Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 update introduced a notable new feature to Galaxy devices: Now Bar. It’s a distinct, pill-shaped interface element designed to enhance user interaction. Integrated into the lock screen, status bar, and AOD (Always on Display), Now Bar provides quick, dynamic access to essential information like notifications and multimedia controls.
You can see snippets of information on AOD without fully waking your device. In fact, Now Bar in One UI 7 allows you to control media from AOD. Likewise, the pill-shaped UI element at the bottom of the lock screen offers easy access to live information from various apps. Now Bar’s expandable Live Notifications pill in the status bar also makes it easy to get a glance at ongoing activities on your phone.
Long story short, Now Bar streamlines access to notifications, contextual information, and multimedia controls, integrating them seamlessly into your daily device usage. However, not everyone may like to see a persistent pill on their lock screen or AODs. Thankfully, there’s a way to disable it. If you find One UI 7’s Now Bar distracting or simply prefer a cleaner look, follow the steps below to remove it.
How to disable Now Bar from Always on Display in One UI 7?
While there’s no universal way to remove Now Bar from across the system, Samsung offers a few different options so you can manage this new function according to your liking. We’ll start with the steps to remove it from AOD (this doesn’t affect Now Bar’s functionality on the lock screen and status bar).
- Open the Settings app on your Galaxy device running One UI 7
- Navigate to the Lock screen and AOD menu
- Tap on the Always On Display text (not the main toggle switch)
- Find the Show Now bar option and toggle the switch to the OFF position
This specific setting isolates the change to the AOD, leaving the Now Bar active elsewhere. For users who wish to turn off the Now Bar entirely across the AOD, lock screen, and status bar, the process is slightly complex. We have explained it below.
How to remove Now Bar completely from your device?
Currently, there isn’t a single master switch to remove or disable Now Bar from One UI 7. However, you can individually disable the types of content it shows, so nothing appears on the Now Bar, virtually stopping it from appearing on the lock screen and status bar (you have already disabled it on AOD). Follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app on your Galaxy device running One UI 7
- Navigate to the Lock screen and AOD menu
- Select Now Bar
- Under the “Live notifications” section, tap View more to see all categories
- Now, manually turn OFF the toggle switch for all categories
By disabling all its potential content sources, Now Bar will no longer appear anywhere. Note that this removes Now Bar from both the lock screen and the status bar. You don’t have the option to keep it on the lock screen and remove it from the status bar, or vice versa. You get separate controls only for Now Bar in AOD. We will see whether Samsung will introduce more granular controls for Now Bar in One UI 8.
