Samsung Galaxy S10 - First 12 Things To Do!
**The First 12 Things to Do After Unboxing Your New Samsung Galaxy S10 Series**
Welcome to your new Samsung Galaxy S10 series! Whether you're unboxing the S10, S10 Plus, or S10 II, this guide will help you make the most of your new device. In this video, we’ll walk through the first 12 things you should do after getting your brand-new Samsung Galaxy S10. These are a mix of settings to change and some basic things you should consider tweaking inside your S10.
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### **1. Secure Your Device with Facial Recognition or Fingerprint Sensor**
The first thing you want to do is secure your device by setting up facial recognition or fingerprints. My preferred method is the fingerprint sensor, but both options are available. To set this up:
- Go to **Settings** > **Biometrics and Security**.
- If you didn’t set this up during the initial setup, this is where you’ll find it.
- You can add up to four fingerprints here. One thing I noticed in my unboxing video is that the way you place your thumb when registering it should match how you normally hold the phone. Otherwise, you might have a lot of failed attempts.
For the **S10 II**, the fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button on the side. While this is convenient and cool, it’s not as accurate or natural as the in-screen fingerprint sensor on the S10 and S10 Plus. But it’s still worth setting up for the S10 II because your thumb is always near that area.
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### **2. Adjust Auto-Lock Settings**
Next, change the auto-lock setting if you don’t want your screen to dim or lock immediately:
- Go to **Settings** > **Display**.
- Scroll down to **Screen Timeout** and set it to either 5 or 10 minutes. Anything below that will keep your screen dimming constantly, which can be annoying.
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### **3. Customize Display Settings**
Inside the display settings, there are a few more things you should tweak:
- **Adaptive Brightness**: This is basically auto-brightness and helps adjust your screen brightness based on your environment.
- **Blue Light Filter**: If you’re sensitive to blue light, you can disable it or turn it on for better eye comfort.
- **Night Mode**: This is one of my favorite features. Night mode changes the UI to a dark theme, which looks amazing. The keyboard also follows suit and looks fantastic. I personally keep mine enabled all the time because I love the look.
You can also adjust your screen resolution here. On the S10 and S10 Plus, you can set it to the highest resolution available.
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### **4. Reduce Animations for a Faster Experience**
To make your phone feel faster:
- Go to **Settings** > **Advanced Features**.
- Toggle on **Reduced Animations**. This tones down motion effects when apps are opened or closed, making everything feel snappier.
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### **5. Enable Gesture Controls**
The S10 series supports gesture controls similar to iOS:
- Go to **Settings** > **Motions and Gestures**.
- Turn off **Lift to Wake** if you prefer not to use it, but keep **Double Tap to Wake** enabled.
- **Smart Stay**: This feature keeps your screen on while you’re looking at it. It’s useful if you don’t want your phone timing out when you’re actively using it.
To enable full-screen gestures:
- Go to **Display** > **Navigation Bar**.
- Turn on **Full Screen Gestures**. Swiping up from the bottom takes you home, swiping left brings up apps, and swiping right goes back. I find this more intuitive than the traditional navigation buttons.
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### **6. Organize Your Home Screen**
Customize your home screen to your liking:
- Use **Tap and Hold** or **Select Items** to rearrange icons and widgets.
- Enable **Alphabetical Order** for apps in the app drawer so you can easily find what you’re looking for.
- Add or remove pages as needed. I like keeping an empty page just to show off my beautiful wallpaper.
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### **7. Set Up a Beautiful Wallpaper**
Personalize your device with a great wallpaper:
- Use the **Wall-E** app (or your preferred wallpaper app) to find stunning wallpapers.
- Keep it simple and enjoy the default theme if you prefer something clean and minimalistic.
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### **8. Enable Always-On Display**
One of the standout features of the S10 series is the **Always-On Display**:
- Go to **Settings** > **Lock Screen**.
- Toggle on **Always-On Display**.
- You can choose between **Show Always**, **Tap to Show**, or **Scheduled** modes.
- Customize the clock style and color to match your preferences.
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### **9. Set Up Status Bar Customizations**
The hole-punch display might block some status bar icons, but you can adjust this:
- Go to **Settings** > **Notifications** > **Status Bar**.
- Set it to **All Notifications** to see everything on the screen.
- Enable **Show Battery Percentage** if you want more details.
You can also rearrange or remove toggles by swiping down and selecting **Button Order**.
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### **10. Test Out the Triple Camera Setup**
The S10 series has a triple-camera setup that’s worth exploring:
- Use the wide-angle lens for panoramic shots.
- Try the 2x zoom mode to see how it performs in different lighting conditions.
- Don’t miss the **Live Focus** feature, which is perfect for portrait photography.
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### **11. Disable Single Press on the Bixby Button**
Accidentally pressing the Bixby button can be frustrating:
- Go to **Bixby Settings** and select **Bixby Key**.
- Change it to require a double press instead of a single press to activate Bixby.
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### **12. Get a Case for Your New Phone**
Finally, protect your investment with a case:
- There are plenty of affordable options on Amazon or high-end cases from brands like Spigen or Rhino Shield.
- The S10 series is fragile and prone to fingerprints, so a good case will keep it looking new.
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### **Conclusion**
These are the first 12 things you should do after unboxing your new Samsung Galaxy S10 series. From security settings and display tweaks to camera fun and customization options, this guide ensures you’ll get the most out of your new phone. If you have any other tips or questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below!