You might be surprised what it can do.
Did you know that Samsung stopped making phones with traditional power buttons in 2019? This button located below the volume button on your Samsung phone is actually a multifunctional and customizable side button. If you’ve used a Samsung flagship phone between the S8 and S10, you’ve probably noticed a fourth physical button on the side of the device: the famous Bixby button. This fourth button has not disappeared; it was actually merged with the power button on Galaxy phones from the Note 10 series and beyond.
By default, a short press of the side button turns the screen on and off, a long press activates Samsung’s Bixby assistant, a double press opens the camera; a long press of the side button and the volume down button opens the power menu, and a short press of the same buttons takes a screenshot. The good news is that Samsung lets you remap almost every side button-related action, so a phone that keeps accidentally invoking Bixby can open a favorite app with the same press. Even devices that still use the dedicated Bixby button from the S8 to S10 era can be customized. And it can all be done right in your phone’s settings, no menus or super secret codes needed. Note that for Galaxy Z Flip owners, the functionality of the side button may change depending on whether the device is open or closed.
How to Customize the Side Button on a Samsung Phone
Customizing the side button on your Samsung phone is quite simple; go to Settings > Advanced features > Side button. From here you can remap the button; a double tap can be set to open the camera, flashlight, magnifier, voice recorder, Samsung Notes, modes and routines, Samsung Capture or a chosen app. Unfortunately, the long press option is limited to assistant apps like Bixby, Google Gemini, and other AI assistants including ChatGPT and Claude. Otherwise, you can set a long press to display the power off menu.
On Samsung devices with a separate physical Bixby button, namely the Galaxy S10, S9, S8, Note 8, and Note 9 series, a long press will always open Bixby Voice. You can customize the double-press and single-press functions of the button, but not at the same time; you have to open Bixby Home.
Screenshot by Isaac Egbon (Samsung)
To remap the button, open Settings > Advanced features > Bixby key. Here you can customize the button to open any app you want or run a command.
Cool Ways to Customize the Side Button
Using modes and routines is one of the best ways to take advantage of your side button. For example, if you spend a lot of time driving, you can adjust the side button to activate driving mode. You can make this mode trigger actions including making hands-free calls, opening cards, reading messages aloud, and automatically replying to texts. There are a myriad of things you can do when you associate modes and routines with the side button on your Samsung phone.
If you like to jot down quick thoughts or capture the start of a meeting before you can grab a notepad, you can use the side button to start recording. In your settings, you can assign Voice Recorder to start recording by simply pressing the side button twice. No need to unlock the phone or search for the app; you can start recording whenever inspiration strikes.
