Samsung’sOne UIis one of the most feature-rich versions of Android available, and the company adds to it every year, preloading it on all new Samsung phones, like theGalaxy S24 series.
If you’re happy to go digging, you can find some real gems beyond the obvious. It’s worth noting that a lot of these will also work on older Galaxy S models like theS23andS22if you’re runningAndroid 14, so be sure to check them out on your phone. So strap up, dive in and read on below or watch the video up top for some great features to try.
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1Generate an AI wallpaper
Wallpapers get fun
Like Pixel, the Samsung Galaxy software has a feature for generating new wallpapers based on basic commands. Head toSettings>Wallpaper and Styleand then tapChange Wallpapers. You’ll see an option that saysCreative. Select that and then tap theGenerativefolder on the next screen.
Now choose a style, and on the next screen you’ll be able to tap the bold words to generate images based on different commands. Once you hit generate it’ll come up with four options to choose from. TapSeton the one you like, or change the commands to create a new selection.
2Get your phone accent colors to match the wallpaper
Who doesn’t want to color coordinate?
By default, Samsung’s One UI doesn’t match its icons and accents to your wallpaper colors, but you can enable that. Head toSettings>Wallpaper and Styleand then chooseColor Palette. You’ll see a toggle switch next toColor Palette. Switch it on and choose the wallpaper color options you like from the generated selection.
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3Use the Interpreter app
This is super handy
There’s a new interpreter app on Samsung’s phones that lets you speak to people in a different language. Swipe down yourQuick Settings, find theInterpreter Modeand when the app launches, choose the languages you want to speak in. The list is fairly limited, but the most popular languages are there.Tap the micto start speaking, and it’ll automatically turn your words into text, then translate them and speak them out loud in your chosen language.
4AI power in Notes
Forget having to recap meetings
If you type in Notes, once you get passed 200 words you have the option to do all manner of interesting AI-powered features. To use it,open a noteand hit thelittle stars icon. Highlight the text you want to apply changes to, thentap Auto-Formatwith headers and bullets, or as meeting notes. Summarize gives a short, bulleted presentation of what to expect in the note, and Correct spelling does what it says it does, offering suggestions for fixing typos.
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5Double-click to recognize music
Shazam on demand
Samsung’sside key can be programmedto perform many different functions. One of those is launching any app by double-pressing it. If you download and installShazam– the music recognition app – then go into theSettings of the Shazam appand toggle on theShazam on startupoption, it’ll recognize music whenever it’s opened, without having to press that big S icon.
Now go intoSettings>Advanced Featuresand thenSide Button. Ensure thatDouble Pressis toggled on, thentapOpen App. And choose Shazam from the list. Now when you double press the side button, it’ll launch the app, and because you’ve enabled Shazam on startup, it’ll start recognizing the song right away.
6Bring back the power button
Who wants Bixby?
By default, pressing and holding the Side Button launches Bixby – the Samsung assistant. To replace it with the power menu for shutting down the phone instead go toSettings>Advanced Features and Side Button. UnderPress and HoldchoosePower off menu.
7Tap lock screen clock for widget shortcuts
A hidden feature that’s convenient
If you tap the clock on your Samsung lock screen it brings up a bunch of card widgets for useful features like music, weather, routines and voice recorder among other things. Head toSettings>Lock Screen and AODand then findWidgets. On the next screen, you can toggle on the widgets you want in that list, and if you tapreorderat the top of the screen, you can move them around until they’re in the order you want.
8Get your camera light to flash for notifications
Always know when you get messages
This is a bit of a mainstay feature now, but you can get your screen or camera LED light to flash when new notifications come in. Just head toSettings>AccessibilitythenAdvanced Settings– you’ll see aflash notificationoption. Tap it, and on the next screen there’s a toggle forCamera flash notificationandScreen flash. The former will flash your LED, the latter will light up your screen.
9Find missed notifications
Recover deleted messages with ease
If you head toSettings>Notifications, and then go toAdvanced Settings, you’ll find aNotification historyoption. Tap that and you’ll see a list of all the notifications your phone has received grouped by app. Scroll through to find all notifications your phone has received.
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10Make your battery last longer
Is 80% enough?
One crucial new feature is a charging optimization tool that can manage how your phone charges, to extend the long-term life of the battery. If you head toSettings>Batteryand then chooseBattery Protection, there are three options. ToggleProtectionon at the top of the screen, and then choose which charging optimization you want. To make your battery last as long as possible you may choose to only have it charge to 80% every time.
