5 One UI 7 options that make me cease lacking my iPhone

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 large paused it just a few quick days later to handle a

serious bug.

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

eligible devices
, starting with the Galaxy S24 collection and the most recent Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip fashions. Extra gadgets, such because the S23 collection, will obtain it quickly.

Whereas the watch for One UI 7 has been lengthy, the options it has been full of are properly definitely 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 here are 5 of my favourite options that made me not miss my iPhone, and that it is best to check out when you obtain the replace in your Galaxy system.

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

When you get pleasure from customizing your telephone display screen with numerous widgets, you may 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, akin to Calendar, Clock, Climate, and extra, permitting you to regulate their measurement to your desire. When you place the widget, you’ll be able to 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’ll be able to add a little bit of aptitude if you want. Merely faucet the widget, choose settings, and you may 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 right down to particular events, akin to birthdays, holidays, and particular occasions. For 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 screen

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

Now Bar
. It is a new pill-shaped widget on the lock display screen that shows all of the reside actions occurring in your telephone. For instance, in case you’re enjoying 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 while not having to unlock your telephone or open the app.

What I like most concerning the Now Bar is its placement. It is positioned proper on the backside of the lock display screen, making it tremendous straightforward to entry, particularly once you’re utilizing your telephone with one hand. When you faucet on any of the reside actions, you’ll be able to 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 might be displayed within the Now Bar. When you’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, Dwell 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 method to the notification heart and fast settings menu, splitting them into two distinct menus. Beforehand, once you swiped down from the highest of the display screen, you would be greeted with fast settings choices and notifications. Now, with One UI 7, once you swipe down from the top-left or center of the display screen, you solely see notifications. Nonetheless, once 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 recognize this transformation, as I discover myself not often utilizing the choices within the fast settings menu until I am touring or altering my display screen brightness. Having one display screen 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 adjustments to the fast settings menu, permitting you so as to add extra settings and rearrange the panels on the display screen.

When you choose the previous fashion, the place fast settings and notifications are mixed into one display screen, you’ll be able to change it again by opening the Fast Settings menu, tapping the pencil icon, deciding on Panel Settings, and selecting the Collectively choice somewhat than Separate.

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2

Lock display screen customization

You possibly can modify the Clock widget extra freely now

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

My favourite new lock display screen 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 screen 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 fashion choices. When you do not forget that countdown widget for the house display screen I discussed earlier, you can even add it to the lock display screen for any occasions you are excited for.

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1

Residence display screen upgrades

New app icons and sizes

With One UI 7, Samsung has up to date all its default app icons with contemporary appearances that make them stand out and look extra fashionable general. However that is not all Samsung has accomplished with app icons. When you go to the Settings app and choose Residence display screen, now you can change the scale of all of your app icons. You possibly can select between small, medium, and enormous icons, with the default setting set to medium.

Two different new settings have been added to additional customise the house display screen: the flexibility to show off app labels and widget labels. Which means that in case you not need to see the names of apps beneath their icons, you’ll be able to disable them. The result’s a super-clean, minimalistic search for all of your apps on the house display screen and completely different app pages.

Moreover, now you can enlarge the scale of app folders, enabling you to entry apps inside them while not 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 screen 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 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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