Samsung’s new notification tray in One UI 7 sucks, nevertheless it would not need to

I have been utilizing the Galaxy S25 Extremely as my day by day driver since Galaxy Unpacked. On the entire, it is one other stable — albeit acquainted — entry in Samsung’s assortment of S Pen-equipped flagships, with an enormous deal with software program and AI options somewhat than a {hardware} revolution. Personally, whereas I discovered myself annoyed with Galaxy AI, One UI 7 is one other story. The vertical app drawer alone makes utilizing any of Samsung’s gadgets way more interesting, permitting the platform to really feel extra consistent with most different takes on Android.

That mentioned, One UI 7 is way from excellent. After dwelling with its closing type for 3 weeks now, I’ve obtained my share of nitpicks, and none of them rank larger than what Samsung did to its notification tray. Like Motorola, Asus, and several other different corporations earlier than it, the Galaxy S25 collection ships with notifications and fast settings cut up into two separate pages, following Apple’s design from the iPhone X practically eight years in the past. Samsung’s sheer market share, nonetheless, means that is prone to be the primary time tens of millions of Android followers see this kind of format, and I’ve a fairly sturdy feeling they are not going to be joyful.

Understanding why this cut up design in One UI 7 is so irritating took me some severe time to determine, however after a few weeks — and, crucially, just a few days of swapping again to the previous format, which does nonetheless exist — I feel I’ve cracked the case. Let me clarify.

One UI 7’s notification drawback is a matter of inches

Or, maybe, fractions of these inches

Whereas I can solely converse to my very own private expertise on the Galaxy S25 Extremely, checking my notifications — or, for that matter, toggling something on One UI’s fast panel — has been fairly irritating. Continuously, I am going to swipe down from the top-right nook, anticipating to see my numerous custom-made toggles, solely to search out myself watching a clean notification tray. Different instances, I am going to suppose I am swapping all the way down to entry a notification, solely to search out I am too far to the best. That is regardless of Samsung’s directions inside its panel settings, which declare a swipe from the “prime proper nook” is all it takes to view your fast settings, whereas swiping down from some other portion of the standing bar opens notifications.

It is that observe that lastly clued me into why I discover Samsung’s format so irritating the place, say, Apple — the plain inspiration behind this variation, let’s be utterly trustworthy right here — succeeds. It isn’t simply because the iPhone’s Dynamic Island (and, in prior generations, its digicam notch) takes up far more room than Samsung’s front-facing digicam, although that is actually part of it. On the iPhone, you recognize with full confidence that you just’re swiping down from the left or proper facet of Apple’s selfie cutout. There isn’t a ambiguity, no irritating shock, in the best way I’ve discovered on the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

However in my eyes, it isn’t so easy. As an alternative, Samsung’s drawback is that the dividing line between the short panel and notifications lies to the best of its gap punch. It is utterly arbitrary, invisible to the bare eye, however utilizing a makeshift ruler and the handy-dandy S Pen, I used to be capable of decide precisely the place a swipe down from the standing bar converts from one web page to a different. Shock: It is nowhere close to the top-right nook Samsung tells its customers to swipe down from, and on a tool as giant because the Galaxy S25 Extremely, being imprecise about this house is a reasonably large drawback.

Within the above photograph, I’ve marked on my planner’s built-in ruler precisely the place the division lies inside fractions of an inch. I did so by utilizing Air view with the S Pen to see precisely the place my pointer would land on the standing bar. From that proper nook, you possibly can transfer as much as 13/16ths of an inch to the left and nonetheless activate the short settings menu. At 7/8ths of an inch, nonetheless, One UI transitions to the notification tray.

That leaves a further half-inch house on the Galaxy S25 Extremely the place you are capable of activate notifications, even if you happen to could be attempting to achieve your fast panel. Likewise, delivering practically an inch of house exterior that top-right nook virtually ensures that, not less than occasionally, you may swipe down from the improper facet of that divide, activating fast settings somewhat than viewing your notifications. It’s, sadly, extraordinarily irritating.

Lest I sound too destructive, I do recognize a few the choices right here. Samsung does mean you can swap again to the previous, mixed format, although that toggle might finally disappear for good. It is also doable to swap the 2 sides, locking notifications to the top-right nook as an alternative. Whereas I discovered this to be the extra snug expertise, I can not fake it is significantly pleasant or snug, particularly on the semi-rare event the place I am holding the system in my left hand, nor does it clear up the inherent drawback of undescribed boundaries.

Samsung can enhance notifications and fast settings in One UI 7

It simply must make one of some key modifications

Wanting Samsung adopting a real Dynamic Island clone on the Galaxy S26 — hey, by no means say by no means — the corporate does nonetheless have just a few choices to enhance this format forward of One UI 7’s broader launch. The obvious answer is so as to add some type of visible marker, indicating precisely the place it is best to swipe to load notifications or fast settings. This might act as some type of small indent within the standing bar, although that feels extra like a placeholder repair than something.

Samsung might go full Apple right here, locking both the short panel or notifications to the left and proper facet of the digicam cutout, relying on consumer settings. The Galaxy S25 Extremely’s footprint is almost equivalent to that of the iPhone 16 Professional Max, so asking customers to achieve all the best way throughout that huge 6.9-inch show is not out of the query. Frankly, although, I do not significantly like Apple’s method on the iPhone — particularly on bigger iPhones — and I might wish to see Samsung draw back from that right here.

The best choice, in my eyes, is to have fast settings truly carry out because the panel edit software describes. Make it so the swipe has to be inward diagonally from the top-right nook, and go away the remainder of the standing bar for notification entry. Mixed with both visible or haptic suggestions — or, frankly, each — we might be taking a look at an answer that lets Samsung have its cake and eat it too. I can solely converse for myself, however I entry my notification tray way more usually than I have to toggle Wi-Fi on or off.

To a sure extent, although, I can not assist however really feel like these are non permanent options to an odd drawback. As I discussed, Samsung is not alone right here — even Google is engaged on a possible cut up redesign for these two pages. However with an viewers the dimensions of, effectively, the galaxy, Samsung is certain to have essentially the most affect on how customers expertise loading notifications in Android, and proper now, I am unsure it is a significantly good implementation. On the very least, let’s hope the choice for a mixed web page, which solves the issue completely, by no means goes away.