Configuration Guide/Hits/Tips/Everything else

[Talderon]

So, I have noticed that there are some tips all over the place and everyone has their own setup and it seems people LOVE to hear how everyone sets up their phones to make it theirs. Sometimes, someone's "I just like it this way" is someone's "I have been looking how to do this for a while now!!".

I thought I would share my setup, tweaks and all that and see others post theirs and we can get a helpful place to make these phones our own.

I'll start with mine (Links included):

• Launcher: Nova Launcher (Prime)
• Icon Pack: Smoke & Glass (Paid)
• Wallpaper: Darth Vader
• AdGaurd: Who wants ads?

Home Screen:

Here are the notes on the screen:

1. Energy Ring Universal Edition: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...d=you.in.spark.energy.ring.gen&token=m1RFbPa0
2. Use Good Lock > QuickStar > Visibility of Indicator Icons > used this to remove the Battery Icon (because of Energy Ring) You can remove a LOT and edit it as well for custom status bar setups.
3. Icon Docks (3 pages, see image with 3a), which is part of Nova Launcher
4. Screen Resolution at WQHD+ (this is currently needed to use Energy Ring (Dev is working on a fix))
5. Quick tap Shutter (takes a pic when you press the shutter button vs. release of the button): GoodLock > Camera Assistant > Quick tap Shutter
6. Widget is just the default Weather Widget that comes with OneUI

Dock Page:

Resolution:

Camera Setting:

Nova Settings for Gestures:

• Swipe Up: Recent Apps (I did this because the default gesture location kept pulling up Samsung Pay, this way, I can swipe up anywhere on the screen and get Recent Apps)
• Swipe Down: Expand Notifications
• Double Tap: Open App Drawer (because I used Swipe Up for something else)

Rest are default settings

 

[nuangel2]

So, I have noticed that there are some tips all over the place and everyone has their own setup and it seems people LOVE to hear how everyone sets up their phones to make it theirs. Sometimes, someone's "I just like it this way" is someone's "I have been looking how to do this for a while now!!".

I thought I would share my setup, tweaks and all that and see others post theirs and we can get a helpful place to make these phones our own.

I'll start with mine (Links included):

• Launcher: Nova Launcher (Prime)
• Icon Pack: Smoke & Glass (Paid)
• Wallpaper: Darth Vader
• AdGaurd: Who wants ads?

Home Screen:
https://i.imgur.com/ysaGH9k.png

Here are the notes on the screen:

1. Energy Ring Universal Edition: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...d=you.in.spark.energy.ring.gen&token=VdLyrWKu
2. Use Good Lock > QuickStar > Visibility of Indicator Icons > used this to remove the Battery Icon (because of Energy Ring) You can remove a LOT and edit it as well for custom status bar setups.
3. Icon Docks (3 pages, see image with 3a), which is part of Nova Launcher
4. Screen Resolution at WQHD+ (this is currently needed to use Energy Ring (Dev is working on a fix))
5. Quick tap Shutter (takes a pic when you press the shutter button vs. release of the button): GoodLock > Camera Assistant > Quick tap Shutter
6. Widget is just the default Weather Widget that comes with OneUI

Dock Page:
https://i.imgur.com/mzrPZN2.png

Resolution:
https://i.imgur.com/BpH70r5.png

Camera Setting:
https://i.imgur.com/NdikX67.png

Nova Settings for Gestures:

• Swipe Up: Recent Apps (I did this because the default gesture location kept pulling up Samsung Pay, this way, I can swipe up anywhere on the screen and get Recent Apps)
• Swipe Down: Expand Notifications
• Double Tap: Open App Drawer (because I used Swipe Up for something else)

Rest are default settings

Thank you this very helpful

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[B. Diddy]

Very nice! I'll make this thread a sticky so that it's easier to find.

 

[EazyD33]

I've been using this app specific gesture on Nova on my phone dialer to quickly get to voicemail for a few years now. View attachment 351788

Sent from my SM-S918U1 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Talderon]

Thought I would add this here.

I do some light traveling for work and love to load my phone up with Movies and other things to keep me occupied while away from home. With the removal of the SD Card slot, I have had to find another way to load up stuff for my phone, without having to actually load up my phone.

Some trial and error, and I came up with a great solution and thought I would pass it along.

With the battery being a beast in this phone, I still noticed that if I used an OTG cable to connect an external drive (HDD or USB Stick), it still had to power it with the phone battery and it would kill it faster than just watching off my device. However, transfer speeds to the phone are slower than external HDD's and I have an external power bank that supports wireless charging. But, laying the phone on the battery bank and trying to watch something was a struggle and didn't work out well. Trying to stand then both up was also a headache and more trouble than it's worth.

I tested a few things, 3D printed a couple stands and nothing worked well.

Then I ran across this gem: ($10.99) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096DBNNPH?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141595

I chose this USB-A/USB-C (PD) for maximum compatibility without the needs for several adapters.

Couple that with an external HDD (Mine in this case is this one): https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-1TB-...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141595

External Battery Bank: https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Port...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141595

And now, I can watch away without having to worry about power at all.

Of course, you can use whatever solution works best for you and your budget. If you are looking for a good 1TB solution for external storage, you don't need anything super fast, then you can do something like this for less:

Drive - $47.99 - Silicon Power 1TB - NVMe M.2 - https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Powe...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141595
Enclosure - $13.49 - MAIWO M.2 SSD Enclosure Adapter,USB 3.2 - https://www.amazon.com/MAIWO-M-2-En...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141595

Of course, you can save even more just going with a smaller drive as your situation allows.

 

[Talderon]

There are times where I need to use my phone like a PC (without Dex due to no external monitor) and need more ports and accessories than I normally carry, but I have a "Desk Solution" that works well for me and makes working on my phone easier (I have made a post similar to this for my Z Fold 3, but thought I would modify it and put it here).

• Phone: S23 Ultra - https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...rtphones%2Fgalaxy-s23-ultra%2F&token=zhg0VVH4
• Dock: USB C Hub Stand $69.50 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PFC2ZW9/?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141622
• Keyboard: iClever Foldable Keyboard, BK08 $57.99 - https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-iC...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141622
• Power Bank: SAMSUNG 10,000 mAh Super Fast 25W $55.09 - https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Port...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141622
• HDD: SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD $98.99 - https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-1TB-...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141622

Most of the work I do is in web based applications (so only need a browser) and what other work I need to do, I SSH into the various servers (all Linux based) and just need a KB to run commands/scripts.

There are plenty of cheaper solutions (you can pair things down or get some different parts for your needs), but this has worked spectacularly for me as it's pretty portable in a small bag that I carry when I am on-call and can pretty much do 100% of my work from my phone when needed.

Office/Email/Apps work great. The touchpad on the keyboard works like a charm and I have no issues at all with it.

One thing to note on the KB, I picked this one because it had the touchpad and the internal configuration can be changed between Windows/MAC/Android for keyboard shortcuts.

I have done my work exclusively from my phone for a couple days to see if I can keep up and if anyone would notice and no one did until I told them I did the experiment. My boss thought it was pretty awesome and could not tell when I was on my phone or my work MAC.

 

[Talderon]

My last post seems like it's a pretty steep investment, and for purchasing them all at once, it can seem that way, but my collection of accessories has been over a few phones, so I was able to spend a little more here and there. Depending on what you are looking for, there are much cheaper options, but I enjoy the setup I have.

 

[Talderon]

Sorry for the reply spam here...

If you wanted a less expensive solution for a desktop setup, you can use the Phone Holder that comes with the keyboard:

Then, replace the dock I posted up above with something less expensive, but still works great: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Upgrad...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141632

You will need to use the phone in Landscape mode to hook it all up, but that should not be a real issue.

You can also find some pretty inexpensive phone stands: https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Folda...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU7141632

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

My last post seems like it's a pretty steep investment, and for purchasing them all at once, it can seem that way, but my collection of accessories has been over a few phones, so I was able to spend a little more here and there. Depending on what you are looking for, there are much cheaper options, but I enjoy the setup I have.

I believe we have the same external SSD. I use a Logitech MX mechanical keyboard because I like to pretend I'm a baller but it isn't very portable lol. I may check out that foldable keyboard. As a stand if you are using a magsafe case I would recommend a popsocket wallet. It holds your cards works as a popsocket and it is actually quite a good stand.

 

[Talderon]

Oh, I have never gotten into the Pop socket craze. I have bigs hands (6'5" tall) so holding a phone has never been an issue for me.

Not a fan of MagSafe, only because it have no need to stick my phone to things or have stuff stuck to it.

Although, that is all 100% my own thing, so no issue with others liking that stuff.

Sent from my SM-S918U using AC Forums mobile app. This is not a potato.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

Oh, I have never gotten i to the Pop socket craze. I have bigs hands (6'5" tall) so holding a phone has never been an issue for me.

Not a fan of MagSafe, only because it have no need to stick my phone to things or have stuff stuck to it.

Although, that is all 100% my own thing, so no issue with others liking that stuff.

Sent from my SM-S918U using AC Forums mobile app. This is not a potato.

I'm a petite little 6'1" boy, so I need the help lol.

For me it's less about being able to hold the phone, I can one hand an Ultra without issue, but more about *how* I hold it. I noticed a few years ago I was getting a divet in my little finger from "pinky propping" while typing and decided to do something about it. I also just love gadgets.

I actually hated PopSockets when I first saw them, because I'm grumpy. But when you use one for a while it's hard to go back...I really don't miss the ache in my hand.

 

[Talderon]

I'm a petite little 6'1" boy, so I need the help lol.

For me it's less about being able to hold the phone, I can one hand an Ultra without issue, but more about *how* I hold it. I noticed a few years ago I was getting a divet in my little finger from "pinky propping" while typing and decided to do something about it. I also just love gadgets.

I actually hated PopSockets when I first saw them, because I'm grumpy. But when you use one for a while it's hard to go back...I really don't miss the ache in my hand.

Yeah, my brother is 6'1" and I am sure he can sympathize with with the troubles of being so "short"

Yeah, I love my gadgets as well. I have so many that I can't even get them all on my desk!

This is my mobile gaming setup (I have shared this in other posts): https://imgur.com/gallery/OvQVyxK

As for the PopSockets, my wife had them for a time, but I could just never get into it and I find that it hinders the way I use my phone more than it helps. But, I know that is 100% me and not the product.

 

[Talderon]

Something a little off-topic (but as this is a thread about, well, anything that we can do with our phones), I wanted to pass this on as well.

Stadia was... well... a huge MISS for Google. My brother is a Google Professional Installer/Tech and he gets a lot of goodies from them and, in turn, I get to choose from stuff he has plenty of to play with as well.

Stadia was okay in all, but with GamePass and xCloud, I have little use for Stadia as it didn't have a game catalog that I really liked.

However, the controllers were a LOT nicer than I expected and actually enjoyed using.

As Stadia goes into the void, you can return your purchased gear for a refund or keep it and do a Conversion from a WiFi controller to a BlueTooth controller.

A couple things to note:

1. This will disable ANY WAY you can use it on Stadia (It's been shut down, so you can't use it anyway)
2. There is NO GOING BACK to WiFI mode (not that it will do any good)+
3. This conversion tool is only good until December 31, 2023

Website: https://stadia.google.com/controller/index_en_US.html

Enjoy if you plan on keeping your controllers!

 

[jmk32]

Random tips/tricks that some may or may not know:

Gallery - new S23 feature to long press on a picture to cut out the image and get rid of the background. Haven't found a great program yet to overlap these pictures (like put the cut pictures onto a new background (most Play Store apps have their own cutting tool which kinda suck), didn't work with Samsung Notes, but confirming you can use Google Slides to do that picture overlap.)

Screenshots - are you tired of trying to hit the awkward volume down and power button to get a screenshot (especially one handed)? I just found a new quick panel button you can add. (Also can do the new back tap function via Good Lock - Registar)

100x Moon Shots - pro tip - use the camera in 3:4 mode (not 50mp or 200mp, just regular 3:4) as it's easier to find and frame the picture. I like my camera in 9:16 or Full for regular everyday pix, but it's super difficult to keep the moon in the frame in those modes. 3:4 is much easier

 

[Yrral3215]

Random tips/tricks that some may or may not know:


Screenshots - are you tired of trying to hit the awkward volume down and power button to get a screenshot (especially one handed)? I just found a new quick panel button you can add. (Also can do the new back tap function via Good Lock - Registar)

r

Can you give more info on the screen shot app you found? I dont see anything that looks like it works. I tried GoodLock/Niceshot and it seems to still require you to use the power button + vol down. Im going to try the Registar next, but havent got around to that yet.

Thanks!

 

[kj11]

I've been using the sPen to take screenshots since the Note 3, doesn't everyone do that?

You can also add an edge panel that will do it too, but smart select or screen write with the sPen is by far the best/most fun way to do it.

Sent from my Galaxy S23 Ultra

 

[Del1701]

Can you give more info on the screen shot app you found? I dont see anything that looks like it works. I tried GoodLock/Niceshot and it seems to still require you to use the power button + vol down. Im going to try the Registar next, but havent got around to that yet.

Thanks!

After the one ui 5.1 update there is a button in the quick panel to take screenshots, you'll have to edit the button layout and add it from the list of unused buttons if you don't see it from your usable buttons

Sent from my SM-S918B using AC Forums mobile app

 

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

Can you give more info on the screen shot app you found? I dont see anything that looks like it works. I tried GoodLock/Niceshot and it seems to still require you to use the power button + vol down. Im going to try the Registar next, but havent got around to that yet.

Thanks!

I use the edge panel called tasks. Hit the edit button and you can have screen record or screen shot on the edge panel. I also use it for direct messages to send text messages to my most often people I text. I don't use the people edge panel because that one you have to choose call or text, I just wanted quick text. There are all kinds of things you can put in that task edge panel.

This I found to be the quickest way to take a screenshot and share. You have the option to write on it if you want to. To me it's too much of a pain to have to remove the spen for a screenshot.

Sent from my SM-X800 using Tapatalk

 

[Rose4uKY]

I just palm to swipe gesture for screenshots easiest for me. I don't have the edge panel called task. I was in the galaxy store and I saw one that said edge lighting is that not already on our phones anymore? I need to check. I want to start using my edge panel more. I always forget about it.

 

[Talderon]

I normally use the Swipe Method or use the Vol Down+Power button or the SPen, I don't have a specific app for Screenshots.