One UI
Samsung One UI 7.0 Beta nears release, 1st Galaxy S24 Ultra firmware spotted
Samsung is all set to release the One UI 7.0 Beta for the Galaxy S24 series anytime. The first Beta firmware with a build version ending with ZXKB has been spotted on Samsung’s server, hinting at an imminent announcement.
One UI 7.0 Beta release has been delayed since the July-August period. Now, it seems the Beta Program isn’t far from kicking off for Samsung’s latest flagships. For the first time, a Beta build has been listed on Samsung’s software server.
Build version S928BXXU4ZXKB refers to Galaxy S24 Ultra (Global). This means countries like Germany, India, Poland, and the UK will soon be eligible for the Beta activity. There will be separate builds for the US, Korean, and Chinese variants.
Well, we still need to wait for the public One UI 7 Beta Program to commence. The first Beta build has surfaced today only, and there’s always room for finishing touches before seeding it to consumer units.
One UI 7 Beta could be released next week
Recently, a credible source revealed that Samsung could open the Android 15-based One UI 7 Beta Program after November 17. It’s expected that the Beta firmware will be available for download early next week.
In the first phase, the Beta Program can be accessible in the US and South Korea. The second phase could cover the remaining five countries. However, there could be some strategic changes in the Beta software’s distribution.
The new One UI version would bring revamped icons, separated quick settings and notification sections, new rounded user interface components, fluid animations and transitions, functional refinements, Galaxy AI upgrades, and so on.
A worldwide Beta Program will help Samsung better understand the needs and likings of Galaxy consumers. We always wish Samsung would open One UI Beta internationally. However, such changes are not likely to happen this year.
Samsung is getting ready to launch the One UI 7 Beta Program, and it looks like it will happen soon. The company has already rolled out One UI 7 support to some Galaxy apps, and now it seems the Samsung Members app will soon allow users to register for the upcoming beta program in the next few days.
The Korean Tech giant is showing signs that it’s almost ready for the beta release. For joining the beta program, the Samsung Members app is key and it has been updated to support the One UI 7 Beta. A reliable tipster discovered hidden pages in the Samsung Members app version 5.1.00.11 that are connected to signing up, enrolling, and withdrawing from the beta program.
Though Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed the exact start date, these signs suggest the beta update is coming soon. Some reports indicate that the beta update is expected to roll out on November 17. The USA and South Korea are likely to be the first countries to get it. Other countries, like China, India, Germany, Poland, the UK, and more, should get it shortly after.
Users who join the beta program will get a chance to try out the new features, designs, and improvements of One UI 7 before it’s officially released. This is a great opportunity for those who want an early look at what’s new coming.
If you want to be one of the first to try One UI 7, ensure your device is ready and keep an eye on the Samsung Members app for the information page for Beta poster.
Excited for One UI 7 Beta? Here’s how to get your Samsung device ready!
Samsung has released the One UI 6 Watch Beta 8 for the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 series. This update introduces enhancements to improve user experience and address existing issues. Notably, the stable update is already rolled out for Galaxy Watch 6 beta testers.
One UI 6 Watch Beta 8 is rolling out for Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 6 with the version number ending with ZXK1. This update makes these Galaxy watches ready for the stable One UI 6 Watch update.
The update enhances system stability and performance to ensure smoother operation across various functions. Additionally, the update focuses on enhancing battery efficiency to extend device usage between charges.
Moreover, the update fixes the issues related to network interoperability to improve connectivity reliability. It also brings some improvements to enhance the overall experience.
This beta update not only aims to improve performance but also responds to user feedback to deliver a more seamless and efficient wearable experience. Users are advised to update their watches to the latest beta software version to enjoy enhanced features.
Before proceeding with the update, it is important to back up any important data stored on your device to avoid potential data loss during the update process.
The update process is simple and can be done over the air (FOTA) through Galaxy Wearable. Just navigate to Galaxy Watch settings, select Watch software update, and follow the prompts to download and install the update.
Back in October 2024, Samsung released the stable One UI 6 Watch update for beta testers of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The company is going to expand its non-beta Galaxy Watches soon.
Samsung will bring new AI features with One UI 7 to simplify user interactions including notifications summary that will directly clash with a similar capability in Apple’s iOS 18 operating system.
The iPhone maker already introduced this capability in iOS 18 devices and we can have a detailed look at what it has to offer.
The Cupertino-based tech giant introduced new notification upgrades under Apple Intelligence, a new generative AI feature set. However, it is only accessible for a few models including iPhone 16 series, 15 Pro, and Pro Max.
Once enabled, the feature will show a preview of the content inside a notification without opening it entirely. This will help users to see key details such as an invitation for a dinner or a reunion. It not only summarizes the content but also prioritizes long or stacked notifications that require your attention.
Users can check all notifications from the notification center and scroll back to see what they’ve missed in the past. Users get options to customize this option in the notifications setting.
iOS 18 Notification Summary (Credit – Apple)
How it works?
This feature relies on the smartphone’s on-device AI processing and large language models (LLMs). Algorithms designed for this task analyze the text content of individual notifications to identify the key details or information. Then, the content is processed by LLM to understand the nuances of language and generate a readable summary.
The ability to run a large language model plays a major role in summarizing the content. That’s why many of the previous iPhones aren’t eligible for Apple Intelligence, which I’ve discussed in a separate article here.
Samsung
The Korean phone maker is yet to release One UI 7 but it reportedly has a new change for notifications. As of the One UI 6 version, Samsung is offering a quick settings panel. It combines notifications and shortcuts in one place.
This could change with One UI 7 with a split. The Notification can be opened on a separate screen with a swipe down from the left side of the screen. On the other hand, the shortcut switches will open from the right side.
These gestures will make it an iOS 18 companion, which had these control and notification centers for a long time. That’s not it, a report also indicates that Samsung will Galaxy flagship’s on-device AI power to summarize notifications.
Unfortunately, there’s no visual clue of how the feature will look. However, we have a leak that shows how the separate notification center will actually look in a One UI 7 device.
One UI 7 Notifications Center
Conclusion
Notifications are the key to driving smartphone interactions and help users stay updated with the latest activity for different apps.
AI tools will simplify notifications and make them easy to read at a glance without spending much of the time going through each of them.
While Apple has set a good example for AI notifications summary in iOS 18, Samsung has a chance to bring in its competition with One UI 7. Read more about One UI 7 in our archive here.