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The Return of the Card-Based Google Now: Samsung’s Now Bar Review

I still have fond memories of the card-based Google Now service, which was introduced in 2012. It was Google’s original assistant, and I thought it would revolutionize my smartphone experience by providing context-aware information when I needed it. Although it wasn’t perfect, it did its best to keep me on top of the few things I had to worry about back in high school. And then, in true Google fashion, it was gone.

But What’s Old is New Again

Years after card-based assistants were demoted in favor of voice assistants like Siri and Bixby, they’re back again. Apple was the first to the party with its Dynamic Island, but now Samsung has arrived with its own brand-new Now Bar. So, with a healthy dose of nostalgia, I decided to try the Now Bar on my Galaxy S25, and I think it’s made me a believer. Here’s why.

Do You Miss the Old-School Google Now Feed?

I’d say that the Now Bar feels closer to a take on OnePlus’s Live Alerts than Apple’s Dynamic Island, but it has advantages over both. The Now Bar is much easier to reach since it lives at the bottom of your screen, and it’s incredibly easy to use. You can quickly glance at the cards to see what’s going on, and tapping on a card will expand to give you more control over whatever is running without fully opening the app.

A Polished Experience

The Now Bar feels polished and refined, with a seamless integration with other Samsung features. It’s been easy enough to rely on the Now Bar when I leave my Galaxy S25 Ultra and come back to it, especially as it’s taken over for my OnePlus 13 as a go-to kitchen companion. I’m not worried about running a timer and streaming a Spotify playlist simultaneously, and Samsung’s cards stack far easier than those on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Not Perfect, But a Great Start

The Now Bar isn’t perfect, though. Although it’s incredibly easy to reach when your phone is locked, the cards shift to the notification shade in the top left corner of your display as soon as you unlock it. They might still be easy to reach if you have a smaller Galaxy S25, but it’s much harder on the Ultra. In fact, the Now Bar cards become even more challenging to reach than those on an iPhone or the OnePlus 13, which isn’t great.

A Few More Integrations Would Be Nice

Also, there are a few more features that I’m hoping will come to the Now Bar down the road. Although it can remind you that you should leave by a certain time to make it to an appointment, I’d sure like it to pick up support for train tickets or airline boarding passes from my Samsung Wallet. In fact, I’m kind of surprised that the two services don’t work closely together to get you from your front door to your gate.

Conclusion

Overall, I like Samsung’s one-two combination of the Now Bar and Now Brief. They work together just closely enough without being completely redundant, even if their similar names can be slightly confusing. The Now Bar is off to a great start, and I’m eager to keep exploring its features as my Galaxy S25 Ultra relearns my usage habits over the next few weeks.

Get Your Own Galaxy S25

If you want to try out the Now Bar for yourself, you can grab a new Galaxy S25 device below.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

• Snapdragon 8 Elite power
• 12GB RAM
• 7 years software support

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

• 100x zoom
• Big battery
• 7 years software support

Samsung Galaxy S25

• 12GB RAM
• Vastly improved software
• 7 years of support