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

The

release of One UI 7
has been something however easy for Samsung. After starting to roll out the replace on April 10 within the US, the tech big paused it just a few quick 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 anticipate One UI 7 has been lengthy, the options it has been filled with are properly 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 couple of months now, and listed below are 5 of my favourite options that made me not miss my iPhone, and that you must check out when you obtain the replace in your Galaxy machine.

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

For those who take pleasure in customizing your telephone display with varied widgets, you will love the brand new widget choices Samsung has launched with One UI 7. For starters, Samsung has added three new widget dimension choices for its default apps, equivalent to Calendar, Clock, Climate, and extra, permitting you to regulate their dimension 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 now not must 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 accessible.

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, equivalent to birthdays, holidays, and particular occasions. As an example, I created a countdown widget that tracked the times till the Andor season two premiere.

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4

Now Bar

You view reside 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 reside actions occurring in your telephone. For instance, in case you’re taking part in a tune

on Spotify
, it is going to be displayed within the Now Bar, permitting you to pause playback, navigate backward, or ahead in your playlist, all with no need to unlock your telephone or open the app.

What I like most concerning the Now Bar is its placement. It is situated proper on the backside of the lock display, making it tremendous straightforward to entry, particularly if you’re utilizing your telephone with one hand. For those who faucet on any of the reside actions, you possibly can broaden them to see extra choices accessible. It additionally helps Google Sports activities, so in case you comply with any sports activities groups on Google, the scores of their video games can be displayed within the Now Bar. For those who’re watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs proper now (go Leafs), this can be a should. A number of the apps that assist 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 assist 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 middle and fast settings menu, splitting them into two distinct menus. Beforehand, if you swiped down from the highest of the display, you would be greeted with fast settings choices and notifications. Now, with One UI 7, if you swipe down from the top-left or center of the display, you solely see notifications. Nonetheless, if you swipe down from the top-right, you entry the short settings menu, permitting you to regulate your Wi-Fi settings, activate Airplane mode, activate the flashlight, and extra.

I respect this transformation, as I discover myself hardly ever utilizing the choices within the fast settings menu except I am touring or altering my display brightness. Having one display solely devoted to notifications is way more handy, making it really feel extra like iOS 18, which I am accustomed to coming from my iPhone. Samsung has additionally made further modifications to the short settings menu, permitting you so as to add extra settings and rearrange the panels on the display.

For those who desire 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, choosing 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 in order for you 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 can 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 flexibility 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 significantly 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. For those who keep in mind that countdown widget for the house display I discussed earlier, it’s also possible to 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 fashionable general. However that is not all Samsung has accomplished with app icons. For those who go to the Settings app and choose Residence display, now you can change the scale 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 flexibility to show off app labels and widget labels. Because of this in case you now not need 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 scale of app folders, enabling you to entry apps inside them with no need 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 attainable to view apps within the App Drawer vertically as an alternative of horizontally by adjusting the kind choice to Alphabetical.

There are a few different honorable mentions I need 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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