Samsung’s new One UI 7 based on Android 15 isn’t just about looks. You’ve probably seen the big features already, but there are also some hidden settings and smart tricks that can make your phone easier and more fun to use. Let’s check them out.
Once you’ve updated your phone to One UI 7, you can start using these features right away. I’m showcasing them on a Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has already received the update. These features should also be available on most other Galaxy devices, with the update rolling out from April 7.
Table of Contents
1. Now Bar and Live Notifications
Samsung adds a new feature called the Now Bar, similar to Apple’s Live Activities and Dynamic Island, designed to bring live notifications directly to your lock screen.
It shows real-time information like a running timer, workout progress, or an ongoing voice recording, so you don’t need to unlock your phone or open the app. While it currently supports most native apps, third-party services such as Uber or food delivery may be added in future updates.
To control which apps can use Now Bar, go to Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Now Bar. From there, you can enable or disable the feature for individual supported apps.
If more than one app is active in the Now Bar, simply swipe up on it from the lock screen to switch between the different live notifications.
2. AI Select
AI Select is part of Samsung’s Awesome Intelligence and is available even on the Galaxy A series. It works a bit like Google’s Circle to Search, but with some extra tricks. To use it, swipe in the Edge Panel and tap the AI Select icon.
It automatically analyzes what’s on your screen and gives you smart suggestions. For example, you can save part of a video as a GIF, record just the video portion playing on your screen, scan visible QR codes, or even save an image shown in the frame as a wallpaper.
3. Control Music From Always On Display
The Always On Display shows useful information like the time, date, and battery level. You can now also control music directly from this screen.
For example, if you’re listening to Spotify with your phone locked and sitting on your desk, you can simply double tap the play, pause, next, or previous buttons on the Now Bar. There’s no need to unlock your phone or even turn on the screen. It all works right from the Always On Display.
4. Protect Battery Health with Custom Charging Limits
Earlier, you could choose between adaptive charging or a fixed 80% limit to protect your battery. With One UI 7, you can now set custom charging limits anywhere between 80% and 95%. This gives you more control, letting you charge a bit higher while still helping to reduce battery wear over time.
To enable it, go to Settings > Battery > Battery protection, choose Maximum, and pick your preferred charge limit. You can set it to 80, 85, 90, or 95 percent, depending on your needs.
5. Set Refresh Rate for Games
One UI 7 gives you more control over how your games run. You can now manually switch between 60Hz for better battery life or 120Hz for smoother gameplay, as long as the game supports it. Here’s how to set the refresh rate for games:
- Go to Settings > Advanced features.
- Scroll down and tap Game Booster settings.
- Tap Gaming motion smoothness. Choose your refresh rate.
6. Group Alarms Together
Let’s be honest. Most of us set multiple alarms for the same thing. I personally have about five alarms just to wake up in the morning because I tend to sleep through the first few. The annoying part is on days I don’t need them, I have to manually turn each one off. And later, switch them all back on.
With One UI 7, Samsung has introduced Alarm Groups. You can now create a group of alarms, like “Office,” with multiple times and control them all with a single switch. It is one of those features I didn’t know I needed until I used it.
To set it up, open the Clock app > three dots > Alarm groups > Add group.
7. More Audio Controls with the Volume Slider
In One UI 7’s updated Quick Settings panel, the brightness and volume sliders are stacked one below the other. The volume slider also doubles as a shortcut to additional audio settings.
Simply press and hold the volume slider to open a dedicated audio control screen. This interface brings several key audio options together, letting you quickly:
- Turn Dolby Atmos on or off
- Choose different sound modes, such as for music or movies
- Adjust the audio equalizer
- Access the Loudness Normalization settings
8. Loudness Normalization
Loudness Normalization helps prevent abrupt spikes or drops in volume when playing media. It works by keeping audio levels consistent across different content and apps, so you won’t be startled by sudden volume changes when switching between videos or apps.
Samsung first introduced this feature with One UI 6.1.1 on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, but it wasn’t available on older models. With One UI 7, it’s now rolling out to more devices.
To turn it on, go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Sound quality and effects > Loudness normalization.
9. Filter Notifications
One UI 7 helps you stay focused by automatically filtering out less important notifications. These lower-priority alerts are grouped at the bottom of your notification panel, so the ones that actually matter like new messages, emails, or calendar reminders appear at the top.
For example, routine messages such as “This app is running in the background” or “App installed successfully” are bundled together and moved out of the way to reduce clutter.
To turn this on, go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Filter notifications. From there, you can choose to filter out old notifications, background activity alerts, and minimized notifications.
10. Switch to the Old Notification Panel Style
With One UI 7, Samsung has introduced a split layout for the notification shade. Swiping down from the top right corner now opens the quick settings panel, while swiping from the left shows your notifications. You can also swipe left or right while in either panel to switch between them.
If you’re not a fan of this new setup, you can switch back to the classic unified layout. Just swipe down from the top right to open Quick Settings > tap pencil icon > Panel settings > choose Together.
You can also swap the position of the panels if you prefer to keep them split. Turning on Quick settings on left side places notifications on the right, which might be more convenient if you check them often. Personally, I find it easier to swipe down from the right to view alerts, rather than stretching my thumb all the way to the top left.
11. New Quick Settings Editor
As part of the update, Samsung has redesigned the Quick Settings editor that makes customizing toggles much easier. Just swipe down to open the Quick Settings panel, tap the pen icon, and drag items to rearrange them. You can move your most-used toggles to the top, hide the ones you don’t need, or even split them across pages.
For deeper customization, including transparency, layout, and clock visibility, check out the QuickStar module in Samsung’s Good Lock app.
12. Add a Search Tab in Gallery
The Samsung Gallery app already has a search icon at the top right, but it’s placed in the far corner and can be hard to reach on larger phones. One UI 7 introduces a hidden setting that lets you add a dedicated Search tab at the bottom of the screen, right next to Albums and Stories.
This makes the interface feel more like Google Photos, where you can quickly access your most important content from the bottom menu. To enable the Search tab:
- Open the Gallery app > tap Menu > Settings.
- Select About Gallery.
- Tap the version number multiple times until you see a message that says Gallery Labs enabled.
- Go back to Settings > Gallery Labs.
- Turn on Add search tab.
- Close the Gallery app from your recent apps and then reopen it.
You’ll now see a new Search tab at the bottom, making it easier to find photos using keywords. For example, searching “sunset” will instantly show all your sunset photos without digging through albums.
13. Use Galaxy AI With Google Keyboard
Earlier, Galaxy AI’s writing assist features were only available with the Samsung Keyboard. After updating, they now work with Google Keyboard as well.
To use it, highlight any text while typing with Gboard. You will see the Galaxy AI icon appear. Tap it to access tools like grammar and spelling correction, tone suggestions, summarization, and other helpful writing features directly within the keyboard.
14. Automatic Captcha Verification in Samsung Internet
Captchas are everywhere online, whether you’re logging into an account or submitting a form. They help block bots, but for real users, they can be frustrating. Some sites even use them to collect data before granting access.
With One UI 7, Samsung Internet now includes automatic captcha verification. This feature can handle many of these challenges for you, so you can skip the repetitive image clicks and checkbox puzzles.
If you’re signing into a website that uses reCAPTCHA, Samsung Internet may automatically verify it in the background, letting you move ahead without any extra steps.
To enable it, open Samsung Internet, go to Privacy > Smart anti-tracking > toggle on Automatic Verification.
15. Tune Your Animations With Home Up
Home Up, one of Samsung’s Good Lock modules, now lets you customize home screen gesture animations. You can choose between subtle, smooth transitions or faster, more dynamic effects. There’s even an option to manually adjust the animation speed and fine-tune how gestures respond.
Here’s how it works:
- Open Good Lock and install the Home Up module.
- Launch Home Up and go to Gesture Settings.
- Tap Home Gesture Animation Tuning.
- Choose a style: Classic, Elegance, Dynamic, or Sweet.
- Use Simple Tuning or dive into Advanced Tuning to tweak speed, damping, and stiffness.
That’s a wrap on One UI 7’s hidden gems. Got a favorite trick, or think we missed something? Drop it in the comments and let us know.
