One UI
Samsung One UI 7 will launch compact live app widgets
In the past few years, Samsung has revamped the lock screen with numerous customization features and the One UI 7 launch will make it more interactive with compact live app widgets.
Live apps run in the background, unlike all apps, these have interactive elements. Therefore, the system doesn’t kill or limit their features when you push them in the background.
For example, in the Media Player app, when you start a song and lock your device, the song keeps on playing. When you wake the device, the lock screen will show you media controls. In that way, you don’t need to unlock the device to play/pause or change the track.
Such widgets are available in the existing One UI version, which makes it quite convenient. However, Samsung has planned a new upgrade for this section to make these lock screen widgets compact and intuitive.
Compact Live App Activities
Samsung One UI 7 is still far away from launch but an early leak from AndroidHeadlines has some new information, especially for the lock screen. A few seconds clip has uncovered a tiny detail on the bottom side of the display.
The lock screen has new compact widgets in between the phone and camera shortcuts. These widgets have buttons. The background has round corners to reflect One UI 7’s user interface and the leak showed three widgets:
- Music – Has a thumbnail on the left and back, pause/play, and next buttons.
- Recorder – Contains a recording timer and a stop button.
- Clock – This widget shows an active timer, total time, and ETA clock time along with a pause/resume button.
Samsung One UI 7 Compact Stackable Live App Widgets (Source – Androidheadlines)
Stackable
In One UI 6 and before, the lock screen will show you large widgets stretching from left to right and in a list view. In the most recent version, you will only see app icons. Once tapped, the system will expand the notification panel to show you the live activity or message notifications.
One UI 7 appears to have a new solution for this scenario. Instead of relying only on icons, the system could now separate live activities from other static app notifications.
With this hybrid approach, the system will show you the compact widgets at the bottom and If you have different live apps running simultaneously, the lock screen will stack them just like photos and you can swipe them to see the other live app activities.
Meanwhile, you can still tap on the notification icons to expand the large widget and use it as usual.
Comparison with iOS
Apple also has live activities and these look identical to what Samsung has to offer with the existing One UI version. When a user starts a timer, it appears right on the lock screen with a few controls.
However, compact live app widgets are likely to surpass that experience with Samsung One UI 7.
One UI 7 Launch Date
The Korean tech giant is planning to launch the One UI 7 beta program for public testers and it’s officially expected to debut with the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in Early 2025. Read more about One UI 7 here.
Samsung has started testing One UI 7 (Android 15) on Galaxy S23 FE. It’s the first time when the software server has listed the latest build for the device. An internal test build has been spotted, suggesting the Beta is unlikely for the S23 FE.
Recently, an internal One UI 7 (Android 15) build surfaced on Samsung’s software server for the Galaxy S23 FE. The build carries PDA version number S711BXXU6EXKM, where “E” refers to a major version bump in the near future.
Samsung has significantly delayed this year’s Beta Program. The owners of Galaxy S25 smartphones still missing out access to the One UI 7 Beta. The public rollout is delayed till the first half of the next year.
Well, this long wait will end up bringing fruitful upgrades to your Galaxy. The company is exploring a brand new interface across the OS. Many new features are being added in the One UI 7, with AI upgrades due for the One UI 7.1 software.
Google and some other Android vendors started a stable Android 15 update rollout. The distribution commenced after months of Beta testing. Beyond that, Google has just kickstarted the Developer Beta of the Android 16 operating system.
One UI 7.0 update is expected to be released for your Galaxy S23 FE by February 2025. Samsung will unveil the final version alongside the Galaxy S25 series next year. Later on, eligible devices will begin getting the major firmware update.
Galaxy S23 FE runs an Exynos 2200 chip, offering decent performance. Samsung’s next big upgrade will elevate your phone’s animation and transitions to a whole new level. A tipster has recently revealed key information about the changes.
The software will introduce redesigned Quick Settings, independent Notification Panel, rounded UI components, smoother animations, reliable transition effects, faster app opening experience, easily accessible Camera toggles and a lot more.
Samsung has already begun rolling out the long-awaited One UI update for its smart TVs, based on Tizen OS 8.0. It introduces a design overhaul that brings elements of its smartphone UI to the big screen. Although the overall experience still feels distinct from the One UI found on Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
The One UI update for smart TVs brings changes to the Daily Board feature. This screen shows useful widgets and wallpapers, and now it has a more One UI-inspired design. Widgets like Weather, Notes, Tips, and SmartThings Home Status now have a similar look to what you’d see on a Galaxy phone.
Samsung Weather and SmartThings widgets look almost identical to the ones on smartphones. Moreover, the Samsung Notes app icon is also familiar.
Image: Samsung Newsroom
With the Daily Board, you can choose which widgets you want to display, change the background wallpaper, and set up automatic widget rotation. If you place more than four widgets on the screen, they will rotate automatically. However, there are some limitations. You can’t set a custom wallpaper only the preloaded options are available.
While the One UI update brings some fresh features, Samsung’s TV interface still has a lot of the old Tizen design. The Settings menu still looks very much like it did before, and the app icons, while similar, don’t fully match the modern style of One UI on phones.
Samsung is making progress in bringing One UI to its TVs, but there’s more work to be done. Future updates may bring more changes to make the experience feel even more like the One UI on your smartphone or tablet.
Aside from this, Samsung recently released a new update for the Daily Board app, which brings Night Clock mode and bug fixes to enhance users’ experience.
Samsung One UI 7 will introduce crazy innovations to the animation segment. While Galaxy users want iOS-like reliable animations, Samsung has reportedly made great progress in offering a refreshed and appealing user experience.
Tipster IceUniverse shared key details about Samsung One UI 7 Beta animations. The source has also highlighted that the changes that appear in the Beta version would be adjusted as per the consumer feedback and suggestions.
One UI 7 Animation Innovations
On-screen animation to debut a soothing wallpaper shrinking effect. When you unlock, the software will render a bouncing effect. Spring rebound animation has been applied to the aspect when you pull down from the interface.
One UI 7 continues the non-linear (interruptable) animations. Opening an app from the home screen and closing from the home gesture will offer an elegant appearance. The rapid app opening and closing animation/transition is also enhanced.
Your Galaxy’s system Settings have also added micro-animation and a new return animation effect. Home screen and lock screen widgets will also be fueled with rich effects as well as elastic animations for real-time notifications.
Here’s a brief exploration of what’s possible in the upcoming software:
Screen-on:
- The screen-on animation is a soothing wallpaper shrinking effect
Unlocking:
- The unlocking animation is a bouncing effect
Pull-down:
- The pull-down animation adds a spring rebound animation
App opening on the home screen:
- The home screen app opening animation adds a more non-linear floating feeling
App closing on the home screen:
- The home screen app return animation adds an icon pattern zoom effect
Continuous app opening and closing:
- Parallel animation for opening multiple apps continuously
Return to home from app:
- Full animation for sliding the app sideways to return to the home screen
In-Settings:
- Click any button to add a press rebound micro-animation and a new return animation effect
Widgets:
- Transition animations and new UI for widgets such as lock screen music
Notifications:
- Add elastic animations for real-time notifications in the home screen notification bar.
Without sharing the video, the leaker revealed detailed info about animation. It is expected that the first One UI 7 Beta will debut a never-before-seen experience on Galaxies. There would be transitional enhancements across the software.
Samsung could release One UI 7 Beta this month, while Public rollout will start early next year.