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You’re locked out from using a top feature in latest Galaxy S24 software

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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's lock screen and timer.
Now Bar Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

An examination of the latest beta version of Samsung’s One UI 7 software tested on the Galaxy S24 series has revealed a top feature has been locked away inside, leaving it unable to be used at this time. The feature is the Now Bar, which works a little like Apple’s Dynamic Island, except it lives at the bottom of the lock screen.

The feature is included in the beta version of One UI 7 for the Galaxy S24 series, but it’s not available for use by anyone who installs the software at this time, according to Sam Mobile. It claims the Now Bar is part of the software, but access is restricted. However, if you’re willing to dig around inside the software using an app designed to reveal hidden features, the Now Bar is there for all to see. Its presence suggests the feature may be activated when One UI 7 is publicly released for the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra.

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The Now Bar is tied to the Now Brief feature, which is part of Samsung’s Galaxy AI software suite. The pair were hyped up for the Galaxy S25 series, and shown off in detail during the launch presentation, with the promise both would help organize your life and streamline your phone use. In reality, neither have quite fulfilled that promise yet. For Now Brief, you need to have a busy calendar and use your phone for everything for it to be an essential, while the Now Bar is hampered by limited third-party app support. 

Samsung is working on improving the amount of apps that work with the Now Bar, which will help make it more useful. The Now Bar itself is well-designed and works smoothly on the lockscreen, where it shows timers, music information, and other Samsung app data. It was feared Samsung would hold the Now Brief and Now Bar back for the Galaxy S25 series alone, but its presence inside the latest One UI 7 beta suggests it may bring at least this part of Galaxy AI to older models.

If it does, it opens the door for other Samsung mobile devices with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and other Galaxy devices released in 2024. We don’t have long until we find out if the Now Bar will be part of the full One UI 7 release, as Samsung will start sending it out to the Galaxy S24 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 from April 7. 

Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Former Senior Mobile Writer
Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.
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