Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
I’ve used a lot of Nexus and Pixels in the past, but from 2019 until present, I’ve been a Samsung guy, owning the S10 Plus and every Ultra model from the S20 to the S24 series. A few months ago, I started thinking about switching to a Pixel for the first time since the Pixel 3 XL. After the Pixel 10 launched, I pulled the trigger and bought a 10 Pro. After six years in the realm of Samsung, switching from One UI to Google’s vision of Android has been a big adjustment. Some of those adjustments have been harder than others, and after a few weeks with my Pixel, these are the things I miss most from One UI.
Would the features in One UI prevent you from trying something else? 132 votes Yes 52 % No 30 % I don't own a Samsung 19 %
Samsung Clock
I didn’t expect Samsung’s Clock app to be one of the things I missed most, but One UI 7 added features I haven’t seen in any other clock app. Alarm groups are like folders on your home screen, letting you place multiple alarms in one place. Toggling all of the alarms in a group with the press of a single button saves time and is so much easier than having to scroll through a list of alarms to find the right ones.
Alarm groups prevent clutter, and that’s something I miss, especially with Google’s Material 3 Expressive redesign of its clock app. Google is apparently planning to address complaints, but for now, it feels like a mess.
Good Lock
Good Lock is a collection of modules that let you customise and modify different parts of how your phone looks and behaves. Theme Park enables you to customize app icons, either by creating your own designs or importing an icon pack downloaded from the Play Store. These custom icons are system-wide, so you’ll see them on the home screen, in the overview screen, and everywhere else you’d expect. Next, there’s Sound Assistant. As the name suggests, this module lets you modify what your phone does with sound. My favorite part of Sound Assistant is “control media with volume keys.” When enabled, long-pressing the volume keys with the screen off changes the track you’re listening to. I turn the touch controls for my earbuds off at night so I can lie on my side, and this made changing tracks more convenient because I didn’t have to open my eyes or wake my phone.
But what I miss above all else is One Hand Operation +. Abysmal name aside, this app changed how I navigated my phone for the six years I was using One UI. The module customises what swipes from the side of the screen do. Instead of just going back like every other Android phone, this app adds triggers for swiping straight out, diagonally up, and diagonally down. In my setup, which you can see in the recording above, swiping diagonally up opens the overview screen, swiping out goes back, and swiping diagonally down goes home. Having full navigation without stretching my thumb to the bottom of the screen was more comfortable, especially on larger phones.
Modes and Routines
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