New Samsung Galaxy? Here's the default settings you should change now

From boosting your battery to finding your phone if you lose it, your new Samsung Galaxy® is packed with cool features that make your life more convenient. But are you getting the most out of them? We can help, starting with exploring your default Galaxy phone settings and tweaking them so they work best for you .

At Asurion, we make tech easy. From fixing your device to protecting it from mishaps—we've got you covered. Here are some default Samsung® phone settings you might want to change.

Turn off Bixby

Ever heard of Bixby®? It's the virtual assistant for Samsung phones, and it can be really helpful. But the default way to get to it—pressing the Power button—isn't the most user-friendly. Imagine trying to turn off your phone at the movie theater only to have Bixby pop up and ask you about setting your alarm.

If you don't use Bixby, you can avoid unnecessary mishaps by removing the virtual assistant from your Power button. Go to Galaxy Settings > Advanced features > Side key and tap Power off menu for the press-and-hold action.

Turn on gestures

Instead of only using buttons, your new Galaxy also allows you to swipe from either direction to pull up a menu or get back to your Home screen. These swipes are called gestures, and once you get used to them, they're a fun, convenient feature.

Want to give them a try? Head to Settings > Display > Navigation bar, and choose Swipe gestures. Make sure you choose Swipe from sides and bottom.

Turn off the Samsung Wallet gesture

Samsung Wallet is an app that holds virtual copies of your debit and credit cards so you can use your phone to pay for almost anything—from coffee to groceries. It's a great feature, but sometimes the gesture to open it can get in your way, especially if you don't use it often. Here's how to turn it off:

1. Tap the Menu tab, and tap the gear icon.
2. Tap Quick access > Access locations and default card, and turn off Lock screen, Home screen, and Screen off.

Don't use Samsung Wallet at all? Just press and hold the icon in the app drawer and tap Uninstall.

Customize your Lock screen notifications

Notifications pop up on your phone to let you know if you've got emails and texts, among other messages. These are handy, but how much information do you want to pop up when your phone is locked?

Everyone is different, and you may want to change your default settings, which prioritize privacy over convenience by showing you very little about a notification on your Lock screen.

To change them, go to Settings > Notifications > Lock screen notifications and tap Show content.

Turn on the Always-On Display feature

This feature lets you quickly see the time or any pending notifications when you glance at your phone and tap the screen.

To remove the latter step, go to Settings > Lock screen > Always-on Display and choose Show always. This setting can drain your battery more quickly, but it may be worth it depending on how you use your phone.

Use the battery optimization settings

To get the most out of your battery, you'll want to keep it's charge between 50% and 85%. Charging outside of that range makes your battery work harder, shaving time off it's overall lifespan.

Plugging your phone in for the night and having to make sure it doesn't charge over 85% can be a hassle, but Samsung has a feature that can help—head to Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > More battery settings, and turn on Protect battery. This will limit the maximum charge to 85%, extending the life of your phone without you having to keep an eye on it.

Show your battery percentage in the status bar

Is the battery half full or is it hovering around 30%? With your Galaxy's default settings, it's hard to tell because all it shows you is a battery icon with about how much charge you have left filled in. But you can change this setting and know exactly how much battery life you're working with by showing the exact percentage in numbers.

1. Open the Settings app > Notifications > Advanced Settings.
2. Under Status, turn on Show Battery Percentage.

Schedule Dark Mode

Are you in the middle of a late night doom-scroll? It happens. Take it easy on yourself and put your phone in Dark Mode. It isn't just good for your eyes and sleep schedule, it's great for your battery too.

1. Head to Settings.
2. Tap Display. Here, you can manually turn on Dark Mode to apply a system-wide dark theme.
3. Tap Dark mode settings to have Dark Mode automatically turn on at scheduled times. You have two options: Sunset to sunrise and Custom schedule.

Turn on Find My Mobile

Most of us have lost a phone or had one stolen, and Samsung has a feature that can help you find it. It's called Find My Mobile. To turn it on, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings, and tap Biometrics and security.
2. Tap Find My Mobile, and turn it on. You'll need to enter your Samsung account details or create an account if you don't already have one. After you log in, you can turn on Remote unlock and Send last location.
3. After it's set up, you can visit the Find My Mobile website on any device to locate your Samsung.