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Seven things you should do with your new Samsung Galaxy S10

We’re two days out from the local launch of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and we’re excited to finally be able to share our experience with the handset with you.

As we mentioned yesterday, our full review of the handset will be out later this week but so far we’re incredibly impressed with the Galaxy S10+ and we’re struggling to find fault with the premium handset.

That having been said, you’ll have to wait for our full review to find out more.

Today we’re going to be taking a look at applications you should download as soon as possible and some configuration options you might want to customise when you set your new handset up.

For starters, get yourself to an uncapped WiFi connection or load up at least 1GB of data (for all the updates the phone will need) and have your preferred Google account credentials on hand.

Oh, and before we begin, wash your hands, for the biometrics of course.

https://youtu.be/ZCfgkIyD9g0

Set a data warning

Before you connect to the internet, before you start updating apps, set yourself a data limit.

Head to Settings, scroll down to Connections and scroll down again until you see Data Usage and tap that option.

Tap on Set data warning to turn the option on and set a data warning by customise the amount of gigabytes or megabytes you’d like to use.

Spend time setting up security

As tempting as it is to start downloading apps we highly recommend getting to know how the security on your Galaxy S10 works.

The handset is secured with Knox. Knox features real-time kernel protection, secure boot and software level protection.

Regarding that software level protection you are getting a solution powered by McAfee which allows you to scan the entire device.

For those that prefer their own security solution now is the time to download and set that up.

Considering the cost of your new handset, spend some time setting up Find my Mobile so that you can track it should it grow legs and go walkabout.

Enroll multiple fingerprints for biometric authentication

The Galaxy S10 features a in-display fingerprint scanner. This was done at the behest of customers who preferred a scanner at the front of the display but it was put beneath the display because Samsung wanted a (pretty much) edge-to-edge display. Compromise.

Samsung has recently delivered an over the air update to our handset that has made the fingerprint scanner far more responsive than it was when we started using the handset two weeks ago. We’re still testing this however but as it stands at time of writing the scanning is on par with the S9’s physical pad.

We highly recommend scanning more than one digit when setting up biometric authentication. You don’t need to do this but having done it ourselves we cannot recommend it enough for pure convenience if nothing else.

https://youtu.be/sbQZ0Mrpp80

Something we do not recommend is setting up facial recognition. Unlike the iris recognition in the S9, the S10+ is just scanning your face, comparing it to an image and letting you in. We’ve used a video to unlock our handset and that doesn’t inspire confidence.

To its credit, Samsung does disclose that the authentication method is not very secure when you start setting it up and asks you to acknowledge the warning. Our advice is to leave the option disabled and rather use the fingerprint scanner and a PIN, password or unlock pattern.

Download your password manager’s Android app

For those that aren’t using a password manager now is a good time to set one up. Samsung has its own Samsung Pass password manager but we haven’t tested it and as such we’re hesitant to recommend it out right.

There are however myriad other solutions that offer password managers and we highly recommend making this your first download.

The reason is simple, having to type in passwords for 20 apps is a chore we’d rather not do.

Download and use Samsung Smart Switch

As we’ve already mentioned this we’ll keep it brief. Samsung Smart Switch allows you to transfer data (including applications, photos and videos) from your current smartphone to your Samsung Galaxy S10.

The process for moving your data is incredibly quick and simple and we highly recommend it if you’re looking to get up and running as soon as possible.

Download your preferred keyboard

After our password manager the next app we install first is our preferred keyboard. For me that’s Swiftkey simply by virtue of the fact that I’ve been using it for longer than I can remember.

Whichever keyboard you prefer we recommend downloading it the first shot you have along with your preferred language.

This is more of a quality of life recommendation but with the S10+ being as large as it is, quality of life is something you won’t want to live without.

Set your preferences

This section comes down to personal preference but if we may, we’d like to offer up some personal recommendations for customising your handset.

Firstly, set up your always-on display. This nifty features lets you see important information at a glance without divulging all of the details. It’s also a great way to skip or pause tracks on Spotify.

Then, thanks to Android 9.0 there is now a dark mode for Android devices. Samsung’s One UI does a great job of keeping things dark and we highly recommend switching to dark mode permanently.

The S10 also allows you to manage your digital wellbeing by setting wind-down periods. During the hours you specify you go to bed, a grey filter will be applied to the display, discouraging you from updating Twitter one last time.

On that, Samsung Health is eerily good at picking up when you go to sleep, even if you don’t touch the device hours before bed. Feel free to use whichever fitness tracker you prefer though.

Hopefully these seven things get your Samsung Galaxy S10 up and running as soon as possible, all you need to do now is download your apps. While downloading apps pay careful attention to the publisher of the app and don’t side-load apps if you can avoid it.

Now get to using your phone. For those that are still on the fence about upgrading, we’ll have our full review ready for you later this week.

https://youtu.be/Tol9KBJBZt8

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