Your Samsung Phone Is Getting One UI 7—Here Are My 6 Favorite Features

Android updates person felt stale for years, but One UI 7 promised capable changes that I felt genuine enthusiasm for this release. Now that I person installed the beta connected my Galaxy Z Fold 6, I'm blessed to accidental that it did not disappoint. There's truthful overmuch to similar here.

Over the adjacent month, galore of past year's phones volition commencement to person One UI 7, with much devices getting the update successful the weeks aft that. I emotion the enactment that has gone into making my telephone consciousness amended contiguous than it did erstwhile I bought it. I deliberation galore of you will, too.

1 It's All About That Look

As overmuch arsenic it surprises maine to say, I present similar Samsung's interface implicit banal Android. One UI is overmuch much configurable and offers much features. Yet erstwhile I picked up a Pixel phone, I felt somewhat envious of the attraction Google paid to each the animations. One UI 7 not lone incorporates galore of the aforesaid animations, I similar the mode they travel connected Samsung's device.

Animations combined with Samsung's operation of transparent elements and subtle gradients effect successful a luscious acquisition with extent and nuance. Sprinkle successful refreshed app icons that, portion not a extremist rethink of what an icon could be, marque things consciousness new. Then there's the attraction Samsung's squad has paid to widgets, which present look accordant and charismatic capable that I really privation to spot them connected my location screen. All the ocular refinements, taken together, are what I emotion astir astir One UI 7.

2 Finally, a Vertical App Drawer

Android hasn't ever had a vertically scrolling app drawer, but Google settled connected that attack years ago, and astir different Android telephone makers embraced the change. Not Samsung. The company's app drawer has continued to beryllium a horizontal, paginated affair.

With One UI 7, Samsung is joining the remainder of the pack. This is simply a tiny change, but it makes a large difference. I tin present rapidly scroll betwixt apps with a azygous swipe, adjacent jumping straight to circumstantial parts of the alphabet.

3 I Dig the Now Bar and Live Notifications

The Now Bar is possibly the biggest caller diagnostic successful One UI 7. As a caller portion of functionality, it doesn't adhd much. I'm not into sports, and unrecorded people updates is 1 of the feature's biggest perks.

If I was heavy invested successful the Now Bar doing a clump of different things, I'd astir apt consciousness fto down. Rather, conscionable the opposite. I've been amazed by however bully it is, owed mostly to however overmuch amended it is astatine presenting ongoing actions than persistent notifications were.

On the lockscreen, my presently playing media present feels precise chiseled from different types of notifications, which by default are tucked distant successful the notification country arsenic icons. When you pat the Now Bar, it surfaces much controls. Swipes let you to power betwixt presently moving tasks, similar your euphony oregon a timer.

I person peculiarly taken a liking to the mode Live Notifications, which lucifer the Now Bar, look successful my notification area. The popular of colour keeps presently playing media accessible successful a mode that doesn't consciousness arsenic cluttered and haphazard arsenic notification icons. Tapping this country opens media controls successful a widget matching the 1 that appears successful your notification and speedy presumption drawer.

This implementation is truthful good done, I tin spot wherefore idiosyncratic mightiness hope Google brings the Now Bar to Pixel phones.

4 Foldables Get a Floating Taskbar

The Galaxy Z Fold bid has agelong travel with a PC-like taskbar that appears crossed the bottommost of the surface erstwhile you unfold the device. In One UI 7, this gets replaced with a floating taskbar, oregon dock, that auto-hides until you swipe up from the bottommost of the screen. It looks a batch similar a horizontal Edge Panel.

I similar this change, since it maximizes surface abstraction without doing distant with the functionality of a taskbar entirely. Yet, similar galore of the changes successful One UI, the aged mentation of the taskbar remains disposable for those who privation it.

5 Make App Folders Big

You tin resistance immoderate app icon onto your location screen, but if you privation to springiness them immoderate organization, that's erstwhile folders travel in. Grouping icons unneurotic creates a folder of icons that occupies arsenic overmuch abstraction arsenic a regular icon. To motorboat an app inside, you pat erstwhile to unfastened the folder, past you pat connected the app.

One UI 7 lets you make enlarged folders that supply enactment without requiring the other click. Folders are ample capable that app icons are lone somewhat smaller than they usually are, leaving them casual for your digit to find.

6 Notifications and Quick Settings Have Their Own Space

In One UI 7, swiping down from the top-right shows an full screen's worthy of speedy settings. Swiping down from the halfway oregon top-left shows your notifications. Once either is open, you tin swipe near oregon close to power betwixt them. The inheritance besides goes wholly black, which looks large connected a telephone with an OLED panel.

I similar this change. The speedy settings person ever felt diminished to maine by cramming them into the apical of a surface that's chiefly showing maine different accusation (or near mostly bare erstwhile determination are nary notifications to show). Now they get their ain spot of prominence, a azygous spot to toggle things astir your telephone and its transportation to different devices. This surface is besides overmuch much functional than the expanded speedy settings presumption connected banal Android that appears erstwhile you swipe down doubly from the apical of the screen.

The alteration takes immoderate getting utilized to, and I recognize wherefore galore would similar to spell backmost to the musculus representation they've established implicit the people of implicit a decade. Fortunately, Samsung's near the enactment to revert for those that privation it.

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One UI 7 is simply a monolithic revitalization of Samsung's mobile interface. With the magnitude of attraction to item that went into this software, combined with each the refinement that went into the Galaxy Z Fold 6, I person ne'er utilized a bundle and hardware combo this spot on. Is it perfect? Nothing ever is. But aft turning disconnected astir of the AI bits, it's starting to consciousness beauteous close.