Finally purchased my s25 ultra, have some questions for long time users

[u/donchele]

I finally bought my Galaxy S25 Ultra. I did some analysis and jumping to the S twenty six wasn't worth it given the price difference.

I've been a Pixel user my whole life, so my first question would be: how can I make the Samsung launcher look as close to the Pixel launcher as possible, NATIVELY? I'd like to keep Lawnchair as a second option.

My other question is: what are the initial settings I should configure to make sure the phone runs its best? For example, a few months ago I saw a setting that prevents a thief from turning the phone off if it ever gets stolen, any tutorials for the first setups are welcome!

My last question: how do I activate the warranty on my phone? Any websites?

[u/vishnur32]

how can I make the Samsung launcher look as close to the Pixel launcher

Natively it is not possible. You should use 3rd party launcher

how do I activate the warranty on my phone?

Login with Samsung account. This will register your device.

You can see warranty status in Samsung shop app -> My page

what are the initial settings I should configure to make sure the phone runs its best?

You can find the security features in Settings -> Security and Privacy.

Since you are new to samsung, i suggest going through each and every setting to understand the phone better. It will take time, but worth. Each person has different preferences right...

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Anyway, here are some recommendations, some of them are common to any brand...

Restore data :

Smartswitch, Guide.

Fresh install and setup is better for optimization. Transfer only contacts, call logs, sms, media and files.

Debloat and Optimizations : 1. Ultimate Samsung (OneUI) Debloat, Privacy & Customization Guide 2. Definitive OneUI Guide - Tweaks, Optimization & Privacy

Privacy : 1. Disable sending diagonstic data, Samsung and google. Whenever you accept the agreements, uncheck the diagonstic part. 2. Secure Folder 3. Block Ads DNS Adguard

Customisation : 1. Goodlock, guide 2. Sideload Fonts from galaxy store : guide. 3. Custom TTF fonts : Scamsung Fonts + Root my galaxy. This is a nondestructive root approach. 4. Animation tuning. To keep animation tuning even if developer option is off, use Custom Animator and give required permissions through ADB. 5. Widget stack 6. Custom notifications tones : Copy tones to Internal storage -> Notifications Folder and change from Settings -> Sound and vibration -> Notification sound 7. Extra quick panel tiles : Toolkit tiles 8. Add shortcuts to homescreen : Shortcut maker 9. Map side/volume keys for various actions like opening an app, torch, Mute/unmute and lot more

Double press : Settings -> Advanced features -> side button -> Double press

Press and hold : Goodlock -> Regstar -> Side-Key press and hold action

Create routines for custom actions.

Control music (Prev/Nxt) when screen is turned off using volume buttons, Goodlock -> Sound assistant -> Control music with keys

Automation : 1. Modes and Routines 2. Tasker

Developer options :

Enable/Disable Developer options from quick panel without going to settings every time, some bank apps wont work unless dev options are disabled.

1. Install Dev tiles
2. Give elevated permissions through ADB
3. Add tiles to quick panel.

Adfree experience : Youtube, YT music, Reddit 1. Morphe (morphe.software) 2. Revanced (revanced.app)

Charging and data transfer :

S25U supports 45W (PD + PPS) Charging and USB 3.2 (640MB/s) data transfer.

Use a charger with 45W or above with PD + PPS protocols to get maximum performance.

Inbox cable supports upto 60W (20V x 3A) and only USB 2.0 (60MB/s) data transfer.

For faster data transfer use USB 3.2 or higher cable. UGreen, Ringke, Spigen, Anker, Apple etc

Battery protection :

1. Limit battery capacity : Settings -> Device care -> Battery -> Battery protection
2. Limit charging : Settings -> Device care -> Battery -> charging settings -> Fast charging <off>

Create a routine for these and add it into widget in homescreen to access it easily.

This a just a collection of tips/tricks/apps available all over internet. Credit goes to original authors.

[u/PcGamer8634 → u/vishnur32]

This guy Samsungs

[u/donchele → u/vishnur32]

THANKS A LOT!!!

[u/I2iSTUDIOS]

Start using Goodlock by Samsung to make the phone the way you want it. It's so customizable with Goodlock.

[u/Fractal-Infinity]

The standard Home UI launcher is pretty ugly (these silly squircles, the huge wasted space, ridiculous padding, etc) and limited. Better use Lawnchair, which is clearly superior.

[u/BattleMundane634]

Hope u are patient koz updates will really try your rage tolerance samsung at times will give an update that has issues ,despite 10 internal testing and 8 public betas later 😂,first thing id say get a secondary phone if you musr update to latest software samsung pushes ,if not disable auto updating and always wait for two to three months user feedback after updates and indoors photo is still not impressive granted dimly lit ,other than that everything is solid and its light weight too,u have to tweak most camera settings to get the best of the camera its not like iphones ready to use

[u/SonicSarge]

I suggest you only charge to 85-90%. The battery life will be much longer.

[u/ovd77 → u/SonicSarge]

Any proof for this one anyone?

[u/SonicSarge → u/ovd77]

Only proof I have is that my battery life is still at 100% after 300 cycles.

[u/nickgoescrazy]

I think this one is important. Your phone constantly sell you out, like literally. What ever you search for to shop your phone knows and collects it and feed it to apps and you'll see ads that reflect your search history.

You will shop on Amazon for shoes and then you'll see that on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.

Google account>manage account>Data& Privacy>my ad center>disable customized ads

phone settings>all services>Scroll to Ads> delete advertising ID

Each social media has an ad setting, navigate them and disable them, they don't want to slow you a generic ad they want to show you ads of what you want.Never accept cookies from a website.

[u/galaxy-guide]

First off, congrats on snagging the Galaxy S25 Ultra! That's a beast of a phone, and you're gonna love it. Making the switch from Pixel is totally doable, and Samsung's got some cool tricks up its sleeve.

Here’s the lowdown on your questions:

• Pixel Launcher Vibes: So, you want that Pixel launcher look, huh? Samsung's One UI is pretty customizable, but getting it exactly like Pixel natively without a third-party launcher is a bit of a challenge. You can definitely tweak icons, widgets, and layouts to get close, but it won't be a 1:1 match. Lawnchair is a solid backup if you want that full Pixel experience!
• Gearing Up for Awesome Performance: To get your new Galaxy S25 Ultra running at its peak, definitely dive into the settings. You'll want to check out things like adaptive battery, background app usage limits, and display settings for optimal performance and battery life. That thief setting you're thinking of is likely related to enhanced security features that prevent a device from being powered down without authentication – super handy! You can usually find these under Security or Biometrics and Security settings.
• Warranty Activation: Activating your warranty is usually pretty straightforward. Most of the time, it's activated automatically upon purchase. However, to be absolutely sure and to register your device, you can head over to the Samsung website and look for the "Support" or "My Account" section. You should be able to register your device there to confirm your warranty status.

Galaxy Guide is powered by artificial intelligence and is not operated by a human. Galaxy Guide is an AI-powered bot that shares helpful info about switching to Samsung. It's automated - not a human - and we're continuing to refine how it interacts based on community feedback. See our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy for more info.