AssembleDebug / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung’s first One UI 8 Watch beta update brings the Now Bar to Galaxy Watches.
- The Now Bar displays snippets of relevant info on your lock screen, such as the stopwatch, music info, and more.
Samsung has just released the first One UI 8 Watch beta update, which brings various additions and improvements to Galaxy Watch models. The new software also brings a popular feature to smartwatches.
The One UI 8 Watch beta changelog revealed that the Now Bar is available in this software. The Now Bar offers snippets of relevant info on your lock screen. On Galaxy phones, it can show details like your device’s charging status, a stopwatch, sports scores, mapping directions, music playback, and more.
Telegram users That Josh Guy and Jason posted screenshots of the Now Bar in action on Galaxy Watches, giving us a good idea of how it works. The images show that music playback, timers, and stopwatches are supported at the very least. The screenshots also confirm that the Now Bar lets you omit text and only have an app icon appear.
Interestingly, the Now Bar in One UI Watch 8 seems functionally similar to a One UI Watch 7 feature. Watches running One UI Watch 7 display an icon at the bottom of the screen, and tapping this icon will open a new menu showing your current activities (e.g., stopwatch, and music). Check out the current feature in the video below.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the Now Bar coming to Galaxy Watches, though. We first discovered evidence of the feature and Now Brief coming to smartwatches last month. Nevertheless, we’re glad Now Bar is available in One UI 8 Watch, as we thought it was perfect for watches.
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