Samsung's One UI 8 is planning a subtle takeover of your Galaxy screen with this improved feature
Samsung's next major software update, One UI 8, is reportedly bringing some exciting improvements to the Now Bar. This change is expected to give users more information directly on their phone's lock screen, making it easier to see important details at a glance without having to unlock their device.
The Now Bar, which already shows things like music controls or sports scores, will apparently get even more useful. Leaked information suggests that with One UI 8, the Now Bar on the lock screen will be able to display details about ongoing phone calls. This means you could see who is calling and how long the call has been going, right there.
Another handy addition is that the Now Bar will also show if your phone is set to "Do Not Disturb" mode. This is great for quickly checking your status. For those with Samsung's foldable phones, like the Galaxy Z Flip, the Now Bar on the smaller cover screen is also expected to look and work the same way it does on the main screen, making the experience more consistent.
One UI 8 update adds phone calls to Now bar #OneUI8#NowBarpic.twitter.com/Demcw5yJ8o
— Toprak (@Topraks9plus) May 6, 2025
If you're not familiar with it, the Now Bar was first introduced by Samsung in One UI 7. It's designed to be a dynamic area on your screen that provides timely updates and controls. The upcoming enhancements in One UI 8 seem to build on this idea of making essential information readily accessible.
This approach is similar to what other companies are doing. For example, Apple iPhones have a feature called Live Activities for their lock screens, showing real-time updates for things like a food delivery or a sports game. Google's Pixel phones also have an "At a Glance" feature that shows upcoming appointments or weather information.
One UI 8 will also include Android 16, the next version of Google's mobile operating system, so it will likely bring other new features and improvements too. Samsung users can probably expect to see a test version, or beta, of One UI 8 sometime next month, but that has yet to be confirmed.
The final version is also thought to be coming out soon after Samsung releases its new foldable phones, which usually happens in July. Overall, I find that these leaked updates to the Now Bar point towards a more helpful and user-friendly experience on Samsung Galaxy devices.
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