5 One UI 7 options that make me cease lacking my i...

The

release of One UI 7
has been something however clean for Samsung. After starting to roll out the replace on April 10 within the US, the tech large paused it just a few brief days later to deal with a

serious bug.

Now, over per week later, Samsung has lastly resumed the rollout, permitting customers to start out downloading One UI 7 once more on

eligible devices
, starting with the Galaxy S24 sequence and the newest Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip fashions. Extra units, such because the S23 sequence, will obtain it quickly.

Whereas the look forward to One UI 7 has been lengthy, the options it has been full of are effectively well worth the wait. I have been lucky sufficient to have had the chance to check One UI 7 on the

Galaxy S25+
for a number of months now, and listed here are 5 of my favourite options that made me not miss my iPhone, and that it’s best to check out when you obtain the replace in your Galaxy machine.

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You now add a countdown widget to your house display/app pages

If you happen to get pleasure from customizing your telephone display with numerous widgets, you will love the brand new widget choices Samsung has launched with One UI 7. For starters, Samsung has added three new widget measurement choices for its default apps, comparable to Calendar, Clock, Climate, and extra, permitting you to regulate their measurement to your desire. When you place the widget, you possibly can drag its corners to resize it.

One other new widget characteristic is the choice to customise its form, which suggests your widgets not need to resemble rounded rectangles and squares; you possibly can add a little bit of aptitude if you want. Merely faucet the widget, choose settings, and you will see all of the completely different form choices out there.

My favourite new widget choice is the countdown characteristic for Calendar, which lets you add an occasion to the Calendar widget that counts all the way down to particular events, comparable to birthdays, holidays, and particular occasions. As an illustration, I created a countdown widget that tracked the times till the Andor season two premiere.

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4

Now Bar

You view dwell actions in your lock display

One of many first new stuff you’ll discover instantly with One UI 7 is the

Now Bar
. It is a new pill-shaped widget on the lock display that shows all of the dwell actions occurring in your telephone. For instance, should you’re taking part in a track

on Spotify
, will probably be displayed within the Now Bar, permitting you to pause playback, navigate backward, or ahead in your playlist, all without having to unlock your telephone or open the app.

What I like most in regards to the Now Bar is its placement. It is situated proper on the backside of the lock display, making it tremendous simple to entry, particularly while you’re utilizing your telephone with one hand. If you happen to faucet on any of the dwell actions, you possibly can increase them to see extra choices out there. It additionally helps Google Sports activities, so should you comply with any sports activities groups on Google, the scores of their video games will likely be displayed within the Now Bar. If you happen to’re watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs proper now (go Leafs), it is a should. A few of the apps that help the Now Bar are Spotify, YouTube Music, Google Maps, Clock, Voice Recorder, Samsung Notes, Reside Interpreter, and Samsung Well being. Extra third-party apps are anticipated to help the Now Bar sooner or later.

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Fast settings and notifications have been separated

With One UI 7, Samsung has adopted a notably Apple-like strategy to the notification heart and fast settings menu, splitting them into two distinct menus. Beforehand, while you swiped down from the highest of the display, you would be greeted with fast settings choices and notifications. Now, with One UI 7, while you swipe down from the top-left or center of the display, you solely see notifications. Nonetheless, while you swipe down from the top-right, you entry the fast settings menu, permitting you to regulate your Wi-Fi settings, activate Airplane mode, activate the flashlight, and extra.

I respect this alteration, as I discover myself not often utilizing the choices within the fast settings menu except I am touring or altering my display brightness. Having one display totally devoted to notifications is rather more handy, making it really feel extra like iOS 18, which I am accustomed to coming from my iPhone. Samsung has additionally made extra modifications to the fast settings menu, permitting you so as to add extra settings and rearrange the panels on the display.

If you happen to want the outdated model, the place fast settings and notifications are mixed into one display, you possibly can change it again by opening the Fast Settings menu, tapping the pencil icon, deciding on Panel Settings, and selecting the Collectively choice moderately than Separate.

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2

Lock display customization

You’ll be able to alter the Clock widget extra freely now

The lock display can also be receiving some love with One UI 7, that includes new customization choices that may make yours much more distinctive and customized. Now you can add a gallery widget to the lock display, permitting you to show pictures out of your telephone’s gallery on it. So if you would like an image of your annoying however cute cat in your lock display always, now you can do this. You’ll be able to even add PNGs to the lock display’s gallery widget, so the pictures will likely be clear and mix in higher together with your lock display’s background.

My favourite new lock display addition with One UI 7 is the power to maneuver the clock face round much more freely. This characteristic is obtainable in One UI 6, however One UI 7 introduces many extra choices, permitting you to regulate and scale the clock to match your telephone’s lock display background a lot better. Samsung has additionally added a brand new thickness choice that allows you to modify the thickness of the clock’s font, together with new animated clock model choices. If you happen to do not forget that countdown widget for the house display I discussed earlier, you may also add it to the lock display for any occasions you are excited for.

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1

Residence display upgrades

New app icons and sizes

With One UI 7, Samsung has up to date all its default app icons with recent appearances that make them stand out and look extra trendy general. However that is not all Samsung has executed with app icons. If you happen to go to the Settings app and choose Residence display, now you can change the dimensions of all of your app icons. You’ll be able to select between small, medium, and huge icons, with the default setting set to medium.

Two different new settings have been added to additional customise the house display: the power to show off app labels and widget labels. Because of this should you not wish to see the names of apps beneath their icons, you possibly can disable them. The result’s a super-clean, minimalistic search for all of your apps on the house display and completely different app pages.

Moreover, now you can enlarge the dimensions of app folders, enabling you to entry apps inside them without having to open the folders themselves. That is game-changing and one thing I hope Apple adopts for iOS sooner or later. The App Drawer has additionally undergone some modifications, with Samsung relocating the search bar from the highest of the display to the underside for higher usability. Additional, it is now doable to view apps within the App Drawer vertically as a substitute of horizontally by adjusting the kind choice to Alphabetical.

There are a few different honorable mentions I wish to give for

other new One UI 7 features,
together with the redesigned digital camera app and new battery safety modes.

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