How to turn off Side key settings

Are you trying to turn off your Samsung phone? There are multiple reasons to do this. For starters, it can be a quick and straightforward way to avoid smartphone distractions during movies, meetings, and other events. Additionally, it’s often the first troubleshooting method you should try whenever you’re experiencing issues with your handset. It seems to fix most problems magically. Regardless of your reasoning, there are multiple ways to turn off or restart your Samsung phone, whether it’s a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, Galaxy S20, or earlier iterations. Let’s go over all of them.

QUICK ANSWER

In the case of more recent models, you can turn off or restart Samsung Galaxy smartphones by pressing and holding the Side and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. When given the options, select Power off or Restart.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

Editor’s note: Steps in this article were put together using a Samsung Galaxy S22 running Android 12. Remember, some devices’ specific steps might differ slightly, depending on your particular hardware and software.

Using the side and volume down buttons

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

More recent Samsung phones like the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy S20 have removed dedicated Bixby and power buttons. Instead, they have a single button that operates as both. This can confuse things, so let’s help you figure out how to use it.

Turn off or restart your Galaxy phone using the side and volume down buttons:

1. Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
2. You’ll get a few options. Tap on Power off to turn the phone off. Select Restart to reboot it.
3. Tap on the option again to confirm.

Long-pressing the power button

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Those who don’t like using the power and volume down button combinations have a way to use only one button to turn off or restart their Galaxy phones, but it requires a bit of tinkering. You’ll have to remap the side key to stop it from launching Bixby when long-pressed. Here’s how to do it.

Remap the side button to turn off Galaxy phone using a single button:

1. Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
2. You should see a Side key settings option at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it.
3. You can now change what certain side key presses do. Under Press and hold, select Power off menu.
4. Go back to the home screen.
5. Press and hold on to the side button.
6. You’ll get a few options. Tap on Power off to turn the phone off. Select Restart to reboot it.

Note: Older Samsung phones with dedicated power buttons won’t need you to change the settings. Devices like the Galaxy S10 and previous iterations come with dedicated power buttons that serve no other purpose. Press and hold on to the power button to reach the boot settings on those.

Use the notification panel

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

The power button works great, but some might prefer software actions. Thankfully, Samsung has provided many ways to turn off your Galaxy phone. The quickest one might be in the notification panel.

Turn off or restart your Galaxy phone using the notification panel:

1. Unlock the screen if locked or turned off.
2. Swipe down from the top of the screen.
3. Swipe down from the top of the screen again to expand your options.
4. On the top-right corner, you’ll see a power icon. Tap on it.
5. You’ll get a few options. Tap on Power off to turn the phone off. Select Restart to reboot it.
6. Tap on the option again to confirm.

Ask Bixby to turn off or restart your phone

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Samsung’s digital assistant, Bixby, can also be used to turn off your Galaxy phone using voice commands.

How to turn off Galaxy phone using Bixby:

1. Once you have activated Bixby Voice, go ahead and call upon it. You can do this by saying “Hi Bixby” or pressing the side button.
2. Tell Bixby to “Turn off the phone.”
3. Bixby will take care of the rest.

How do you turn off safe mode on a Galaxy S22 or other Galaxy phones?

You can usually turn off Safe Mode by restarting the device. Follow any of the instructions above to do so. If the phone keeps booting into Safe Mode, this might mean there’s a more significant issue at hand. Follow our dedicated guide to get out of safe mode on Android for more tips.

Can you track a Samsung phone if it's turned off?

Samsung’s Find My Mobile service only works if the device is turned on. With that said, you can still find it if it’s offline. Nearby Samsung devices can connect to it and help the system locate it. In addition, Find My Mobile can also provide the last recorded location to approximate where your phone might be.

Can I turn off 5G on my Galaxy S22?

Yes. Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network mode and switch to any options with no 5G. Preferably, you should pick LTE/3G/2G (auto connect). This option offers the most network compatibility, except for 5G.

Why would I turn off 5G?

The main reason to turn off 5G is to save battery. 5G data is a known battery hog, and many don’t live in 5G areas anyway.

How do I turn off the side button on my Samsung?

How do I turn on side key settings?

What is side key setting?