The upcoming One UI 7.0 update for Samsung phones is said to bring some useful features that have been part of iOS for a while, including Live Activities.
One UI 7.0 could be the biggest upgrade to Samsung’s One UI skin yet. The South Korean manufacturer is reportedly working on several tweaks to the interface, including more colorful icons and a possible new layout for the app drawer. Chun Bhai, who previously leaked information about One UI 7.0, reports via X that Samsung also copies two features from iOS: Dynamic Island and Live Activities.
Live Activities on Samsung Phones
Bhai doesn’t provide any details in his X post about what Dynamic Island and Live Activities will look like on Samsung phones. In iOS, the two features are linked – you can monitor the status of Live Activities, such as a Deliveroo delivery, via Dynamic Island. Apple also introduced a Live Activities widget that appears on the lock screen, so you can monitor the status without having to unlock your phone every time.
Only time will tell which apps and services can and will use the Live Activities feature in One UI. No matter how big Samsung is as a manufacturer, these are features that you will not find on other Android smartphones. As a result, developers have to develop the features exclusively for Samsung devices with One UI 7.0 and later.
New Samsung Camera App
Chun previously shared images of the new Samsung Camera app in One UI 7.0. In the revamped camera app, all controls have been moved to the bottom of the screen. Currently, the screen with additional camera modes still takes up the entire screen. The settings for the resolution and aspect ratio also get a new layout and move to the bottom of the screen, above the shutter button.
It seems that Samsung is once again putting accessibility high on the agenda. The One UI shell was once launched as the software shell that would make it easier to operate phones with one hand. In recent years, that idea has increasingly faded into the background.
One UI 7.0 Unveiled
It remains to be seen when Samsung will reveal its new Android skin. According to earlier rumors, Samsung wants to release the beta version in late July or early August. It will then take until sometime in October or November before the first stable updates roll out. These usually come first to flagship phones such as the Galaxy S24 and Z Flip and Z Fold devices.