Samsung Updates Now Bar with Animated Goal Celebrations for FIFA World Cup 2026

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Samsung is adding a little more excitement to live sports updates on Galaxy devices. A new Always On Display (AOD) update introduces animated soccer goal celebrations and enhanced match visuals for Google Sports in Now Bar. The update arrives just as anticipation builds for the FIFA World Cup 2026, promising a more immersive lock screen experience for football (soccer) fans.

Now Bar score updates get more engaging ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026

Now Bar already integrates Google Sports to bring live sports scores and updates to your Galaxy’s lock screen or AOD. Samsung is now updating its AOD app to make the experience more engaging, especially for soccer updates. According to official release notes, the new version brings dedicated animations for soccer goal celebrations and other key match moments.

The timing of the update is particularly noteworthy. The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins in a couple of days (the first match kicks off on Friday, June 11), and Samsung is refining the Now Bar experience for soccer fans ahead of that. Galaxy users now get visually enhanced updates instead of simple text notifications when a goal is scored or another significant event occurs during the match (see images below).

Interestingly, the latest version of Samsung’s Always On Display app (v8.9.36.23) doesn’t appear to bring anything more. Well, the update may contain hidden bug fixes and optimizations, but Samsung hasn’t confirmed any other user-facing change. The company clearly tailored this update to the FIFA World Cup 2026, one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

That said, you should install this update even if you are not a soccer fan or do not plan to follow the upcoming World Cup closely. It’s always a good idea to install new updates when available. You can check for Samsung app updates on the Galaxy Store.

Written by

Sumit Adhikari

Sumit, a life-long Samsung user, is passionate about technology and has been professionally writing on tech since 2017. He’s a mathematics graduate by education and enjoys teaching basic mathematics tricks to school kids in his spare time. Sumit believes in artificial intelligence and dreams of a fully open, intelligent and connected world.

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