The Galaxy S25 Ultra is packed with features, but it feels a little impersonal right out of the box. But after making these six tweaks, you can now set up your new phone to your liking.
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Many people appreciate the expanded grid design of the Quick Settings panel—it’s nice to have more toggles in one large layout. But many don’t like the separate Notification Panel and Quick Settings Bar—it feels like a complete copy of iOS.
Sure, this is a small change and one that will probably adjust over time. But right now, it feels weird and confusing. Thankfully, Samsung gives you the option to revert back to the old unified dashboard:
Your favorite unified panel is back! Now all your notifications and quick toggles are in one place. Of course, you can always switch back to the separate view if you're feeling adventurous.
The first change to make in the S25 Ultra's display settings is to adjust the Screen mode . By default, this is set to Natural , which gives a natural, soft look—great for some people. Many people prefer bold, vibrant colors, so they switched to Vivid , maxing out the Vividness slider in Advanced settings and adjusting the White balance accordingly.
Next, let's tackle the Screen resolution . Out of the box, it's set to FHD+ (2340x1080), but this powerful phone supports QHD+ (3120x1440) for stunning clarity. However, this mode can drain the battery faster, so if you want long battery life, it's a smarter choice to stick with FHD+.
Next is the Navigation bar settings . Swap the default Button layout for Swipe gestures and the navigation becomes much smoother. Swipe up to go home, hold to see recent apps, or swipe left/right to switch between apps feels very intuitive.
Tweak a few more options for a better experience: Turn on Accidental touch protection to avoid accidental touches on your bag or backpack, and turn on Touch sensitivity for better response when using a screen protector.
The next feature to customize on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is Now Brief. It shows an overview of your day, including calendar events and other relevant information, right on the lock screen. At first, it might seem cluttered with random notifications you don't care about, but you can customize it to show only what you want:
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 the lock screen that lets you access live updates like music controls, timer, Google Maps navigation, or notifications, etc. without unlocking your phone.
To set up:
After selecting the option, close the Settings window. Your favorite app actions will now appear in the Now Bar, giving you quick and easy access.
In One UI 7 , lock screen notifications now appear in the top left corner of the status bar instead of as icons below the clock. This is annoying — it's hard to tell which app has notifications, and the new layout looks cluttered. Luckily, after a little tinkering, although this is the default setting, you can restore the old layout:
You can also choose Dot for a clean, minimalist feel or Icons for a fresh, updated feel.
Samsung finally listened and added a vertically scrolling app drawer. With One UI 6, Samsung made the bold move of removing the feature from the Good Lock Home Up module. We tried everything—custom launchers, random workarounds—but nothing could provide the same seamless experience as having this feature built-in.
This feature is disabled by default, but it's easy to enable. Just open the app drawer, tap the three dots in the bottom right corner, and select Sort from the menu. Then select Alphabetical order and voila—you have a vertically scrolling app drawer.
One UI 7 isn't just about customization and a great user experience - 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.
With Adaptive mode , your phone learns your charging habits and adjusts the battery charge 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, your phone will return to Basic mode and charge 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 the battery reaches 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95%. This mode is perfect if you want to extend battery life and are concerned about battery health.
Adaptive is the most convenient and efficient mode because it prevents overcharging and automatically manages the battery. To access these modes, go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection , then select the mode that works for you.
These are just a few of the settings you should tweak right after purchasing your Galaxy S25 Ultra, but there are many more 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 it a try and let us know if you have any other tips for customizing your Galaxy S25 Ultra!
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