There's a lot to love when it comes to the best Samsung TVs. These sets offer some of the best picture performance and audio quality, especially when it comes to the more advanced QD-OLED models like the Samsung S95D.
At the heart of it all is Tizen OS, Samsung's cutting edge operating system that has a ton of versatility baked into it — if you know how navigate the settings.
For all of its advantages, Tizen isn't quite the most streamlined of TV interfaces. But with a couple of tweaks, it rivals Google TV as one of the best smart TV platforms.
So how do you do it? I've collected all the best ways you can use and improve Tizen on your Samsung TV, which should give you the best possible experience.
Tailor home screen recs to your liking
While ads are inescapable, you can tailor those shown to you by the apps and content you like. To do this head to the very bottom of the Home screen and click "Media Options," then enter into "Preferences."
From here you should see a menu that includes a list of some of the best streaming services, like Apple TV Plus, Hulu, Max, and more. Simply check the boxes you'd like to see more promotional content from and deselect those that don't fit your interests.
There's also a "Continue Watching" option that lets you choose which apps pop up under the carousel of the same name.
This is great for Samsung TV users who want to jump directly into the new episodes of their favorite shows, like "Severance" or "Daredevil: Born Again," though it is lacking in the number of platforms available at the moment.
Turn off data sharing
I wrote about this in length already in my piece on Samsung TVs being hit with annoying privacy pop-ups, and it's a key necessity for users who value their privacy.
While you can do this online, you may also want to set it up on your TV as well. Head to "Settings" then "Support," and scroll to "Terms & Policies" and click "Privacy Choices." You should see an option for "Viewing Information Services," which is Samsung's fancy way of saying Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). Make sure this is deselected and you're good to go.
The new feature is cropping up on several new smart TVs, so even if you don't own a Samsung set and are running one of the best OLED TVs, I'd highly recommend ensuring this setting is switched off.
Start using multi-view
First introduced in 2021, multi-view is one of the best features on modern Samsung TVs, allowing you to watch, game, and experience multiple streams of content with ease. It's perfect for major sporting events or even LAN parties with friends (f you're into that sort of thing).
There's a dedicated multi-view button on your remote that makes this super easy to bring up, and you can even customize how it works and looks using the contextual menu. You can watch multiple content set across a max of four screens.
Multi-view works with practically every input and onboard platform, including all of the following:
- HDMI sources (STB/Console/OTT box/BDP/Laptop etc)
- Tuner
- Mobile mirroring (Android/iOS)
- Laptop mirroring (iOS/Windows10↑)
- YouTube Casting
- USB camera
- SmartThings camera
- Ambient (Clock/Weather)
Pin apps to app row and rearrange them
It can be annoyingly difficult to pin apps to your main app carousel in Tizen given that it's sort of hidden under your "Connected Devices" tab. You can often do this automatically as soon as you download an app, but if it's something pre-loaded on the display or you simply forgot to pin it in your haste to watch your next favorite show across the best streaming services, here's how you find it:
- Head to Connected Devices" at the top of the screen.
- Navigate to the app or input you want to use.
- Select "Add to Home"
You can also customize the Home page to your liking by rearranging apps in the order that suits your interests. Scroll all to the furthest right-side of the carousel to find the the List Edit button, or simply hold down the select button on the app/input you'd like to move, then click "Move" to place it wherever is suitable.
You can do the same in Gaming Hub. It's super simple to rearrange the cloud gaming apps and connected devices you use more regularly, like having Nvidia GeForce at the very front of the list as opposed to Xbox Game Pass or Luna.
Tweak quick settings
Samsung TVs also have a handy quick settings feature that lets you instantly jump into TV settings whether you're in the home screen or in an app. But what's really cool is how much you can customize this to your liking, much akin to your Home screen app carousel.
Simply long-press on one of the settings and you'll have the option to move it left or right on the quick settings bar. In the past, "All Settings" was a bit further down the carousel, but it's actually the very first option on newer TVs. You may want to move other settings you prefer to use more regularly, like Picture mode or even Multi-view.
The full list of quick settings includes:
- All Settings
- Wi-Fi
- Sound Output
- Game Mode
- Brightness
- Picture Mode
- Sound Mode
- Intelligent Mode
- Bluetooth Devices
- Multi-View
- Sleep Timer
- Caption
- Digital Output Audio Format
- Picture Clarity
- Clear Tone
- Energy Saving Solution
- Power and Energy Saving
- Support
Access the internet app
Surprisingly, there's actually an Internet app on Samsung TVs that's perfect for a variety of use cases if a particular app isn't available or if you need to search something on the fly when your phone or laptop isn't at arm's length. It's a handy tool that every Tizen owner should know exists, especially if you like shopping or browsing social media on your TV.
It should come set to the home carousel automatically, specifically located towards the end of the list, but if it's not just head to the "Apps" page and look for the one labeled "Internet" under "Provided by Samsung." You can pin it to your home carousel and have it ready to use at a moment's notice.
Setup Alexa over Bixby
I can be the first to tell you that Bixby is not the most intelligent voice operated assistant. I tried using Bixby during my review of the Samsung S90D OLED TV and it did not go very well. It tended to randomly turn on at times and even when I did use it, Bixby never did function properly.
That's why I recommend Alexa over Bixby. Maybe you don't even use Amazon, but Alexa is simply better over Samsung's counterpart. This really comes down to hands-free voice controls when you want to search up a show or even a particular setting without scoring Tizen interface for that specific need.
Using Alexa won't fix every problem that pops up, but couple it with the tweaks above and you should be able to navigate Tizen much faster than before.
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