New Samsung Phone Settings to Turn Off: 6 One UI Changes

The first thing to do with a new Galaxy phone isn't downloading apps or customizing the wallpaper. It's disabling Customization Service Samsung's built-in data-profiling tool that activates the moment a Samsung account is created, with no separate prompt. That's the highest-priority change on this list, and the one most likely to quietly revert after a system update.

By the end of this guide, Samsung's data-profiling service will be disabled, two background processes contributing to battery drain will be stopped, and three One UI interface defaults that multiple reviewers reversed within the first day will be fixed. All six changes work on any Galaxy running One UI 7 or later, require nothing beyond the standard Settings app, and take under ten minutes total.

A note on scope: settings 1 through 3 are off switches things Samsung enabled for its own benefit. Settings 4 through 6 are preference changes that realign One UI with standard Android behavior; they're worth making, but they're reversible and won't suit everyone. If short on time, do 1, 3, and 4 first.

A note on software: The Galaxy S26 series ships on One UI 8.5 based on Android 16, carrying forward several defaults that reviewers flagged as worth reversing immediately, including a split notification panel modeled on iOS that many Android users find disorienting (Android Police, March 2026; How-To Geek, March 2026). Paths in this guide may vary slightly by model, carrier, and software version use the Settings search bar if a path doesn't match exactly.

Who this applies to: Galaxy phones running One UI 7 or later.

Prerequisites: No rooting, developer tools, or third-party apps required.

New Samsung phone settings to turn off first: privacy and data collection

Setting 1: Disable Customization Service

Customization Service is Samsung's built-in data-profiling tool. According to reporting from MakeUseOf and TipsMake (both January 2026), it's described as a single toggle granting Samsung access to a wide range of personal data including precise location history, full browsing and search activity, calendar appointments, contact lists, call logs, installed apps, and photo metadata such as the time and location of capture. It activates automatically when a Samsung account is created, with no separate prompt.

The name is doing a lot of work. Both MakeUseOf and TipsMake describe it as buried in privacy settings under vague language that makes it sound like a simple preference toggle. Based on that reporting, it functions more like a targeted advertising tracker embedded in One UI. Samsung uses the data to build a personal profile for ad targeting across its services, and per Samsung's own privacy documentation, portions of that profile can be shared with third-party vendors.

One tradeoff worth knowing: turning this off may reduce personalized recommendations within Samsung apps, per Samsung's documentation (updated 2024). That's the intended effect.

How to disable it:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Samsung account
3. Tap Privacy and security
4. Tap Customization Service and toggle it off. The toggle turns grey when complete.

To delete data already collected:

1. From the same screen, tap Erase personal data this opens Samsung's privacy website in the browser
2. Sign in, navigate to the Deletion tab, tap Select all, then tap Request deletion
3. Return to Settings and confirm Customization Service is still toggled off

⚠ Gotcha: One UI software updates have been known to re-enable settings that users previously turned off, per MakeUseOf (January 2026). Check this setting after any significant system update it's the one most likely to revert without notice.

While in privacy settings: Samsung also collects diagnostic data through a separate toggle. Turn it off at Settings > Security and privacy > More privacy settings > Send diagnostic data a thirty-second additional opt-out. If Galaxy AI is enabled and privacy is a priority, MakeUseOf (January 2026) notes that AI processing can be restricted to on-device only at Settings > Galaxy AI > Process data only on device.

Settings 2 and 3: Stop two background processes contributing to battery drain

Neither of these services announces itself. Both run in the background whether they're ever opened or not.

Setting 2: Disable Samsung News

Samsung News (previously called Samsung Free) is the panel that opens when swiping left from the home screen. Even if it's never been opened, the app fetches content in the background on its own schedule, per MakeUseOf (January 2026). It can't be fully uninstalled, but it can be stopped and removed from the home screen.

How to disable:

1. Long-press an empty area of the home screen
2. Swipe left to the Samsung News panel
3. Toggle it off from the panel view

After toggling off, the panel disappears from the home screen and background content fetching stops.

Setting 3: Disable Nearby Device Scanning

This feature continuously scans for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices in the background even with no active pairing in progress. A Samsung community post (May 2025) identifies it as a cause of battery drain, and groups it with two other always-on connectivity features "Continue apps on other devices" and SmartThings that similarly increase background battery consumption. If drain persists after disabling Nearby device scanning, those two are worth reviewing next.

How to disable:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Connections, then More connection settings
3. Tap Nearby device scanning and toggle it off. The toggle turns grey when disabled.

Who should skip Setting 3: If SmartThings is actively used to connect earbuds, Galaxy tablets, or smart home devices, disabling this may interrupt device discovery. Leave it on if that ecosystem is central to the setup.

Settings 4 through 6: Fix three One UI defaults that reviewers changed immediately

These aren't privacy or battery issues. They're design choices Samsung made in One UI 7 and carried into One UI 8.5 choices that multiple reviewers reversed within the first day of use. Unlike the first three settings, none of these are straightforward off switches. They're preference changes, and they're fully reversible.

Worth noting up front: if switching from an iPhone, settings 4 and 5 may actually feel familiar the split notification panel and horizontal app drawer both echo iOS conventions. These are legitimate design preferences, not universal mistakes.

Setting 4: Restore the unified notification panel

Starting with One UI 7, Samsung separated notifications and Quick Settings into two distinct panels, similar to iOS where notifications appear from one direction and quick controls from the other, per Android Police (March 2026). On Android, the traditional expectation is a single swipe that delivers both.

Both Android Police and How-To Geek (March 2026) switched this back immediately after unboxing the S26 Ultra.

How to revert:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade
2. Tap Panel settings near the top
3. Switch from the separate layout to the combined panel

After the change, the first swipe shows notifications alongside a few quick toggles. A second swipe expands the full Quick Settings panel, per Android Police (March 2026).

Setting 5: Switch the app drawer to vertical alphabetical

Even on One UI 8.5, Samsung defaults to a horizontally scrolling app drawer a layout similar to the iPhone, per How-To Geek (March 2026). Switching to a vertical alphabetical list is often easier to scan for users coming from standard Android conventions. Both How-To Geek and Android Police (March 2026) made this change on day one.

How to switch:

1. Open the app drawer
2. Tap the sort icon (three lines or grid icon, depending on model)
3. Select Alphabetical order

The drawer switches to a vertical scrollable list of apps in alphabetical order.

Setting 6: Change lock screen notifications to Card view

One UI 8.5 defaults lock screen notifications to small icons or dots in the status bar rather than the card-style layout that shows a preview of each alert. The practical problem: dots make it harder to triage notifications at a glance without fully unlocking the phone. How-To Geek (March 2026) flagged this as an immediate reversal.

Note: this guide applies broadly to One UI 7 and later, but lock screen notification behavior may vary slightly across versions. If the path below doesn't match exactly, use the Settings search bar to find "lock screen notifications."

How to fix:

1. Open Settings
2. Search for or navigate to Lock screen notifications
3. Change the display style from dots or icons to Card

Individual notification previews now appear on the lock screen, making it possible to act on alerts without unlocking the phone first.

One UI settings to turn off: the full checklist

The six changes above cover the highest-confidence, most broadly applicable adjustments for a new Galaxy setup. Priority order: privacy first, battery second, interface third.

The six changes:

| # | Action | Path | |---|---|---| | 1 | Disable Customization Service | Settings > Samsung account > Privacy and security | | 2 | Disable Samsung News panel | Long-press home screen > swipe left > toggle off | | 3 | Disable Nearby device scanning | Settings > Connections > More connection settings | | 4 | Change notification panel to combined | Swipe down > Panel settings | | 5 | Change app drawer to alphabetical | App drawer > sort icon > Alphabetical | | 6 | Change lock screen notifications to Card | Settings > Lock screen notifications |

Three settings worth turning on:

• Battery Protection caps charging at 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% to slow long-term battery degradation, per Android Police (March 2026). The tradeoff: a lower charge ceiling means slightly less full-day runtime, in exchange for reduced long-term wear on the cell. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection and set a preferred limit.
• Call Screening uses Galaxy AI to answer unknown and suspected spam calls, gather caller information, and deliver a transcript before a decision is needed, per How-To Geek (March 2026). Not enabled by default. Go to Settings > Galaxy AI > Call assist > Call screening. Availability varies by model and region confirm Galaxy AI appears in Settings before looking for it.
• Theft Detection Lock uses machine learning to recognize motion patterns associated with snatching and locks the screen immediately, per Samsung (updated 2025). Available on One UI 7 and later at Settings > Security and privacy > Theft protection.

On Auto Blocker: Leave it on. It blocks apps from unauthorized sources, prevents malicious commands over USB, and screens images in messaging apps for malware. Samsung's documentation (updated July 2024) describes it as a meaningful security layer introduced in One UI 6. The only reason to disable it is if sideloading apps from outside the Play Store or Galaxy Store is specifically required.

After major updates: Recheck Customization Service and the notification panel layout first those are the two settings most likely to revert following a One UI system update, per MakeUseOf (January 2026). The full checklist takes under five minutes to verify. Run through it once after every significant One UI update and the phone stays configured the way it was set up.