My Galaxy S25 Ultra came loaded with all the bells and whistles, but felt a bit impersonal right out of the box. After making these six tweaks, though, it’s now set up to my liking.
6
Reunify the Quick Settings Panel
I appreciate the expanded grid design of the quick panel—it’s nice to have more toggles in a larger layout. But I’m not a fan of the separate Notification Panel and Quick Settings Bar—it feels like a straight-up copy of iOS.
Sure, it’s a minor change, and I’d probably adjust over time. But for now, it feels weird and confusing. Thankfully, Samsung gives you the option to go back to the good old unified panel, and I did that right away:
- Swipe down from the top-left to open the Control Panel.
- Tap the pencil icon in the top-right corner.
- Head to Panel settings at the top-left.
- Switch from Separate to Together.
Your favorite unified panel is back! Now, all your notifications and quick toggles are all in one place again. Of course, you can always switch back to the separate view if you’re feeling adventurous
5
Display Settings
The first change I made in my S25 Ultra’s Display settings was tweaking the Screen mode. By default, it’s set to Natural, which gives a realistic, muted look—great for some, but not for me. I love bold, vibrant colors, so I switched it to Vivid, maxed out the Vividness slider in Advanced settings, and adjusted the White balance accordingly.
Next, I tackled the Screen resolution. Out of the box, it’s set to FHD+ (2340×1080), but this powerhouse supports QHD+ (3120×1440) for stunning clarity. However, this may drain the battery faster, so if you’re focused on long battery life, sticking to FHD+ is the smarter choice.
Then came the Navigation bar settings. I swapped the default Button layout for Swipe gestures, and getting around is so much sleeker. Swiping up to go home, holding to view recent apps, or swiping left/right to switch between them feels so intuitive.
I tweaked a few more options for a better experience: I turned on Accidental touch protection to avoid random pocket or bag touches and enabled Touch sensitivity for better responsiveness when using a screen protector.
4
Now Brief and Now Bar
The next aspect I customized on my Galaxy S25 Ultra was the Now Brief feature. It shows an overview of your day, including calendar events and other relevant info, right on your lock screen. At first, it felt cluttered with random notifications I didn’t care about, but then I found out you can customize it to show only what you want:
- Open Settings and tap Galaxy AI.
- Scroll down to the Now Brief and select it.
- Tap Content to include and choose the types of details you want to see.
Now, you’ll only get updates from the categories you care about—no more random clutter.
Then there’s the Now Bar, another must-have feature of One UI 7. It’s a fully customizable toolbar on your lock screen that lets you access live updates like music controls, timers, Google Maps navigation, or notifications—all without unlocking your phone.
To set it up:
- Go to Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Now bar > View more.
- Toggle on or off the apps or actions you want to appear in the Now Bar.
After choosing your options, close the Settings window. Your favorite apps’ actions will now appear in the Now Bar, putting quick, easy access at your fingertips.
3
Lock Screen Options
In One UI 7, lock screen notifications now appear in the top left-corner of the status bar instead of as icons under the clock. I find this annoying—it’s hard to spot which apps have notifications, and the new layout feels cluttered. Luckily, after some tinkering, I discovered that while this is the default setup, you can restore the old layout:
- Head to Settings and tap Notifications > Lock screen notifications.
- Choose Cards to restore the classic notification style.
You can also choose Dot for a clean, minimalist vibe or Icons for a fresh, updated feel.
2
App Drawer Configuration
Samsung finally listened and added a vertically scrolling app drawer. I’ve been waiting for this feature, and I’m glad to see it now. With One UI 6, Samsung made the bold move to remove this feature from the Good Lock Home Up module. I tried everything—custom launchers, random workarounds—but nothing came close to the seamless experience of having it built right in.
By default, this feature is turned off, but enabling it is easy. Just open the app drawer, tap the three dots in the bottom-right corner, and select Sort from the menu. Then choose Alphabetical order, and that’s it—you’ve got a vertically scrolling app drawer.
1
Battery-Saving Features
One UI 7 isn’t just about customization and great user experiences—it also includes smart features to extend your phone’s battery life. Keeping your battery at 100% for too long can shorten its lifespan, so switch to Adaptive or Maximum mode instead.
With Adaptive mode, your phone learns your charging habits and adjusts the battery charging accordingly. For example, if you charge your phone overnight and unplug it in the morning, Adaptive mode will pause charging at 80% while you sleep. Then, before you wake up, it’ll go back to Basic mode and finish charging to 100%. This way, you can reduce the rate at which your battery degrades over time.
If you want more control, there’s also a Maximum mode, which lets you set a custom charging limit. You can choose to stop charging when your battery reaches 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95%. It’s perfect if you want to prolong battery life and are conscious of battery health.
I’ve found Adaptive to be the most convenient and effective as it prevents overcharging and manages my battery automatically. To access these modes, go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection, then choose the one that works for you.
These are just a few settings I tweaked right after getting my Galaxy S25 Ultra, but there are many other customization options. Whether it’s changing the theme, adding widgets, or rearranging app icons on your home screen, the possibilities are endless. It’s all about personalizing and improving your experience.
And if you’re looking for even more customization options, check out Samsung’s Good Lock app—it’s packed with cool options for Galaxy devices. Give them a shot, and let me know if you have other tips for customizing your Galaxy S25 Ultra!
