The Galaxy S25 series is now official, and so is Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 update. It introduces several exciting features, with Now Bar being one of the standout additions. It’s a new dynamic element that integrates app and task shortcuts directly onto the lock screen. While it’s an extremely useful feature, Samsung may not bring it to budget and mid-range Galaxy phones, at least not in its current form. Even the FE lineup may miss out on it.
Mid-range Galaxy phones and Now Bar: A design conflict
Now Bar enhances your mobile experience with quick access to active apps and tasks. On flagships, it doubles up as an AI-powered assistant pulling up relevant information depending on the time of the day and your activities. Samsung calls this part Now Brief. While we don’t expect Now Brief to be available on mid-range phones, they could also miss out on Now Bar.
The biggest challenge lies in hardware design — specifically, the placement of the optical under-display fingerprint scanner. Flagships like the Galaxy S25 Ultra feature an ultrasonic scanner that is placed higher on the display, leaving enough room for the Now Bar to occupy the bottom portion of the screen without interference.
On mid-range devices like the Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy A55, however, the fingerprint scanner is positioned much lower, potentially overlapping with the Now Bar’s intended area. Since Now Bar is designed to provide quick access to music controls and other active apps, the positioning of the fingerprint scanner on mid-range devices could cause usability issues. Users might inadvertently activate the Now Bar instead of unlocking their phone or vice versa.
Samsung could solve this issue by dynamically positioning the Now Bar on the lock screen. Galaxy users could move the UI element higher up the lock screen to accommodate devices with optical fingerprint scanners. However, we doubt the company will do it. One UI 7 should be available for eligible Galaxy devices starting in February. Time will tell if Now Bar is part of the update for the Galaxy S24 FE and the like.
