Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra: 7 hidden Android features and settings you should know – CNET

The Galaxy S22 series – including the S22S22+ and S22 Ultra — is finally here, and while you’re bound to explore the most popular features, like the all-new S Pen or the incredible zoom and low-light photography, there are still features and settings that go inevitably fall through the cracks.

It is these hidden or buried features and settings it can completely change the way you use your brand new Android smartphone, and the Galaxy S22 has a handful of them. In this story, we’ll take a closer look at features that fly under the radar, such as hidden widgets on your lock screen and the immersive Dolby Atmos sound experience. Here’s what you need to know.

Prevent your screen from turning off when you’re looking at it

If you don’t touch your screen for a while, depending on how long your screen has been idle (the default is 30 seconds), it usually turns off fairly quickly to save battery power. That’s great and all, but maybe you’re reading something and not touching your phone, and your screen just keeps going to sleep. Luckily, there’s a way to prevent your Galaxy S22’s screen from turning off when you’re looking at it.

In the Settings app, navigate to Advanced Features > Movements and gestures and activate Keep screen on while watching. From then on, the screen will remain on as long as the front camera can detect your face and your eyes looking at it.

Enable Dolby Atmos for cinematic surround sound

Your Galaxy S22 features Dolby Atmos, which brings high-quality surround sound to your smartphone whether you’re watching a movie or just listening to your favorite artist on Spotify. However, this sound setting is not enabled by default, so you will have to enable it manually.

To enable Dolby Atmos, go to Settings > Sound quality and effects then activate Dolby Atmos. By default, Dolby Atmos will then automatically turn on for whatever you’re listening to, but if you press Auto, you can set it so that Dolby Atmos only turns on when you’re watching a movie, listening to music, or talking on the phone. Also, if you haven’t already, enable Dolby Atmos for gaming to get surround sound when gaming on your phone.

Automatically activate power saving feature to help save battery

Depending on how you use your Galaxy S22, your battery may be nearly drained by noon. This happens especially when watching videos on YouTube or constantly scrolling through Instagram. However, if you don’t have your charger handy, there are ways to save battery, like automatically turning on your phone’s adaptive power saving feature.

You can activate the automatic power saving function in Settings > Battery and Device Care. In the Device Care Pagetap the three-dot menu button in the top right, then tap Automating in the menu that appears. Activate Adaptive Power Saving and your S22 will automatically switch to power saving mode based on your usage habits. Power saving mode function can stop background refresh or activate AOD (Always On Display); it may vary.

Show and remove/add hidden widgets on lock screen

Notifications usually live on your lock screen, but on the Galaxy S22 you also have the option to add widgets – they’re sort of hidden away. If you want to view your existing lock screen widgets, just tap the time at the top of the screen. The default widgets that should appear include Music, Next Alarm, and Bixby Routines.

To remove or add widgets to your lock screen, touch Settings at the bottom of the lock screen when widgets are displayed. You can now disable any widgets you want to get rid of and enable any widgets you want to add to your lock screen. To rearrange widgets, tap Reorganize then press the arrows to move the widgets, up and down.

Prevent Bixby from accidentally opening when you hold down the side button

Bixby, Samsung’s personal voice assistant, lets you perform any number of commands with just your voice. Talk and you can play an album from Spotify, text your friend, or find vacation photos you took last year. By default, the Galaxy S22’s side button wakes up Bixby, but if you’re not using the voice assistant, it can be a bit annoying as it’s quite easy to trigger accidentally.

If you don’t want to show Bixby every time you press the side button, go to Settings > Advanced Features > side key. From here you can choose to open the power off menu (power off, restart, and emergency mode) when you press and hold the side button. You can also change what happens when you double-press the side key or disable this feature altogether.

Use the S Pen to quickly translate text (instead of just drawing)

The S Pen, which is new to the Galaxy S series, isn’t just for drawing or writing. If you take out the stylus from your Galaxy S22 Ultra, you can press the stylus button to bring up the Air Command menu and choose from several actions: create a note, send a live message, draw an AR Doodle and more.

One of the best features of the S Pen is the ability to translate text by hovering your stylus over a word. To translate text with your S Pen, choose the Translate option of the Air Command menu, select the language you want to translate from and into, then simply hover the stylus over the word you want to translate, without touching the screen. After a second of loading, a Google Translate window will appear, with the word in blue and the translation in black. You can also press the Copy button to save the translation to your clipboard.

Hide an app without having to permanently delete it

Although you probably use most apps on your Galaxy S22, there may be times when you use an app once and no longer need it. You can permanently delete it from your device, but if you think you need it again, you can always hide the app.

To hide an app, long press on the home screen and tap Home screen settings then on Hide apps. This will bring up a menu showing you all the apps downloaded to your phone. Select the app or apps you want to hide. Apps should then disappear from your home screen, along with your apps folder and settings. If you want to bring the app back, just perform the same actions as above, but this time uncheck apps from the Hide apps section.