3 Essential Features to Try If the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Fold 8 Ultra Is Your First Samsung Foldable

Transitioning to a new ecosystem can be exciting, but getting used to an advanced form factor like a foldable device requires exploring what makes the software stand out. If you are new to the platform, certain powerful capabilities might not be immediately obvious.

Must-Know One UI Features for New Galaxy Z Fold Users

In essence, most mobile devices fulfill the same basic functions, but the user experience can differ significantly across smartphone models and operating systems. If the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is your first Samsung handset, you'll probably navigate the new form factor and One UI with relative ease, as long as you've used a smartphone before.

However, your experience with other devices will only help you so far. If you're unfamiliar with Samsung phones or the Galaxy Z series, you might miss a few fantastic features that are unique to Samsung's One UI software, Z foldable phones, or Android OS.

Notification categories for each app

This might be one of Android's most underrated features. You see, platforms like iOS give you a binary choice for app notifications. You can either turn an app's notifications on or off, but there's no granularity.

Say you want to keep receiving delivery notifications from your delivery app but without getting any promotional messages from them. Some apps have notification settings built-in, but Samsung's One UI lets you control that from the home screen with incredible ease. Here's how:

First, enable the option: Go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > turn on Manage notification categories for each app.

Here's the fun part: whenever you receive a notification you want disabled, press and hold it. One UI will help you navigate precisely to the notification category toggle you should turn off to stop receiving those types of notifications without turning off notifications for the app entirely.

The best Multi-window experience through gestures

One of the best things about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra is the ability to multitask with ease by launching up to three apps side by side with a few gestures.

It's called Multi window, and nobody does this better than Samsung. One of the best things about it is how easy you can launch a second app when one is already open:

• Swipe up with two fingers from the bottom of the screen to enable horizontal Multi window.
• Swipe left or right with two fingers from the left or right sides of the screen to enable vertical Multi window.

To make sure you have these shortcuts turned on, open Settings > Advanced features > Multi window > turn on Swipe for split screen.

As you will likely notice, there's also an option to swipe for pop-up view. Try to experiment with the different options and find your ideal configuration.

Cover screen mirroring

By default, One UI mirrors the Galaxy Z Fold 8/8 Ultra's cover screen to the main screen. Any changes you make to the cover screen app shortcuts and widgets will also apply to the inner foldable panel and vice versa.

It sounds convenient because, in theory, you don't have to organize your home screen twice / once for each display.

However, in practice, this doesn't quite work because the cover and main screens don't have the same orientation and aspect ratio. Organizing one home screen usually disorganizes the other.

Thankfully, you can change this behavior and have separate home screen layouts for each display.

To do this: Pinch the home screen > Settings > Turn Cover screen mirroring off.

Samsung's One UI has numerous other hidden features and useful options, some of which are again unique to foldable phones; be sure to try them out!

Can I customize notification settings for individual apps on the Galaxy Z Fold 8?

Yes, by enabling notification categories in your advanced settings, you can selectively mute specific alert types from an app without disabling all of its notifications entirely.

How do I open multiple apps simultaneously using gestures?

You can activate split-screen multitasking by swiping up with two fingers from the bottom for horizontal layout, or swiping from the sides for a vertical layout, provided the shortcut is enabled in your advanced features.

Is it possible to have different app arrangements on the cover and main screens?

Yes, you can disable cover screen mirroring by pinching the home screen, going into settings, and turning the feature off to manage each display layout independently.

🔎 Embracing the full capabilities of your new foldable device enhances productivity and everyday usability. By exploring features like notification categories, multi-window gestures, and independent screen layouts, you can tailor your device to fit your exact workflow and make the most out of your Samsung experience.