15 useful tricks for Samsung mobiles

by

Samsung has endowed its Galaxy phones with its own interface, Samsung One UI. Its goal is to make your experience better than on a clean Android. And we help you squeeze it with these tricks.

A few years ago, one of the criticisms you could make of Android mobile phones is that they were all the same as far as software is concerned. Obviously, each model had its camera, screen, memory and processor, with its pluses and minuses. But when you looked at the screen, all Androids were the same. That has changed thanks to the work of Samsung, Xiaomi or Huawei , who have decided to customize Android to impressive levels . In the case of Samsung , its One UI or Samsung One UI interface does much more than add new icons or desktop themes.

With Samsung One UI , your Galaxy phone offers exclusive features, functions and capabilities that you won’t find on a third-party Android phone or offer less versatility. An added value that translates into an improved user experience. That without counting performance improvements such as longer battery life or that everything goes more smoothly.

So if you have a Samsung Galaxy in your hands or are thinking of buying one, we offer you a list of tricks so that you can take advantage of its One UI interface . There are for all tastes, needs and types of user. All with the same purpose: to squeeze everything that your Galaxy offers.

  • Open apps in popup windows
  • Two apps at once with split screen
  • Keep the screen on if you look at it
  • Floating bubble notifications
  • Camera flash notifications
  • Widgets on the lock screen
  • Lock screen shortcuts
  • Customize the side button
  • Disable Samsung’s Bixby assistant
  • Edit the Share menu on your Samsung
  • Change the font size to see better
  • Use two accounts on Facebook or WhatsApp
  • Hide apps and games 
  • Schedule night mode 
  • Extend battery life

Open apps in popup windows

The popup window allows you to use one application while having another minimized into a small icon that can be placed anywhere on the screen. So you can switch between two applications in a different way than usual for Android. An extra Samsung One UI to take advantage of certain apps in the background .

To use the popup window feature:

  1. Press the Recent Apps button
  2. Press the icon of the application that you want to place at the top of the screen
  3. Choose the Open in popup view option
  4. At the top of the window there are some icons
  5. The first icon is for Adjust the transparency level
  6. The second icon is for Minimize the window
  7. The third is to Maximize the window
  8. The fourth and last one is used to Close the application
  9. When you open another application you will see the icon of the first one in the foreground

To disable popup view:

  1. Press and hold the app icon
  2. Select the Delete option

Two apps at once with split screen

In the latest versions of Android it is possible to divide the screen in order to manage two applications at the same time, with the screen split in two . It is a way to take advantage of the space available on the screen if you have to take notes or share content from one window to another.

To activate Split Screen view :

  1. Swipe up or down to view the apps screen
  2. Tap on Samsung One UI Settings
  3. Go to Advanced Features
  4. Look for the Labsoption
  5. Tap the button next to Swipe to split screen
  6. Also activate the Multi window option for all

Keep the screen on if you look at it

Sometimes the screen turns off even though we are looking at it. It depends on what app you have open. But you can avoid this inconvenience with the help of Smart Stay , a feature of Samsung Galaxy phones that you can activate in Samsung One UI . Thus, the screen will always be on while you look at it. To do this, the device will detect your face with the front camera.

To activate the Smart Stay function :

  1. Click on Menu
  2. Enter Settings
  3. Go to Displayand tap on Smart Stay
  4. Click on the button to the right of Deactivated
  5. Below you will see a detailed explanation of how Smart Stay works

Depending on the version of Samsung One UI , you may have to follow another route:

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Advanced Options
  3. Tap on Motions and gestures
  4. Select the toggle button next to Keep screen on while watching

Floating bubble notifications

If you have a Galaxy with Samsung One UI 3.0 , you can enjoy this feature inherited from Android 11. It consists of seeing notifications in the form of floating bubbles . A more convenient way to view messages from applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram .

To turn on floating notifications :

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Notifications
  3. Click on Advanced settings
  4. Click on Floating notifications
  5. Check the Snacks option

Camera flash notifications

In addition to seeing notifications on the screen or making your phone vibrate , you can use the flash on your Samsung’s camera to let you know that you have received a message or notice of interest to you. You can also activate a flicker on the screen for the same function.

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Accessibility
  3. Select Advanced Settings
  4. Tap on Flash notification
  5. You have two options to choose from: camera or screen
  6. You can also activate both

Widgets on the lock screen

Filling your lock screen with widgets will help you get real-time information every time you look at your phone screen. But for this you must have Android 12 and Samsung One UI 4.0 on your Samsung Galaxy.

To add widgets to the lock screen:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go to Lock screen
  3. Enter Widgets
  4. Click on the buttons to activate each widget separately

Lock screen shortcuts

The lock screen of your phone is not only used to know what time it is or what day you live. It also allows you to configure two shortcuts for the applications you use the most. So you can open them instantly , from the Samsung One UI lock screen .

To set up lock screen shortcuts:

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Lock screen
  3. Tap on App Shortcuts
  4. Choose where to place the shortcuts: bottom cornersor floating button
  5. Configure each shortcut by clicking on Shortcut on the leftand Shortcut on the right
  6. You will see the icons of the two applications on the lock screen

Customize the side button

Mobile devices from Samsung, and from other manufacturers, have fewer and fewer physical buttons . But, on the contrary, they add new functions that are just as interesting. Depending on how you press it or if you press it once or twice, you can set a shortcut to open the Camera app or any of the apps you have installed on your Samsung Galaxy .

Depending on which model you have, your phone has a button that is usually either off or on . But nowadays it does many functions. Sometimes it is used to activate Samsung’s virtual assistant, Bixby . So Samsung has ended up renaming it as a side button or side key .

To customize this side button on Samsung One UI:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go to Advanced Features
  3. Enter Side Keyor Function Button
  4. You have two independent configurations to activate
  5. Double press: You can use it to open Camera or another app
  6. Press and hold: Activate Bixby or bring up the Power off menu

Disable Samsung’s Bixby assistant

Apple has Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung offers Bixby , a virtual assistant. But if you’d rather do things on your own than ask this default Samsung One UI app, you can turn it off.

As we have seen in the previous trick, by default, when you hold down the power button on your Samsung Galaxy , Bixby is activated. But if you go to Settings> Advanced functions> Side key you can press Power off menu instead of Activate Bixby.

Edit the Share menu on your Samsung

With Samsung One UI’s share menu, it’s easy to send content from one app to another. You just have to have it installed and it appears in said menu. However, sometimes you have to do a little cleaning to sort that menu and find the shortcut you need at the moment.

First, to see your contacts in that menu:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Enter advanced options
  3. Activate the option Show contacts when sharing content

And to customize the Share menu :

  1. When you’re going to share something, turn on the Share menu
  2. Scroll through the shortcut carousel until you find the More shortcut
  3. Click on the Pencil icon
  4. Now you can choose the favorite applications to share things

Change the font size to see better

The current terminal screens are huge. But the years do not forgive and you may not see the fonts of the Samsung One UI menus correctly . So the best solution is to change the font size.

To customize the font size and style:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Enter Screen
  3. Go to Font size and style
  4. In Font styleyou can change the default font
  5. It is also possible to activate the boldin all the letters that you see
  6. In Font sizeyou can enlarge or reduce the size of the letters

Use two accounts on Facebook or WhatsApp

It is possible that for various reasons, work for example, you are forced to use two WhatsApp or Facebook accounts . Doing it on the same phone is complicated, but not impossible. And it will always be more comfortable than carrying two mobile devices with you. Samsung makes it easy for you with Samsung One UI and its Dual Messenger function .

To activate the Dual Messaging or Dual Messenger function :

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Advanced Options
  3. Click on Dual Messengeror Dual Messaging
  4. Depending on the apps you have installed, you will see a list of compatible apps
  5. Activate the apps you want to use by clicking on the button to the right
  6. A minor version of those apps will be installed
  7. Follow the installation instructions

It is also possible to use different contacts for each account:

  1. During the installation of the minor version, press the corresponding switch
  2. Under Use separate list, tap the toggle next to Off
  3. You will be able to select the contacts you want to use in the secondary account
  4. The process will end after displaying the message Activating Dual Messenger

Hide apps and games

There are many ways to access the apps installed on your Samsung Galaxy . But it is also possible to hide them so that they are not so visible. For example, if you lend your phone to a friend or a child.

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Tap on Home screen
  3. Select Hide apps
  4. Check the apps you want to hide

Schedule night mode

Night mode , dark mode or whatever we want to call it, replaces the white or gray of the Samsung One UI menus with darker tones. Ideal for when it is night or there is little light around you. This way you will punish your eyes less if you are using your phone before going to sleep. In addition, it is possible to activate it by hand or program it to do so at a specific time of day. Or at night.

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Select Screen
  3. Tap on Dark mode settings
  4. Then Activate according to program
  5. Choose the Custom Program option
  6. Set the start and end time of Dark mode

Extend battery life

In addition to the visual part, Samsung has made an effort that Samsung One UI has improvements so that the performance of your phone is better than with a clean version of Android. And one of those improvements has to do with the battery , the component that we demand the most.

Samsung has an option called Adaptive Battery that manages the behavior of the phone so that less used apps consume less, among other optimizations.

To activate adaptive battery :

  1. Enter Settings
  2. Go to Device Maintenance
  3. Choose Batteryand enter Settings
  4. Activate the Adaptive Battery option

 

Related Posts: