Samsung’s One UI 7 introduced the Now Bar and its Live Notifications, which drew inspiration from Apple’s Live Activities. While these notifications demonstrated promise with their sleek design and functionality, they remained limited to a select number of Samsung’s own applications.
However, exciting developments were confirmed with the One UI 8 beta, as discovered by Android Authority’s Zachary Kew-Denniss. Samsung plans to utilize Android 16’s newly available “Live Updates” system to enhance the Now Bar.
These Live Updates, first unveiled at Google I/O, provide developers a standardized method to deliver real-time, persistent updates directly to the status bar and lock screen, as well as integrate into Samsung’s Now Bar. This means users can receive instantaneous updates on food delivery times, rideshare progress, or live sports scores—all without needing to unlock their devices.
Android Authority’s recent observations during the One UI 8 Beta 3 release have revealed a noteworthy feature: a developer option titled “Live notifications for all apps.” When activated, this setting will allow any compatible third-party app using Android 16’s Live Updates APIs to integrate with Samsung’s Live Notification system. As of now, there are no supported apps outside of Google’s sample code, but this indicates a promising future as One UI 8 approaches a stable release.
Looking ahead, Samsung’s plans extend beyond smartphones; the ongoing One UI 8 Watch beta suggests that the Now Bar may also arrive on Galaxy smartwatches, likely incorporating Live Updates by 2026. This aligns with Google’s road map for launching Live Updates on Wear OS following its initial rollout across Android devices.
If successful, One UI 8 could transform the Now Bar into a truly dynamic, system-wide notification framework, ultimately benefiting users across their device ecosystem. All that remains is for third-party apps to catch up.
Leave a Reply