I switched to a Samsung Galaxy; now this one Google feature feels outdated

I switched to a Samsung Galaxy; now this one Google feature feels outdated — here is a clear breakdown of what happened and why it matters right now.

The details below put the news in context: the key points first, the background after.

Since switching from the Xiaomi 15T, I’ve been rocking the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 as my new daily driver and the latest addition to my Android arsenal.

And more than refreshing hardware, I’ve been liking One UI 8.5 so far, but not for the smarter Bixby or the extended lock screen customizations. But it’s because of Now Brief.

It’s still a work in progress, but I didn’t expect to use it more often on my Flip phone than At a Glance and Google Discover on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Although I’m still waiting for Google to ship Daily Brief to more Pixel devices, Samsung’s Now Brief already shows a better implementation, and it’s one I wish Google would mirror.

Released last year with the Galaxy S25, it’s Samsung’s version of Google’s At a Glance, offering a quick snapshot of a personalized AI feed based on a range of content types.

Even with only a brief use, I already feel Samsung does a better job of designing the app and aggregating data in it.

My feed dynamically changes hourly or by phase throughout the day, depending on context, which is divided into three major blocks: morning, afternoon, and evening.

I get a Morning brief anytime before noon, a Midday brief from lunch to sunset, and a warm Evening brief at night.

There are also varying greetings depending on the weather and the feed, which adds a layer of personalization.

It’s a small touch but more thoughtful than only having static data like the usual weather and calendar feed.

The former adapts to real-time information, such as the status of a food delivery or a flight, while the latter is more of a single overview generated every morning.

Even in the presentation, Now Brief differs slightly from Daily Brief, which is tucked deep inside the Gemini app.

Now Brief’s access is on the lock screen and home screen as a widget or a shortcut in the Edge panel, so it can be accessed anytime.

While it’s accessible through the lock or home screen similar to At a Glance, I prefer it because it acts as a full widget.

This is unlike At a Glance, which has been a sticky widget that doesn’t support resizing or repositioning, leaving you with no options other than enabling or disabling it or toggling a high-contrast background.

From Bixby to bloatware — how well do you really know Samsung’s built-in app ecosystem?

What is the name of Samsung’s built-in voice assistant, first introduced on the Galaxy S8 in 2017?

What is the name of Samsung’s official app store, which serves as an alternative to the Google Play Store on Galaxy devices?

Samsung’s DeX feature, available on select Galaxy phones and tablets, is designed to do what?

Which of the following Samsung apps cannot be fully uninstalled on most Galaxy devices and can only be disabled at best?

What is Samsung Internet, and what rendering engine does it use?

Samsung’s Good Lock app is best described as which of the following?

Samsung Health was originally launched under a different name. What was it called before being rebranded?

What does Samsung’s Link to Windows (formerly ‘Phone Link’) feature primarily allow users to do?

In terms of the feed, Now Brief supports a wider variety of content.

I’m a fan of how the feed is presented inside the dashboard. And this is a major departure from At a Glance, which yanks you into whichever app you tapped.

In Now Brief, the cards are large and with high visibility graphics. I can also scroll through them vertically.

Some apps, like YouTube suggestions, allow you to browse recommendations by swiping the card left and right.

The news suggestions also change frequently and aren’t strictly aligned with the major time blocks. Instead, they update to more recent stories every time I open the app.

It’s frustrating that Google hasn’t figured this out with At a Glance or even Daily Brief, with the latter leaving you with a lengthy summary of text instead of easy-to-digest cards.

Now Brief supports a range of content and apps, but it leans heavily on first-party sources like Samsung’s Health, Calendar, Gallery, Wearable, and News.

Meanwhile, for cross-platform services, I can enable YouTube, Messages, Spotify, and travel insights through Gemini.

It also reorganizes the cards depending on priority, though it always puts the weather on top.

However, there’s a big constraint with Now Brief, and it hits hardest if you aren’t deeply tied to Samsung’s ecosystem, such as the Health app.

What I mostly get is the same repetitive set of cards: the weather forecast, news, a Spotify shortcut, and YouTube recommendations.

This is frustrating if you rely on alternative services like Google Fit or Health Connect for tracking health and fitness data.

for example, I don’t get health data despite setting up the app. I’m not sure if this is an algorithm bug or an exclusive feature locked behind connected Galaxy wearables like Galaxy Watches and fitness trackers.

Instead, I need to go to the dedicated Health widget on my home screen to see my health and fitness progress for the day.

Samsung has also shown in its presentation that you can get a wrap-up of health and fitness insights in the Evening brief, so this might be another function locked out in the app.

I’m interested to see how the feed of other content will play out if I have a Galaxy Watch paired with my Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Aside from the lack of Health insights, I haven’t seen any feed from communication and text messaging apps, despite having Android’s Messages app as my default.

Even after letting notifications and unread messages stack up, I still didn’t get a single card appearing in any of my briefings.

I start to question if there are restrictions in place, like region-exclusive features or an algorithm that needs to be trained before these feeds start to show.

I would also want to see Samsung improve the refresh rate of the other cards, such as News and YouTube.

Perhaps it could allow users to select which categories they want to include rather than relying on defaults.

Now Brief isn’t a perfect product, but it’s nice to see that Samsung knows what it is doing.

And even with these shortcomings, I feel it has more potential and direction than what Google has offered with the Pixel’s At a Glance for years, or with its fumbling with the Daily Hub turned into Daily Brief.

If Samsung can smooth out these rough edges and fix them, it will likely embarrass Google.