In One UI 8, the Now Bar could become really useful
By ForGeeks When Samsung first showed off the Now Bar in One UI 7, the idea seemed ambitious: the AI-powered smart bar was supposed to adapt to the user and make interacting with the phone more convenient. But in reality, it looked more like an unfinished analog of Apple’s Dynamic Island – without interactivity or practical use. With One UI 8, however, that seems to be changing.
Now Bar will get real features in One UI 8
According to a fresh leak published by Platform X (formerly Twitter) and spotted by 9to5Google, Samsung has started to endow Now Bar with at least some functionality. In the One UI 8 test build, the bar shows active calls, including their duration and possibly the contact’s name. An indicator for «Do Not Disturb» mode is also spotted, though it’s not yet clear if it will be possible to control it directly.
If these features turn out to be interactive, the Now Bar will finally start to serve as a useful interface element rather than just a decorative strip.
Bold promises and boring execution
Samsung originally positioned the Now Bar as an important part of the next-generation UI: the bar was supposed to adjust to user behavior, suggesting appropriate apps, prompting playlists on the go, or showing reminders at the right moment. But in One UI 7, none of that happened.
In practice, users saw a simple feed with news summaries, charge levels, and weather. No interactivity, no third-party integrations, no AI. In the end, many people simply turned it off or stopped noticing.
The comparison with Apple’s Dynamic Island, while apt, is not in Samsung’s favor: Apple’s element doesn’t just display status, but is actively used for interaction, such as controlling a player or timer.
Apple’s Dynamic Island is not just a status display, it’s also used for interaction, such as controlling a player or timer.
Chance to Restart
It’s important to realize: One UI 8 isn’t even out in beta yet, which means all the leaks are based on pre-release builds. Still, the mere presence of new features in the Now Bar gives us hope that Samsung is indeed working on making the bar useful.
Scenarios like displaying active calls or managing a «Do Not Disturb» profile are steps in the right direction. And with contextual customization and third-party integrations coming in the future, Now Bar could finally live up to its loud promises.
The question is whether Samsung will do a full-blown redesign of the concept or limit itself to cosmetic changes. For now, the answer to that remains open – but interest in the panel is definitely worth refreshing.
The In One UI 8, the Now Bar could become really useful was first published on ITZine.ru.
