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Just because you don't have a book on you doesn't mean you have to stop reading. All you need is your phone to try out social media apps for book lovers and find the next book you want to read.
Based on what has been leaked so far about Samsung’s upcoming One UI 7.0, it will bring a major overhaul to Samsung devices that we haven’t seen in the past few versions. A lot of details have surfaced online, some concrete and some still just rumors. Here’s everything we know about One UI 7 and all the features we can expect from Samsung’s new Android skin.
Samsung Officially Confirms Stable One UI 7 Update Will Be Released In April
Currently, the only Samsung device running a stable One UI 7 update is the Galaxy S25 series, which was launched earlier this year. With the exception of the recently launched Galaxy F06, which runs a stripped-down version of One UI 7 called One UI Core—designed specifically for budget phones—no other Samsung device has received a stable One UI update.
While Samsung has not officially commented on the roadmap for the stable One UI 7 release, it was recently reported that a few more beta updates will be released before the stable release. Finally, Samsung has officially spoken up and brought good news to Galaxy users who have been waiting for the stable One UI 7 update.
In an official post on the company's internal news site, Samsung not only confirmed the beta program for older Galaxy models like the Galaxy Z Flip6, Fold6, Galaxy S23 series, Tab S10 series, and A55, but also shared that the stable One UI 7 update will start rolling out in April. The first device to receive the stable One UI 7 update will be the Galaxy S24 series.
As for the beta program, the One UI 7 beta program for the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 will start on March 6 in India, Korea, the UK, and the US. The update will then be expanded to older devices.
The beta program will be available for the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 in India, Korea, the UK, and the US starting March 6, and will be rolled out to more devices later this month, including the Galaxy S23 series, Tab S10 series, and A55. Users can sign up for the beta program via the Samsung Members app. The official One UI 7 update will be available in April.
The One UI 7 update brings a lot of new improvements, AI features and is considered to be one of the biggest One UI updates ever released by Samsung. In related news, a reliable source also shared that Samsung might skip the minor releases of One UI 7 like One UI 7.1 and One UI 7.1.1 and directly release the One UI 8 update.
One UI 7 supported devices
One UI 7 will be available on a wide range of Samsung devices. The company will roll out One UI 7 to this year's flagship phones first, followed by older devices. So you can expect to get One UI 7 and all its features on the Galaxy S24, Z Fold 6, and Z Flip 6 series before anyone else.
You can check out the full list of devices eligible for One UI 7 to learn more about the update's availability.
List of all expected features in One UI 7
According to the leaks and rumors circulating on X (formerly Twitter), there are a lot of design changes and new features that we will see with the One UI 7 update. Let's take a closer look at these features and analyze them one by one.
1. Redesigned original icon
According to @chunvn8888, the default icons in One UI will be completely redesigned. They will have rounder icons with distinct color shades that make it easier to differentiate them. These new icons look quite fresh compared to the current icons we are familiar with. The change will be more prominent in the Camera, Gallery, Settings, and Samsung Internet.
2. Bold view for apps
Another feature taken straight from iOS 18 is a bold view for app icons. Selecting this option will enlarge the icon size and hide the app name. You can go back to the regular view with labels by selecting the Classic option.
3. New quick settings panel
Along with the icons, One UI 7 will also bring noticeable changes to the quick settings panel. From the image, you can see that it has more rounded, pill-shaped blocks. With separate sections for adjusting brightness and volume. The quick settings toggles now take up less space, but you can still expand them to reveal a detailed view.
4. Split notification tray
In another move to blur the lines between Android and iOS, Samsung is bringing a new option to display notifications on a separate page from the quick settings. You'll have to swipe down from the left to display notifications and swipe right to open the quick settings. Of course, you can display them in the regular unified view if you prefer.
5. Dynamic Island style notifications
In a short video shared by Smartprix, we see another component taken from iOS that works just like Dynamic Island. You'll see a small pill-shaped notification on the left side of the status bar, which you can press and hold to expand. OnePlus rolled out the feature with the Oxygen OS 14 update, so we could see more Android OEMs adopting it soon.
6. Pill battery icon
While the status bar doesn't have any major changes, the battery indicator has been rounded like the rest of the One UI 7 interface. It has a pill-shaped design, with the battery percentage displayed inside.
7. Smoother UI animations
Samsung will come with more responsive app opening and closing animations. The company has added breakable animations in case you decide to close an app midway through its opening. Some new back animations for the Back gesture that comes with Android 15 will also be available. This will contribute to a more complete user experience.
8. App Lock
App Lock is one of those must-have features if you don't want someone else to rummage through your phone when you hand it over to them. According to the X post, we'll see a basic implementation of this feature in One UI 7.0.
It will let you lock apps with a passcode, password, or pattern with the option to unlock using biometrics. It's not yet known whether Samsung will adopt the private space feature that comes with Android 15.
9. Live Activities on the lock screen
Samsung is adapting Live Activities from iOS for the lock screen on One UI 7. It'll be called Control Area , but it'll work pretty much like Live Activities. You'll be able to track the progress of a song that's playing or your ride. You can tap and hold to expand it and reveal more details if you want.
10. Change Lock Screen shortcut
Because One UI is so focused on customization, it’s frustrating that users can’t change the left and right lock screen shortcuts. At least not with the Good Lock module. But with an upcoming update, you’ll be able to add any shortcut you want to quickly jump to from the lock screen. It’s a great accessibility feature, and I’m glad Samsung finally added it.
11. More resizable widgets
Finally, we’re seeing some new widgets for both the home screen and the lock screen with more resizable options. Currently, there are only a few widgets you can add to the lock screen, so some new widgets would definitely be welcome.
12. Continuity feature on multiple devices
Samsung is the only Android manufacturer to create its own ecosystem. However, it has yet to leverage that ecosystem in any significant way like Apple. That will change with Continuity notifications, which will allow notifications, incoming calls, or video calls to be sent to other Galaxy smartphones and devices signed in with the same Samsung account.
13. New layout for Camera app
The camera icon isn't the only thing that's been redesigned. One UI 7 also updates the layout of the camera app, moving controls and all other options to the bottom of the app. Options like flash, aspect ratio, timer, and settings, which used to be at the top, have now been moved just above the camera shutter button.
Puts all the different camera modes like Portrait, Video, and Night Mode below the shutter. It leaves the top of the UI empty while making the options more accessible with one hand.
14. Bixby with LLM (predicted)
Samsung hasn't left any details untouched in promoting the Galaxy's AI features, which leads us to suspect that we'll likely see some version of Bixby with LLM capabilities. That could be an on-device AI model that powers features like voice transcription, contextual responses, real-time translation, and call screening.
15. Dark Theme for app icons (predicted)
Another possible change that could come to One UI 7 is a dark theme for icons. This would be similar to what we saw on iOS 18. The icons will have a darker tone when you switch to dark mode.
16. Vertical app drawer (predicted)
Samsung will also bring a vertical app drawer with the next version of the Samsung Android interface. However, it will only be available when using the Good Lock module. It will be a regular vertically scrolling drawer with a search bar at the bottom for easy one-handed use.
17. One UI 7 with higher security features for Samsung
Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 7 will be more secure with Lockdown Mode, preventing unauthorized attacks.
Previously, Samsung tablets had Lockdown Mode, but it only prevented unlocking the device using biometric methods (PIN, pattern, or password to unlock the device). The upcoming One UI 7 will have much improved security features for the phone.
This information was released by Google itself for the upcoming One UI 7 version. Lockdown Mode on Samsung Galaxy phones, when activated, will prevent data access on the phone via USB cable, thereby avoiding juice jacking attacks.
Juice jacking attacks are carried out through public USBs such as at airports, shopping malls, train stations, restaurants, etc. when users connect to steal personal data and illegally control the device. This Lockdown Mode will cut off access to the phone via the USB port. Processing of Android Debug Bridge (ADB) commands and keyboard access are also disabled to prevent Juice jacking attacks.
If the beta tests are successful, it is expected that the stable version of One UI 7 will be officially released to users by the end of this year.
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