Chinese brands start copying One UI’s amazing lock screen feature

Samsung introduced major UI design changes with One UI 7. It also debuted new features like Now Bar and Now Brief, which display relevant information based on time and context. It now appears that some Chinese smartphone brands have taken a liking to Now Bar and are working on a similar feature for their in-house software.

OPPO is expected to unveil the next version of its smartphone software, ColorOS 16.1, in China today. The company recently released a teaser video (via X user @sunnny1583) highlighting new features and UI changes, including a Now Bar-like element. This feature is reportedly called “Lockscreen Island.”

It is a pill-shaped UI element that appears at the bottom of the lock screen, positioned between the two shortcuts. It can be expanded with a tap to show more information.

Based on the teaser, Lockscreen Island can display updates from several stock apps, including Calendar, Clock (alarm and timer), e-book reader, OPPO Health, Maps, Phone, Music Player, Timer, Torch, and Weather. Users can swipe left or right to switch between different activities.

OnePlus devices run OxygenOS, which is based on OPPO’s ColorOS. So, OxygenOS 16.1 is expected to include the same feature.

In comparison, Samsung’s Now Bar can display ongoing information from a wide range of apps and services in One UI 8.5. They are listed below.

Samsung is expected to further expand the capabilities of Now Bar and Now Brief with the upcoming One UI 9 update.