After theSamsung Galaxy S24 releasein January 2024, Samsung Galaxy S23 became an even better deal, thanks to carrier and online retailer deals. If you recently picked up a Galaxy S24, you’ll be happy to know the phone provides powerful hardware and multiple years of software updates.
The S23 series has impressive features that help cement its place as one of the best Android phones, including Dolby Atmos, an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and an immersive screen. Other attributes can make it more useful as your everyday carry. We list the prominent ones in this article.
1Use Android and Galaxy apps
Samsung phones have access to Android apps via the Google Play Store and to Samsung apps through the Galaxy Store. The Google Play Store has a wider variety of apps than the Galaxy Store and is available on all Android devices.
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The Galaxy Store is only available on Samsung devices and has exclusive apps the Play Store doesn’t have. It also includes themes, which can change the look of your phone. Using both app stores gives you access to a wider variety of apps than a typical Android phone, so take advantage of it. To access each, look for the corresponding app in your app drawer.
2Get information quickly with widget stacks
Widgets have become a popular feature in phones again, and Samsung has made them better. Widget Stacks, which are similar to Apple’s widget stacks, allow you to stack widgets in the same screen space so that they don’t take up much of your screen. Swipe left and right to cycle through the widgets in the stack. One UI’s launcher moves widgets to the top of the stack to give you relevant information.
To create a widget stack on your new Galaxy device, long press the home screen until the home menu pops up. Tap theWidgetsbutton at the bottom and select a widget to add it to your home screen. After that widget is added, long press it. When the edit menu pops up, tapCreate stackand select the widgets to add to the stack. A few new widgets are included with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 version of Android 13, so check them out.
3Add widgets to your lock screen
You canadd widgets to your lock screen. This gives you access to information without opening your phone. To edit these widgets, go toSettings, selectLock screen, and tap theWidgetsimage. Toggle the widgets you want to see, including music, weather, digital well-being, and more. You can change the order they appear on your lock screen by tappingReorderin the upper-right corner.
While in lock screen settings, you can change how other items on your lock screen appear. Tap theLock screenimage and tap the element you want to modify.
4Use the Always On Display to always see what’s going on
It might be useful to see the time or your notifications when you look at your phone, even if it’s locked and sitting away from you. Samsung included an Always On Display with the S23 line. To access this in theSettingsapp, go to theLock screensettings and tapAlways On Display. Toggle it on or off, change how it appears, and modify how it looks on your screen.
5Colorize your UI
Material You, which matches the colors of UI elements throughout your phone, came with the release of Android 12. This feature was released on Google’s Pixel phones, and Samsung now includes it in its One UI software. To use this feature, long press your home screen until the home menu pops up. Next, tapWallpaper and stylein the lower-left corner and selectColor palettefrom the available options. Finally, turn on the color palette option and choose the wallpaper colors you want.
To make compatible app icons in your app drawer and home screen, use the same color palette and turn on theApply palette to app iconsoption. This feature can make your new phone feel like your own version of the S23.
6Use Bixby text call to see if you’re getting a spam call
Google has a great feature called Call Screen that lets Google Assistant talk to callers to see who they are. Since this feature is so popular, Samsung made its version in One UI 5.1 calledBixbytext call. To activate this feature, open thePhoneapp, tap thethree dotsin the upper-right corner, and selectSettings. Next, tap theBixby text calloption and toggle it on.
When you receive a call, tap theBixby text call buttonto have Bixby talk to the caller. This feature one-ups Google’s Call Screening feature because you can type anything for Bixby to say to the caller instead of pre-written prompts. You can customize the Bixby quick responses by tapping theQuick responsesbutton in the Bixby text call settings.
7Make your video calls better with effects
Video calls are a common way to communicate and help you feel like you’re connecting more with the person you’re talking to. To make video calls the best they can be, Samsung included video-calling effects in the S23 line. To find these features, open theSettingsapp, scroll down, and tapAdvanced features. Then, tapVideo call effectsto turn the feature on and check out the included features. you’re able to choose a background color or add a background image for your meetings.
You’ll also see a list of apps compatible with video call effects. You must join a video call through a compatible app to access the rest of the features. When you’re in, an effects button appears, allowing you to blur your background, focus on yourself, and more.
8Save your eyes and battery with dark mode
A bright, mostly white phone screen can hurt your eyes at night or when in an obscure area. That’s where dark mode comes in. Dark mode turns the bright white features of your phone’s UI to black. This helps save your eyes because bright light can be blinding when you look at your phone. It also saves battery life because AMOLED displays shut off the individual pixels when they display black, which means less battery is used to power your screen.
To access Dark mode, go into theSettingsapp and tapDisplay. Then, choose dark mode at the top if you want it on all the time. If you only want it on at certain times, tap theDark mode settingsoption and tap theTurn on as scheduledtoggle. Choose to turn on Dark mode fromSunset to sunriseor create a custom schedule.
9Change your side key functionality
Most would call it the power button, but Samsung likes to call it the side key. Either way, it’s the button on your phone that isn’t the volume rocker. you’re able to customize what it does on the S23 line. Out of the box, it opens the Bixby assistant when you hold it down.
If you want to hold down the side key to power off the phone, change the key’s function. Launch theSettingsapp, go toAdvanced features, and select theSide keyoption. Then, choose what should happen when you double press and hold down the side key, like creating a shortcut to access your camera.
10Reorganize your quick settings menu
You may have seen the list of buttons called the quick settings menu. You’ll find quick settings by swiping down when the notification shade is open. you may access commonly used settings and functions such as toggling your Wi-Fi, accessing Bluetooth devices, and turning your phone into a wireless charger through Wireless power sharing.
To customize this menu, swipe down twice on your home screen so the full quick settings menu is open. Then, tap thethree dotsin the upper-right corner and selectEdit buttons.
At the top of the screen, you’ll see a list of buttons that aren’t in your quick settings menu. Long press and drag them into your desired location in quick settings. To move a button that’s in your quick settings menu, long press the button and move it to your desired location. To remove a button, long press it and move it to the upper portion of your screen. The first six buttons on your first screen appear when you pull down the notification shade, so put the most important buttons first.
