Hey,
Just bought a new phone, watch or foldable? This one's for you.
By the end, you'll know the first settings to change on your exact device, and what to do before you do anything else.
🚀 Do This First: My Setup Checklists for Every Device
I've made a "first things to do" guide for most of the devices I've set up recently. Here they are, so you can grab the one that matches yours:
👉 If you're on a new iPhone: watch this before you reinstall anything.
The big one this year is setting up the all-new Siri, but it's far from the only thing worth doing. Before you reinstall all your apps and get comfortable, there's a lot to sort out first.
Here's what I cover:
Protecting your phone with Stolen Device Protection and Advanced Data Protection
Passwords, autofill and keyboard fixes
Battery and optimised charging settings
Action Button and Camera Control setup
Control Centre, Focus modes and notifications (the stuff that makes it feel like your phone)
Camera settings worth changing for better quality
AI call screening, locking apps and hiding photos
A new Apple Watch out of the box is a bit noisy. Every app on your phone wants to buzz your wrist.
So the first job is taking control of notifications. After that, it's the settings that matter day to day:
Which apps actually install on the watch
Gestures like Double Tap, wrist flick and cover to mute
Watch faces that switch with your Focus modes
Battery settings that actually help
Apple Pay, Express Travel and unlocking your Mac
Health, sleep and Vitals set up properly
Using the watch without your iPhone
This is the longest list, because Pixels have a lot hiding in the settings.
Some of my favourites:
Faster animations via Developer options (it makes the whole phone feel quicker)
Extend Unlock, plus theft protection and Find Hub
The free Google VPN (lots of people don't know it's there)
Setting up Gemini and the Tensor G6 AI features
Call Screen, Hold for Me and Direct My Call
Car crash detection and satellite SOS
Rules and Modes automation, Flip to Shush and bedtime mode
I'm also testing Nori in this one, so you'll see that too.
A lot of the best features are hidden or switched off by default. In the video I cover:
Cover screen and home screen setup
Fingerprint, gesture navigation and app drawer tweaks
Galaxy AI, plus Modes and Routines
Device care and battery protection
Secure Folder, app protection and Secure Wi-Fi
Safety, emergency and tracker alerts
👉 If you've just bought a Fold: set up the cover screen first. You'll use it all the time.
If you've got a new Samsung S series (or picked up an S26 Ultra for a good price now it's no longer the newest), this is the one.
I've spent a lot of time with Samsung phones, so this is the set of settings, customisations and security options I'd change first:
Switching from navigation buttons to gestures
Unlocking Developer options to speed up animations
Galaxy AI features and preferences
Dark mode, eye comfort and privacy display settings
Extend Unlock, backup, encryption and enhanced data protection
S Pen, performance profile and default app settings
Find My Mobile and theft protection
The 5 Things Every New Device Needs
Across all five guides, the same handful of things keep coming up. It doesn't matter if it's Apple, Google or Samsung.
Protect it first. Theft protection and Find My / Find Hub, before you do anything else.
Fix the notifications. This is the quickest way to make a new device feel less annoying.
Check your backups. Photos and data should be sorted from day one.
Speed it up. Faster animations on Android are one of my favourite free upgrades.
Set up Focus modes / Modes and Routines. Automate once, benefit every day.
What's the first thing you do with a new device?
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