For years, Samsung Galaxy users have navigated a fairly static experience when swiping down from the top of their screens. However, the arrival of One UI 7 has introduced a significant shift in how users interact with their devices, offering a choice between a unified panel and separate Notification and Quick panels.
The separate layout is a welcome addition for those who prefer a streamlined workflow: a swipe on the left side of the status bar brings down notifications, whereas a swipe on the right opens the Quick settings. It feels intuitive, but there is a hidden technical detail most users overlook. The status bar isn’t actually split 50-50. By default, Samsung utilizes a 70-30 split, giving the notification gesture significantly more real estate than the Quick panel.
While this default balance works for the average user, it can feel off-center for those with specific habits or those using larger devices like the S24 Ultra or the Z Fold series. The good news is that you can fully customize One UI separate Notification and Quick panels to fit your specific grip and reach, provided you have the right tools installed.
The hidden logic of the status bar split
In the world of user interface (UI) design, “hit boxes” determine where a gesture is registered. Samsung’s decision to lean toward a 70-30 ratio suggests a priority on notification management over quick toggles. For most, this means you can swipe almost anywhere on the left and center of the screen to see your alerts, but you must be more precise when aiming for the Quick panel on the right.
For power users, this asymmetry can lead to “mis-swipes,” where a user intends to toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth but accidentally pulls down their notifications. Because this setting is buried deep within Samsung’s enthusiast-tier software, it isn’t found in the standard Settings menu. To change this, you necessitate to dive into the Good Lock ecosystem.
How to adjust your panel ratio with Good Lock
Good Lock is Samsung’s official customization suite, designed for users who want a level of granularity that would otherwise overwhelm the general population. Once a regional restriction-free global rollout was completed, the app became available to nearly all Galaxy users via the Galaxy Store.
To modify the split ratio, you will specifically need the QuickStar module. This module is dedicated to the status bar and notification area, allowing you to hide icons, change clock positions, and, most importantly, redefine gesture boundaries.
Follow these steps to reclaim control of your status bar:
- Download and install Good Lock from the Galaxy Store.
- Open the app and locate the QuickStar module; download and install it if it isn’t already present.
- Launch QuickStar and toggle the switch to ON.
- Navigate to Advanced settings.
- Locate the Split panel ratio option.
Once you enter the Split panel ratio menu, you will see a slider that represents the current balance of your screen. As you move the slider, the status bar at the top of your phone will update in real time, using two different shades of blue to visually demonstrate exactly where the “invisible line” between notifications and quick settings sits.
Precision tuning for every grip
The level of control provided here is surprisingly deep. Samsung allows adjustments in 1% increments, meaning you aren’t limited to a few presets. You can push the ratio to extremes—such as 90-10 or 10-90—effectively giving one panel almost the entire width of the screen if that suits your ergonomics.
This is particularly useful for one-handed users. If you primarily use your right thumb to navigate, expanding the Quick panel’s hit box to a 50-50 or 40-60 split can reduce the amount of finger-stretching required to access your most-used toggles.
Beyond the ratio, these tweaks are part of a broader trend in Android skins toward “hyper-personalization.” By offloading these settings to Good Lock, Samsung keeps the core OS clean for novices while giving former software engineers and tech enthusiasts the “under-the-hood” access they crave.
Why gesture granularity matters
While adjusting a slider by a few percentage points might seem trivial, it represents a fundamental aspect of accessibility and user experience (UX). When a device grows to 6.7 inches or larger, the “reachability” of the top-right corner becomes a genuine pain point. By shifting the split ratio, you are essentially moving the software to meet your hand, rather than forcing your hand to meet the software.
| Configuration | Notification Area | Quick Panel Area | Best For… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default (70-30) | Large | Small | General usage / Notification heavy |
| Balanced (50-50) | Medium | Medium | Symmetrical preference |
| Quick-Centric (30-70) | Small | Large | Power users / Heavy toggle usage |
| Extreme (10-90) | Minimal | Maximum | Specific accessibility needs |
This level of customization ensures that the separate panel layout in One UI 7 is more than just a visual change—it is a functional tool that can be optimized for any hand size or usage pattern.
As Samsung continues to refine One UI 7, further updates to the Good Lock suite are expected to introduce even more gesture-based customizations. Users should preserve an eye on the Galaxy Store for module updates that may further enhance the interaction between the status bar and the home screen.
Do you prefer the unified panel or the separate layout? Let us know in the comments how you’ve tuned your Galaxy device.
