Samsung One UI 9: Everything you need to know

One UI 9 is the ninth major version of Samsung’s One UI software for phones and tablets. It is based on Android 17 and brings new capabilities, features, and some UI design changes compared to earlier versions. Samsung has not officially announced the software yet and is still developing it internally. However, the first internal build of One UI 9 has surfaced, and so far, it shows only minimal changes.

Since One UI 8.5 introduced major UI design changes, One UI 9.0 is not expected to bring similarly big visual updates. Samsung has made the display brightness and volume sliders thicker, and the lock screen media player widget has been enhanced with colorful waveform animations.

There are also a few smaller UI tweaks. For example, the lock screen media player now shows a “This Phone” option instead of “Media Output” for selecting audio output devices. Some media controls now appear as circular buttons rather than being grouped inside a rounded rectangular container. Most other apps look similar to how they did in One UI 8.5.

There could be more glassy UI effects across One UI 9.0. Future beta versions may reveal additional UI changes.

One UI 9 introduces some new and improved Galaxy AI features. Samsung has also moved Parental Controls to a separate section in the Settings app. Previously, it was located within the Digital Wellbeing menu in One UI 8.5 and earlier versions. Since development is still in its early stages, no major new features have been widely observed yet.

Under the hood, One UI 9 is based on Android 17 and includes several core platform improvements. For example, users can open any app in a floating bubble. Google has also made apps more adaptive across different screen sizes, preventing developers from locking apps to a specific orientation or aspect ratio. This encourages developers to optimize apps for phones, foldables, tablets, and even larger devices.

Android 17 also introduces a system-level contacts picker, allowing apps to access only the contacts that users explicitly grant permission for. Previously, granting contact access allowed apps to view the entire contact list. In addition, Android 17 includes Advanced Protection Mode for improved security.

Google has also improved support for direct satellite connectivity when cellular networks are unavailable. Other enhancements include better distance measurement between compatible devices using ultra-wideband (UWB) and general performance improvements and useful features for gaming.

More Android 17 features are expected to be announced at Google I/O 2026, and many of them could be integrated into One UI 9 with Samsung’s own enhancements.

One UI 9.0 is expected to arrive in mid-2026. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will likely be the first Samsung devices to run the new software. Before that, Samsung could open the One UI 9 Beta Program for select high-end devices, including the Galaxy S26 series.

A few weeks after the initial rollout, the stable One UI 9.0 update is expected to expand to other eligible flagship phones and tablets. Samsung will then gradually release the update to mid-range and entry-level Galaxy devices.

Samsung typically offers at least three major Android OS upgrades for its devices. Most recent high-end phones are eligible for up to seven major Android updates, while mid-range and entry-level devices usually receive up to six major updates. Below is the list of all Galaxy devices that are eligible to get the One UI 9.0 update.