You’ve unwrapped a stunning latest Samsung phone and are keen to get into setting it up. I don’t blame you, Samsung has made some superb phones over the past 12 months, and I’ve been lucky enough to make use of a lot of them. Which means I’ve arrange quite a lot of Samsung phones, and to assist get you began together with your phone as quickly as possible, listed here are all of the settings I modify and configure once I do.
The nice thing is, the recommendation applies to just about all Samsung phones released recently, because the settings are a part of Samsung’s One UI Android software installed on all its devices. So it doesn’t matter if you have got a Galaxy A53 5G, a Galaxy S22 Ultra, or perhaps a Galaxy Z Fold 4; just about all the recommendation will provide help to get the very best out of your latest phone immediately.
Charge your Samsung phone the appropriate way
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I do know you should get into using your latest phone at once, but let’s discuss charging. Your latest phone’s battery can have some charge inside already, but my advice is to be sure it’s at 100% before you begin using it, then fully discharge it before recharging it again. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of contemporary Samsung phones don’t include a charger, so you will have to seek out your old one, although the box should contain a USB Type-C cable to plug into the phone from the charging block.
If you should buy a latest charger that ensures you get the fastest charging speed (reminiscent of the wonderful Anker 747), now we have a range here that fit the bill. For those who resolve not to purchase a latest charger, it’s nice — any phone charger will do the job, it could just be slower than a charger designed for the Samsung phone.
First steps and security
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Samsung’s setup process is straightforward and easy, and the phone leads you thru connecting to Wi-Fi, your cellular service, and transferring data out of your old device. Through the process, you’ll have the prospect so as to add some security to your latest phone. I like to recommend organising the fingerprint sensor presently, and adding a PIN code as required. Nevertheless, the phone often skips ahead when you’ve added a fingerprint, and doesn’t all the time offer you the prospect to establish a face unlock feature.
Once the setup process has finished, open Settings > Biometrics and Security, and choose Face Recognition. Follow the on-screen instructions, but if you’ve finished adding your face, don’t exit just yet. There’s a very important setting to vary. Turn off the choice marked Stay on Lock Screen until Swipe, so when the phone sees your face it opens to your own home screen while not having to swipe. It’s much faster than the choice, although some may prefer the additional security and leave it on. For those who missed the setting the primary time, it could even be found under the identical menu used to establish face recognition.
Down with buttons, long live gestures
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By default, most Samsung phones use the old-style Android buttons at the underside of the screen to navigate around, but gestures are a lot simpler and more natural. They should be arrange after you’ve began using your phone, and to do that, go to Settings, Display, and scroll right down to find Navigation Bar.
Open this after which tap Swipe Gestures, and the buttons at the underside of the screen will disappear, leaving you to swipe across the operating system comfortably.
Change those pesky sounds
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That is the one section I normally forget until my latest Samsung phone alerts me a few notification really loudly, and through the use of the familiar Galaxy ringtone or sound. Perhaps it’s just jaded tech journalists which have heard this all too often, but given the recognition of Samsung phones generally, I bet quite a lot of other people have heard those Galaxy sounds an excessive amount of as well. Which means it’s best to change it, and at the identical time, lower the default volumes.
Open Settings and go to Sounds and Vibration. Here, you may switch the phone to vibrate mode, but before doing so, I like to recommend adjusting the default volumes. They’re all set very loud. At the identical time, there are alternatives to vary the ringtone, notification sound, and the system sound. That way, if you do need to hear your phone, it won’t be the standard Galaxy tones at an ear-splitting volume. What do I select? Morning Strum for the ringtone, Crystal because the notification sound, and Calm because the system sound. I also change the Notification Vibration Pattern to Heartbeat.
Configure the facility button
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If that is your first Samsung phone, the facility button may not do what you expect immediately, and you might want to make a call about what you would like it to do when pressed. Press the facility key once, and it’ll turn off the display, but press and hold the button, and Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby will appear. If you should use Bixby, that’s great, but what if you should power off, or restart your phone?
By default, you hold down the facility button and a volume key for a moment to access the facility menu, but this setting could be modified under Settings, Advanced Features, and Side Key. Here, you may opt to make use of the button to wake Bixby or to access the facility menu. It’s also possible so as to add a double press motion to wake the camera or to open an app of your alternative. For those who ever struggle to seek out the facility menu, it could even be found at the highest of the notification shade.
Use the always-on display
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Samsung’s always-on display is just not all the time on out of the box; it’s often set to “tap to indicate,” or disabled entirely. It’s a shame, because it’s a really helpful feature. To make use of it on a regular basis, open Settings, find the Lock Screen option, tap it, and search for At all times-on Display. Although it can probably show as being energetic, tap it to seek out a number of separate options related to the always-on display.
I switch it to Show as Scheduled, after which set an on-and-off time using the choice that appears below it. Then, tap the Clock Style option to vary the best way the always-on computer screen looks and the colours it uses. The customization options are quite extensive, and you may even use a GIF or Bitmoji to associate with the time and your notifications.
Check for software updates
Taylor Frint/Andy Boxall/Digital Trends Graphic
There’s a probability your latest phone will warn you if there’s a new edition of the software available, but it surely’s still good practice on a brand-new phone to manually check. And if you do, there’s a setting to examine for updates mechanically.
Under Settings> Software Update, tap Download and Install to be sure the version you have got installed is the most recent one. On the identical page, be sure the Auto-download over Wi-Fi option is switched on. It ought to be by default, but now you realize obviously.
One final (and excellent) setting
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The one setting I’ve gotten within the habit of fixing is the period of time the screen stays on between your last interaction and it going to sleep. By default, it’s 30 seconds, which is great for battery life but not all that convenient for doing things. I find it much more helpful to extend the period of time, and in doing so, haven’t noticed any drastic reduction in battery life. The benefits for me outweigh any battery shortfall that will exist anyway.
I set it to 2 minutes, and I like to recommend you give it a try for some time. For those who’re like me and infrequently do just a few things at the identical time that requires information displayed in your phone screen, it’s a giant effort and time saver. To search out the choice, go to Settings> Display> Screen Timeout. You possibly can set it at intervals between 15 seconds and 10 minutes.
That’s it! You’ve now arrange your latest Samsung phone in the best way I arrange every Samsung phone I buy or review. Remember, these are only the fundamentals, so don’t be afraid to dig into the Settings menu to seek out all of the little customizations — including learn how to change your wallpaper. Enjoy your latest phone!
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