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Samsung is among the most reliable Android phone manufacturers, and for good reason. Galaxy phones offer a wide array of features designed to boost performance, improve battery life, and streamline the user experience. And while most of these are actually useful, others may not be the best fit for some people. That's why it's important to understand the things you shouldn't do on your Samsung phone.

From a software standpoint, you should never turn off features that boost security like Auto Blocker and Device Protection, or disable any that optimize performance and battery life. However, some performance optimization features can actually slow things down on phones with decent hardware specifications, making them worth disabling in specific situations. Apart from that, you should avoid using unsupported chargers and accessories. While it may not necessarily damage the phone, the experience, more often than not, takes a hit. You should also avoid using Samsung phones in areas with high magnetic fields or storing your device alongside metal objects.

So, if you own a Samsung phone, make sure you are not making any mistakes that can compromise security or negatively impact performance, hardware, or the overall Android experience.

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Samsung phones come with several built-in security features, each carefully designed to protect your device from malware infections and safeguard your data against unauthorized access. This includes Samsung-specific features like Device Protection, Auto Blocker, Secure Folder, and Identity Check, alongside Android's own Google Play Protect. These are all vital features and you should never disable or uninstall them.

Many Samsung users follow this approach, but some, influenced by online guides or video tutorials, often turn these features off in a bid to boost performance. Keep in mind that the security benefits of these features far outweigh any minor performance gains you might notice upon disabling them, if there are any at all. And once the damage is done, re-enabling the feature won't be of much help. Remember, if a feature doesn't align with your workflow, consider adjusting its settings rather than disabling it altogether. At a time when cyber threats are on the rise, you need as much protection as possible for your Samsung phone.

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If your Samsung phone has plenty of physical RAM — say, 12 GB or more — and the RAM Plus feature is enabled, you should turn it off to boost performance. The feature, similar to the page file on Windows, essentially uses a part of your phone's storage as virtual memory. So, when the phone is running low on RAM, it automatically offloads inactive processes and apps to the virtual memory and prioritizes active tasks. Theoretically, RAM Plus is a useful feature, one that should deliver a noticeable boost in performance. But the benefits aren't as significant as many users perceive them to be.

Several users have reported smoother performance after disabling RAM Plus on their Samsung phones. That's because the system's internal storage isn't as fast as the built-in RAM, and constantly swapping files between virtual memory and actual memory may add a delay and slow down the phone. So, if your Samsung phone is slower than it should be, consider disabling RAM Plus, especially if it already has sufficient physical RAM for everyday tasks like browsing the web, playing simple games, and streaming content. And when it's time to upgrade, make sure to get a phone with enough memory.

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Your phone's battery is typically one of the first components to show signs of degradation. As that happens, the battery tends to lose charge faster, leaving you with just a few hours of uninterrupted usage. While this eventually happens to every lithium-ion battery, you can slow down the process by using built-in battery protection and performance optimization features. And this is something you should never turn off if you plan on keeping the same phone for multiple years.

Depending on your phone's model, you will find settings like Battery Protection and Adaptive Battery. Samsung's Battery Protection feature allows you to cap charging to a fixed level, depending on the configured mode. This can help increase your battery's lifespan over time. Under Battery Protection, you have three modes: Basic, Maximum, and Adaptive, each handling things a little differently. Adaptive Battery is a smart Android feature that analyzes your usage patterns and allows frequently used apps to stay active while limiting the battery and resource consumption of apps you don't use as much. This will extend your phone's battery life.

You will similarly find other built-in options like Processing Speed, which can be used to configure your phone's performance. The idea here is to pick a mode that delivers the required performance but doesn't cause overheating, because higher temperatures can cause the battery to wear out faster.

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Samsung strongly recommends against using unsupported chargers and cables. And there's a good reason for it, despite USB-C standardizing charging across different device types. Keep in mind that not all adapters and USB cables are compatible with your Samsung phone. Some differences arise due to charging standards and power ratings, while others are due to connector types.

A standard charger or one with a lower power rating may not allow you to utilize the fast charging functionality. So, if your phone is charging slowly, this is the first thing you should check. Similarly, a high-wattage charger designed for newer phones ideally wouldn't be used with an old device that doesn't support it. Apart from that, long-term use of an unsupported charger can lead to issues with the battery.

All that said, you don't necessarily need to get everything from Samsung. There are popular sellers offering reliable products that work across devices. However, you must avoid using uncertified or counterfeit products. These pose a major risk, especially when used in the long term.