Samsung
Samsung may bring these One UI 6.1 features to Galaxy S22 and S21 series
Galaxy AI features and One UI 6.1 update is available on all 2023 flagships. Samsung may also roll out the One UI 6.1 features and enhancements to the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 series, without including Galaxy AI.
The Galaxy S23 FE has also received many Galaxy AI features with One UI 6.1 update. Since the device shares the same chipset as the Galaxy S22 series, there’s the possibility of Galaxy AI features in the future.
Meanwhile, Samsung might not stop One UI 6.1 enhancements and features to expand on the Galaxy S22 series. Following the hardware requirements, the Galaxy S21 lineup would also get a major upgrade based on Android 14.
One UI 6.1 changelog has many new features and improvements for the S23 FE. Samsung is expected to release the update for Galaxy S22 and S21 smartphones next month, while you can check the expected changes below.
One UI 6.1 Features and Enhancements
Apart from Galaxy AI features, the software update also brings all the bells and whistles of One UI 6.1. Enhanced performance, improved battery life, reliable and fluid animations, and refined privacy features are worth using.
Create epic images
- Effortlessly enhance your photos
Get special AI recommendations for enhancing your photos and videos. You’ll find options for adding star trails, long exposure, colorizing, and more. Suggestions appear when you tap the i button in Gallery.
- Copy and paste from one image to another
Add a missing element to your picture. Just clip an object from an image in Gallery, then go to the image where you want to paste it and choose Paste from clipboard in the More options menu.
- Easily create custom stickers
Creating custom stickers has never been easier. After you clip an image in Gallery, you can quickly turn it into a sticker and apply styles such as outline, cutout, vintage, and cartoon.
- More accurate image clipping
Get exactly the area you need to clip without any unwanted parts. When you clip an image in Gallery, you have the option of editing the selected area before you save it so you can get your selection just right.
- Improved Gallery search
The search screen has been redesigned to make it easier to use. Results are now categorized by type, such as people, places, albums, or stories.
- Change playback speed
More videos now support changing the playback speed when you edit a video in Gallery. You can make your video play faster or slower in a specific section that you select or for the entire video.
- Edit videos on multiple devices
You can now continue your edits on your phone, tablet, or PC. Export your Studio projects to a file that can be opened on other Galaxy devices.
Customize your Galaxy
- New wallpaper editing features
Decorate your wallpaper however you like. When you select an image to use as your wallpaper, you can now apply frames and effects. When your wallpaper includes a person or animal, you can apply depth effects to make the subject stand out from the background.
- More widgets for your Lock screen
Additional widgets are available for your Lock screen and Always On Display so you can quickly check useful information without unlocking your phone. The new widgets include Weather, Samsung Health, Battery, Reminder, Calendar, and Clock.
- Customize alarm alerts
Use an image, video, or AR emoji to create your own custom alert screens for each alarm. You can even change the layout of where the alarm information appears on the screen.
- More stickers to personalize your calendar
You can now add up to 2 stickers for each date on your calendar. Stickers for events are now shown next to the event name in Month view.
- Revamped Calendar settings
Calendar settings have been reorganized to be more intuitive. You can also set background colors and images for full-screen calendar alerts.
- Customize reminder alerts
Create the right background for each of your reminders. You can now set colors and background images for full-screen reminder alerts.
- Do more with reminder categories
You can now choose a representative icon for each reminder category. You can also pin categories you use frequently to the top of the category list.
- Turn modes on or off from the Home screen
Turn modes on and off more quickly than before. The new Mode widget lets you add modes directly to your Home screen.
- Reorder your modes
You can now change the order that modes are listed on the Modes tab in Modes and Routines.
- New routine conditions
You can now start a routine when an alarm of your choice starts ringing or when Smart View connects or disconnects.
- Relumino outline
Turn on Relumino outline in Accessibility settings to highlight the outlines of objects in images and videos to make them easier to distinguish for people with low vision.
Connect and share
- Share with more devices
Quick Share has merged with Google’s Nearby Share. In addition to Galaxy devices, you can now share with other Android devices even without an internet connection.
- Locate your devices
The new Samsung Find app lets you see where all your Galaxy devices are on a map any time. If you lose a device, additional features are available to help you find the device and protect your data.
- Share your location with others
With Samsung Find, you can share your location with family, friends, or anyone that you trust. Share for a limited time or all the time. You’re always in control of who can see your location.
- Broadcast sound with Auracast
Broadcast the sound from your phone so others can listen. Anyone nearby with a Bluetooth LE Audio device will be able to listen to your broadcast.
- Child accounts
Parents can now create Samsung accounts for their children. Child accounts allow young users to use Galaxy apps and services in a safe environment with content that’s appropriate for their age.
- Parental controls
Parents can control which content and features their children are allowed to access. This includes controlling purchases and downloads in the Galaxy Store, blocking harmful websites in Samsung Internet, and more.
- Family sharing
Family members can optionally share their location with each other in the Samsung Find app. Parents can also set a shared family payment method for the Galaxy Store and allow other family members to use it.
- Sync Internet tab groups with other devices
Easily pick up where you left off during your last browsing session no matter which device you were using. Tab groups that you create on one device will appear in Samsung Internet on other Galaxy devices signed in to your Samsung account.
Protect your data
- Enhanced data protection in Samsung Cloud
Rest assured that no one can access your data but you, even if there’s a data breach. You can turn on end-to-end encryption for data that’s synced with Samsung Cloud.
- Fast and secure sign-ins with passkeys
Passkeys provide more security for web sign-ins without the need to remember complicated passwords. Use passkeys to sign in to supported websites with biometric authentication in Samsung Internet.
Manage your health
- Enhanced exercise experience
Compete against your past running results in Samsung Health to try to beat your previous time. You can also crop exercises after you finish to remove any unnecessary time at the beginning or end.
- More options for daily activity targets
You now have more options for setting your daily activity targets in Samsung Health. If a step goal doesn’t work for you, you can change to floors climbed or active hours instead.
- Medication tracking
You can get reminders for when to take your medication and get notified of any potentially harmful drug interactions. Add your medications in Samsung Health to get started.
- Improved cycle tracking
When you record your physical symptoms and moods, options you’ve used frequently in the past will appear at the top of the screen. You can also now set custom moods if the default options don’t match how you’re feeling.
Even more improvements
- Easier to access Video call effects and Mic mode
Video call effects and Mic mode will now appear in the quick panel during voice and video calls so you can control how others see and hear you during calls. You can set a background color or image, focus on your voice by blocking background sounds, and more.
- More information in the Weather widget
The weather widget will let you know when severe thunderstorms, snowfall, or other precipitation is on the forecast in your local area.
- Voice input without leaving the keyboard
The keyboard now remains visible while using voice input so you can easily switch back to typing whenever you need to. Tap the mic button at the bottom of the screen to enter text using your voice at any time while using the keyboard.
- Open all minimized apps at once
A new button lets you reopen all of the minimized apps at once when you have more than one pop-up window minimized.
- Google search suggestions in Finder
When you search using Finder, you’ll also get suggested web searches from Google.
- More ways to protect your battery
Choose from 3 different protection options to help extend your battery’s lifespan.
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- Basic protection keeps your charge between 95% and 100%.
- Adaptive protection pauses charging while you’re asleep and finishes charging just before you wake up.
- Maximum protection: You can also choose to limit the maximum charge to 80% for maximum protection.
- Easily add coupons and boarding passes to Samsung Wallet
When you take a screenshot that contains a coupon or boarding pass, a button will appear that lets you add it to Samsung Wallet.
- Get text support
Get quick answers when you need help with one of your Galaxy devices. You can now send text messages to Samsung support in Samsung Members.
- Make an appointment for repairs
If you need repair service for one of your Galaxy devices, you can now make an appointment for a convenient date and time in Samsung Members before bringing your device to a service center.
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On November 19, Google dropped the Android 16 Developer Preview. It’s a very initial development stage of the new Android version. Samsung Galaxy devices may receive the new Android 16-based One UI (8) update in the second half of 2025.
Dozens of Samsung Galaxy devices are eligible for the Android 16 update. Galaxy smartphone users are currently waiting for the One UI 7 Beta Program to kick off. It will bring Android 15 to Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Samsung’s running way too late this year. It hasn’t yet started the new software’s beta testing. The public rollout is slated to be started early next year. Meanwhile, Google is shifting gears to streamline Android’s adoption across vendors.
In recent years, Samsung has significantly improved its software support. The majority of new phones come with at least six years of OS update support. The policy peaks up to 7 years on flagship devices starting the Galaxy S24 series.
Determining the Android 16’s eligibility for Galaxy isn’t a pretty difficult task. You will surely receive the update if your device is shipped with Android 14. It’s for entry-level phones, while for most there’s no concern for mid-range and flagships.
Samsung Android 16 Eligible Device List
Galaxy S Smartphones:
- Galaxy S22 Series
- Galaxy S23 Series
- Galaxy S24 Series
Galaxy Z Fold and Flip Phones:
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6
Galaxy S FE Phones:
- Galaxy S21 FE
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy S24 FE
Galaxy A Phones:
- Galaxy A33, A53 and A73
- Galaxy A14, A24, A34 and A54
- Galaxy A15, A25, A35 and A55
- Galaxy A06, A16
Galaxy Tab Tablets:
- Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra
Note: This is not a final device list nor shared by Samsung. Based on the official software support promise, the above-listed Samsung phones and tablets will surely receive a major OS upgrade in the second half of 2025.
The listing of the S21 FE may have caught your attention due to missing the missing S21 series. For those shocking, the S21 series and S21 FE are eligible for four OS upgrades. The S21 FE launched with Android 12, while the S21 series with Android 11.
Android 16 is the thing of next year, we eagerly await the One UI 7 Beta along with covering the latest insights. The official rollout will commence after unveiling at the Galaxy Unpacked next year, which could fall in late January.
Samsung has released the November 2024 update for the Galaxy S24 FE, which brings a new Auto Blocker feature. This update is currently rolling out in the US and will be available to more users soon.
The advanced Auto Blocker feature for Samsung Galaxy S24 FE helps improve your device’s security by blocking USB devices from connecting to your phone when Maximum Restrictions mode is enabled.
In the Maximum Restrictions mode, only charging is allowed through USB connections. This means other devices, like a computer or another phone, won’t be able to access your data if they try to connect via USB.
The extra layer of protection is useful for users who need stronger security, preventing unauthorized access to your data if someone physically connects to your phone.
Along with the new feature, the update also includes general improvements to system security and stability, making your Galaxy S24 FE more reliable and safer to use.
To get the update, Samsung Galaxy S24 FE users should look for the One UI build version S721USQS3AXK3, which is around 400MB in size. To install it, just go to Settings, tap on Software Update, and select Download and Install.
If you’ve received the update, it’s recommended to install it to benefit from the new features, enhanced security along new Auto Blocker support.
Samsung One UI 7 will provide extra security with advanced Auto Blocker feature
Samsung is likely to work on a new feature for its TVs called Color Booster Pro. The company recently (November 15, 2024) filed a trademark for the name, which suggests it might be an upgraded version of its current Color Booster feature.
Currently, Color Booster is available on some Samsung smart TVs. It allows users to make the colors on their screen brighter and more vivid, especially red and blue tones.
The trademark application covers chips and software used to improve the image quality of TVs, monitors, and digital signs. While details are still unclear, there are a few possibilities for what the Color Booster Pro feature could be.
There might be one possibility that Samsung may just want to protect the name Color Booster Pro to make sure no one else can use it. Another possibility is that the company might rename the current Color Booster feature to Color Booster Pro without changing it too much.
If Samsung is working on an advanced version for the version of the Color Booster then it could be the most possibility. It might give users more options to fine-tune the picture quality to allow for more control than the current Low and High settings.
We might see Color Booster Pro in select 2025 TV models possibly along with a new version of its Tizen operating system, only if Samsung moves forward with this.
While nothing is certain yet, this trademark filing shows that Samsung is thinking about ways to improve how users can adjust their TV’s picture settings. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if Color Booster Pro becomes a real feature.