9 Tips to Customize the Call Background on Samsung Galaxy Phones

All smartphones allow you to set a contact picture, which will show up next to the contact’s name when you receive or make a call. But Samsung goes a step further and offers the functionality to set backgrounds on call screens in phones running Samsung One UI 3+.

You can set a photo, video, or GIF as your phone call background. More importantly, you can set different call backgrounds for specific contacts. Sound exciting? Let’s explore how to change the call screen background on Samsung Galaxy phones.

Also read: 16 Tips to Use Split Screen on Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones

1. Change Background for All Phone Calls

Samsung allows you to change the call background that shows up when you make or receive calls. You can either set a photo or have it play a video in the background.

1. Open the Samsung Phone app on your mobile.
2. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select “Settings” from the menu.

3. Hit “Call background” and press on “Background” at the bottom.

4. Select a different background from the options by tapping on it.
5. A preview screen will open. If you like the new phone call background, tap on “Set as call background.”

Also read: How to Use Samsung Keyboard Like a Pro: A Complete Guide

2. Set Custom Photo, Video, or GIF as Phone Call Background

If you don’t like the native call background options offered by Samsung, you can set any photo or video stored on your phone as a call screen background on your Samsung Galaxy phone.

Method 1: Using the Samsung Phone App

1. Open the Samsung Phone app.
2. Tap on the three-dot icon and go to “Settings -> Call background -> Background.”

3. Tap on the “+” icon at the top and choose “Select from Gallery” from the menu.

4. Find the photo, video, or GIF that you want to set as the call background from your gallery and tap on it. If you like the preview, tap on “Set as call background.”

Note: if you are setting a video as a call background, you may need to trim it. Jump to tip #3 to learn how.

Method 2: From the Gallery App

1. Launch the Samsung Gallery app on your phone.
2. Open the photo or video that you would like to make your call screen background.
3. Tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom and select “Set as wallpaper” from the menu.

4. Select “Call background.”
5. When the preview screen shows, tap on “Set as call background.”

Also read: What Is Samsung’s Quick Share Feature and How to Use It

3. Trim Video Background

When setting a video as your call background, you will have to trim it first if the video is longer than 15 seconds, the maximum duration Samsung allows you to use.

You can manually trim the video in any video-editing app before setting it as the call background or use the “Trim” option while setting the call background. For the latter, follow these steps:

1. Select the custom video that you want to set as your call background.
2. On the video preview screen, tap on the “scissors” icon to start trimming it.
3. On the trimming screen, drag the slider to enclose the part that you want to set as the call background, then drag the left or right edge of the slider inside to shorten the video length.

4. Tap on “Done,” followed by “Set as call background.”

Tip: enable the toggle next to “Use video sound as ringtone” if you want to change your phone’s ringtone to the sound in the video.

4. Zoom In/Out of Photos

When you select a custom photo from your Gallery to set as a call background, use the pinch in and out gesture on the preview screen to zoom in and out of the photo or move the photo by dragging it. This allows you to set the preferred part of the picture as the call background.

Also read: 5 Ways to Change the Color of a Samsung Keyboard

5. Use AR Emojis

In addition to pictures and videos, you can set AR emojis as a call background on your Samsung Galaxy phone. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, AR (Augmented reality) emojis are animated characters you can create for yourself or someone else.

1. Go to “Settings -> Call background -> Background” in the Samsung Phone app.

2. Tap on the “+” icon at the top and choose “Create using AR Emoji” from the menu.

3. Either select an existing AR emoji or create a new one by tapping on the “+” button.

4. Tap on “Set as call background” on the preview screen.

6. Change Call Layout

Samsung offers another way to customize the call screen. Choose from two different styles to display caller information. One has a bigger profile picture, while the other is comparatively smaller.

1. Launch the Samsung Phone app.
2. Go to “Settings” by tapping on the three-dot icon.

3. Tap on “Call background” followed by “Layout.”

4. Tap on the the preferred style.

Also read: Gboard vs. Samsung Keyboard vs. SwiftKey: Which Is Best?

7. Change Phone Call Background for a Single Contact

Previously, Samsung didn’t allow users to set custom backgrounds for different contacts, but with Samsung One UI 4.1, you can personalize the incoming call backgrounds for any contact.

1. Launch the Samsung Contacts app and open the contact whose background you would like to change.
2. Tap on the “Edit” button (looks like a pencil) at the bottom.

3. Tap on “View more” on the next screen, then scroll down and tap on “Call background.”

4. On the default background that shows up, tap on the “Background” button at the bottom. Choose a background from the options or set a custom photo or video background by tapping on the “+” icon at the top.

5. Once you have selected a for the contact, tap on “Set as call background.”

Similarly, you can set different call backgrounds for other contacts. You can either create AR emojis for them or use their picture to set as the call background.

Note: if a custom background doesn’t appear for a specific contact, open the contact from the Recents list in the Phone app, then tap on the “Edit” button.

8. Remove Phone Call Background for a Single Contact

If you don’t like the background you set for a contact, you can remove it or change it to a different one.

1. Open the relevant contact in the Samsung Contacts app, then tap the “Edit -> View more -> Call background.”
2. On the preview screen, tap on the “Background” button at the bottom.

3. On the next screen, scroll down and tap on “Reset to default” or any other background if you only want to change the background.

Also read: Top 8 Android and iPhone Keyboards With a Number Row

9. Delete Call Backgrounds

Any custom photo or video you use as a call background will appear in the list of call backgrounds. If this section has become cluttered or you don’t want a photo or video to show up, you can delete the backgrounds you no longer wish to see.

1. Go to the Phone app and select “Settings -> Call background -> Background.”

3. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select “Delete backgrounds.”

3. Selection circles will appear at the top left of the custom photos or videos. Tap the item(s) that you want to delete and hit the “Delete” button at the bottom.

Note: you cannot delete preinstalled video backgrounds.

Manage Your Contacts

If you want to continue customizing your contacts on your phone, you may be interested in learning how to add a contact on your phone’s home screen and hide calls and texts from a specific person.