10 good tricks on Samsung's Galaxy S10

Samsung's Galaxy S10 lineup may have launched in March 2019, but the Galaxy S10, S10 Plus and S10E are still available and more affordable than ever. It may be tempting to get the newer Galaxy S20, but there's not much the S20 can do that the S10 can't.  

After unboxing your shiny new phone, there's a whole lot to learn about the device. For starters, they all run Android 10 with Samsung's latest One UI custom skin, which mixes Google's improvements with Samsung's. The update adds gesture-based navigation and better privacy controls, but there's so much more to learn. 

Below you'll find 10 tips and tricks we've come up with to help you get the most out of your Galaxy S10 phone.

1. Force-close apps

The S10's app-switching interface has been tweaked, with app cards placed horizontally. Tap on the app switcher button to view recently used apps. Force-close an app by swiping up on the preview. Unlike iOS, you can't swipe on multiple apps at the same time. Thankfully, there's a Close All button along the bottom of the screen.

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4. Save your eyes and battery with night mode

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Take advantage of the dedicated night mode on the Galaxy S10 to help ease the strain on your eyes and save battery life. 

Night mode turns system apps and other areas of the interface black, making it easier to look at your phone's display at night or in dimly lit environments. Night mode can be enabled in Settings > Display > Night mode. You can set it to on at all times, or create a schedule for the device to auto-enable Night mode based on your location.

5. Change these settings... trust me

We rounded up 12 settings you should take a look at changing after setting up your Galaxy S10. There's a fancy new gesture navigation feature you'll surely want to take a look at. 

6. That new message can wait

You can snooze alerts, removing them from the notification shade for a set amount of time by pausing them. Slowly swipe in either direction on an alert until you see a settings icon and a bell. Tap on the bell, then select the amount of time you want to snooze the alert for.

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7. Use two apps at the same time 

To use more than one app at a time, navigate to the multitasking view and find one of the apps you want to use in split-screen mode. Tap on the app's icon, then select Open in split-screen view.

The first app will minimize to the top of the display until you launch the second app you want to use.

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8. Digital Wellbeing keeps tabs on your device usage 

Google's Digital Wellbeing initiative has expanded beyond the Android makers' own Pixel ($125 at Amazon) phones. Open the Settings app and select Digital Wellbeing from the list to enable and customize the stats tracker. This should help you cut back on the amount of time you spend staring at your phone.

9. Use a Secure Folder for added privacy 

If you have certain apps, contacts, photos or emails you want to have behind another layer of security, enable Samsung's Secure Folder. To create your secure folder, open Settings > Biometrics and security > Secure Folder and follow the prompts.

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10. Use more than one account with messaging apps

For those who have to manage a personal and business account in an app like Snapchat or Facebook, you can use the S10's Dual Messenger feature. Open Settings > Advanced features > Dual Messenger, and then select the app you want to enable the feature for. After answering a few prompts, you'll have a second installation of the app that you can use.

Now that you have those features down, learn more about what Android 10 brings to your phone. I encourage you to make the switch to gestures, which really are better than using on-screen buttons to get around your phone. Keep your personal info to yourself by taking advantage of the new privacy controls.