Samsung has introduced a new version of its One UI software skin to go along with each major Android release since 2018, starting with One UI 1.0 based on Android 9. As Android 15’s beta period wraps up, we’re starting to think about Samsung’s next software version, One UI 7. Leaks point to One UI 7 to being a fairly major overhaul compared to the relatively minor changes Samsung’s made in the past couple of releases — but they also say that One UI 7 might not reach our phones as soon as you’d think. Here’s what you need to know about One UI 7.
One UI 7 beta timeline and device support
An open beta could begin any time now
Samsung hasn’t yet announced which devices will be eligible for the One UI 7 beta or when the program will start. Last year’s One UI 6 beta was available on the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra, so we expect a similar situation this year — the One UI 7 beta program will likely kick off on the Galaxy S24 series. And like last year, it’s likely that the beta will only be available to users in the US, Korea, and Germany, at least at first.
An internal test build of One UI 7 was first spotted on Samsung’s servers back in May, shortly after the public beta program for Android 15 started the previous month. Since then, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster.
In June, leaker Ice Universe claimed that Samsung was delaying its public One UI 7 beta plans to make more time to get One UI 6.1.1 — which launched on the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 and includes a handful of new Galaxy AI features — onto the S24 series. Ice Universe says One UI 6.1.1 is “not a small upgrade,” so it could be that One UI 6.1.1 lays the foundation for functionality that’ll be present in One UI 7. He goes on to say that One UI 6.1.1 should reach Galaxy S24 phones in the month of August.
About a month later, Ice Universe tweeted that the One UI 7 beta would start in late July or early August, “if there are no accidents.” As we’re well into August already, the window for this particular prediction is closing fast.
In late July, AllAboutSamsung editor Max Jambor reported that the One UI 7 public beta would be delayed further, citing reports that claim “the current internal beta is very buggy.” The latest reporting from SamMobile claims that the beta program should now kick off “around the third week of August.”
What’s new in One UI 7?
We’ve seen a lot of leaks already
One UI 7 will be based on Android 15, which is currently in the latter stages of its own beta program. Samsung’s software skin should get all the system-level updates Android 15 is expected to bring, including built-in app archival, a so-called Private Space locked folder for sensitive apps, and more. For more about Android 15, check out our guide.
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Android 15: Leaks, timeline, and what’s new in Beta 4.1
It seems like a stable release is right around the corner
Some divisive visual changes are coming
One UI 7 is shaping up to be a larger generational overhaul than we’re used to seeing from Samsung. Leaks so far point to a design language that takes a number of cues from iOS, including a Dynamic Island-style system notification animation.
Leaker Ice Universe tweeted in July that “One UI 7 may be the most changed version in the history of One UI,” and that it’ll come with redesigned icons for Samsung’s system apps.
Leaker Chun Bhai shared a report from an anonymous source that various elements of One UI 7 have been redesigned in ways that make the OS look more like Apple’s iOS, including the new icons Ice Universe alluded to and a revamped notification panel. A few days later, he shared an image of what seems to be Samsung’s new Gallery icon, which does indeed look a lot like the icon for Apple Photos.
In late July, we got our first look at One UI 7 in action. Leaked images shared by SmartPrix show a settings screen and a quick settings panel that both look like they’re taking design inpsiration from recent builds of iOS. There’s also an animation that feels an awful lot like what the iPhone does with its Dynamic Island camera cutout, though here, it’s not centered around any particular hardware design element.
Another leak from Chun Bhai shows what’s apparently the One UI 7 app drawer with a dynamic blue and white color palette applied. This isn’t a new feature, but given we haven’t seen much of One UI 7 yet, it’s still noteworthy. The images include the new Samsung Gallery icon — plus icons for Facebook and Netflix, which, annoyingly, still don’t seem to support dynamic themes.
There will be new features, too
It’s not all iPhone-inspired design changes, though. We haven’t heard as much about functional changes coming to One UI 7, but rumors have started to trickle in about new features.
One UI 7 will apparently support satellite connectivity. Poking around in the code for various Samsung apps, Android Authority found references to satellite-based emergency texting. Apple offers similar functionality on recent iPhones; the feature is intended to contact help when you can’t connect to a cellular network.
In July, Chun Bhai shared images of a work-in-progress One UI 7 camera app with controls that have been rearranged to make one-handed use more comfortable, with more settings accessible from the bottom half of the screen.
The One UI 7 beta should be starting soon
Expect beta enrollment before September
According to the leaks we’ve seen so far, One UI 7 could be a little further out than we initially expected. If the latest info is correct, though, the beta should be getting started sometime in the month of August. We’re expecting the One UI 7 beta to be available on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series soon after those phones get an update to the latest stable One UI build, version 6.1.1.
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Samsung Galaxy S24
The smallest of Samsung’s 2024 flagships packs possibly the most significant upgrades of the series, with a significantly brighter and 1-120Hz adaptable refresh rate screen, cameras that finally match the S24+, and an even more polished build than the last two years.
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Samsung Galaxy S24+
With a plethora of AI-powered tools, a brighter screen, and a sleek one-piece design, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ offers the big screen and fuller features of the S24 Ultra without its price tag being nearly as much of a gut punch. Seven years of updates and the continued revisions of One UI 6.1 help the software shine on a phone with largely the same hardware.
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
$950 $1300 Save $350
It’s not an overhaul by any means, but even small changes like (finally) swapping back to a flat touchscreen and seven years of system updates help the Galaxy S24 Ultra stand apart from its predecessors. Galaxy AI’s suite of features are front and center, as well as Google’s latest utilities like Circle to Search, and this AI craze even brings its magic to the Ultra’s cameras for after-the-fact super slo-mo.
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