Just a week ago, Samsung finally expanded its One UI 7 beta to phones outside of the Galaxy S24 series, which includes the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The update brings more or less the same changes that we’ve seen on Samsung’s phones, including an updated UI, the new Now Bar, and more. However, there’s one change in particular that caught my attention, and it feels like Samsung is taking the right steps toward improving the cover screen experience.
I’m talking about using apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 cover screen. This has always been a pain point for me with Samsung’s flip phones, as the company hides this function behind menus and severely limits the built-in functionality to allow just a handful of apps on the cover screen. That is unless you know how to download Good Lock and install the MultiStar module, which allows users to add a new panel with access to almost any app on their phone.
The problem is that not everyone who picks up the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is going to know this, and I’ve had to explain this process to a few people I’ve run into with the phone, who are always surprised to learn that they can do so much more on their external display. I feel like it’s a missed opportunity on Samsung’s part because there’s so much more screen to take advantage of.
With the One UI 7 beta, Samsung takes a small but important step toward remedying this. In the Labs menu, where you can enable cover screen apps, I noticed a large “Get MultiStar” button that sends users directly to the module in the Galaxy Store. Above the button is a short description that reads: “Download and install MultiStar to allow more apps on the cover screen.”
The button will essentially bypass the Good Lock app and take users straight to the source. After it is installed, users can go to the Cover screen menu, where they can enable the Launcher widget under MultiStar. Alternatively, users can hit that same “Get MultiStar” button from before, which will take them straight to the Launcher editor, where they can select the apps they want on their cover screen.
The overall experience of using apps on the cover screen hasn’t really changed much, which is a little disappointing, given how One UI 7 has revamped so much of the overall user experience. For example, there’s still no way to multitask, you’ll actually need the app present on the Launcher for it to open via a notification, and you’ll still need to open the phone for certain tasks. It’s still an inferior experience to the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, which lets you use apps on the cover screen out of the box and without going through hoops to make it happen.
That said, something as simple as adding a button can go a long way toward making more people aware of what the Galaxy Z Flip 6 can do without even opening the phone. Short of completely revamping the entire cover screen experience, this is the kind of awareness I’ve been hoping to see from Samsung.
There are rumors that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will feature a more expansive cover screen, which could measure at least 3.6 inches or be as big as the one on the Razr Plus 2024. This is also a good sign that Samsung could be working towards rethinking its cover screen strategy from being completely panel-focused to giving users more freedom with the smaller display.
As much as I love the Motorola Razr, I really hope that Samsung takes this small change even further with the next major update and fully embraces cover screen apps without the need for the MultiStar app. This could make the upcoming flip phone battle between Motorola and Samsung much more interesting when the Razr 2025 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 launch later this year.