# Unpack Your Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Insights and Strategies for Enhancing Your Wear OS Journey
Kudos on acquiring your Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra! As you unpack this premium Wear OS smartwatch, you’re probably excited to dive into its features and personalize it. With a retail price around $650, this smartwatch is loaded with cutting-edge capabilities that can be customized to meet your needs. To assist you in this journey, we’ve gathered an extensive guide brimming with insights and strategies to ensure you optimize your Galaxy Watch Ultra experience.
## 1. Modify Your Default Assistant, Applications, and Shortcuts
If you’re inclined towards Google’s ecosystem instead of Samsung’s, you can promptly change your default applications to Google Assistant, Google Messages, and others. Here’s how to do it:
1. **Install Google Apps**: First, get the Google applications you desire from the Play Store.
2. **Configure Default Apps**: Head to **Settings > Apps > Choose default apps**. Here, you can establish Google Assistant and Google Messages as your default picks.
3. **Reconfigure Buttons**: Go to **Settings > Buttons and Gestures > Home button**. Under **Press and hold**, select Google Assistant over Bixby.
4. **Personalize Shortcuts**: While you can’t reassign the back button from Samsung Wallet to Google Wallet, you can set the **Double Press** shortcut to launch Google Wallet or any other application you prefer.
If you favor Gboard over Samsung Keyboard, navigate to **Settings > General > Input > Keyboard list and default > Default keyboard** and choose Gboard.
## 2. Activate Gestures
Samsung provides three gesture controls that are turned off by default. These can be advantageous for hands-free usage:
1. **Double Pinch**: Accept calls, dismiss notifications, start apps, manage music, or capture photos.
2. **Shake to Dismiss**: Rotate your wrist twice to reject calls or clear notifications.
3. **Knock Knock**: Bend your wrist downward twice to access a specific application.
To activate these, go to **Settings > Buttons and gestures** and enable the gestures that you find beneficial.
## 3. Configure Emergency SOS and Fall Detection
Your Galaxy Watch Ultra can be crucial during emergencies. Here’s how to set up these vital features:
1. **Emergency SOS**: Press the Home button five times to dial 911 and send your location to emergency contacts.
2. **Fall Detection**: The watch can automatically alert 911 if it detects a significant fall and you do not respond.
To configure these features, open the **Galaxy Wearable** app on your smartphone and navigate to **Watch settings > Safety and emergency**. Complete your medical details, add emergency contacts, and enable **Hard fall detection**.
## 4. Manage Your Notifications
To prevent being inundated by notifications, customize which applications are allowed to send alerts to your watch:
1. Launch the **Galaxy Wearable** app and go to **Watch settings > Notifications > App notifications**.
2. Disable notifications for apps that you don’t want to see on your wrist.
You can also synchronize **Do Not Disturb** with your phone and enable **Turn on screen** under **Advanced notification settings** to automatically light up the display when a notification arrives.
## 5. Update Your Watch Face
The Galaxy Watch Ultra’s 3,000-nit display is ideal for personalizing with a variety of watch faces. Here’s how to customize it:
1. **Personalize Watch Faces**: Utilize the **Galaxy Wearable** app to select and personalize watch faces. You can adjust colors, styles, and complications to show the information you prioritize.
2. **Store Multiple Faces**: Pre-configure several watch faces for easy switching based on your mood or activity.
## 6. Modify Your Display and Timeout Preferences
To enhance your watch’s display settings:
1. **Enable Adaptive Brightness**: Visit **Settings > Display** and turn on **Adaptive brightness**.
2. **Always-On Display**: Choose whether to keep **AOD** enabled or disabled.
3. **Screen Timeout**: Set the **Screen timeout** to 1 minute and **Show last app** to 2 minutes for improved usability.
You can also opt for the **Gothic Bold** font as the default to enhance readability.
## 7. Discover How to Prolong Your Battery Life
If you aim to extend your battery life, consider these suggestions:
1. **Power Saver Mode**: Swipe down to Quick settings and tap the **Battery with leaf icon** to activate Power Saver mode. This will deactivate non-essential features to prolong battery life.
2. **Limit Health Features**: Navigate to **Settings > Battery** and switch **Limit health features** to **Off** if you wish to maintain health tracking functionality while in Power Saver.
