One of the best things about owning a Samsung device is its feature-rich software. There are so many useful settings you can change and features you can use to make your Galaxy phone or tablet work better for you.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the most essential Samsung features you should try right away to make your device more user-friendly.
1. Access your notification history
Notifications have become so common that we often instinctively delete them without taking a proper look. Usually, this isn’t a big problem, but sometimes, you can dismiss a notification that contained important information.
Don’t worry, your Samsung phone records moments like these and can store your notification history for the last 24 hours. Here’s how to enable it:
- open your device Settings and select Notifications > Advanced settings.
- Tap notification history and turn it on. Once turned on, your phone will start saving the notifications you receive throughout the day. To keep things organized, it will automatically categorize them based on the apps that sent them.
- To see all the notifications you’ve received from a specific app in the last 24 hours, tap the dropdown icon next to that app.
- In addition to the list of notifications received in the last 24 hours, you’ll also see recently dismissed notifications for quick access.
2. Use edge panels for quick access
A trivial but common struggle among smartphone users is trying to find a specific app from the sea of ​​apps on their phones. To make this easier, Samsung phones come with edge panels that act like mini drawers that you pull out from the side of the screen.
Along with that, you can configure edge panels to perform a variety of actions like making calls, taking screenshots, starting voice recordings, checking the weather, starting a timer, opening a new browser tab, and much more.
To enable the feature, simply go to Settings > Display and activate edge panels. Once you enable it, a controller will appear on the right side of your screen (which you can customize later). Slide it in to open and access your panels.
From here, you can populate the Apps panel with your favorite apps (up to 22 apps) by tapping the hamburger icon and selecting Edit. To add more panels, go to the edge panels menu, touch panelsand select the ones that you find useful.
3. Delete Shared Screenshots
Do you often share screenshots with other people, but then forget to delete them from your gallery? All those screenshots you don’t need to keep are hogging your device’s storage.
Fortunately, you can set your phone to automatically delete a screenshot after sharing from the screenshot toolbar. To do so, go to your device Settingsselect Advanced features > Screenshots and screen recorderand active Delete shared screenshots.
Remember, the screenshot toolbar only appears for a couple of seconds after you take a screenshot. So if you miss it, your screenshot will be saved in your gallery and then you will have to delete it manually.
4. Automate your phone with routines
Routines are an automation feature that allows you to change device settings based on your usage patterns and daily routine. The feature is called Modes and Routines in One UI 5 and Bixby Routines in earlier versions.
You can use Routines to automate your entire day, where your phone responds and adapts to what you’re doing. For example, if you’re driving to work, you can have your phone automatically turn on mobile data and location, play your Spotify playlist, open Google Maps, and read your notifications aloud so you don’t have to look away. out of the way.
5. Control your phone with gestures
Your Galaxy phone is loaded with a bunch of really intuitive motions and gesture settings that make your device easier to use. To find them, go to your device Settings and select Advanced features > Motions and gestures.
Some features you’ll find there include:
- Elevator to wake up: Automatically turn on the screen when you pick up the phone.
- Double tap to turn on screen Y Double tap to turn off the screen: Helps to avoid clicking the power button to control the screen.
- Keep the screen on while watching: keeps your screen awake when you’re using it.
- Alert when you answer the phone: sends haptic feedback when you pick up the phone after missing a call or message.
6. Game Launcher
Game Launcher is a dedicated space that organizes all your games and offers special features to enhance your gaming experience. For example, you can bookmark relevant apps, web pages, and gallery images for quick access. You can also see all the notifications you’ve received from your games in one place, so you can catch up on anything you’ve missed.
With Instant Plays, you can instantly try a new game to see if it’s worth downloading. With Game Booster, you can customize all kinds of settings to optimize your game, save battery life, and block disturbances. All these features combined make Game Launcher a great alternative to Google Play Games. Here’s how to enable it:
- open your device Settings And go to advanced features.
- Scroll down to find game launcher and turn it on. By enabling it, Game Launcher will be added to your app drawer.
7. Improve the sound quality on your Galaxy device
If you’re not impressed with the sound quality of your Galaxy device, there are ways to improve it. Go to Settings > Sounds and vibrations > Sound quality and effects. Here, you’ll see a number of sound settings to enhance your listening experience.
Here’s what each of these settings does:
- Dolby Atmos: As you may know, Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that simulates a 360-degree sound effect similar to that of a movie theater. Turning it on instantly improves the overall definition and clarity of your music.
- You can also use Dolby Atmos for other purposes, such as calling or watching movies. For that, touch the dolby atmos menu and choose from Auto, Movie, Music or Voice. To play, activate Dolby Atmos for gaming.
- Equalizer: For audiophiles, you can play around with the equalizer, adjusting the bass, mids, and treble to create the perfect sound signature tailored to your liking. Or you can just choose from the given presets such as Pop, Classic, Jazzeither Rock.
- UHQ Enhancer: Increase the sound resolution of your music to improve definition and detail. Please note that UHQ upscaler is a feature for wired headsets only. If your phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack, you’ll need to use a USB-C adapter.
- Adapt the sound: Everyone’s ears are unique and have a different sensitivity to certain sound frequencies. Knowing this, Adapt Sound trains your phone to create a custom sound profile to suit your ears by putting it through a rigorous sound test.
8. Change Notification Popup Style
You can customize the appearance of notification popups to make them less or more noticeable. This is how you do it:
- open your device Settings and select notifications.
- Go to Brief Popup Settings > Edge Lighting Style. From here, you can change the popup effect, color, transparency, and duration.
Make your Galaxy device work better for you
In addition to those listed above, there are many other settings and features you can discover on your Samsung Galaxy device that will help you save time, increase your productivity, and enhance your lifestyle.
If you want to go a step further, you can also download Samsung’s Good Lock app from the Galaxy Store to redesign your device to a whole new level. You might be surprised how well you can change the overall look of your phone.