If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy smartphone in 2026, there are a few settings that you should change right now for enhanced performance and privacy. Samsung Galaxy devices come packed with powerful features, but not all of them are enabled or optimized the way most people prefer.
Some useful settings in Galaxy devices are hidden deep inside settings menu while some power hungry settings are enabled by default. We’ve filtered some important settings that you should change in your Samsung Galaxy smartphone right now.
These small to big tweaks can improve device performance, extend battery life, enhance privacy, and make the overall experience smoother.
10 Important Settings to Change on Your Galaxy Device in 2026
If you use Samsung Galaxy either as your primary device or secondary device, these are a few important settings you shouldn’t ignore. A quick trip through the settings app can make a big difference.
Disable or Turn Off Extended RAM
Modern Galaxy smartphones come with adequate RAM, and the RAM options can vary between 6, 8, 12, or even 16 GB. But Samsung also enabled RAM Plus which is just a gimmick and do more harm than good.
It might not seem like a problem to have additional RAM, as it might help with the slightly improved performance if RAM is running low. However, having Extended RAM or RAM Plus enabled will result in reduced or slower read and write speeds of your device’s on-board storage. Using the physical RAM soldered on your device’s motherboard is better, and it will always give you optimal performance at all times.
You can turn off RAM Plus by following these steps:
- Launch the Settings app.
- Tap on Device Care followed by Memory.
- Now, tap on RAM Plus and make sure to switch the toggle off.
Enable Dark Mode
Dark Mode is one of the best features that actually helps with extending battery life. Almost every Samsung Galaxy smartphone that has been recently released comes with Samsung’s in-house AMOLED screen. These screens get the most benefit from Dark mode, since the screens do not light up pixels that are dark or black.
You can enable the Dark theme on your Galaxy smartphone by following these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on Display and then tap on Dark.
- You can also play around with the dark mode settings by setting a particular time frame where the device will automatically enable and disable Dark mode according to the time you prefer.
Enable Quicker Animations via Developer Mode
Here’s a simple tweak you can follow to make the animations and your phone feel like it’s a bit faster. However, for this, you will have to enable Developer Mode on your Galaxy smartphone.
- Open the Settings app and tap on About Phone.
- Now open the Software Information and tap the Build Number 7 times.
- A toast notification will pop up indicating that you are now a developer.
- When you return to the Settings app, you should see the new Developer Option at the bottom. Open it.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom till you reach the Drawing section.
- Select Window animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animation Duration Scale, and set the values to 0.5x.
Do note that having Developer Options enabled on your Galaxy smartphone can cause certain apps to not function properly, such as the bank and payment apps. So, check how these apps work with Developer Options on, and if they have issues, you might want to turn Developer Options off. Turning it off will result in the stock animation and transition times.
Use a Dedicated Performance Profile
The performance profiles option on Galaxy smartphones is a great way to decide how your phone will run. If all you do on your Galaxy smartphone is texts, calls, photos, and a bit of social media, then using a profile for light tasks is perfect. Here’s how you can choose the performance profile for your Galaxy smartphone.
- Open the Settings app and tap on Device Care.
- Tap on Performance Profile. The default profile is set to standard. So, if you just use your phone for basic tasks, select the Light profile.
Enable Battery Protection
When I say battery protection, I am not talking about enabling power saver modes or deep power saver modes. I am talking about setting a charge limit to your battery when your device is charging. By charging your device between the 80 and 90 percent mark, you are helping prolong the life of your battery and also prevent overcharging the battery, especially when you leave the device plugged in before you go to bed. Follow these steps to enable battery protection.
- Open the Settings app and tap on Battery.
- Now, tap on Battery Protection and switch the toggle on.
- Here you will see two options, Basic and Maximum.
- Tap on Maximum and choose any one of the four available options: 80, 85, 90, or 95.
- The ideal options are 85 and 80.
Uninstalling Apps (and Bloatware) You Will Never Use
Yes, it is no surprise that all Android smartphones come with many pre-installed apps. You can uninstall most of these apps and only keep the apps or install the pens that you will use regularly. Lots of people recommend uninstalling bloatware as they simply occupy a bit of your storage and will use the internet to update themselves whenever you hit the Update All button in the Google Play Store.
If there are certain first-party Samsung or Google-branded apps that cannot be uninstalled, you can simply disable these apps (of follow the more advanced options). Here’s how you can do that.
- Long-press on the app from the home screen that you want to disable.
- From the pop-up menu, you will see the Disable option. Simply tap on it.
The Disable app option will be available only to apps that cannot be uninstalled. This option will not be present on apps that you can uninstall.
Enable Wi-Fi Automatically At certain Locations
This is a great setting to enable if you frequently visit places that have Wi-Fi access, such as your friends’ or family’s homes, your offices, or any other place where your Galaxy smartphone can connect to a secured Wi-Fi network.
I use this feature, and it’s perfect as the instant your device can connect to a saved Wi-Fi network, the device can go about installing app updates from the Play Store, or perform other tasks where connecting to a Wi-Fi network is necessary.
- Open the Settings app and tap on Connections, followed by Wi-Fi.
- Now tap on the three dots and choose Intelligent Wi-Fi.
- Switch the toggle on next to where it says Turn Wi-Fi On/Off automatically.
- Now, tap on it and select the list of saved Wi-Fi networks that you want your Galaxy smartphone to connect to.
- Whenever you’re within the range of these Wi-Fi networks, your device will connect to them automatically.
- And, when you leave the specific location or lose range of the Wi-Fi network, your Galaxy smartphone will switch the Wi-Fi off.
This also means, it will consume more battery since it is looking for the saved network range. But it is not much and also saves you a lot of your time, so its worth it.
Turn Off Customization Services, Ads, and Offers
If, for some reason, you have simply run your way through your device’s first-time setup, you might have noticed several ads being displayed across various Samsung-branded apps and services as well as your notification panel. You can easily turn these options off, especially if you have signed in to your device using a Samsung account. Here’s how you can turn it off.
- Launch the Settings app and tap where your name (Samsung Account) is displayed at the top.
- Now, tap on Security and Privacy.
- Scroll down under Privacy and tap on Customization Service. Make sure to switch the toggle to Off.
- Go back and switch the toggle off under User Agreements next to Improve Personalized Advertising and Get News and Special Offers by email and mobile number.
Enable Gesture Navigation
Yes, navigation buttons are cool, but they aren’t that helpful since to go back to the previous screen, you would have to tap on the navigation button. Also, removing the navigation buttons frees up a bit of the screen space, especially if you are on a large-screen device that is anything over 6.5 inches. Here’s how you can enable gesture navigation on your Galaxy smartphone.
- Open up Settings, followed by Display.
- Now, tap on Navigation Bar and choose Gestures.
- You can tap on More Options to select the gesture style between swipe from bottom or swipe from sides and bottom.
- If you want, you can also enable Gesture Hints and the option to Switch Apps when the Gesture is Hidden.
- There is also the option to play with the gesture sensitivity, so drag the soldier towards the left or right based on your requirements.
Install Samsung Good Lock
While the settings customization options that are built into Samsung’s One UI are good, did you know that there is a dedicated customization service that opens up a sea of customization options? Yes, the Samsung Good Lock customization module lets you customize every element of your Galaxy smartphone. Front he home screens, fonts, app launcher, keyboard, notification panel, audio, AOD screens, and even the routines can be customized and tailored to your liking.
You can install the Good Lock app from either the Google Play Store or the Galaxy App Store. For an idea of what you can do with Good Lock, check out our Good Lock customization guide, where we customized a Galaxy S24 Ultra.
These are 10 of the most important settings that you should change to get the best out of your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. What other settings would you be changing on your new Galaxy smartphone? Share them below.
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