One UI 8 Adds WhatsApp Call Controls to Now Bar and Live Activities

With Google gearing up to release Android 16, Samsung has ramped up its One UI 8 development. An updated internal beta build recently surfaced on its servers, hinting at a nearing public beta release. While we haven’t spotted anything notable in the latest build, we can confirm that One UI 8 supports WhatsApp calls in Now Bar and Live activities.

Now Bar in One UI 8 supports WhatsApp calls with action buttons

Now Bar, a pill-shaped UI element at the bottom of the lock screen, offers quick access to various apps and tasks, including ongoing calls. Live activities are sort of an extension of this feature in the status bar when the device is unlocked. You get an expandable pill in the status bar showing active tasks or live information from apps.

In One UI 8, these UI elements let you access your WhatsApp calls. The feature worked for us in the internal beta version ZYEJ for the Galaxy S25 Ultra — the latest internal beta build carries firmware version ZYEP. You can see the feature in action in the screenshots below.

As you can see, the expanded Live activities pill for WhatsApp calls in One UI 8 includes a hang-up button. This is part of Samsung’s effort to enhance the functionality of Now Bar. Earlier leaks have revealed that One UI 8 will add active call controls to Now Bar. Currently, Galaxy users can only see their ongoing calls with no access to hang up, mute, or other action buttons.

Additionally, One UI 8 integrates Now Bar and Android 16’s Live Updates, enabling support for more third-party apps. We’ll explore the latest internal build and let you know if there are any notable changes. Meanwhile, if you are not a fan of Now Bar, here’s how you can remove it from your One UI 7 device.