TouchWiz: What Is It?

2023 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:17

"TouchWiz" describes the user interface of Samsung devices. The "TouchWiz Start" process is found on the devices themselves. Behind the service is the application that brings Samsung's own user interface to the screen.

In addition to a lot of pre-installed apps (which is often also referred to as bloatware - i.e. bloat software), Samsung TouchWiz is also characterized by a strongly modified and unique look that has only a limited amount to do with pure Android.

The following video gives a few impressions of Samsung's previous version of TouchWiz:

Samsung Galaxy S5 Touchwiz

TouchWiz: A couple of the pre-installed apps

Almost all Samsung smartphones and tablets are equipped with Samsung's own apps, but some of them can also be retrofitted to other devices. The following list shows a few of these apps that are on selected devices.

AllShare Play
ChatON
Samsung apps
S Suggest
S memo
S Voice
Samsung Game Hub
Samsung Music Hub
Samsung Social Hub
Samsung Video Hub

Elsewhere we show you how to remove the pre-installed apps. Deleting the "Touchwiz Start" service to change the appearance of the Samsung mobile phone is only possible with a rooted device. If you want to completely remove TouchWiz, a custom ROM must be installed.

Owners of a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could already take a look at the latest version of the TouchWiz UI in Asia. With the Galaxy Note 7, the TouchWiz user interface is to be replaced by the new Grace UI interface. Elsewhere you will find TouchWiz and Grace UI in comparison.

Start photo gallery (6 photos)

The disadvantage of TouchWiz

As is always the case, TouchWiz offers not only advantages but also disadvantages. On the one hand, there would be the matter of the updates. While the current high-end flagships from Samsung are always supplied with the latest updates, the situation is unfortunately different for older devices.

This is not least due to the fact that of course not only the Android version itself is updated, but also that the modifications have to be revised. This delays the update processes for almost all devices that are equipped with a manufacturer's own user interface (UX).

In addition, there is the aforementioned bloatware, which often cannot be uninstalled and thus not only wastes space on the device, but often also keeps background processes running that can senselessly consume resources (and battery).

In addition, such a UX is always a matter of taste. Fortunately, this can be quickly circumvented and adjusted with the help of so-called launchers. You can find some of the best launcher here, for example.