One UI 6.1 makes a small but useful change to floating windows

Summary

• Floating windows on Samsung devices have been both praised and criticized by users.
• One UI 6.1 introduces a small but welcome change that allows users to easily restore all minimized windows at once.
• While the feature may not be as useful on smaller screens, it will benefit larger devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and tablets.

It’s been ten years since Samsung added floating windows to its Android skin. Since then, Galaxy users have been split down the middle regarding how useful this is, finding it useless or invaluable. I’m in the latter camp, so any improvement to Samsung’s already excellent multitasking software is welcome, and One UI 6.1 brings a small but welcome addition.

What are floating windows?

The name sums it up pretty well. Just as you’d expect to find on a laptop or desktop, One UI lets you open apps in floating windows that can be resized, minimized, and pinned. I often keep Telegram and some other chat apps open in multiple windows to jump in and out of conversations without leaving the main app I’m using, which is particularly useful when watching a video on YouTube. Minimizing a floating window turns them into a small floating app icon, similar to Facebook Chat Heads from yesteryear or Google’s Message Bubbles.

One UI 6.1 makes a small quality-of-life change

When using multiple floating windows, I place them on different parts of the screen so they don’t overlap. Minimized windows become a small floating icon, and if you have multiple minimized windows, taping the icon will make it expand so you can pick which window you’d like to summon back. If you wanted to bring them all back, this was a bit of a slow process, as you’d have to summon each app individually. One UI 6.1 resolves this by adding a new button.

Now, you only need to tap the floating icon and press the new expand all button. Doing so restores all minimized windows to their list size and location. It’s a small change, but for those of us who use this feature regularly, it reduces the hassle of juggling multiple apps and windows.

Realistically, this has limited use on the Galaxy S24 as its screen size limits how many apps and windows you’d want to display simultaneously. But One UI 6.1 will come to other Samsung devices in the coming weeks, and my Galaxy Z Fold 4 will benefit from this change, as will all the large tablets waiting for the update.

One UI 6.1 looked to be a primarily AI-focussed update, but Samsung has included plenty of other features and tweaks, and it’s these little things like this that matter. One UI 6.1 has become a solid upgrade, and we’re still finding new features nearly two weeks after it arrived.