In this video I walk you through the first 27 things I recommend doing the moment you set up a new Samsung Galaxy S26. I start with the boring-but-important stuff that actually matters long term: checking battery health and cycle count (yes, even on a “new” phone), then running Samsung’s full diagnostics inside the Members app so you can verify every key component is working properly. After that, I get into privacy and usability wins like app pinning (so someone can’t swipe around your phone), one-handed mode, and customizing the side button—mine is set to the torch because it’s genuinely one of the most useful shortcuts. From there, I go through the setup changes I do on basically every Galaxy: switching to gesture navigation for more screen space (and faster app switching), dialing in your lock screen widgets and controls, cleaning up the home screen layout (grid size, labels, Finder), and setting up the Edge Panel properly so it’s actually easy to use without getting in the way. I also cover battery protection settings (basic + sleep time protection), the best way to charge overnight (slower wired charging to reduce heat), and how to keep important apps always open. Finally, I show the Galaxy AI features that are actually useful—like Circle to Search, the new LLM-powered Bixby, and Live Audio Eraser—plus a bunch of camera settings I recommend changing (resolution, 4K video, turning off scene detection, avoiding variable frame rate).