Samsung has started letting people test its new One UI 9 software in beta mode, and only the Galaxy S26 phones can join right now.
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| Photo Credit: PhoneArena |
This update is built on Android 17 and is available in six countries: India, South Korea, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. If you want to try it, you can register through the Samsung Members app on your phone.
The beta brings many new things. In Samsung Notes, you can add decorative tape effects to your notes and use new pen stroke styles for writing and drawing. The Contacts app now lets you make custom profile cards for people using Creative Studio, but you need a Samsung account, internet, and must install Creative Studio separately.
The Quick Panel is more customizable now you can adjust brightness, sound, and media controls separately, and some parts can be resized so the layout feels more personal.
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One UI 9 also makes the phone easier to use for people who need accessibility help. You can control the screen mouse with a keyboard and adjust how sensitive it is. TalkBack, the screen reader, now combines Google and Samsung features into one smooth experience. There is also a new Text Spotlight tool that makes selected text bigger or shows it in a floating highlighted window so reading is easier.
The software is also safer. It can find new high-risk apps, warn you before they install or run, block them if needed, and suggest you remove them. This helps protect your phone faster against threats that were just discovered.
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| Photo Credit: TechAdvisor |
There is also a new way to see your internet speed. After installing One UI 9, open Good Lock, add the QuickStar plugin, go to Indicator Icons, and turn on “Network speed.” Your status bar will then show real-time internet speed without needing any other app. QuickStar also lets you hide icons for active calls, timers, recordings, and similar tasks so the top of your screen looks cleaner.
Right now, the beta only works officially on the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra. But reports say Samsung is also testing One UI 9 on more phones, including the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy A57, A34, A17 5G, and foldables like the Z Fold 7, Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra. This does not mean those phones will get it soon, but Samsung is checking if it can work on more devices. Samsung has not said yet if it will expand the beta.
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The full stable version of One UI 9 is expected to come out with Samsung’s next foldable phones, possibly at an event on July 22 for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung will keep improving the software with more beta updates before releasing the stable version later this year. The newest flagship phones will get the complete One UI 9 experience first.
If you have a Galaxy S26 in one of the six supported countries and want to try Android 17 features early, you can register now through Samsung Members. Just remember that beta software changes often, so it is best to install it on a phone you do not use for important work until the stable version comes out.