One of the best things about owning a Samsung phone (right after Modes and Routines) is Good Lock, an official app that lets you personalize almost every aspect of your phone, from the lock screen and notification panel to the app drawer. You can install the app from the Galaxy Store and then download modules within it. While not supported on all phones, Good Lock is available on most Galaxy S-series and A-series phones.
In this article, I’ll share my six favorite Good Lock modules for my Samsung Galaxy phone. These modules have changed how I use my phone, and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you.
Table of Contents
1. LockStar
LockStar is my favorite Good Lock module for personalizing my Samsung Galaxy’s lock screen and Always On Display. Here’s what it offers.
Customize Lock Screen: You have full control over your lock screen layout. Move the clock, widgets, music notifications, and system icons wherever you like. Add stickers for a personal touch, and choose from a variety of widgets, like weather, battery, calendar, and music controls.
One of my favorite features is the ability to customize the bottom shortcuts. I’ve replaced the default Torch and Camera icons with my most-used apps, making them instantly accessible without unlocking my phone.
Customize Always On Display (AOD): I love changing the clock style and widget colors to match my current wallpaper or mood. You can even add new widgets to the AOD. I use the At a Glance widget, which gives me a quick look at the time, day, weather, and upcoming events.
Those concerned about battery drain, LockStar has an auto-brightness feature. It automatically adjusts AOD brightness based on ambient light, to let you read details without excessive battery drain.
2. RegiStar
I have a habit of regularly checking updates, and it’s tiring to open Settings and scroll all the way down to Software Updates. To avoid that, I installed RegiStar and moved the option to the top of the Settings app. Not only that, but I also used it to map my Power key to activate Google Assistant.
RegiStar lets you do three things:
- Customize your Settings app: Change the menu order, grouping, search options, and check settings change history.
- Enable Back-Tap feature: Quickly open apps, take screenshots, show notifications, etc., by double or triple-tapping your phone’s back.
- Side-Key press and hold action: Press and hold the side key to take a screenshot, open Google Assistant, turn on the flash, open apps, etc.
RegiStar can convert your Side key into an action button, add back-tap gestures, or change how your Settings app works. This makes it one of the must-have Good Lock modules on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
3. Home Up
Samsung’s One UI home can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re coming from a Google Pixel. I found the default icon sizes too large, and the inability to hide app icon labels was frustrating.
Installing the Home Up module in the Good Lock app solves these issues. You can change icon sizes, toggle labels, and even customize the style of app folders. The recent apps screen is also highly customizable, with familiar layout options like list, grid, stack, vertical list, and slim list.
While Home Up doesn’t allow changing icon shapes, you can download a Theme Park module to install icon packs or create custom ones with the shape of your choice. I prefer circular icons over One UI’s oval ones.
My only remaining gripe is Samsung’s insistence on a horizontal app drawer, unlike the vertically scrolling interface found on most other phones. However, rumor has it that the Home Up module will add a vertical scrolling option in One UI 7.
4. Sound Assistant
Imagine you’re playing music over Bluetooth speakers but want to play a game simultaneously without its audio interfering with your music. Sound Assistant solves this problem by allowing individual app volumes. Using it, I can set the volume for Spotify to maximum and set it to 0 for the game, Instagram, or any other app I might be using.
You can even allow apps to play sound at the same time as other apps. A random video ad on Twitter or a video in a shopping app will no longer pause the music playing in the background. Plus, you can adjust the rate at which the volume changes when you press the keys.
One more handy feature: you can set the volume keys to control music. For example, pressing Volume Up will skip to the next song, and pressing Volume Down will return to the previous one. I use this frequently while biking, as I can quickly change music without removing my phone from my pocket.
5. Camera Assistant
Samsung’s default Camera app has many options, and Camera Assistant adds more. For instance, the regular camera may sometimes produce overly sharp photos, while Camera Assistant allows you to soften images for a more natural look.
Similarly, you can reduce shutter lag by capturing photos immediately upon touching the shutter, or you can prioritize focus over speed to avoid blurry shots. Frequently take pictures in 2x zoom or capture moon shots at 100x? Add these shortcuts to your Camera app. Then, there are other features like Auto HDR, Adaptive Pixel, and Upscale digital zoom.
It’s not something you’d tinker with every day, but it’s certainly worth having on your phone if you’re even a little bit into photography. If that’s the case, you’ll love these Galaxy S24 Ultra camera tips and tricks to enhance your photography experience.
When using gesture-based navigation, your Samsung phone shows a bar at the bottom, also known as the gesture hint. Samsung did allow you to hide it, but this option was removed in the One UI 6.1 update.
Fortunately, you can bring it back with NavStar. Install the Good Lock module and toggle on Enable extra gesture settings. You can then hide the gesture hint in Settings > Display > Navigation bar > More Options. Circle to search will still work irrespective of whether the bar is hidden or shown.
Besides this, NavStar lets you customize the side back gesture indicator style and color, as well as back gesture sensitivity. Should you choose to keep the gesture hint enabled, you can adjust its size, transparency, and color.
Does Good Lock Slow Down Your Phone or Drain Battery
Based on my observation, the impact of Good Lock on your phone’s performance and battery life is generally negligible. However, it’s important to be mindful of how many modules you install and use simultaneously, especially on older phones. If you activate every single module, you might notice a slight decrease in battery life or occasional performance hiccups.
I recommend being selective and choose the modules that enhance your user experience the most and leave the rest. This way, you can enjoy the benefits of Good Lock without significant drawbacks. This post carries my favorite modules on my Galaxy S23 Ultra. I haven’t faced any major issues, aside from occasional animation glitches.
