10 Life Hacks Every Samsung Galaxy User Should Know
If you have an Android phone, it’s likely a Samsung Galaxy —Samsung confidently outpaces giants like Google, Xiaomi, and others in global market share. And if you have a Galaxy, you have access to a number of features that other Android devices lack.
Samsung has added many of its own ideas and customizations to Google’s mobile operating system, and if you want to get the most out of your Galaxy, you need to know about them. Here are some of the best ways to improve your Samsung Galaxy experience.
Automate your life with routine actions.
Why constantly change your phone settings when it can do it for you? Apps is a Galaxy utility that will wait for specific triggers and then perform specific actions—for example, turning on Do Not Disturb mode every time you arrive at the office and turning it off when you leave.
Go to “Settings,” then select “Modes and Scenarios .” The first screen displays “Modes” —specific notification settings for sleep, workouts, games, and so on—but if you click the “Scenarios” tab, you can start adding new automations.
Available triggers include time, location, specific Wi-Fi networks (e.g., home or office), connected devices (e.g., headphones), and events (e.g., incoming notifications). Actions can range from specific Do Not Disturb modes and display settings to in-app tasks (e.g., creating calendar events) and accessibility settings.
Access your favorite contacts directly from the sidebar.
If you’re not familiar with the Edge Panel, you might not realize how powerful it is. It’s not just for creating app shortcuts—you can also add shortcuts to your favorite contacts, which is potentially even more useful.
In Settings, go to Display > Sidebars , then toggle the feature on and click Panels . Make sure the Contacts panel is selected and use the Edit button to select specific contacts. Click the three dots, then Reorder to make sure the Contacts panel is first.
These screens also offer a variety of additional sidebar customization options. For example, you can choose which side of the screen it appears on and how transparent it is.
Create atmospheric photo wallpaper.
Samsung Galaxy smartphones can take one of your photos, set it as your device’s wallpaper, and then dynamically change it based on the time of day and weather conditions—for example, darkening the background and covering it with raindrops if there’s a thunderstorm overnight.
You can customize this in Settings by selecting Wallpaper & Style , then Change Wallpaper > Generate with AI > Weather . You’ll need to select an image and allow location access, after which the new wallpaper will be applied to your lock screen. To make further changes to the lock screen, press and hold it while your phone is locked. You can then customize elements such as shortcuts and widgets on the screen, as well as the wallpaper.
Improve your streaming video quality with increased brightness.
Galaxy smartphones feature a dedicated feature to enhance brightness and color saturation for viewing video content, whether locally stored or streamed. In Settings, go to Advanced Features > Video Brightness , select Vivid , and then use the toggles to select the apps to which this feature applies.
Add light effects to notifications
In addition to sounds and vibrations, notifications on Galaxy phones can also feature interesting light effects. This is a fun way to ensure you see incoming alerts and quickly understand what they are for.
Open Settings, then select Notifications > Pop-up Notification Style > Add Light Effect . You can choose from a variety of styles and colors, and set the duration of the light effect. For light effects that allow you to choose a color, you can change it based on relevant keywords by selecting “Light effect color by keyword.” For example, you could enter a contact’s name and assign it a custom color.
Change the assignment of the side button.
This is a simple but useful feature: you can change the action of double-pressing the side button by opening Settings and selecting Advanced Features > Side Button . For example, you can configure it to launch the camera, flashlight, or a specific app. From the same screen, you can also customize the action of long-pressing the side button—it can either launch one of the digital assistants installed on your phone (such as Bixby or Gemini) or bring up the power menu.
Switch to one-handed mode
You’ll likely encounter plenty of situations where you’ll find yourself trying to use your Samsung phone with one hand instead of two (like walking the dog or carrying groceries), and that’s where one-handed mode comes in.
This feature is enabled in Settings via “Advanced Features” > “One-Handed Mode,” after which it can be activated by swiping down from the bottom of the screen to reveal a smaller, more convenient interface. Repeat the gesture again to return to normal mode.
It’s more convenient to work in multitasking mode when two applications are displayed on the screen at the same time.
Multi-window mode is another useful feature available on Samsung Galaxy phones, although it’s likely to be most useful on the largest screens. It allows you to display two apps on the screen simultaneously, so you can read messages while watching a video or doing whatever else you like.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the carousel of recently used apps, then swipe to the first app. Tap the app icon at the top, then select “Open in Split Screen Mode .” You’ll then be prompted to choose another app to pair with.
Adjust the screen resolution
One of the lesser-known options on Samsung Galaxy phones is the ability to change the screen resolution: a higher resolution means sharper text and graphics, although it will also drain your phone’s battery faster, so keep that in mind.
You can adjust this by selecting Display > Screen Resolution in Settings. The settings displayed will vary depending on your specific phone model, but above them you can see a preview of how each will affect the display.
Check the Wi-Fi coverage area in your home.
It’s a little odd that Samsung hid this menu , but it’s a set of Wi-Fi diagnostic tools you can use to check signal strength in your home, troubleshoot network issues, and monitor data usage. To enable the menu, called “Connection Lab,” open Settings and select Connections > Wi-Fi . Tap the three dots (in the upper right corner), then select “Smart Wi-Fi,” and tap “Smart Wi-Fi” at the bottom of the screen seven times to add an additional menu.
Open Connectivity Labs, and you’ll see a variety of options and features to explore. One of the most useful is the Home Wi-Fi Network Test feature: select it, and your phone will help you measure the Wi-Fi signal strength in your home.