Samsung has launched the Galaxy S23 series, which is the next generation of its flagship line of Android smartphones. Those who want a higher-end device will want to check out the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with its incredible 200MP camera and 10X optical zoom. But for everyone else, there’s the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, they’re pretty much the same, but if you prefer more basic storage and a bigger screen, go for the S23 Plus over the standard S23.
I got my Galaxy S23 last week, and if you’re new to Android (and still are after using an iPhone for most of my life), there’s plenty you can do to customize the S23 to your liking. Here are some things to do as soon as you get your hands on your new Galaxy S23!
Personalize your lock screen
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The lock screen is the first thing you see when you pick up your phone and wake it up, so it’s important that it has the information you need. With Samsung’s One UI 5.1 that comes with it, you can easily customize your lock screen.
Just activate the device to the lock screen. Then long press on the lock screen to open the lock screen editor. It’s similar to how Apple does it on the iPhone with iOS 16, but you have a lot more options. From here you can change the wallpaper, clock style, and notification style, as well as add contact information (in case you lose your phone), and even change two app shortcuts.
Change the UI color to match your background
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
One of the nice things about Android is that you can change the color scheme of the entire UI to match that of your background, assuming you’re not using a theme. Unfortunately, it seems that if you are actually using a theme, the theme overrides these settings. But if you stick with the default theme but have a background you like, then the UI colors, including things like buttons and text, can be changed to match.
To do this, simply go to Settings > Background and style > Color palette. Tapping the palette will give you a quick preview before it’s applied. The palette can also be applied to most app icons.
Adjust dark mode settings
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
I’m an avid dark mode user no matter what phone I’m using, and the Galaxy S23 is no exception. One of the first things I do on any phone is turn on dark mode because otherwise the white on the screen just blinds my aging eyes.
To activate dark mode on the S23, go to Settings > Display > Dark. If you don’t want dark mode to be on all the time, you can touch Dark mode settings and turn on dark mode automatically according to a custom schedule or it can be from dusk to dawn.
Adjust navigation bar
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Starting with Android 10, there is full support for gesture-based navigation, which is a step up from previous button-based navigation. These days, most Android phones use gesture-based navigation out of the box, but Samsung, for some reason, still has buttons as the default navigation. Fortunately, you can change that and it’s one of the first things I change.
Go Settings > Display > Navigation bar (you may need to scroll down a bit). Choose whether you want buttons or finger gestures and touch transition movements for more options.
Play around with the edge panels feature
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Edge Panels is a feature on Samsung phones that adds a launcher to the side of the screen for your favorite apps, features, and even contacts. When the feature is active, it has a thin “handle” at the edge of the screen that you can pull open. It is also highly customizable.
First, make sure the trim panels are in place. This can be done by going to Settings > Display > Edge panels and make sure the switch is on. touching Lunch allows you to adjust position, lock in place, change color, and more.
When you open the edge panel, the first three apps are recently used apps by default (you can turn this off if you want more app shortcuts), but the rest can be customized by tapping the stylus button at the bottom. From there, you can select the apps you want, and if you have more than five, it will turn into a two-column menu. You can also tap the 3×3 grid button next to the pencil to easily open the app launcher at any time, instead of going back to the home screen.
Activate Labs to get new experimental features
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
For those who want to live on the cutting edge of technology, Labs is definitely something you’ll want to include. The labs are basically experimental features that Samsung is testing; consider it a public beta of upcoming tools. Samsung advises that some Labs features may not work properly with all apps, so use them at your own risk!
To access Labs, go to Settings > Advanced Features > Laboratories. Then select the switch for each Labs feature you want to try. Some of the current Labs features include the ability to launch any app in a popup window, plus a transition gesture to enter split screen mode.
Customize your side key
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The side button on your Galaxy S23 can do more than just turn the device on or off. You can perform multiple actions with it, depending on whether you double tap or hold.
By default, double-tapping the side button will quickly launch the camera app, and pressing and holding will activate Bixby. However, you can change what the button does under these conditions by going to the Settings > Advanced features > Side button. You can even disable the double tap option if you want. Other options include selecting the app of your choice. For example, the long press option can be changed to show the power off menu instead of Bixby, which is useful if you don’t like Bixby.
Activate notification history
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
As someone who has primarily used an iPhone for the past decade, I’ve found that Android sends notifications much better than iOS. And one of those notification features that comes in handy is notification history, especially if you’re the type who tends to snooze or dismiss notifications.
The notification history is a screen that allows you to see all the notifications you have snooped or dismissed, as well as a complete history of all the notifications you have received in the last 24 hours. But this is not turned on by default, so you need to make sure it’s enabled if you want to use it.
Go Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Notification history and turn on the switch. Once enabled, you can view your notification history by touching History in the notification panel or seen from settings application following the same steps above.
Enable a permanent brightness slider
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One of Android’s most useful features is the Quick Settings panel, which contains quick access to common system settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplane mode, power saving, and more. But the setting you might want to adjust often is brightness, which by default is awkwardly hidden in the quick panel. Once you take it out of the box, you have to swipe down twice from the top of the S23’s screen to change the screen brightness.
However, you can change this and make the brightness slider available with a single swipe down. To do this, swipe down from the top of the screen twice, select the three vertical dotted buttons in the upper right corner, then Quick Dashboard Layout, and then brightness control. The default can be changed to “Always Show”, and it will be there without you having to swipe twice.
Edit buttons in Quick Settings
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Your quick settings have lots of shortcuts for frequently used system settings, but sometimes they have default things you might not even use. Fortunately, you can change the buttons at any time.
Just pull down Quick Settings, expand it, and then select that vertical dot button again. then choose edit buttons. You’ll see the available buttons on the top half and what’s currently in the quick panel on the bottom half. To remove something, simply drag it to the top, then drag the button to where you want when adding it. It’s easy to tailor the quick panel to exactly what you need and get rid of the things you’ll never touch.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn