Samsung introduced Live Notifications in the Now Bar with One UI 7, but they’re about to get better with One UI 8. These rival Apple’s Live Activities and offer ongoing activities more accessible via the lock screen and notification panel. However, there’s a downside to this, as only a handful of apps, covering just Samsung itself, were able to take advantage. This is about to change with the One UI 8. The update will reportedly allow any app to show a Live Notification in the Now Bar.
Live Notifications on One UI 8 Now Bar may support third-party apps
One UI 8 is based on the latest Android 16 OS and leverages the new ‘Live Updates’ feature. This uses a similar functionality to Live Notifications but works with third-party apps as well. At I/O 2025, Google confirmed that Samsung will integrate Live Updates into its Now Bar alongside Live Notifications.
One UI 8 beta 3 build offers a glimpse into this and what it looks like in action. As reported by Android Authority, there’s a new developer option called “Live notifications for all apps.” It’s possible the feature could be moved to standard settings when the stable rolls out. Either way, after toggling this, Live Updates from all compatible apps will begin appearing in Now Bar and One UI’s status bar just like Live Notifications.
In the current stage, there aren’t any publicly available apps that support Live Updates. Android Authority has used Google’s sample app to test the feature. The app shows live notifications for orders, rideshare progress, or live sports scores. These update in real-time, so you don’t have to unlock your phone every time.
One UI 8 looks to be on its way
Besides improvements to Live Notifications, One UI 8 may introduce an upgraded audio eraser, HDR screenshots, call captions to the Phone app, and a dynamic photo effect to still photos. Samsung is currently beta testing One UI 8 and is expected to land on the Galaxy S25 series soon. It will gradually expand to other models, ranging from flagships to mid-range models.
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