Samsung’s One UI 7 update is bringing a wave of enhancements to Galaxy devices, and while major changes often grab the headlines, sometimes it’s the smaller tweaks that significantly improve daily use. One such delightful discovery is a new level of interaction baked directly into the Always On Display (AOD) that music lovers would love. You can now control media playback directly from AOD, without waking the screen.
Control music playback from AOD in One UI 7
Until now, Samsung’s AOD only showed music playback information — things like song titles and album art. Tapping the screen wouldn’t do much; you’d still need to unlock your phone or access the lock screen to play, pause, or skip tracks. That changes with One UI 7 and the introduction of the Now Bar.
With the Now Bar enabled, Galaxy users can now control playback directly from AOD. A simple double-tap on the play/pause or skip buttons is all it takes — and here’s the best part: it doesn’t wake the screen or require unlocking your phone. This might sound small, but it’s a big usability boost if you’re someone who listens to music or podcasts throughout the day.
Note that a single tap on media controls does nothing, which is likely a thoughtful implementation to avoid false touches. You have to carefully tap the buttons twice in quick succession to change tracks or play/pause the song. We can confirm that this feature works on both midrange and flagship models. In fact, it should work on every Galaxy device running One UI 7.
Meanwhile, if you find One UI 7’s Now Bar an unnecessary distraction, Samsung lets you remove it from AOD. Simply go to Settings, tap Lock screen and AOD, tap Always On Display (the text part), and toggle the Show Now bar switch to OFF. This will remove Now Bar from AOD without affecting its functionality elsewhere.
