News
Samsung One UI 3 Features
Back in September, Google launched Android 11, and soon after that, Samsung began the beta program of its custom software skin, One UI 3.0, and first tested on the Galaxy S20 series.
Recently, Samsung has made the One UI 3.0 official and it is now rolling out as a stable update for the Galaxy S20 series users in several countries including the US, South Korea, and several European countries.
In terms of features, One UI 3.0 brings new additions for Samsung devices including new changes to the user interface, home screen, quick settings panel, and more.
According to the upgrade plan, Samsung will further extend the One UI 3.0 rollout to more devices including Note 20, S20 FE, and more in a gradual manner.
Below you can check all the new changes and features that the One UI 3.0/Android 11 brings with it.
Visual design
We’ve refreshed the look and feel of One UI 3 in lots of ways. Motion is smoother and more natural than ever, with improved animations and haptic feedback for common interactions. And the interface responds to different screen sizes to provide the best experience on any device, whether it’s a phone, foldable, or tablet.
Improved performance
We optimized One UI 3 with enhanced dynamic memory allocation, so apps run faster and perform better. We’ve also restricted background activities to provide better performance and power usage.
Better customization
- On the Lock screen, you can add a widget to check your usage time.
- Add a call background to see a picture or video when you make or receive a call.
- Bixby Routines has even more controls to help you automate your life.
- New icons and Lock screen widgets make it easier to find and control your routines.
- New image categories have been added to Dynamic Lock screen, and you can select up to 5 categories at once.
Enhanced features
Home screen and Lock screen
- Add widgets by touching and holding an app on the Home screen.
- Turn off the screen by double tapping on an empty space on the Home or Lock screen. (Set it up in Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures.)
- On the Lock screen, tap the clock area to see widgets like calendar, weather, and music.
Calls and chats
- See conversations separately in the notification panel. Works with Messages and your favorite chat apps.
- Easily remove duplicate contacts stored in the same account in Contacts. The storage period for deleted contacts has been extended from 15 days to 30 days.
- Added the ability to edit multiple linked contacts at one time.
- Added Trash in Messages so that recently deleted messages are stored for 30 days.
Pictures and videos
- Take pictures quicker with improved auto focus and auto
exposure. - View, edit, and share pictures and videos more easily from Gallery.
- Find pictures and videos quicker with new search features and categories in Gallery.
- Revert edited pictures to their original versions at any time, even after they’re saved, so you never lose a shot.
Settings
- Settings has a new simpler look and feel. Your Samsung account is shown at the top, and Home screen settings are now easier to access.
- Find the settings you need more easily with new Search features. You’ll get better results for synonyms and common misspellings, and you can tap on tags to see groups of related settings.
- Quick settings buttons have been reduced to provide only the most commonly used features. You can also add buttons to create your own customized quick panel.
Samsung Keyboard
- Increased the number of input languages to 370. Made it easier to paste copied images and verification codes from text messages.
- Added emoji and sticker suggestions when you enter a text-based
emoticon. - Improved the keyboard layout to provide a larger space bar when entering
web and email addresses. - Reorganized Keyboard settings so it’s easier to access frequently used
settings
Productivity
- Maintain a healthy balance between work and life by minimizing repetitive and complicated tasks and handling them efficiently.
- New routines will be recommended based on your daily life and usage patterns.
- Bixby Routines provide a setting to return everything to the way it was before the routine ran.
- In Internet, you can hide the status and navigation bars for a more immersive experience and quickly translate webpages.
- You’ll be prompted to block websites that send too many pop-ups or notifications.
- You can browse and select cloud drive files from the file selection screen in My Files.
Easy media and device control
Media and device control are easier with the improved media panel in notifications. You can see recently used media apps and quickly change the playback device. You can also check Android Auto settings in the Advanced features menu in Settings.
Identify and improve your digital habits
Improved Digital Wellbeing features make it easy to check how you’re using your phone or tablet and help you form good digital habits. Check your usage while driving or see weekly changes in your screen time by function at a glance through upgraded weekly reports.
Accessibility for everyone
One UI 3 recommends useful accessibility features for you based on your usage. The improved Accessibility shortcut makes accessibility features easier to start and use. You can use the Speak keyboard input aloud feature to get voice feedback of your typing even when TalkBack is turned off.
Stronger privacy protection
You can now let app access to your microphone, camera, or location just one time. Any permissions that an app hasn’t used in a while will be automatically revoked. You can no longer give apps permission to always see your location in the regular permission popup. To let apps access your location when they’re not in use, you need to go to the location permission page for the app in Settings.
Owners of select Samsung Smart TVs, monitors, The Premiere 7 & 9 projectors, or The Freestyle 2nd Gen can stream Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Flight Simulator 2024 and hundreds of other games with Gaming Hub Xbox Game Pass.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Flight Simulator 2024 are two of the most popular games of 2024. Thanks to Samsung Gaming Hub, you don’t need to download any of the Xbox Game Pass titles, no meaning no storage required – just jump in and play.
The company has also built an engaging gameplay experience designed by fans, for fans through The Six, challenging players’ knowledge and providing another way to interact with the world of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Notably, Samsung’s Gaming Hub is available on a variety of Samsung screens. It includes the AI-powered 2024 TV lineup, monitors, projectors, The Premiere, and The Freestyle 2nd Gen projector, offering instant access to console-free gaming.
Anyone with a Samsung Smart TV will be able to use their remote to jump in and play. This way, Gaming Hub provides a co-branded experience, giving Call of Duty fans another way to engage with the franchise they love.
For starters: The Six offers daily trivia where players can answer a series of six questions in competition with other players around the world. Correct answers with the fastest response time will achieve higher scores.
Samsung could launch the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone next year. The company has collaborated with LG Uplus to develop a custom smartphone. The device is said to feature Galaxy AI and LG Uplus’s AI call assistant ixi-O.
Sources citing KEDGlobal revealed that Samsung and LG Uplus working together to develop the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone. It’s a big development in the smartphone industry, while the handset is highly likely to be Korea-limited.
Samsung fans are well aware of the Galaxy AI feature suite. ixi-O is an AI-powered digital assistant developed by Korean carrier LG Uplus. The company plans to enter the smartphone market, featuring its own-developed AI assistant.
The report indicates that Samsung and LG Uplus’ ixi-O AI Phone will launch as early as next year. The development project focuses on crafting a “real AI phone” that goes beyond simply integrating AI assistant services into a smartphone.
ixi-O comes with useful features such as AI call answering, detecting voice phishing in real-time, recording and summarizing phone calls and converting voice conversation into text – all within an on-device environment.
Image: ixi-O AI | LG Uplus Newsroom
Based on specifications, the Galaxy ixi-O AI Phone will be based on a Galaxy phone available globally. The design will match with a global Galaxy smartphone, but the software may be tweaked as per the carrier’s requirements.
A custom Galaxy phone isn’t shocking or impossible in South Korea. Samsung releases Quantum, Buddy, and Jump-branded phones in the market. The company collaborates with Korean carriers to bring these devices to mainland Korea.
The carrier introduced an on-device AI-powered ixi-O assistant earlier this month. LG Uplus will initially target its consumer base for the new AI Phone. However, the AI Assistant may be expanded to a broader audience across Korea.
Samsung could use Gauss2-based Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The company’s next-gen Generative AI model is 1.5 to 3x faster than the first-gen Gauss model. The DX division is already using Gauss2 to ramp up internal productivity.
Gauss2 offers improved performance and efficiency in simultaneously handling various data types. In the previous article, we’ve demonstrated its three distinct models that cater to different purposes: Compact, Balanced, and Supreme.
Samsung says the second-gen Gauss model offers equal or superior performance in response generation than leading open-source generative AI models. That said, the Galaxy AI will become faster and smarter with the inclusion of Gauss2.
Thanks to faster processing speed, Gauss2 enables quicker AI response generation. This way, the Galaxy user won’t have to wait much time. The company stated that it will continue to expand the reach of its AI-based services across all product lines.
That said, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to boast Gauss2-based Galaxy AI. This upgrade will result in even faster processing of tasks and execution. Features like composition, image generation, and translation would benefit from Gauss2.
Earlier, we broke the news that Samsung is crafting an advanced AI technology. The Gauss2 press release indicates that the future Galaxy AI iteration could be integrated with knowledge graph technology to offer relevant results.
The Galaxy S24 series also uses Google’s Gemini Nano AI model. The fruitful collaboration offers futuristic capabilities on Galaxy devices. Samsung is rumored to use an enhanced version of Gemini Nano across the Galaxy S25 lineup.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s development may have indulged Gauss2 capabilities on the Galaxy S25 series. Integrated with new processors and optimized software, the company’s AI model would offer faster, reliable, and smarter results.