Samsung's Good Lock brings widgets, advanced notifications, and an app tray to the lockscreen
If you don't agree with the relatively minimalistic approach that Samsung has adopted when it comes to the default UI of its Android handsets, then you might want to check out Samsung's new "Good Lock" app.
Samsung describes its Good Lock app as "the advanced Samsung System UI". That's an accurate description of Good Lock, which is not an app, but actually an update to the Samsung System UI, the custom presentation layer that Samsung adorns its Android implementation with.
As the name suggests, Good Lock brings modifications to the lock screen, although it also modifies components such as the status bar, the recent apps menu, and the UI of the notification system.
Samsung's redesigned lockscreen for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge allows users to place their favorite widgets right on the lockscreen for quick-trigger access and visibility. Another component is an expandable and customizable app dock placed on the bottom side of the screen. None of these features are unheard of, but they will surely appeal to productivity-minded users.
Furthermore, Good Lock also comes with a reworked notification system that allows users to group notifications into folders. When notifications are fired, they can be dismissed right from the lockscreen through a left swipe, or saved for later viewing in a "Keep" folder through a right swipe.
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The notification shade has also been redesigned, is now highly reminiscent of stock Android, with the similarities ranging from the notification themselves to the Quick Settings section of the dropdown.
The redesigned Recent Apps screen
Samsung's Good Lock app for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge also completely redesigns the Recent Apps screen.
As opposed to the default TouchWiz UI and the stock Android UI, both of which have Recent Apps screens which are scrolling lists of app screen previews, the Good Lock UI shows a scrolling list of the app names, with no screen preview included. The Recent Apps menu also shows the app dock at the bottom of the screen.
While some will surely appreciate the advanced notifications and the quick-launch features that Samsung's Good Lock comes with, we do have to note that the overall design is certainly not as polished as what default TouchWiz has to offer. On top of this, the purple neon accent colors will certainly push some users away. On the other hand, you can always test-drive the app, then uninstall it from the Galaxy Apps folder if you're not convinced.
What do you guys think of Samsung's Good Lock UI? Is this where TouchWiz should be heading?
Mihai Andrici is a former news writer at PhoneArena. He's produced a large body of content during his PhoneArena run, drawing on years of experience in the field. Mihai's coverage touched on various topics, from Android phones to Apple ecosystem products. In addition, he was quite active in bringing the latest mobile tech deals to PhoneArena readers.
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