Get More From Your Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Customizing the Side Button
When I first got my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I was frustrated by how the side button kept launching Bixby instead of showing the power menu. After some digging in the settings, I discovered you can completely transform how this button works—and it’s become one of my favorite phone features.
The side button on your Samsung S25 Ultra is surprisingly versatile. In just a few taps, you can configure it to launch your favorite apps, quickly open the camera, or access the power menu. Here’s my guide to making this little button work exactly how you want it to.
Finding the Hidden Side Button Settings
The first challenge is actually finding where Samsung tucked away these settings:
- Open your Settings app (the gear icon)
- Scroll down and tap Advanced Features
- Look for and select Side Key
I remember spending a good five minutes hunting through the settings menu my first time—it’s definitely not where most people would think to look! On my previous S23 Ultra, these settings were under a completely different menu, which only added to my confusion when I upgraded.
Three Ways to Customize Your Side Button
Once you’re in the Side Key menu, you’ll see three different actions you can customize:
1. Single Press: Wake or Launch Apps
By default, a single press wakes your screen or locks your phone. I’ve kept this default setting since it’s the most practical for everyday use, but you can also:
- Launch a specific app instead of just waking the screen
- Test both options to see which feels more natural to you
For me, the wake function makes the most sense—I use my phone dozens of times daily, and having to close an app each time would drive me crazy. I tried the app launch option for a week (set to Messages) and found myself constantly annoyed at having to back out to reach my home screen.
2. Double Press: My Favorite Shortcut
The double press action is where things get interesting. You have three options:
- Quick Launch Camera (the default and my personal choice)
- Open Bixby (if you actually use Samsung’s assistant)
- Open an app of your choice
I’ve kept mine on Quick Launch Camera because I’ve caught so many great moments that would have been missed fumbling through my home screen. Just yesterday, I double-pressed to snap a photo of a random celebrity sighting before they disappeared into a crowd! My camera launched in under 0.8 seconds according to Samsung’s metrics—far faster than finding and tapping the camera icon.
If you frequently use a particular app, setting it to launch with a double-press can be a huge time-saver. My partner set hers to launch WhatsApp since she uses it constantly for work communications.
3. Press and Hold: The Game-Changer Setting
This is the setting that confused me initially, and it’s probably why you’re reading this article. By default, Samsung sets this to wake Bixby, but you can change it to:
- Wake Bixby (the default that annoys many users)
- Power off menu (what most people actually want)
Switching to the power off menu option was a relief—now holding the button brings up options to power off, restart, or enter emergency mode, just like most other phones. I made this change within 10 minutes of unboxing my S25 Ultra after accidentally triggering Bixby three times while trying to restart the phone.
Power User Tips I’ve Discovered
Combining Side Button with Edge Panels
I’ve found that setting up Edge Panels (the little tab on the side of your screen) with my most-used apps, then configuring my side button to work with it creates an amazing shortcut system:
- Set up your Edge Panel with app pairs (Settings > Display > Edge Panels)
- Use the side button to quickly access these panels
- Launch two apps simultaneously with just a couple of taps
This has been a game-changer for my productivity—I can launch my note-taking app alongside my calendar with minimal effort. I’ve created custom app pairs for different scenarios: email + browser for work, YouTube + Twitter for downtime, and Maps + Spotify for travel.
Emergency SOS: The Hidden Safety Feature
After a late-night walk that felt uncomfortable, I discovered and set up the Emergency SOS feature:
- Go to Settings > Safety and Emergency
- Enable Send SOS Messages
- Configure the side button to trigger SOS with 5 quick presses
This setting gives me peace of mind when I’m out alone. You can configure it to automatically message emergency contacts with your location. I’ve set mine to message my partner and two closest friends, along with a 10-second audio recording of my surroundings. I’ve only had to use it once—in what turned out to be a false alarm—but knowing it was there made me feel much safer.
Third-Party Button Customization Apps
When the built-in options weren’t enough, I tried some third-party apps that expanded what my side button could do:
- Button Mapper let me customize the button to toggle my flashlight with three quick presses (this has been invaluable during power outages and when walking my dog at night)
- Tasker enabled me to set up complex actions like turning on Do Not Disturb and night mode simultaneously (perfect for my bedtime routine)
- bxActions helped remap the button to launch Google Assistant instead of Bixby (before I discovered the built-in options)
These apps require a bit more technical knowledge, but they’re worth exploring if you want even more control. Button Mapper has been the most reliable in my experience, with no noticeable impact on battery life even after months of use.
Troubleshooting Tips From My Experience
When Your Button Doesn’t Respond as Expected
I once found my side button suddenly reverted to the Bixby default. Here’s what fixed it:
- Reset just the button settings by returning to the Side Key menu and reconfiguring
- If that doesn’t work, check for software updates (Settings > Software Update)
- In rare cases, restart your phone to clear any temporary glitches
When my button became completely unresponsive last month (wouldn’t wake the screen or anything), a forced restart fixed it: hold Volume Down + Side Button for 10+ seconds until the phone restarts. This solved the problem immediately without losing any data.
After System Updates
Samsung occasionally resets button preferences after major updates (this happened to me twice). After updates, it’s always worth checking your side button configuration. I’ve started taking screenshots of my settings before major updates as a quick reference to restore them if needed.
The One UI 6.2 update was particularly problematic—it reset all my side button settings and even disabled some third-party button mapping features. It took about 15 minutes to reconfigure everything.
My Personal Side Button Setup
After months of experimentation, here’s what works best for me:
- Single press: Wake/lock screen (default)
- Double press: Launch camera (default)
- Press and hold: Power menu (changed from Bixby)
- Triple press: Toggle flashlight (using Button Mapper app)
- Five quick presses: Emergency SOS (built-in safety feature)
This configuration gives me quick access to everything I need dozens of times per day. I estimate I save at least 5-10 minutes daily with these shortcuts compared to navigating through apps the traditional way.
The side button might seem like a small detail, but taking five minutes to customize it properly has made my S25 Ultra experience significantly better. My entire family has now copied my configuration after seeing how much more efficiently I can use my phone. Which configuration will you choose for your phone?
