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5 hidden features I didn’t know my Samsung phone had

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Why This Matters

This article highlights hidden features in Samsung's One UI that can enhance user experience and productivity, often overlooked by even long-time users. Discovering these tools can help consumers maximize their device capabilities and streamline everyday tasks, giving Samsung phones added value in a competitive market.

Key Takeaways

Joe Maring / Android Authority

One of my favorite things about owning a Samsung phone is just how much extra it offers on top of Android. And having used Galaxy phones for almost five years, I always thought I knew pretty much every trick and hidden feature One UI had to offer. Turns out, I was giving myself way too much credit.

Over the past few months, I’ve stumbled across several features I had no idea existed. What’s funny is that most of them weren’t buried deep inside menus or locked behind Good Lock modules. They were all sitting in plain sight the entire time. Now that I’ve found them, though, I feel somewhat obligated to share them so others don’t miss out on them the way I did.

What's the most underrated part of One UI? 16 votes Samsung's apps 31 % Good Lock modules 31 % Customization features 25 % Samsung DeX 13 %

A compass and a ruler

Pankil Shah / Android Authority

I’m one of those rare Galaxy users who keep the Edge Panel disabled. Not because I don’t find it useful, but because I somehow keep opening it accidentally while swiping left from the side of the screen. And that’s also why I never realized the Edge Panel had a compass inside it.

Once you enable the Tools panel by heading to Settings > Display > Edge panels > Panels, you can pull up the built-in compass on almost any screen. It’s pretty accurate, and it even shows your current coordinates. Now, I don’t exactly need to navigate forests or hike trails on a daily basis, but it’s nice knowing I don’t need to install a separate app just to check my bearings.

Inside the same panel, tapping the three-dot menu and choosing Ruler literally turns the right edge of your phone into a ruler. You can change its unit from centimeters to inches depending on what you need, and there’s even an option to calibrate it for better results.

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