Samsung finally ships quickstar customizations – but with a catch
Samsung’s long-awaited QuickStar update is finally rolling out, bringing the promised customization options to the Quick Panel on One UI 8.5. After months of teases and a frustratingly slow rollout, Galaxy users can now tweak their experience—but there’s a significant limitation that’s likely to frustrate many.
The features you’ve been waiting for
The v10.0.04.26 update, first spotted by SamMobile, introduces a suite of welcome changes. Users can now adjust the landscape layout, control bar level display, panel item resizing, and overall panel style. These tweaks, while seemingly minor, represent a significant step toward a more personalized user experience—something Samsung has been promising for quite some time.
While the update is available through the Galaxy Store, the real issue isn't the availability of the features themselves, but rather who can actually use them. The customization options are exclusively available on One UI 8.5 builds, effectively locking out users on older software versions. Attempting to sideload the APK, as some enterprising users have tried, proves fruitless.
A familiar tale of delayed delivery
Samsung initially teased these features back in January, and the protracted delay—nearly four months—is par for the course in the tech world. Apple's recent rollout of Apple Intelligence, riddled with missing Siri functionalities, serves as a sobering reminder that even the biggest names in the industry struggle to deliver on their promises promptly. But Samsung’s situation is complicated by the artificial limitations they’ve imposed.
The real sting isn’t the delay itself, but Samsung’s deliberate gatekeeping. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that this is a calculated move to nudge users towards upgrading to the latest software builds — and, of course, newer hardware. While this isn’t entirely unprecedented, it feels particularly cynical given the relatively minor software requirements for accessing these modifications.
To access these new settings, users with One UI 8.5 must download the Good Lock app from the Galaxy Store and add the QuickStar plugin. Once activated, users need to navigate to Advanced Settings within QuickStar and toggle on “Resize panel items” and “Show bar levels.” A pencil icon then unlocks further customization options within the Quick Panel edit menu.
Better late than never, perhaps. But the restrictions on access highlight a broader trend: manufacturers increasingly prioritize pushing users towards the latest models, even if it means withholding features from existing devices. The question remains: how much longer will consumers tolerate this strategy?