming positive feature: it is 100% free! Also, being the official Samsung software developed by the global multimedia giants, you can trust it to be safe and malware free.
On to the negative aspects of the program. Samsung Kies does not support different versions of Android OS simultaneously. If your two devices are operating different versions (for example you have a Samsung Galaxy S7 and you wanted to sync it up with your Note 3). This is a major drawback for holders of multiple Samsung models of various ages. Another poor feature is that only content that has already been stored in your internal memory will be included in the transfer to your PC. A glaring fault is of course that Kies will only function on Samsung devices, so if you use any other Android mobile, tablet or notebook then it is no use to you. Also, be aware that even the latest version of Samsung Kies can be frustratingly slow at times and can take a while to recognize linked devices. It is still some facelift away from competing with Apple and iTunes.
Where can you run this program?
In order to use Samsung Kies, you will need a PC with Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8. For the central processing unit, Samsung recommends you have Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or above, at least 1 GB of RAM and you should clear up 500 MB of space on your hard drive. You can sync up most Samsung smartphones or tablets to your PC, but the latest versions of the Samsung Galaxy cannot run on Kies. Note that the Kies program may lag on the more recent versions of Samsung models.
Is there a better alternative?
Samsung Kies doesn’t dominate the market space, not by any means. If you are looking for software to manage your music between devices, then DoubleTwist is a great program. The self-styled 'iTunes for Android' it will collate your podcasts, song library and radio stations on multiple devices. AirDroid is another nifty alternative, especially if you are looking for synchronization software for an Android device that isn’t necessarily a Samsung model. AirDroid allows you to regain remote access to your phone’s files, incoming calls and content from your computer. It is a freemium program that is available for PC and Mac. The closest alternative to Samsung Kies may be sister software from the same mobile giant. Samsung Smart Switch operates like Kies, but it enables data transfer between multiple devices, including two or more Samsung smart phones or tablets.
Our take
To wrap-up, if you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone or other Samsung device, then the official Kies software is a handy all-in-one mobile-PC synchronization app. You’ll need to do your homework and see if your particular model is supported, but if it is then it does save you precious time keeping on top of data backup, firmware updates and transfer content. There is similar software out there, and if you need a blazing fast program then you may be better hunting further afield (try Smart Switch or TunesGo). As freeware goes, Samsung Kies is a great concept but it could do with squashing a few bugs.
Should you download it?
If you have multiple calendars, lists of contacts and content across several devices that is becoming out of sync then Samsung Kies could be a handy life jacket. It’s no speedboat however, and if you are looking for long-term synchronization software there are better alternatives on the market.
