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I have recently been quite vocal that Samsung’s UI 7 is my favorite Android skin. It is sharp, responsible and easy. But nothing comes out of the box directly for your experience. You need to personalize your smartphone to make it more attractive.
I change about a dozen settings on every Samsung Galaxy phone to suit my requirements, and I believe it will also increase your user experience.
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From setting the highest available screen resolution into more privacy-centered features, here are 10 Galaxy phone settings (plus a bonus) that I recommend to replace your galaxy phone experience. Please note that some settings may be phone-specific.
1. Close pop-up notifications
When I am between reading online or texting my favorite people, I do not like it when an intrusion or an intrusion app notification is a message pop up. I get easily distracted. If a notification is pop up, I tap on it and forget what I was doing.
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If you are anything like me, you should change this setting even before switching to gesture navigation. Notification> notification pop-up style> apps to apps, which is to show all apps briefly.
2. Switch to gesture navigation
Until you are installing your new Samsung Galaxy phone from an old model, it misses the old three-button navigation system. If you like it, it’s fine. But I find the gesture of Android more comfortable-all is a swipe instead of some on-screen buttons.
If you want so, you can convert the system navigation to settings> display> navigation bar> swipe gestures.
3. Set the highest screen resolution
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is currently the best performance on smartphones. Thanks to the second generation gorilla armor, it is less reflective and displays better colors than its predecessor. You get a sharp QHD+ screen, but it is not set on that resolution by default.
To get the best available performance experience, you need to go to Settings> Display> Screen Resolution. It will use more batteries, but Ultra is a skilled smartphone. Even after maximizing screen resolution, I still get a full day battery life.
4. Change side key function
The smartphone no longer has a “power button”. It is now called a side or side button, and it is one of my most dislike changes in recent times. Phone companies have changed the name of the power button to accommodate their smart assistants on the long press.
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The Gemini of Google is available in other ways, and Bixby is not useful anyway, so I suggest that changing the function of the side to offer the power menu. You can do this by visiting Settings> Advanced Features> Side button> Long Press> Power of menu.
5. Adjust lock screen information
A UI7 has changed how information appears on your lock screen. This is set to show the icon on the top left corner by default, which is a major change from the previous card view. I prefer apps to show information as later. To replace this, you can go to Settings> Notification> Lock Screen Notification> Card.
I also hide sensitive notification material on the lock screen because I do not want anyone to walk on my phone and see my personal message. To change this setting, you can choose the option of hiding content under the same lock screen notification menu.
6. Sign or sign up for Samsung account
I collide between various phones but keep returning to Samsung phone for a UI. Samsung account is a large part of the user experience on the Galaxy phone. From Samsung Wallet to Samsung’s password manager, I have a lot of information in them.
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Many people want to move to Google password for better cross-device functionality, but I still recommend signing up for a Samsung account to use the Galaxy theme (more on it) and the Galaxy store. When you move from one Samsung phone to another with a uninterrupted transfer, it will also benefit you.
7. Install this app
I recommend installing a good lock app from the Galaxy Store. This enables a group of Samsung-exclusive features on your phone. When I was reviewing the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I found the best use case for it. It has a module called home up which has one hand operation+ function.
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Since the new Samsung flagship is a big phone, I set a swipe below the right edge to reach quick settings. You can do the same for six shortcuts within short swipes and long swipe gestures, and use many more features within the good lock app.
8. Uninstall the blotware
Samsung Galaxy phones come with several apps that you cannot use. Unlike previous years, you can now uninstall or at least disable them to save memory. For example, I do not have Samsung TV and I do not want Microsoft Copilot app on my phone, so I uninstall TV and Copilot respectively. Other apps I disable or uninstall include Facebook, Samsung Tutor and Ondrive.
9. Customize home screen
Samsung has some best widgets on a phone. I like the calendar widget because I can accommodate transparency. As a result, it looks better and maintains functionality without disturbing the layout of my home screen. I have it located at the top, so everything is just a look away, yet it never asks for attention – unlike other opaque calendar widgets.
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I also convert my icon grid into 5×5 layouts to adjust more icons on the most row below. They are just one thumb tap away. Additionally, I apply my wallpaper color tone to the app icon for more pleasing look. You can go to the wallpaper and style> color palette and toge it to apply wallpaper colors throughout the system. This is not correct, and some icons can still not be supported. However, it looks better than the original colors.
10. Always fix the display
You get a skilled display on the Samsung phone – use them and always enable everything including performance. I like time, day and date information on screen, which is available in a quick look. The Samsung sets it in the tap to show the setting, which means that you need to tap on the screen for information.
I recommend changing it to always make it more functional. Go to Settings> Lock Screen and AOD> Always-on display>. You can choose whether you want to display wallpapers or not – I have set it only to display it so that it does not add more batteries.
Bonus. Change in notification panel back
Samsung converted its notification panel design into an iOS -like drawer. A perfect swipe down gives you access to quick settings, while a swipe below the left side of the screen gives you access to information. However, if you prefer the previous design better, you can change it.
I like my information under quick settings like good old days. To return this new design element, swipe below the top right corner of the home screen> Pencil icon> Panel Settings> Together. You can also edit the top quick settings within this menu.
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Some other things that I do on my Galaxy phone include converting the keyboard into Google keyboard and sorting the home drawer icon in the alphabet, so it is easy to navigate it. Samsung phones are the best in the market. While they do not promise over-the-top features, they are reliable and provide the most polish user interfaces with a UI. Just adjust these few settings, and you are all sets. Enjoy your new Galaxy phone!
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