23 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra tips and tricks you should know
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is the latest Android flagship from Samsung. It went official earlier this month and comes with features that make it worth the premium pricing. Some of its main attractions are superior design, 200-megapixel camera sensor, in-built S Pen, improved low-light photography, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 10x optical zoom, and up to 100x digital zoom.
This article talks about the 23 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra tips and tricks that will elevate your user experience. So without making you wait anymore, let’s begin.
Power off menu
It has been a long time since Samsung has set pressing the right button to trigger Bixby out of the box. This can be annoying when you are not interested in the digital assistant and all you want to do is power off or reboot Galaxy S23 Ultra. You need to press and hold the button along with the volume-down key to get the power menu. This should be a long press as otherwise, it will take a screenshot.
Apart from your usual Power Off, Restart, and Emergency mode options, there is an additional option called Side key settings. This is what will let you disable Bixby and go to the power menu by simply pressing the side button. Another way to do this is to visit Settings > Advanced features > Side key > Press and hold > Power off menu
Remove app folders or apps from home screen
Your Galaxy S23 Ultra home screen may have a lot of apps and/or app folders that you might not want to be there. You can get rid of those by simply tapping and holding and dragging them to the trash icon you see on the screen. This simply removes those apps/app folders from the home screen and does not uninstall them.
Default App
Since Android has so many apps to choose from, you may end up with multiple apps for the same purpose. Sometimes it happens because your phone comes pre-installed with a particular app but you prefer to use some other one. This is where it is useful to set your default apps so that whenever you have to perform that function, it is handled by your favorite app. All you need to do is to visit Settings > Apps > Choose default apps. You can then browse all available options and set preferred app for each of them.
Check software updates
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a premium flagship which means it gets priority treatment when it comes to software update rollout. There is a good chance by the time you are reading this, you have new updates waiting for you to download and install. You can check for software updates by visiting Settings > Software Update > Download and Install. Do make sure that you are connected to WiFi before downloading the update and that there is at least 50% battery before the installation.
Get a charger
As you may know, Samsung does not ship Galaxy S23 Ultra with a charging adaptor in the box. You either have to use a charger that you already own or get a new one from the market. If you want to go for a new one, do make sure that it is capable of offering at least 45W charging speed. This is because it is the maximum fast charging speed supported by the flagship.
Get a protective case
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a super-expensive smartphone which means its repair cost will also be on the higher end. This is why we recommend heavily that you invest in a good protective case. After all, spending a few bucks on a good case can save you from the expenses running into hundreds of dollars. We have compiled some of the best Galaxy S23 Ultra cases that you can check out.
Dark Mode
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with an AMOLED panel which means using dark mode can actually be helpful. It is not only preferred by many users because of aesthetic reasons but also for battery conservation purposes. It can be enabled by visiting Settings > Display > Dark Mode. You can tap Dark Mode Settings to choose if it should get enabled automatically between sunset and sunrise or during any other custom schedule.
Home screen customization
We know that Android smartphones are all about customization and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is no different. Tap and hold on empty space anywhere on the home screen to access settings for changing wallpaper, themes, widgets, home screen grid, folder grid, and more.
You can visit Settings > Wallpaper and style > Color Palette and turn on the toggle. This will automatically pick colors from your wallpaper and apply them to the rest of the visual elements of the software experience.
Always on display customization
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with Always on Display but the best part is that it is fully customizable. You simply need to visit Settings > Lock screen and then tap the Always on Display option. This will give you plenty of functionalities that you can enable/disable and an option to choose from various visual elements. This way, you cannot only customize the way Always on Display works but also the way it looks.
Widgets on Lock Screen
When we think of widgets, we think of the home screen but that’s not the only place you can add them. You can also add widgets to the lock screen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Simply, visit Settings > Lock Screen > Widgets and turn on toggles for the widgets you want to use. You can also reorder them as per your preference. When you want to use them, tap the lock screen clock.
Smart Widgets
We know that widgets help us get relevant information right on the home screen without opening a particular app. The only issue is adding multiple widgets not only takes a lot of space but it also looks cluttered. This is where Smart Widgets comes into the picture.
Smart Widgets lets you stack multiple widgets over one another. Simply add one widget to the home screen and then tap and hold to choose Create Stack option. Next up, select the widgets you want to add and your stacked widget will be created.
Eye Comfort Shield
If you are someone who tends to use their smartphones till late at night or with lights turned off, you may want to turn on Eye Comfort Shield. It essentially limits blue light and uses warm colors. Samsung claims it can even make it easier to fall asleep at night. This can be enabled by visiting Settings > Display and turning on the toggle for Eye Comfort Shield.
Hide apps
As you will spend more time with your Galaxy S23 Ultra, you will go on to install more apps but you may not want some of them to be visible to everyone. This is why you should consider hiding such apps. This can be done easily by simply tapping and holding on the home screen and then choosing Settings > Hide apps. Now, all you need to do is to select the apps you want to hide and that’s it.
Hide Files
We store a lot of files on our smartphones and some of them are private. The Galaxy S23 Ultra lets you hide those files so that no one can see them when they are using your phone. You need to visit Settings > Security and privacy > Secure folder and choose the files you want to hide.
Modes and Routines
Modes and Routines is a new feature Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S23 series. It is aimed at automating tasks so that you do not have to do them manually. The only difference between the two is while Routines get turned on automatically, Modes need to be turned on with just one tap.
Visit Settings > Modes and Routines and then choose whether you want to create a new mode or routine. Some of the preset modes are Driving, Sleep, Theater, Exercise, Relax, and Work. You can choose what happens when using any of these modes. For example, you can enable DND when Sleep/Theater mode is on. Routines are also similar but you need to choose when they get triggered like at a particular time or place.
Screen Recorder
If you ever feel the need to record what is happening on your Galaxy S23 Ultra and share it with someone, you can do so using the in-built screen recorder. You do not need to search for a screen recorder app and install it on the phone. The in-built screen recorder can be accessed by swiping down to open the Quick Settings panel and then tapping on the screen recorder tile. If you wish to adjust settings beforehand, tap and hold on the tile.
One-handed mode
There is no doubt that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a huge device, so much so it can get difficult to use it with just one hand. This becomes even more evident when you have to reach the top corners of the device. This is where one-handed mode comes to the rescue as it shrinks everything that is visible on the screen for more convenient usage.
You need to enable it by visiting Settings > Advanced features > One-handed mode. Turn on the toggle and also enable gesture support. You can then trigger it anytime by swiping down in the center of the bottom edge of the screen.
Display resolution and refresh rate
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a display panel with Quad HD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It means you can have the best of both worlds but the only issue is it can have a significant effect on the battery life. This is why may want to go for a lower resolution and refresh rate when not needed.
Visit Settings > Display > Screen Resolution and choose from your preferred resolution: WQHD+ (3088 x 1440), FHD+ (2316 x 1080), and HD+ (1544 x 720). As for refresh rate, you can choose Dynamic by visiting Settings > Display > Motion Smoothness. This is the setting that automatically adjusts the refresh rate based on the content you see on the panel.
Navigation Gestures
Samsung’s OneUI has a preference for the traditional three-bot navigation system. It gives you dedicated buttons for accessing recent apps, going to the home screen, and going back but the modern navigation approach follows swipe gestures. If you are someone who loves to use gestures, you can switch to them by visiting Settings > Display > Navigation Bar > Gestures.
Edge Panels
Edge Panels allow you to access apps and other shortcuts with just one tap. This is specifically beneficial when you are already inside some app. You do not have to exit the app and then open another one. You can enable and customize Edge Panel by visiting Settings > Display >Edge Panels.
Battery Percentage
The Galaxy S23 Ultra shows the battery level in the status bar and gives you an idea how much of juice is still left. This works fine but what if you want to know the exact battery percentage. You can do so by visiting Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Show battery percentage. You need to turn on the toggle and that’s it.
Motion Photos
Motion Photos is to Samsung phones what Live Photos is to iPhones. It is a feature that shoots a short clip at the same time you are clicking a photo. All you need to do is to enable it by tapping the Motion Photos icon next to the aspect ratio icon in the camera app.
Object Eraser
It happens quite often when you click a photo, it gets ruined by an unwanted object(s) in the frame. This is where the Object Eraser feature comes to the rescue. It is available within the default gallery app on your phone when you access image editing options. It lets you select the unwanted object by either tapping or drawing around it. The tool may not work perfectly all the time but it does quite a lot of time.