Open a New Tab in Samsung Internet
Trying to check a second website without losing the page you already have open? Samsung Internet handles this through tabs, and if you don't know where the option sits, you end up replacing your current page instead of adding a new one. This mainly affects people switching from other browsers where the tab icon looks different.
Add Apps to Secure Folder
Apps you drop directly into Secure Folder often seem to vanish - they never turn up in the regular app list or in your device settings. That is expected: Secure Folder keeps its content in a separate, Knox-protected space, so an app can exist twice on the same phone without either copy sharing data.
Turn On Wi-Fi Sharing (Wi-Fi Repeater Mode)
Your Samsung phone's Mobile Hotspot normally broadcasts your mobile data connection, not the Wi-Fi network you are already connected to. If you want the phone to act as a repeater and extend an existing Wi-Fi signal to other devices, that behavior sits behind a separate 'Wi-Fi sharing' switch hidden inside the hotspot's advanced settings. Without enabling it, devices that join your hotspot stay on cellular data even though your phone already has a working Wi-Fi connection.
Change Camera Storage Location
If your Samsung phone keeps saving new photos and videos to the SD card even though you want them on internal storage, the default save location in the camera app is set to the memory card. Switching this setting only affects future shots. Anything already saved to the card stays there and does not move automatically.
Change Album Cover Image
Samsung Gallery replaces an album thumbnail with the newest photo or video every time you add something to that album, so the cover you actually want to see keeps changing. This makes albums with frequent uploads, like a shared family folder or a screenshot dump, hard to recognize at a glance. Locking in one specific cover image fixes that, but the option is buried a few taps deep in the album menu.
Add New Apps to the Home Screen Automatically
After installing a new app, you check your Home screen and find nothing there. The app only shows up in the App Overview, which means an extra step every time you want to use it. This happens because the automatic Home screen placement option is turned off by default on Samsung devices.
Connect to a Wi-Fi Network
If your Samsung phone shows no internet access or keeps dropping the connection at home, the Wi-Fi network is often not paired correctly yet. A saved profile with an outdated password can also block a new connection attempt. This mostly happens after a router change or a forgotten network entry.
Add Emergency Medical Info to Contacts
If first responders can't tell rescue workers about allergies, medications or blood type, critical seconds get lost during an emergency. Samsung phones let you store this medical information directly in your Contacts profile, but many users never find where to enter it. The data lives outside your regular contact card and stays visible even when the phone is locked.
Schedule Eye Comfort Shield (Blue Light Filter)
Manually turning Eye comfort shield on and off every evening gets old fast, especially when sunset times shift throughout the year. If the blue light filter only ever runs when you remember to tap it, you are missing the automatic scheduling option built into the display settings. A fixed start and end time or a sunset-to-sunrise rule keeps the warm tint active exactly when you need it.
Turn USB Debugging On or Off
If a PC tool, ADB command, or rooting software cannot detect the Samsung phone, USB debugging is often disabled or missing from the visible settings. This mode is hidden inside Developer options and stays off by default to protect the device from unauthorized data access. Without it enabled, sync tools and flashing software cannot talk to the system properly.
Empty the Gallery Recycle Bin
Deleted photos and videos in the Samsung Gallery app do not disappear right away. They sit in the Trash for a set number of days before Samsung removes them automatically, and until then they still take up storage space. If you need to free up space immediately or make sure sensitive files are gone for good, you have to clear the Trash yourself.
Change Always On Display Orientation
On Samsung phones, the Always On Display defaults to portrait orientation even when the phone sits flat in a stand, car mount, or dock turned sideways. That leaves the clock and icons rotated on their side instead of readable across the screen. The fix sits in a setting most people never open because it is separate from the normal screen rotation toggle.
Quick Settings Button Grid Size
If your Samsung quick settings panel feels cramped or only shows a handful of toggles, the button grid is likely still stuck on the default size. Switching to a larger 5x3 layout fits up to 15 shortcuts at once, while 3x3 keeps each tile bigger and easier to tap.
Turn Mobile Hotspot On or Off
If you need to share your Samsung phone's mobile data connection with a laptop, tablet, or another phone, Mobile Hotspot has to be switched on first. Without it, nearby devices cannot detect your phone as a Wi-Fi access point at all. Many people also struggle to find where this toggle sits once they need to turn it off again to save data or battery.
Turn Data Saver On or Off
If apps stop syncing or notifications only show up after you open them, Data saver is probably cutting their background connection. This mode blocks mobile data for apps running in the background, which can delay messages, emails and updates until you check the app manually. Some apps can still be allowed to use data in the background even while data saving stays active.
Mute All Sounds Setting
If your Samsung phone suddenly stays silent for calls, alerts and media at the same time, the Mute all sounds function is likely active. This mode can trigger by accident when you hold the volume key too long, and it overrides every individual volume slider. Once enabled, no ringtone, notification or app sound plays until you switch it off again.
Power Off a Samsung Device
On newer Samsung phones, holding the power button often opens Bixby instead of the shutdown menu, so the classic press-and-hold trick stops working. If your device does not react when you hold the side key, the button has likely been reassigned and you need another way to power down. This mix-up leaves many users stuck between a frozen screen and an assistant they never asked for.
Answer Calls with the Volume Up Button
Fumbling for the screen while a call rings on your Samsung phone wastes precious seconds, especially with the display off or the phone tucked in a pocket. A hidden call setting lets you pick up simply by pressing the volume up key instead of swiping the screen. Without it enabled, that button only adjusts ringtone loudness and does nothing to answer the call.
Delete Single or Multiple Contacts
Deleted contacts sometimes come back or disappear for good, depending on your Samsung software version. On newer Android releases with One UI, removed contacts sit in a trash bin for 30 days before they are gone permanently, while older Android 9 devices delete contacts right away, even if they were saved to your Samsung or Google account.
Turn VoLTE Calls On or Off
If calls sound muffled, take longer to connect, or switch to a spotty 3G signal mid-call, VoLTE might be turned off on your Samsung phone. Voice over LTE routes calls through your carrier's data network instead of the older 2G or 3G circuit, which affects voice clarity, connection speed and even battery drain. On dual SIM models each SIM line has its own separate VoLTE switch, so one number can sound noticeably better than the other.
Request Desktop Site in Samsung Internet
Some websites hide download buttons, settings pages or entire tools when Samsung Internet loads the mobile version instead of the full site. If a page looks stripped down or a feature just will not work, the browser is likely serving you the mobile layout by default. Forcing the desktop version brings back the complete site as it appears on a computer.
Manage Full Screen App Display
When an app stretches oddly across the screen or crops content at the top and bottom, Samsung's full screen scaling is usually the reason. You cannot switch off full screen display system-wide, since it is tied to the display aspect ratio itself. What you can do is tell individual apps to render in the older, non-stretched format instead. This mainly affects apps that were never updated for taller Samsung displays and end up with distorted buttons or misplaced UI elements.
Move Apps to an SD Card
Samsung phones install every app to internal storage by default, and that fills up fast once photos, games and updates pile on. If your device has a memory card slot, moving apps off internal storage is often the quickest way to reclaim space without deleting anything you need.
Turn On/Off Bold Font
If every app on your Samsung suddenly looks like its letters gained extra weight, the system-wide Bold font toggle is likely active. This setting thickens all text, including fonts that are already bold, such as Gothic Bold, which can make some layouts look cramped or hard to scan. It sits separately from font size, so changing text size alone will not fix it.