If you’ve just finished the initial setup on a Galaxy Z Fold 8, here are ten settings and features to enable so the phone’s foldable form factor works for you rather than against you. These tips go beyond basic data transfer and account sign‑in and focus on options that take advantage of the Fold 8’s larger internal display and One UI features.
Galaxy Z Fold 8: Force portrait-only apps to open in landscape
Open the phone, go to Settings > Advanced features > Labs and enable Landscape view for portrait apps. This forces apps that normally run only in portrait to display in landscape when the phone is held horizontally. Use it for apps that don’t natively support the unfolded horizontal layout—Domino’s is given as an example where the app normally launches in portrait but can open in landscape when added to this setting.
Add recent or suggested apps to the home screen dock
Pinch the home screen, tap Settings, then select Recent or suggested apps. You can show or hide the area and choose to display two, three, or four apps. When enabled, the dock will show recently used apps or suggested apps if there are not enough recent ones; these appear separated from manually added dock apps by a divider. This dock area also forms the basis of the taskbar when you open an app.
Customize the taskbar
Go to Settings > Display > Taskbar menu and enable the taskbar if needed. The taskbar can display two, three, or four recent or suggested apps and offers two styles. Use Auto hide when apps are opened to hide the taskbar until you swipe up, or Stay on screen to keep it visible while apps are open. Keeping it on screen speeds app switching and the app drawer access, and can avoid accidental home‑gesture triggers when you use navigation gestures.
Add Google Search and Finder to the home screen
Open the home screen settings and select Show search on Home screen, then enable Google Search, Samsung Finder, or both. Google Search provides web searches while Finder searches apps and content on the phone. You can have both visible, only one, or neither; when disabled, the space is replaced by the regular home screen page indicator.
Turn on Call Brief
In Settings > Galaxy AI > Call assist, enable Call Brief. Call Brief can show events and other relevant information on the call screen while you are speaking to someone. The phone will prompt you to enable any additional features that Call Brief requires and that aren’t already active by default.
Create custom cards for Now Brief
Now Brief provides personalized briefings and One UI 9 adds a Custom cards section. You can create up to three custom cards at a time across categories such as weather, health, and videos. For health, options include Energy Score, running activity for the week, and nutrition information, or you can write your own prompt (for example, “Show me my sleep and energy scores”) and schedule when the card should appear. Now Brief validates the prompt, creates the layout and shows an example. Custom video recommendation cards are also possible, and existing custom cards can be edited or deleted.
Use Capture View mode in the camera
In the Camera app, enable Capture View using the toggle in the top corner of the interface. Capture View moves the live preview to one side and creates a review area on the other, where every captured photo appears immediately. You can swipe through recent shots and favorite, share, or delete images without leaving the camera. Capture View is available only when the Fold 8 is held in landscape; the option disappears in portrait.
Enable 24MP photos through Camera Assistant
Open the Camera app, enter its settings, scroll to Camera Assistant and install it if prompted. In Camera Assistant, enable the 24 MP in Photo mode option under the 24 MP resolution section. Return to the Camera app’s resolution menu and select 24M. The camera defaults to 12MP each time it reopens, but you can enable Keep 24 MP resolution in the 24 MP resolution menu in Camera Assistant to retain 24MP as the default.
Fit more apps on the cover screen with Home Up
Install Good Lock from the Play Store or Galaxy Store, open it, go to Plugins and install Home Up. In Home Up enable the plugin, then Home screen > Home cover screen grid. The default grid is 4×4; you can adjust rows and columns independently up to 7×7 to make better use of the wide cover screen. You can also change the app drawer layout via Home Up > Home screen > Apps list cover column to increase the number of app list columns on the cover screen.
Customize the internal display grid and app drawer
To configure the internal display independently, first disable cover screen mirroring in home screen settings. With mirroring off and the phone unfolded, open Home Up to adjust the internal display’s home screen grid, increase the number of visible apps, expand the favorites area, and add more apps to the dock.
These ten adjustments are intended to make the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s unique hardware and One UI features more usable from day one. Enable the ones that match how you use the device to get a smoother unfolded experience.
