Samsung has been focusing on the stable One UI 8.5 rollout, but it seems they are also working on the release of One UI 9. The Korean company has officially announced the One UI 9 beta release for select countries and Galaxy phones.
The just-concluded One UI 8.5 beta program shows Samsung has begun beta testing for its upcoming iteration with its latest flagship phones. They will make testing exclusive to these phones until towards the stable release, before expanding it to other models. We believe they will use the same approach for the One UI 9 beta program.
Samsung confirms One UI 9 beta release
While the One UI 9 beta program has yet to go live, we expect Galaxy S26 phones to receive the update later this week. Unfortunately, Samsung has limited eligibility to a few regions and only the latest S-series phones. It means only the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra will be eligible for the preview.
Additionally, only users in the UK, the US, Germany, Poland, and South Korea are eligible to join the One UI 9 Beta program. Samsung has already created a forum for the beta update in these countries on its official community, which is where you can register to be part of the program.
One UI 9 is based on Android 17, which is set to roll out for Pixel phones in the coming weeks. We already know all the features it will bring, and almost all of them will be available to Samsung phone users with One UI 9. These include improved creative tools, enhanced customization options, and some AI-powered features.
Samsung will make the Quick Panel more customizable by giving users control over its layout. They will be able to adjust brightness, volume, and media player controls independently. Perhaps, One UI 9 will finally introduce AirDrop support via Quick Share for many Galaxy phones.
Additionally, we expect robust protection against suspicious apps, improved early detection of high-risk apps, and even recommendations to delete through policy updates. Google is already taking measures to ensure users are not coerced into installing malicious apps.
With the rollout expected to begin in the coming days, we will learn about all the features coming with the update. The first beta build will show us everything we need to know in terms of the features we are expecting. Additionally, it will give the company time to sort out issues before the stable release.
via: SamMobile
