One UI
Samsung One UI 7 Progress and 9 Key Developments
Samsung One UI 7 has made much progress and noted key developments over the past few months. The company is on the verge of releasing the Beta Program ahead of the Stable rollout scheduled for early 2025. This page consists of the key progress and developments of the Samsung One UI 7 update, powered by the Android 15 operating system.
1. Endless Delay
One UI 7 Beta was assumed to start in late July or early August. However, the company has planned a major change in its software schedule. Pushing the Beta to the “end of the year” and Stable to “early next year” release.
2. Tons of One UI 7 rumors
During the July and August period, there were tons of rumors about One UI 7. The internet was filled with screenshots and clips allegedly taken from the new software. But, the reality is, that One UI 7 is still not available on the Beta channel.
3. SDC24 – The first official appearance
Samsung confirmed SDC24 to be held in early October. Following endless delays in Beta, it was determined that the SDC stage would bring key details to the table. Samsung did exactly that but stretched the endless wait further.
It was officially announced that the One UI 7 focuses on a design philosophy, aiming to be:
- Simple. Aiming for purposeful simplicity across the UI.
- Impactful. Creating a new signature impression for One UI.
- Emotive. Creating UI elements, like a new blur engine, that elicit a positive emotional response from users.
The software was teased briefly, bringing a brand-new interface and revamped icons. CodeLabs variant was made available for SDC participants. It filled the internet again with One UI 7 images and videos – but everything won’t pen out.
4. Fresh new look to the entire interface
Samsung’s Sally announced at SDC that the One UI 7 will bring a fresh new look to the entire interface. It was proved when a handful of screenshots and video clips popped up online, displaying various design changes compared to the CodeLabs model.
“We’re exploring a brand new UX design,” Sally said. “One UI 7 will bring a fresh new look to the entire interface,” she added.
During internal testing, the One UI 7 significantly revamped the user interface components such as Quick Settings and Notification Panel. The typography is also refined to match the brand-new looks and appearance of Samsung’s Android 15 update.
5. Icons redefined
One UI 7 has made drastic changes in icons of apps including Samsung Phone, Samsung Messages, Samsung Internet, My Files, Gallery, Calculator, Samsung Cloud, Samsung Contacts, Settings, Samsung Camera, Samsung Clock, and FM Radio.
I still believe all of the current icons won’t live on until the Stable release. As soon as the Beta kicks off, consumers will drop their feedback. Samsung Notes app’s icon is already on most users’ radar, and more likely to appear during Beta.
6. First Beta build spotted
Samsung uploaded the first One UI 7 Beta firmware on its server. It was spotted on November 12 for the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the US and Europe. It’s a significant development as we eagerly anticipate the Beta to be announced.
7. One UI 7 elements land on Galaxy Books
Samsung dropped some One UI 7 design elements on Galaxy Book laptops. The Galaxy Book Experience app has adopted a handful of new design components derived from the upcoming One UI 7 software with its latest update.
8. Apps and Services welcoming One UI 7
One UI 7 Beta could start soon as Samsung apps and services are getting ready. Many apps displaying in-app notices, revealing potential changes in One UI 7 such as the separation of Deco Pic from Camera and the renaming of AI Emoji to Galaxy Avatar.
9. Galaxy AI upgrade freeze
It is rumored that the full-fledged Galaxy AI update will only release with One UI 7.1. That said, the One UI 7 focuses on interface and design changes. AI-powered features will be introduced in new flagships and some will be expanded to older ones.
One UI 7.1 could come with AI Summary and AI Emoji features. A system-wide Galaxy AI integration is also in demand by Samsung users. This way, Galaxy phones will seamlessly function with all the AI-powered bells and whistles.
Wrapping up! As the Beta is coming way too late, I wish for a seamless testing activity. Samsung should take some more time in evaluation before dropping the first Beta to avoid the least chance of device brick and functional faults.
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.