Set, clear or change default apps on Samsung phone

Sometimes you may want to download a new app on the phone to replace a pre-installed app which you do not like, web browsers and Office tools are two good example. For Samsung Galaxy users who do not like the default Internet browser, they may download and use Chrome, Firefox and other apps. If you can’t get used to Samsung POLARIS Office, you can use Microsoft Office(Word, Excel, Powerpoint) for Android instead. So how to reset default apps on Samsung Galaxy mobile phones as you have more than two apps can open the same files? Check out below instructions to find out.

How to set default apps on Samsung mobile?

When two or more apps on the phone can open or manage the same files or one file type can be supported by multiple apps and no default app has been set, you will get the ‘Complete action using‘ prompt when you try to open the selected file in My Files app on Samsung device. Generally speaking you do not have to set a default app so you can always get this app selection chance each time you open the files. But when you determine to pick your favorite app as the default, here is how you can do that. In the ‘Complete action using‘ dialogue, tap your favorite app first, then touch the ‘Always‘ button at the bottom so the Android system will remember your choice on the Samsung device. From now on, when you tap on the same files or files in the same type in My Files app or other file manager apps on Samsung phone, the default app will be launched to open, play, edit or manage them without the app selection window any more.

samsung phone complete action using - apps selection

How to clear default apps on Samsung phone?

Sometimes you may accept an app, which is not your favorite, as the default app accidentally by pressing the ‘Always’ other than ‘Just once’. What to do if you have selected a wrong default app and need to unset the default. If you are using a PC which is running on Windows OS, you know that there is a Default app setting in the Windows Settings to manage all default programs on the computer. However you can’t find such a setting or option with Android or Samsung phone at this moment. The unset of default apps on Android or Samsung phone can only be done on a per-app basis via the ‘App info’.

clear defaults from app info on samsung mobile phone

Tap to open Apps on Samsung phone, choose Settings, then Application Manager, you’ll see different tabs including Downloaded, SD card, Running and All. Swipe to the left until you get the All tab where you can find all installed apps and system apps on your Samsung mobile. Scroll down to find the app being used by default. Touch the app name to open its ‘App info‘ screen where you can find details of the app. Scroll down a bit to find the ‘Launch by default‘ section. You should now see the ‘Clear defaults‘ button with text above saying, “This app is set to open by default for some actions”. Tap on this button to unset the default app, meanwhile you will see the text changed to “No defaults set“. Now you have cleared the defaults, you’ll have the ‘Complete action using’ prompt again.

How to change default apps on Samsung Android phones?

If you have read the above instructions to set or cancel default apps settings on Samsung phone, you should already know the process. To change a new default app, simply go to the Application manager on Samsung device to find the current default app, and clear the defaults to unset it. Then try to open the file which you like to be opened using the new default app, when you see the ‘Complete action using‘ prompt, choose the new app, and tap ‘Always‘ button to set a new default app on Samsung or Android mobile phones.

Set, clear or change default apps on more Android phones

Other Android powered phones share many similarities, such as LG, Huawei, Xiaomi, Nexus, and so on. See this guide to reset default app on Xiaomi phone, just as an example.