The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra was nearly unusable for me – until I downloaded this one app

I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for a week now, and one issue has persisted — I just can’t get a good grip on the phone. While Samsung made the device lighter this year, the move to flatter sides has made it more uncomfortable to hold, at least for me. It is more difficult to reach certain corners of the screen, making the usability underwhelming.

Also: I replaced my iPhone 16 Pro with the Galaxy S25 Ultra – and it’s good news for Samsung

It doesn’t help that One UI 7, the latest software version layered over Android 15, has a new way of accessing the quick panel — and it’s slightly inconvenient. You must swipe down from the top-right corner to access it while swiping down anywhere on the home screen only brings up the notification panel. You can revert to the single-panel layout, but then other quick-access widgets get tucked and hidden.

After a week of testing the phone, I may have found the best (and only) solution — besides opting for a smaller S25 model. The fix is the Good Lock app, which was developed by Samsung itself. Since downloading it, everything about the S25 Ultra experience has improved. 

For those unfamiliar, Good Lock is an app filled with customizations specifically for Galaxy phones. It’s also available on older models, but I never felt the need to dive into it to tweak things to my liking.

On my S25 Ultra, I initially installed Good Lock to play around with animations and icon positioning using the Home Up function. However, I stumbled upon what’s called One Hand Operation+, which was designed to make using a Galaxy phone or tablet easier with, you guessed it, only one hand. It achieves this by letting you add gesture handles to the left and right sides of the screen. And these gestures go beyond simply reprogramming the back swipe gesture on Android.

Also: I’ve tested every Samsung Galaxy S25 model – and my favorite isn’t the Ultra

You can add up to six shortcuts within the Short swipe and Long swipe gestures, including Straight, Diagonal up, and Diagonal down swipes. The app also lets you fine-tune the touch area by adjusting the Width, Size, Position, and Handle color if needed. You can get really nitty-gritty with the customizations, and I love it.

For my configuration, I’ve set the right handle’s ‘diagonal down swipe’ gesture to open the quick panel, so I no longer have to perform finger gymnastics to reach the top-right corner. Whether I’m browsing, watching videos, or taking photos, the quick panel is now just a swipe away. My ‘diagonal up swipe’ is set to open the calculator because I need quick access to it as a freelancer to manage my finances.

On the left handle, I’ve set the Diagonal up gesture to access Quick tools, which gives me a floating panel with essential shortcuts for Wi-Fi, volume levels, Bluetooth connections, Auto Rotate, Scanner, and more. Keep in mind that I haven’t even enabled long swipe gestures yet, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for it as I continue using the device. In total, you can choose from up to 50 actions to assign to each swipe gesture.

Also: I thought a privacy screen protector was a great idea – until I put one on my Galaxy S25 Ultra

Initially, the S25 Ultra didn’t seem like a phone I’d want to use long-term. But now that my usability problem has been solved to an extent, I’m making the full-time shift from my iPhone 16 Pro. The Samsung has a much brighter and sharper display, along with one of the best mobile user interfaces in One UI 7. 

I didn’t think simply installing an app and changing a setting would have such a powerful impact on the usability of a phone, but Good Lock has pleasantly surprised me, and I’ll likely count on it again when the next big Samsung phone comes along.