![\"Wi-Fi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/samsung-connectivity-labs-nearby-wifi-info-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
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Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
One of my favorite things about owning a Samsung phone is just how much extra it offers on top of Android. And having used Galaxy phones for almost five years, I always thought I knew pretty much every trick and hidden feature One UI had to offer. Turns out, I was giving myself way too much credit.<\/p>\n
Over the past few months, I\u2019ve stumbled across several features I had no idea existed. What\u2019s funny is that most of them weren\u2019t buried deep inside menus or locked behind Good Lock modules<\/a>. They were all sitting in plain sight the entire time. Now that I\u2019ve found them, though, I feel somewhat obligated to share them so others don\u2019t miss out on them the way I did.<\/p>\n What’s the most underrated part of One UI?<\/p>\n 51 votes<\/p>\n Samsung’s apps<\/p>\n 25%<\/p>\n Good Lock modules<\/p>\n 37%<\/p>\n Customization features<\/p>\n 20%<\/p>\n Samsung DeX<\/p>\n 18%<\/p>\n A compass and a ruler<\/p>\n Pankil Shah \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I\u2019m one of those rare Galaxy users who keep the Edge Panel disabled. Not because I don\u2019t find it useful, but because I somehow keep opening it accidentally while swiping left from the side of the screen. And that\u2019s also why I never realized the Edge Panel had a compass inside it.<\/p>\n Once you enable the Tools<\/strong> panel by heading to Settings > Display > Edge panels > Panels<\/strong>, you can pull up the built-in compass on almost any screen. It\u2019s pretty accurate, and it even shows your current coordinates. Now, I don\u2019t exactly need to navigate forests or hike trails on a daily basis, but it\u2019s nice knowing I don\u2019t need to install a separate app just to check my bearings.<\/p>\n Inside the same panel, tapping the three-dot menu<\/strong> and choosing Ruler<\/strong>\u00a0literally turns the right edge of your phone into a ruler. You can change its unit from centimeters to inches depending on what you need, and there\u2019s even an option to calibrate it for better results.<\/p>\n Document scanner<\/p>\n Pankil Shah \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n For the longest time, I used to rely on third-party apps whenever I needed to scan a document. You know the type. Scan a page, and five seconds later, you get hit with an \u201cAre you enjoying the app?\u201d pop-up. And I had no idea my Galaxy phone had a perfectly capable document scanner built right into the Camera app all along.<\/p>\n You can simply point your Galaxy phone\u2019s rear camera at a document, and it\u2019ll detect it automatically. Once it does, tap the Scan<\/strong> button, and the app will save it. You can then keep scanning more pages if you want. There\u2019s even a built-in editor that lets you adjust the document\u2019s corners, apply filters, and clean up imperfections like accidental fingers in the frame, folded corners, or that weird moire pattern. Once you\u2019re done, you can save the scan as an image or a PDF.<\/p>\n Although the document scanning feature has been around in One UI for a while, the option to scan multiple pages and edit them is currently only exclusive to the Galaxy S26<\/a>. If you have a different model, you\u2019ll only be able to scan one-page documents \u2014 unless of course, Samsung changes that with an update.<\/p>\n Wi-Fi inspection tool<\/p>\n Pankil Shah \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Router placement is a key factor behind how good your Wi-Fi actually feels. But the problem is, finding out the \u201cright\u201d spot isn\u2019t exactly easy with walls, furniture, appliances, and other objects all getting in the way. But thankfully, Samsung phones come with a Wi-Fi inspection tool that can actually map out the signal strength around the house.<\/p>\n To access it, head to Settings > Wi-Fi<\/strong>, tap the three-dot menu<\/strong>, and choose Intelligent Wi-Fi<\/strong>. From there, scroll all the way down and tap Intelligent Wi-Fi<\/strong> several times until you see the Connectivity Labs<\/strong> option. Yes, Samsung basically hides advanced Wi-Fi tools<\/a> behind what feels like a cheat code.<\/p>\n Inside Connectivity Labs, you\u2019ll find a bunch of interesting options, but the most useful one is Home Wi-Fi inspection<\/strong>. Tap it, select the Wi-Fi network you want to test, and hit Next<\/strong>. Then, just walk around the house, and your phone will record the signal strength in real time. It\u2019ll also create a graph so you can refer to it at the end of the scan. What I like the most is that it even lets you inspect multiple Wi-Fi networks at once. I used it to compare my router\u2019s 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands to see how coverage changed from room to room.<\/p>\n Object identifier, color detector, and text color<\/p>\n Pankil Shah \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Like most Galaxy users, I\u2019ve largely ignored Bixby over the years because I\u2019ve never really felt the need to use it. But it does have a few useful tools that I find myself using every now and again, and one of them is the object identifier. To access it, go to the More<\/strong> tab inside the Camera app and tap the eye-shaped icon<\/strong>. You can also launch Bixby Vision directly from the app drawer.<\/p>\n Once inside, go to the Object Identifier<\/strong> tab and point your phone\u2019s camera at anything. Your Galaxy phone will identify it in real time. You can even upload an image from the gallery if you\u2019ve already captured something. This is nothing like Google\u2019s Circle to Search, though. For instance, if you point at a computer keyboard, it\u2019ll just say it\u2019s a keyboard and not identify the exact model.<\/p>\n There\u2019s even a Color Detector<\/strong> tab that works similarly. Instead of describing objects, it tells you their color. The one I find the most useful, though, is the Text Reader<\/strong>. Since I\u2019m near-sighted and don\u2019t always wear my glasses, I find this helpful in reading fine print on a product label or receipt.<\/p>\n Measuring tool<\/p>\n Pankil Shah \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This is the one that surprised me the most. I never thought my Galaxy phone could replace the humble tape measure, but it actually comes pretty close. Almost all Galaxy phones have the necessary hardware and AR technology to calculate distance, area, volume, and even a person\u2019s height. All you need to do is grab Samsung\u2019s Quick Measure<\/a> app from the Galaxy Store.<\/p>\n Once installed, open the app and point your phone\u2019s camera at any object. The first thing it\u2019ll show is how far that object is from the camera lens. I\u2019ve found it quite useful for simple things, like checking how far my monitor is from where I\u2019m sitting. The app is also pretty good at detecting the usual shapes. Point to a rectangle, and it\u2019ll automatically measure its length, width, and area. And if it\u2019s something the app can\u2019t recognize automatically, you can still measure it manually. Tap the plus icon, select a starting point and an ending point, and Quick Measure will calculate the length or height. It works the same for measuring the area of a room too.<\/p>\n Of course, I wouldn\u2019t rely on it for renovating my house or doing anything where accuracy matters, but it\u2019s pretty useful for rough estimates like \u2014 figuring out if a desk will fit through a doorway.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Samsung-phone-showing-compass-inside-Edge-Panel-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Samsung")
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