Exploring the Samsung Galaxy S25: Tips and Tricks

Setting up a new phone is always exciting! Whether you’re starting fresh or carefully transferring your data, it feels like a new beginning. And with a new phone often comes new features to discover – perhaps a cool camera mode, updated AI capabilities, or something entirely unexpected. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series offers a blend of all three. This guide covers tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your new device, whether you’re a Samsung veteran or a first-timer.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Tips & Tricks

1. Master the Now Brief and Now Bar

One of the first things you’ll notice on your Galaxy S25 is the Now Brief and Now Bar. While the Now Brief might seem similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island, it offers more integrated functionality. It acts as a centralized hub for your daily information needs. This includes:

• Hourly weather forecast: Stay informed about the day’s weather patterns.
• Calendar appointments: See upcoming appointments and events at a glance.
• Suggested news articles: Get quick access to relevant news based on your interests.
• Spotify playlist: Start your day with a curated music playlist.

The Now Brief provides concise information without overwhelming you. It’s perfect for a quick overview.

The Now Bar complements the Now Brief. It appears at the top or bottom of your screen (depending on whether your phone is locked or unlocked) and dynamically updates to show information such as:

• Sports scores: Keep up with your favorite teams.
• Kitchen timers: Monitor cooking times without needing to unlock your phone.
• Google Maps driving directions: View directions conveniently.

The Now Bar elegantly disappears when not in use, unlike some other similar features that require a dedicated area on the screen at all times.

2. Protect Your Investment with a Phone Case

This is timeless advice: always use a phone case! Even with durable materials like Gorilla Glass and (on the S25 Ultra) titanium, your phone is vulnerable to drops. A single mishap could result in costly repairs.

You don’t need an expensive case – though Samsung’s collaboration with Hershey’s offers a fun option – but any case is better than none. Check out online guides for recommendations on the best cases for the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra which include various brands and styles. Protect your investment!

3. Explore Samsung’s Enhanced Camera Filters

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series reimagines photo filters. Instead of simplistic, over-the-top effects, these filters provide more refined control, similar to film simulations found in professional cameras. You can adjust:

• Color profile: Change the overall color scheme of your image.
• Saturation: Control the intensity of the colors.
• Contrast: Adjust the difference between light and dark areas.
• Film grain: Add a textured, filmic look.

You can use the dozen pre-installed filters or create custom filters by selecting an existing image with the color settings you like. Galaxy AI will then emulate those settings for future photos. While not perfect, it’s incredibly handy.

4. Experience the Power of Samsung’s Gemini

The Galaxy S25 series features Gemini, a powerful AI assistant. Unlike previous Samsung assistants, Gemini integrates smoothly and provides context-aware suggestions. It’s useful for various tasks:

• Planning trips: Use Gemini Live to find recommendations and information about locations.
• Finding entertainment: Get suggestions for new video games or movies.

Gemini is easily interrupted, making interactions much more fluid. While you can remap the power button (long press) to something other than Gemini, we suggest giving it a try. To remap the side key, go to:

1. Settings
2. Advanced Features
3. Side Button
4. Choose between a smart assistant or power control.

If you don’t remap the power button, you access Gemini through voice commands or its dedicated app.

5. Effortlessly Edit Videos with Auto Trim

Auto Trim in the Samsung Gallery app makes video editing a breeze. It’s an AI-powered tool that identifies the best parts of your videos and creates a shorter, engaging clip, perfect for sharing on social media. To use Auto Trim:

1. Open your Samsung Gallery app.
2. Tap the Menu button (bottom right) and select "Go to Studio."
3. Press "Start New Project."
4. Choose your video clips and press "Done."
5. Tap the scissors icon (bottom left).

Galaxy AI will create a highlight reel. You can further adjust the length, rearrange clips, or add text and stickers. While manually editing offers more granular control, Auto Trim strikes a good balance between speed and quality.

6. Unleash Your Creativity with Drawing Assist

Drawing Assist, an enhancement of the previous Sketch to Image feature, simplifies drawing and image creation. It converts your hand-drawn sketches into stylized images, cleaner and more refined than your original doodles. You can select from various art styles:

• Watercolor
• Sketch
• Oil Painting

Drawing Assist can also generate images from text prompts. To access it:

1. Open your Edge Panel
2. Tap Drawing Assist
3. Draw or type your description
4. Press Generate

On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can access it directly by removing the S Pen. You can even generate additional images if the first attempt isn’t to your liking.

7. Find Photos Quickly with AI-Powered Search

Samsung’s improved Gallery app leverages AI to make searching through your photo library much easier. You can search for:

• People: Find pictures of specific individuals (you must tag them first within the Gallery app).
• Pets: Similarly, identifying your pets allows for easier searching.
• Places: Search for photos taken at specific locations.

While the search is robust, it requires tagging people and pets within the Gallery for name-based searches. However, it significantly streamlines finding pictures you remember taking but can’t locate.

8. Create Fun and Customizable Galaxy Avatars

Galaxy Avatars replace AR Emojis, offering significantly improved, less creepy animated versions of yourself. These avatars are more cartoonish and closely resemble Apple’s Memojis in their style. You can create them from either:

• Your front-facing camera.
• An image from your Samsung Gallery.

The avatars reside within the Advanced Features section of the Settings app. They’re easy to customize once you locate them. While hats sometimes present a challenge, this refined feature offers a significant improvement over its predecessors.

9. Invest in a Fast Charger (But Skip Qi2 for Now)

Make sure you have a compatible charger. While the Galaxy S25 charges at 25W (S25), and 45W (S25+ and Ultra), you need a USB PD PPS-enabled charger to reach these maximum charging speeds. Numerous options are available, including multi-port chargers with both USB-C and USB-A options. For now, Qi2 wireless charging is not supported on the Galaxy S25, so your older wireless chargers will still work fine.

10. Personalize Your Home Screen with AI-Generated Wallpapers

Don’t forget to customize your phone’s appearance! Use Samsung’s AI-powered wallpaper generator for unique and personalized backgrounds. The generator offers a changing variety of styles and scenes. This allows you to refresh your home screen’s look whenever you want. Once you settle on a wallpaper, you can extend the theme to many aspects of your phone interface, providing a consistent color scheme. Note, however, that some pre-installed apps maintain their default colors.

These tips provide a great starting point for exploring your new Samsung Galaxy S25. Be sure to explore all the features, and happy using your new device!

See price at Amazon
See price at Amazon
See price at Amazon

(Replace the bracketed links with actual Amazon links for the respective Galaxy S25 models.)