After several delays, the latest iteration of One UI is available on eligible Samsung Galaxy devices. I took it up for a spin and was impressed with Samsung’s latest take on Android 15. I rely on my phone for work and personal life, and am constantly looking for ways to streamline my digital habits.
With the arrival of One UI 7, I headed into its new features, eager to discover how it could enhance my productivity. Let’s go over the One UI 7 tips and tricks that make my daily tasks smoother and save me a significant amount of time.
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7 Use Now Bar on the lock screen
Now Bar is Samsung’s answer to Live Activities, but with a unique twist that sits at the bottom and feels intuitive. Before One UI 7, managing active background apps from the lock screen felt clunky. However, with the Now Bar, it’s a different ballgame.
This subtle bar appears at the bottom of my lock screen, neatly placed between the existing shortcuts. It’s designed for quick, one-handed access, which I love. I can run a timer, check the latest sports scores, track my steps via Samsung Health, and manage music tracks from the lock screen. You will notice this quality-of-life improvement after upgrading to One UI 7.
One UI 7 brings several lock screen widgets. Among them, the one from the Gallery is my favorite. I deal with dozens of images and videos from WhatsApp. I placed the WhatsApp folder on the lock screen for quick access.
Before One UI 7, if I wanted to grab a picture from my WhatsApp folder to share or review, it involved unlocking my phone, finding the Gallery app, navigating to albums, and scrolling to the WhatsApp folder. With One UI 7, I bypass all the hassle and get the job done quickly.
5 Group alarms in the Clock app
Before One UI 7, my alarm list was a chaotic mess. The ability to group alarms in One UI 7 is a brilliant idea. It’s a genuine productivity boost because it makes managing my reminders more intuitive.
Now, when I open the Clock app, I see organized categories. I created a Morning Rituals group for my wake-up alarms, a Medicines group to check my daily medication reminders, and a Home Chores group that goes live on the weekend. It proves that sometimes the simplest organizational tools are the most powerful.
4 Create Boomerang and Slow-mo in Gallery
This is another neat time-saving trick in One UI 7. When I capture a motion photo, I can turn it into a Boomerang or a Slow-mo clip from the Gallery.
If I choose Boomerang, the Gallery app transforms the short clip into a fun, looping video that plays forward and backward. It’s perfect for quick, expressive moments. The Slow-mo option is equally impressive. I can turn an everyday motion photo into a slowed-down snippet with a single tap.
3 Explore topics in Samsung Settings
With each One UI update, the Settings app becomes more crowded. Sometimes, navigating and finding a relevant option under dozens of menus is difficult. Samsung has a smart take to simplify it.
With the One UI 7 update, you can go to Settings, tap the search bar at the top, and scroll to topics. It is neatly divided into several categories, like Popular, Music, S Pen, Battery, Emergency, and more.
For example, when I tap Personalization, the Settings app shows options like Change wallpapers, Color palette, Font style and size, Themes, and Always On Display.
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2 Call recording and transcription
The enhanced call recording with text transcription in One UI 7 is a major productivity booster. The Phone app is more than a simple call recorder. It’s a smart assistant that takes my phone calls to the next level.
Before One UI 7, I ended up with an audio file when I recorded a call. If I needed to recall a point or action item, I had to listen through the entire conversation. It was time-consuming, especially for longer calls. The Phone app now generates a text transcription of the entire conversation.
After a call, I can go back to the call log to find the full text transcript with the audio recording. I don’t have to replay the audio if I need to remember a price, a date, an address, or an instruction.
1 Custom percentage in charging limits
Samsung tweaked the battery protection menu with One UI 7. It no longer limits the battery charge to 85%. I can now choose between 80%, 90%, and 95%. I appreciate this flexibility as there are busy days when I need my device to charge up to 95%.
That extra 10% or even 5% can make all the difference between my phone lasting until I get home or conking out mid-afternoon.
One UI 7 is more capable than you think
From using Now Bar on the lock screen to auto-generating call transcriptions, these One UI 7 tips aren’t only minor tweaks. They are productivity boosters that make a noticeable difference in my daily routine.
The tricks above are just the tip of the iceberg. I recommend spending time with One UI 7 (especially the core Samsung apps) to get the best out of it. Meanwhile, tweak these settings to optimize your Galaxy phone after the major update.
