One UI 8.5 adds a useful call privacy feature to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover display

One of the biggest advantages of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phones is how much you can do from the cover display. This is especially true on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which has a cover screen that takes up almost the entire front of the phone when it's closed.

From the cover display, you can access widgets, run full apps, take high-quality selfies using the rear cameras, and even handle phone calls without unfolding the device. However, taking calls on the cover display has a drawback: there’s no earpiece on that side, so the phone plays calls on the speakers.

This can be problematic if you want privacy, especially in quiet or public places where conversations can be overheard or disturb people around you. Unfolding the phone or avoiding the call altogether defeats the purpose of having such a capable cover screen.

With the One UI 8.5 update, Samsung is adding a solution. When taking a call on the cover display, the call screen includes a Low Volume button. Pressing it instantly lowers the call volume to the lowest level that’s normally possible using the volume buttons. Tapping the button again restores the previous volume level.

The feature doesn’t introduce a new audio mode. Instead, it acts as a shortcut that removes the need to fumble with the volume buttons when you realize a call is too loud, particularly in quiet environments. The phone also remembers the low-volume setting. You don’t have to press the button every time you take a call on the cover display.

We were able to test this feature on the Flip 7 using an early build of One UI 8.5. It's unclear whether Samsung will also bring this feature to older Flip models, though there isn't any technical limitation preventing it.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 could get the One UI 8.5 beta in the coming weeks, though Samsung hasn’t confirmed this at the time of writing. We’ll let you know if that changes, so stay tuned.