Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: 9 simple tips and tricks you should try today
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Wearables are fun and convenient, and among all the options, theSamsung Galaxy Watch 5andGalaxy Watch 5 Proare two of thebest smartwatcheson the market. Both work great out of the box, but we have some simple tweaks you’ll want to do before you get used to the default settings. Let’s look at some of the best ways to customize your new watch.
Set your watch orientation
The Galaxy Watch 5 lets you select whether you wear your watch on your right or left wrist, but did you know you could also change the position you want the keys to face? To get started, follow these steps:
Under the wrist settings, you can change yourKey Position, which lets you choose whether you want your home and back keys on the left or right side of the watch. The watch defaults to the right, but if you prefer to have the keys on the left, tap the left toggle, and it flips the screen 180 degrees.
Setup Google Assistant
Your watch comes with Bixby activated, but if you want to use Google Assistant, download and install the app. Although none of the Android Police team members have run into any issues,there have been a few reported problemssetting it up. If Google Assistant is installed, scroll down, tapMy Apps,and then tapAssistantto update the app. To set up Google Assistant for the first time, go to yourApp menuand follow these steps:
Now that Google Assistant is ready to use on your Galaxy Watch, it’s time to set it up. By default, long pressing the home key opens Bixby. If you’d rather have that open Google Assistant, go back to yourSettings.
There are a few configuration options here. Both the home key and back key can be customized, so let’s take a look at what your options are.
Customize what your buttons do
you’re able to set custom actions for your home key’sdouble pressandpress and holdfunctions and your back key’sshort press.
If you want, you canchange it to Bixby and have both Bixby and Google Assistant mapped to your home key.
The back key performs the same function as swiping from the left. This is redundant, so if you want to, you can change it to show recent apps instead.
Reorder Quick toggles
Quick toggles offer a convenient way to perform various functions on your watch. There are so many ways to use your smartwatch, so you may want to reorder your Quick toggles so that the ones you prefer are easier to get to. To set the order of your Quick toggles:
Set up the Quick launch gesture
Samsung introduced a new gesture called Quick launch, which is like a knocking motion. you could open an app or use a feature like a flashlight with a simple gesture by moving your wrist up and down a few times. Quick launch needs to be activated before you can use it, and you can follow these steps to set it up:
This is handy for doing things like turning on your flashlight in the dark when your hands are full. Under the option you select is a little animation showing you how to use the gesture.
Customize your emergency SOS message
When you get a new device, it’s important to customize your emergency SOS message so that it reaches the right person when you need it the most. SOS mode is activated by tapping your home key several times. If you accidentally tap your home key too many times when trying to double tap, adjust your cancelation countdown window.
This option is customized in the Samsung Wearable app on your paired phone. Make sure to download and install the app from the Google Play Store and open it. Then follow these steps:
You can set SOS mode to send messages and calls to one or multiple recipients. It’s important to note thatthe Galaxy Watch 5 doesn’t call 911 by default, and there isn’t an option to turn this on. Instead, you can add 911 as a contact and choose it as one of the recipients.
We don’t know how well this works, so we recommend adding your local emergency services phone number as a contact. Also, make sure you send messages and calls to at least one other person.
Customize the font size and style
Not everyone prefers the default font size and style on Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. If you are among them, change it to your preference under settings.
Change the call and notification vibration pattern
Most users keep their Galaxy Watch on vibrate mode so that it only buzzes when a notification or call arrives. If you frequently miss incoming alerts, change the vibration pattern from settings.
Your watch has other options besides Do Not Disturb mode
There are three other silent mode options other than Do Not Disturb. To activate any mode, swipe down from the top to open the Quick settings panel. Next, tap the icon for the mode you want to activate, choose how long you want to activate it, and tapOK. So, what do the modes do?
There are other uses for these modes that you may not have thought of:
Customize watch faces from the Galaxy Store
If you’re not fond of Samsung’s default watch face, go to the Galaxy Store in the Galaxy Wearableapp or the Google Play Storeapp and search forgalaxy watch faces. If you go to the Play Store, look for the featured Wear OS banner to open theWatch Face categoryor look for it under theCategories tab. The quickest way to get there is to follow these steps:
After you’ve chosen a new watch face, press and hold your current watch face and swipe to theright to see the watch faces you installed. Some watch faces allow you to customize system-wide background styles by going toDisplayin your Settings app.
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