You must have heard by now: Samsung will not release Android 15 and One UI 7.0 for any Galaxy device in 2024. While a One UI 7.0 beta program will go live this year, the stable release will coincide with the launch of the Galaxy S25 lineup next year. To no one's surprise, fans didn't take this delay well.
Since One UI's debut back in 2018, Samsung has consistently gotten faster at releasing new versions of One UI. Samsung isn't always the first to roll out a new version of Android to its devices. But when you take into account the sheer number of devices it makes, it's easy to see why the Korean giant's approach to OS upgrades is the gold standard.
It's an approach that has spoiled Samsung fans. And it is partly why the revelation that One UI 7.0 will be in development until next year has disappointed them. Initially, I was disappointed as well. But after thinking about it the last couple of weeks, I am convinced that this is a good thing, and there are two simple reasons for that.
One UI 7.0 will bring massive changes
One UI 7.0 will be a massive update the likes of which we haven't seen since the first version of One UI, not visually at least. It will bring a major overhaul to the user interface design.
Whether it's the stock app icons, the quick settings area in the notification shade, or the lock screen, a lot is changing. All of it calls for a longer development time so the update releases in as stable a state as possible.
To attain that goal, more beta testing is required as well. User feedback helps Samsung know what needs fixing and improving, and you can never have too much feedback, especially when a piece of software goes through big changes.
Of course, that's assuming Samsung actually intends to have beta testing last longer. It's November 1 and the beta program hasn't yet started, so the window of opportunity is closing rapidly.
Samsung already released two major One UI updates—6.1 and 6.1.1—in 2024
This year, even the minor One UI updates were pretty big in size, and that's because of Galaxy AI. Galaxy AI was introduced with One UI 6.1 on the Galaxy S24 series and brought several advanced features. Samsung then ported all those features to flagship Galaxy devices launched before 2024.
That process took almost two months. When One UI 6.1 arrived on pre-2024 devices, its download size was almost as much as that of Android 14 and One UI 6.0 combined. That made it a huge One UI update in all but name/version number.
It was a similar deal with One UI 6.1.1. It introduced a couple of new Galaxy AI features, improved existing ones, and, like One UI 6.1, was in development for almost two months before it started making its way to eligible devices.
Samsung has essentially released two major One UI updates in 2024 already, even if only flagship devices got all the good stuff. A third major update this year would have been a little too much. Enthusiasts don't mind software updates, but that's not true for the majority of customers.
Many users are already fed up of the regular security updates they have to download. Samsung would have only infuriated them more by adding three major non-security updates into the mix, up from just one big update every year.
Will Samsung permanently switch to officially releasing the latest major version of Android and One UI with new Galaxy S flagships? That will likely depend on how many Galaxy AI features it introduces each year, and we will only know for sure when Android 16 and One UI 8 come knocking.
