When you buy a Samsung device, you know you’re getting a bunch of features and customization options. This is best showcased on Galaxy phones, but it also applies to the Galaxy Watch. However, Samsung doesn’t enable all the best stuff for you.
Previously, I highlighted five great Galaxy Watch features that you should enable. Well, there’s more where that came from. Not everyone has the time to sift through every settings section and menu, so I’ve done the work for you.
The most useful Samsung Galaxy Watch features that aren’t enabled by default
Samsung has never been scared to include as many options as possible in its devices. That includes the Galaxy Watch as well, of course, but not all of the best features are enabled fresh out of the box. Let’s make sure you haven’t overlooked some grayed-out toggles.
Don’t waste time hunting for the pause button
The primary purpose of a smartwatch is to have quicker access to things that are happening on your phone. Notifications are a big part of that, but so are media controls. It’s convenient to be able to play/pause, skip, and adjust volume without reaching for your phone.
However, it’s not as convenient as it could be by default. You have to find the Media Controller in the app list or open it from the Now Bar. The easier option is to toggle on a feature called “Auto launch media controls.” This will automatically put the media controls in the foreground on the watch when media is playing on your phone. Go to Settings > Advanced features > Auto launch media controls.
Quiz
Surprising things made by Samsung
Trivia challenge
Beyond phones and TVs — discover just how many unexpected products and
industries the Samsung empire touches.
IndustryHistoryProductsTechnologyBusiness
Before becoming a tech giant, what did Samsung originally sell when it was founded
in 1938?
Correct! Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-chul as a small trading
company selling groceries, dried fish, noodles, and other goods in Suwon, Korea. The name ‘Samsung’
means ‘three stars’ in Korean, reflecting the founder’s ambitions for something large and eternal.
Not quite. Samsung actually started as a humble grocery and trading
company, selling items like dried fish and noodles. It’s a far cry from the semiconductors and
smartphones the company is now famous for — the transformation took decades of aggressive
diversification.
Samsung is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of which unexpected “product”?
Correct! Samsung C&T (Construction & Trading) is one of South Korea’s
biggest builders, responsible for constructing entire apartment complexes, skyscrapers, and major
infrastructure projects. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, was partly built by a
Samsung-led consortium.
Not quite. Samsung’s construction arm, Samsung C&T, builds entire
apartment buildings and massive infrastructure projects. Most impressively, a Samsung-led consortium was
responsible for constructing the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building — a long way from selling
smartphones.
Samsung manufactures chips and components for which major competitor’s flagship
product?
Correct! Despite being fierce rivals in the smartphone market, Samsung
has historically manufactured NAND flash memory and OLED display panels for Apple’s iPhones. This
unusual business relationship makes Samsung both Apple’s biggest competitor and one of its most
important suppliers.
Not quite. The answer is Apple iPhones. Samsung has supplied critical
components like OLED screens and NAND flash memory to Apple for years, even while the two companies
compete aggressively in the global smartphone market — a textbook example of ‘coopetition.’
Which of the following unlikely products has Samsung’s engineering division
manufactured?
Correct! Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries have been involved in
constructing nuclear power plant infrastructure, including reactor buildings. South Korea is a major
exporter of nuclear power technology, and Samsung has played a significant role in building that
capability domestically and internationally.
Not quite. Samsung has actually been involved in constructing nuclear
power plant infrastructure through its construction and engineering divisions. It’s a stunning example
of how the Samsung conglomerate stretches far beyond consumer electronics into the most complex
engineering projects on Earth.
At its peak, Samsung’s revenues represented approximately what percentage of South
Korea’s entire GDP?
Correct! Samsung’s revenues have at times equaled roughly 23% of South
Korea’s entire GDP, making it one of the most economically dominant companies relative to its home
country in the world. This is why Samsung is described as a ‘chaebol’ — a uniquely Korean form of
massive family-controlled industrial conglomerate.
Not quite. Samsung’s revenues have represented approximately 23% or more
of South Korea’s GDP at various points, which is a staggering level of economic dominance. This kind of
outsized national footprint is what makes Samsung a true ‘chaebol’ — a conglomerate so large it shapes
an entire country’s economy.
Samsung once produced its own line of what type of heavy vehicle?
Correct! Samsung Motors launched in 1998, producing passenger cars
before the division collapsed during the Asian financial crisis just a year later. Renault then acquired
the struggling company, which became Renault Samsung Motors — still selling cars in South Korea today
under a Samsung-licensed brand name.
Not quite. Samsung actually made automobiles through Samsung Motors,
launched in 1998. It was short-lived due to the Asian financial crisis, but Renault eventually acquired
the company, and ‘Renault Samsung Motors’ continued selling cars in South Korea — keeping the Samsung
name alive in the auto world.
Samsung Heavy Industries is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of what?
Correct! Samsung Heavy Industries is consistently ranked among the top
three shipbuilders in the world, producing massive oil tankers, container ships, and liquefied natural
gas (LNG) carriers. It’s a completely separate and enormous business unit that most people have never
heard of when they think of Samsung.
Not quite. Samsung Heavy Industries is a world-leading builder of oil
tankers and large cargo ships, regularly competing for the title of the world’s biggest shipbuilder.
It’s a massive industrial operation that has nothing to do with Galaxy phones but sits comfortably under
the Samsung corporate umbrella.
Samsung is a dominant global supplier of which component found in almost every
modern device?
Correct! Samsung is one of the world’s top two manufacturers of DRAM
(Dynamic Random Access Memory), alongside SK Hynix. The RAM inside your laptop, server, or gaming
console very likely came from Samsung, regardless of what brand name is on the device — giving Samsung
invisible influence over almost all of modern computing.
Not quite. Samsung is a dominant force in DRAM production, making the
RAM chips that power laptops, servers, smartphones, and data centers worldwide. Even if you’ve never
bought a Samsung-branded product, chances are high that Samsung memory is humming away somewhere inside
your devices right now.
Your Score
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Double-Pinch Gesture
Touch your watch without touching your watch
One of the features I mentioned in the first article was “Universal Gestures,” and while they’re great, the abilities are probably overkill for most people. A much simpler, yet still useful gesture is called “Double pinch”—it’s a great companion to Auto launch media controls, too.
The Double pinch gesture—activated by touching the tips of your pointer/middle finger and thumb twice in quick succession—does different things depending on what’s on the screen. When a text message arrives, it opens voice-to-text. For calls, it dismisses them. And when the media controller is on the screen, it will play or pause. Enable it at Settings > Buttons and gestures > Double pinch.
Keep track of time with the hourly charm
Old-school time reminders
If you’ve ever worn a Casio watch, you may be familiar with the “Hourly Time Signal” feature. As the name implies, it simply plays an audible chime at the top of every hour. Some people rely on this as a way to keep themselves from losing track of time throughout the day.
You don’t have to give up your Casio watch to continue getting hourly alerts. Samsung has included an “Hourly Chime” feature on Galaxy Watches for many years. It does exactly the same thing: plays a subtle alert at the top of every hour. You can turn it on from Settings > Sounds and vibration > System sounds > Hourly chime.
Automatically turn on notifications for new apps
Sometimes it’s better to opt-out than opt-in
Notifications are obviously a big part of the smartwatch experience. That’s why I’ve never understood Samsung’s decision to keep notifications disabled for newly installed apps. When you set up the watch for the first time, notifications are enabled for all apps on your phone. So why aren’t new apps treated the same way?
Personally, I think it’s much easier to tap a notification when it comes in and select “Block notifications” than to dig through the settings and enable notifications after I realize I’ve been missing them. If you feel the same way, head to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Auto turn on watch notifications for new phone apps.
Don’t be afraid to explore
The reality is that most devices, whether it’s a smartphone or a smartwatch, are set up for the general public. That means the more advanced features are often left to be discovered by power users. Beyond the things listed in this article and the previous, there are also several notification settings that I find particularly useful. Take some time to scroll through the various sections in the Settings. Samsung even gives you suggestions for related settings at the bottom of each page.
Samsung hid the Galaxy Watch’s best notification settings three menus deep
Personally, notifications are the main reason why I wear a smartwatch. I don’t want to pull out my phone every time an alert comes in, but I also don’t want to fiddle around too much with my watch to read or take action on notifications. All it takes is four toggles to get things working perfectly.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
