How to Customize Lock Screen on Samsung Galaxy Devices

The Android ecosystem is known for customization. One of these features is Lock Screen customization and add-ons including Widgets, Always On Display, notifications and more. As the Android leader, Samsung has been left with nothing when it comes to packing the latest Galaxy devices with plenty of lock screen customization features. With the latest One UI 3.1, the South Korean giant is doubling down with more features than ever before.

All mid-range and high-end Samsung smartphones have an AMOLED display, which means they can take advantage of the Always On Display functionality. Taking a page from Apple’s book, Samsung also introduced lock screen widgets in One UI 3.1. Let’s find out all the lock screen customization possibilities on a Samsung Galaxy device.

Activate Always On Display

To prolong battery life on a Galaxy device, Samsung disables the AOD function right out of the box. But it’s a handy add-on to quickly take a look at the time, date, remaining battery life, notifications, and more. Follow the steps below to turn on AOD on a Samsung device.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section.

Stage 3: Enable Always On Display.

Customize Always On Display

The default AOD style is basic at best. However, it’s a One UI. Everything is personalized here. Samsung has provided dozens of AOD customization options to create the perfect experience for you. Follow the steps below to customize AOD on a Galaxy device.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section.

Stage 3: Tap Always On Display.

Step 4: Here you can show AOD as scheduled, enable showing music information and more.

The most useful plugin is the Clock style. Tap on it and you have access to a number of clock and calendar styles with different color effects. We like that Samsung offers to play with gradient colors.

Go to the photo option and you can add a gif as AOD or select a photo from the gallery and add it to the lock screen. In short, you have all the customization options to create an ideal AOD display.

Download AODs from Theme Store

Still not satisfied with the available AOD options? Let’s download some third-party options from the default Samsung Theme Store. Follow the steps.

Stage 1: Tap and hold the One UI home screen and select Themes.

Step 2: Go to the AODs menu.

Stage 3: You will see both free and paid AODs.

Samsung has neatly organized them into specific categories. You will have no trouble finding the right AOD for lock screen.

Note: Before you go ahead and download these nifty gifs to the device as your AOD. Let us warn you about the possible impact on the battery life of the device. You will notice a 20-30% drop in normal battery life after AOD application.

Add Lock Screen Widget

Like the iOS 14 lock screen widget, Samsung is adding widgets to the lock screen. You need to enable them from the Settings menu.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section.

Stage 3: Select Widgets from the screen below.

Here you will see the default lock screen widgets to add to the lock screen. Current list includes Music, Weather, Today’s schedule, Next Alarm, Digital Balance and Bixby Routines. You can also enable widgets to show on Always On Display.

Tap Reorder at the top and you can reposition the widgets according to your preference.

Lock your Galaxy device and you won’t find any lock screen widgets right away. To view the widgets without unlocking the phone, you need to double-tap the clock. Our most used widgets are Music, Weather and Digital Balance.

So far, lock screen widgets are limited to Samsung first-party apps. We hope the company releases the necessary APIs for developers to apply widgets to the lock screen.

Add Contact Information to Lock Screen

Samsung allows you to show information such as your phone number or email address on the Lock screen so that if you lose your phone, you can be contacted. It’s useful and we recommend everyone add at least one email id.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Lock screen section.

Stage 3: Find the contact info option, tap on it and add text.

Customize Lock Screen Like a Pro

Follow the steps above and fully customize the lock screen experience on Galaxy device. Hopefully Samsung improves the experience in upcoming One UI updates. What is your favorite lock screen plugin? Share it in the comments section below.

Next: Secure Folder is one of the best features of Galaxy devices. Read the post below to know all about it.