Check your Samsung Galaxy phone and change 8 | Tech News

Samsung Galaxy telephones are some of the preferred on the earth, and a lot of that’s down to the Android software program they run. Although Google makes Android, it licenses the working system out to its companions, who can then design their own flavour and construct on prime of the fundamental model, with what is usually often known as an Android ‘skin’.

Samsung calls its pores and skin One UI, and it’s much-improved on older variations. Back within the days of the Galaxy S5 circa 2014, Samsung was messing about with TouchWiz, an ill-fated tackle Android that’s most well-known for its very annoying water drop sound results.

Nowadays, One UI could be very polished and one of probably the most versatile and customisable variations of Android accessible. I review Samsung telephones yearly, and though they’re good out of the box, it takes me a few steps to change a number of settings to tweak how the telephones really feel to my liking.

The newest model of One UI is named One UI 7, and comes pre-installed on the Galaxy S25 line up in addition to the Galaxy A36 and A56. Older Samsung telephones from current years ought to get One UI 7 as a free software program replace quickly, and it’s possible you’ll discover that even on your present phone that some of these settings can be enforced after the replace.

Here I show you which ones settings I often change after I get a new Samsung phone, why I accomplish that, and how to do it.

Several years in the past, Android launched gesture navigation, which may change the normal three-button navigation Android launched with. Out of the box, Samsung nonetheless opts to have the buttons on as default, which you’ll be able to keep in case you like, however if you need the trendy gestures:

Settings > Display > Navigation Bar > Swipe gestures

You swipe up to go back to the home screen, swipe up and maintain to view open apps and swipe in from both aspect of the screen to go back one step. It’s very intuitive.

Weirdly, Samsung has modified the default settings in One UI 7 so now your notifications gained’t seem as typical on the lock screen. Instead, the icons will seem within the prime left nook. Swiping down on the lock screen will show your notifications, however this isn’t apparent.

To get regular service to renew and show your notifications on the lock screen:

Settings > Notifications > Lock screen notifications > Cards

I additionally toggle on Show content material when unlocked, in order that the textual content from notifications doesn’t show up when my phone is locked. With this setting on, if in case you have face recognition turned on, the textual content solely exhibits up when your face is recognised. It’s a strong privateness function.

Samsung, like many Android makers lately, has modified how the notification shade works in One UI 7. Rather than swiping wherever from the highest of the screen to convey down notifications and fast settings, a swipe from the left exhibits notifications whereas a swipe from the suitable exhibits fast settings and more, copying how Apple does it on iOS.

If you wish to get back to regular:

Swipe down from the highest proper > Pencil icon > Panel settings > Together

One swipe will now show any notifications and the fast settings, whereas one other swipe will convey down the complete controls.

Samsung telephones default to displaying solely 4 apps throughout the screen, which may be superb with you, however I feel it’s higher with a 5 app width, particularly on massive screen telephones such because the Galaxy S25 Ultra. To change the home screen app grid:

Settings > Home screen > Home screen grid > 5×6

You may discover the Apps screen grid setting in right here too, which you’ll be able to change to five columns.

In the previous couple of years Samsung has relentlessly added artificial intelligence instruments to its Galaxy telephones within the type of Galaxy AI branded options. I for one am principally not a fan, as I don’t need AI to help me write emails, I don’t wish to erase people out of pictures, and typically I don’t need these instruments gunking up my phone.

Samsung, to a degree, permits you to flip off Galaxy AI. Handily, you’ll be able to keep the options you do need on and flip others off. Here’s how:

Settings > Galaxy AI

You can then faucet into every device and, the place accessible, toggle it on or off. I like that if in case you have a work profile set up Samsung permits you to select between Personal and Work profiles – you may wish to keep transcription of recordings of conferences on in your Work profile, for instance.

I flip off Note Assist as I don’t need my phone routinely formatting my notes in Samsung Notes with headers and bullet factors. Yuck.

Most Samsung telephones have the option for an always-on show setting, which takes benefit of the OLED shows to show particulars even when your phone is locked such because the time, notifications and more.

Samsung defaults this as Tap to show, however I a lot favor it to be continually on so you’ll be able to merely look at your phone to see this info.

Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Always-on Display > When to show > Always

Alternatively on the final stage you’ll be able to choose As scheduled, which I do, and set the time from 7:00 – 23:00, for instance. Then the screen gained’t be on whereas I’m in mattress however kicks in round my typical alarm time.

If you’ve simply bought a model new phone it’s value desirous about wanting after its battery. Long gone are the times of detachable batteries in smartphones, and the fee of changing yours with Samsung can get costly. Batteries naturally lose capability over time as they’re used, so it’s regular to have horrible battery life after three or 4 years of day by day use of a system.

One technique to get round this isn’t to charge your phone in a single day, in case you can help it. It’s additionally advisable to keep your battery at all times between 20 and 80 p.c, although that may be a bit of a faff.

There’s a Samsung setting that may help although. Head to:

Settings > Battery > Battery safety

You get three choices right here, and even the Basic mode is sweet. When you charge to one hundred pc, it then lets your phone run down to 95 p.c earlier than topping it back up to 100 to stop the cell maxing out. Better is Adaptive, which stops charging at 80 p.c and then intelligently makes sure you might be at one hundred pc once you wake up.

Samsung makes use of its software program to study your tough wake up time primarily based on your phone’s utilization.

For the best battery safety, choose Maximum. This stops your phone ever charging above 80 p.c. This will prolong the general life of your battery, however of course means you’ll at all times be a minimum of 20 p.c worse off than in case you absolutely charged to 100.

All Samsung telephones include Samsung’s keyboard put in, which is uncommon lately. Even Android telephones that aren’t Google Pixel telephones principally use Google’s Gboard, however not Samsung. I feel Gboard is superior although, so I at all times set up it on a new Samsung phone, however there are a few steps.

First, head to the Google Play Store and obtain Gboard. Open the app as soon as it’s put in and enable all of the permissions it asks for. Then:

Settings > General management > Keyboard record > Default Keyboard > Gboard

Gboard will now turn out to be the default keyboard on your phone.