One UI is the most feature-rich Android custom skin with plenty of customizations to every corner of the software. However, there are still many features that are not easy to access, or simply put, most people don’t know about them.
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Here, I’ll show you the 15 useful features in One UI that you may not have used before.
10 hidden One UI features that you didn’t know existed
#1. Gallery Labs
Gallery Labs lets you access many Gallery features that are not available to the public, such as the ability to lock an album, save images as PDF, and more.
Here’s how to enable Gallery Labs in One UI 6:
Step 1: Open the Gallery app on your phone.
Step 2: Tap three lines in the bottom-right corner and choose Settings.
Step 3: Scroll to the bottom and tap About Gallery.
Step 4: Tap multiple times on the version number to enable Gallery Labs.
Step 5: Go back to the previous screen. You’ll see the Gallery Labs option.
My favorite Gallery Labs feature is Album entry locks, which let me lock a specific Gallery album. To lock an album, select it from the Albums tab, tap three dots, and choose Lock album.
#2. Unlimited cloud backup
Samsung lets you store unlimited files on its cloud storage for free. But the catch here is that it’s a temporary storage that lasts 30 days. This is particularly useful when transferring data to a new device, making the transfer seamless.
Even when the device runs low on storage, you can use it to make room for new files. Don’t forget to restore your files from Samsung Cloud before 30 days.
Here’s how to use Samsung’s Temporary cloud backup:
Step 1: Open the Settings app and choose General management.
Step 2: Tap Reset and then select Temporary cloud storage.
Now, start backing up data.
#3. One swipe for Quick Settings
If you swipe down from the top, you’ll see notifications, and then one more swipe to access the Quick Settings panel. However, there’s a quick way to make it a one-step task.
Here are the steps:
Step 1: Open Quick Settings and tap the pencil icon.
Step 2: Choose Quick settings instant access and enable it.
Now, swipe down from the top-right side to open Quick Settings in one go. Two swipes are no longer required. This feature is coming to One UI 7, by the way.
You can extend the swiping area for the Quick Settings instant access feature using the QuickStar module in Good Lock.
#4. Next-level customizations with Good Lock
Good Lock brings endless customizations to Samsung devices. If customizations are your thing, you’ll spend hours playing with it if you didn’t know it before.
With Good Lock modules, you can customize the Quick Settings panel, modify the status bar appearance, redefine the lock screen layout, create personalized themes, configure gestures, and personalize the clock display on the lock screen. There’s a lot more you can do with Good Lock.
Good Locks doesn’t come preinstalled on Galaxy devices, so you’ll need to download it from the Galaxy Store. Launch the app and put your creative mind to work.
Let us know in the comments if you want us to share some of the best things you can do with Good Lock.
Also Read:
Samsung One UI 7 brings major upgrades to Good Lock
#5. Stacked widgets
It’s one of the useful One UI features overlooked by many people or goes unnoticed. For those uninitiated, Samsung lets you stack home screen widgets on top of one another. This feature was introduced with One UI 5.0.
For the best use, you can create stacks of related widgets for easier finding. I have made a weather stack that includes a widget for weather predictions for the upcoming days and another to see weather of select locations.
To create a widget stack, add a widget to the home screen. Then, press and hold onto the widget, choose Create stack, and choose the widgets you want to stack.
#6. Give your pop-up notifications a fresh look
Samsung lets you change the way notifications appear on your screen. You can choose from plenty of cool animations.
Step 1: Open Settings and choose Notifications.
Step 2: Tap Notification pop-up style.
Step 3: Select Edge lighting style, and choose from the available designs, or customize yourself.
You can tap on Colour by keyword to show the notifications in a chosen color when the keyword matches.
#7. Modes and Routines
You may have seen it already in the Settings app, but most people don’t realize the great things it can do.
Here are some popular routines you can create:
- A morning routine that will automatically connect to Wi-Fi, read today’s latest news, and today’s calendar events and tasks.
- A work routine that will mute notifications, connect to office Wi-Fi, enable focus mode, and read work-related apps.
- An exercise mode that will enable Bluetooth, connect to earbuds, enable Do Not Disturb (DND), and launch the fitness tracking app.
- A sleep mode that will enable DND and lower screen brightness.
- A driving mode that will read incoming messages, enable hands-free mode for calls, and launch the preferred navigation app.
You can create routines based on your needs that can be configured to trigger at a specific time, place or when you do specific actions on your phone.
You can find the Modes and Routines option in the Settings app.
#8. Configure the side button for better use
You can also customize the side button to make a better use of it. For example, you can customize the double-press function to enable your favorite app. Set it to an app you open dozens of times a day to save time.
You can also set the press and hold action to launch the power off menu.
To configure the side button, go to Settings > Advanced features > Side button.
#9. Call background
Most Samsung users don’t realize they can set a picture or video to show when making or receiving calls.
To set a call background, follow these steps:
Step 1: Launch the Phone app.
Step 2: Tap three dots and choose Settings.
Step 3: Select Call background.
#10. Connectivity Labs
This gives you more insights into your Wi-Fi usage, such as connection time and data usage, on a daily basis. You can also see which Wi-Fi bands and Wi-Fi standards your device used for how long.
Connectivity Labs also provides data about Wi-Fi strength and connection history. You can find a lot more connectivity data there.
Here’s how to access Connectivity Labs:
Step 1: Open Settings, tap three dots, and select Intelligent Wi-Fi.
Step 2: Tap Intelligent Wi-Fi five times to enable Connectivity labs.
Step 3: Click on Connectivity labs and see your connection details.
Which One UI hidden features do you think are most useful? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Also, if you find an interesting hidden feature that we haven’t covered, please write it down in the comments.
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