In this guide, we will show you how to customize the Galaxy S8 always-on display. You can even add a GIF directly to your screen and see it even when you turn off the screen. Samsung’s always-on display is a popular feature that people love, and with the Oreo update, they’ve made it even more customizable.
The always-on display gives you small bits of information at a glance, even when the display is “off”. Information such as time, date, battery level and incoming notifications. However, along with dozens of hours and hundreds of customization combinations, you can now add a GIF to it.
Go to and to get started. Then, check out our quick video for more details on customizing the Galaxy S8 AOD.
Samsung has recently changed how and where you change and customize the Galaxy S8 always on the screen. As you can see in our video above, it is no longer in the “screen” section of the settings. And customization is a little hard to find. If you can’t watch our video, here are the step-by-step instructions.
How to Customize Galaxy S8 Always On Display (Add GIF)
You can choose from over a dozen different watch styles for the Galaxy S8. Then, each style has different options, fonts, colors, and more. Finally, there are hundreds of possible combinations when it comes to customizing your screen. And with the introduction of GIF support, you can add more. This includes downloading a GIF from the internet and using it on your screen all the time. Here’s how.
From here you can navigate through the wide variety of customization options on your Galaxy smartphone. Samsung has clocks, calendars, background images, animated wallpapers, and yes, GIF support. Click on the 11th frame at the bottom, then select Add GIF in the middle and you’re ready.
As you can see we have added a GIF to what is always displayed on the Galaxy S8. Now, every time you turn off your screen, a small area will reopen and you will see that GIF.
Other details
When you tap “add GIF”, you can select the red minus sign in the middle of the screen, then tap the big PLUS sign. This lets you add a GIF directly from your phone. This way you can use a clip from the internet or a video you shot with the Galaxy S8 camera. The choice is yours.
Note that this is on the lock screen, so the GIF can’t be too long. Otherwise, you will experience significant battery drain. It also only loops the GIF once to reduce battery usage. Still, there’s one more cool thing you can do on the Galaxy S8. Before you go, take a look at 10 other cool things your phone can do. Or get a new case from our roundup of the 25 best Galaxy S8 cases.
