If the iPhone has shortcuts, the Samsung Galaxy offers modes and routines. This is one of the hidden gems of your Galaxy phone and one of the best features you should use to automate your daily life. Modes, in particular, come in handy when you always turn the same settings on or off for your device during a particular activity.
Maybe you usually put your phone on silent and turn on maximum power saving when you’re at work, or maybe you dim your screen, turn on extra brightness, and automatically decline calls while you relax in bed at night. Instead of going through all these settings yourself, you can configure one of Galaxy’s modes with just one click.
For your convenience, Samsung already offers seven preset modes. This includes sleeping, acting, driving, exercising, relaxing, working and playing. If you can’t find your specific activity in the predefined modes, don’t worry: it’s very quick and easy to create your own for your Samsung Galaxy. Here’s a quick guide on how to do it.
How to Create a Custom Mode with a Custom Icon on Your Galaxy Phone
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Custom Modes is one of the Samsung Galaxy features that you need to enable yourself. Here’s how to create them:
- Go to the Settings app.
- Open modes and routines.
- Select the Mode tab.
- Scroll down to Add mode at the bottom.
- Type a name for your custom mode.
- Choose a color for the icon.
- Choose one of the available icons. By default, it’s a star, but you have 27 other options, including a heart, paw print, smiley face, robot head, and light bulb.
- Tap Done.
- Open More Actions.
- Select the settings you want to enable/disable for your custom mode.
- Tap Done.
- (Optional) To enable the mode automatically, tap Enable automatically and add your preferred condition.
- (Optional) To enable DND custom mode or block apps, go to Stay focused and select actions.
- (Optional) To change the lock screen and Home screen wallpaper for this specific mode, tap Change appearance.
If you set a condition, your custom mode will run automatically as soon as your conditions are met. If you have not selected any conditions, you must activate your custom mode manually. There are several ways to do this. On one hand, tap the Modes tile in the Quick Settings panel and select your custom mode. You can also go to Modes & Routines in Settings to find the Power button or use your voice assistant of choice to activate it. When Custom Mode is active, you will see a star icon on your Galaxy phone’s status bar. If you chose another icon, this one will appear instead. When you’re ready to turn off Custom Mode, tap the Modes tile again in Quick Settings.
