All the mid-range and high-end Samsung smartphones come with an AMOLED screen, meaning they can take advantage of the Always On Display function. Taking a page from Apple’s book, Samsung has also introduced lock screen widgets on the One UI 3.1. Let’s learn about all the lock screen customization possibilities on a Samsung Galaxy device.
Enable Always On Display
To extend the battery life on a Galaxy device, Samsung disables the AOD function out of the box. However, it’s a useful add-on to quickly glance at the time, date, remaining battery life, notifications, and more. Follow the steps below to turn on AOD on a Samsung device. Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section. Step 3: Enable the Always On Display option.
Customize Always On Display
The default AOD style is basic at best. However, it’s a One UI. Everything is personalized here. Samsung has thrown dozens of AOD customization options to create the perfect experience for you. Go through the steps below to customize AOD on a Galaxy device. Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section. Step 3: Tap on the Always On Display option. Step 4: Here, you can show AOD as scheduled, enable show music information, and more. The most useful add-on is the Clock style. Tap on it, and you can access a bunch of clock and calendar styles with different color effects. We like how Samsung offers to play with gradient colors as well. Move to the photo option and you can add a gif as AOD or choose a photo from the gallery to add it to the lock screen. In short, you have all the customization options to create an ideal AOD screen.
Download AODs from the Theme Store
Still not satisfied with the available AOD options? Let’s download some third-party options from the default Samsung Theme Store. Follow the steps. Step 1: Long tap on the One UI home screen and select Themes. Step 2: Move to the AODs menu. Step 3: You will see both the free and paid AODs. Samsung has neatly organized them based on certain categories. You won’t have any hard time finding the right AOD for the lock screen. Note: Before you go ahead and download those nifty gifs as your AOD on the device. Let us warn you about the possible impact on the device’s battery life. You will notice around a 20%-30% drop in usual battery life after the AOD implementation.
Add Lock Screen Widget
Like the iOS 14 lock screen widget, Samsung is adding widgets to the lock screen. You need to enable them from the Settings menu. Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section. Step 3: Select Widgets from the following screen. Here you will see default lock screen widgets to add to the lock screen. The current list includes Music, Weather, Today’s schedule, Next Alarm, Digital Wellbeing, and Bixby Routines. One can also enable the widgets to show on Always On Display. Tap on Reorder at the top, and you can reposition the widgets based on your preference. Lock your Galaxy device, and you won’t find any lock screen widgets immediately. You need to double-tap on the clock to view the widgets without unlocking the phone. Our most-used widgets are Music, Weather, and Digital Wellbeing. So far, the lock screen widgets are limited to Samsung first-party apps. We hope the company releases required APIs for developers to implement widgets to the lock screen.
Add Contact Information to the Lock Screen
Samsung allows you to show information such as your phone number or email address on the Lock screen so you can be contacted if you lose your phone. It’s handy, and we would advise everyone to at least add an email ID. Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section. Step 3: Find the Contact information option, tap on it, and add text.
Customize Lock Screen Like a Pro
Go through the steps above and completely personalize the lock screen experience on the Galaxy device. Hopefully Samsung improves the experience in the upcoming One UI updates. What’s your favorite lock screen addition? Share in the comments below. Next up: Secure Folder is one of the best features of the Galaxy devices. Read the post below to learn everything about it.
