Users of select Samsung Galaxy devices can now take for spin One UI 6, the company’s own take on Android 14.
One UI 6 is available in beta in Germany, the United States and Samsung’s homeland, South Korea. Other countries and regions are likely to be added in the coming days.
At this time, the aforesaid select Galaxy devices are just those in the company’s flagship Galaxy S23 series. It is expected that more Samsung Galaxy devices will be joining the One UI 6 beta fray in the coming weeks and months. So, users of the Galaxy Z foldable, the Galaxy S22 series and even a bunch of Galaxy A series smartphones can sit tight and stay hopeful.
“Based on Android 14, One UI 6 enables a more user-friendly experience, bringing a complete package of enhancements to Samsung apps and features including a more streamlined design and wider options for personalization,” the company says in a statement.
“The beta program is an important precursor to the public release because it enables the collection and incorporation of real user feedback, ensuring the official software update delivers the best experience possible.”
“One UI 6 makes a compelling first impression with its beautiful simplicity. Many elements have been tweaked to create a more modern look and feel, such as the impactful new default font and the new emojis on Samsung Keyboard. The Quick Panel has been revamped with an updated layout that makes it effortless for users to access their most used features. It is easier than ever to adjust screen visibility on the go as the brightness control bar is available by default in the compact Quick Panel. Furthermore, there is also a new instant access option to the full Quick Panel, providing faster access to settings with a single downward swipe at the upper right corner of the screen.”
Compared to past One UI versions, One UI 6, it appears, takes a very minimalist approach when it comes to introducing new features. There are hardly any. Instead, going by the various change logs being shared online – like this one by Sammobile – users can expect to get many housekeeping updates, as the above statement from Samsung intimates. A repositioned widget here, a new way to calm your nerves with relaxing imagery as you sleep there… Nothing radical.
Users of One UI 6 will be quick to notice – for those with a keener eye – a new serif font, a reorganized Quick Settings with toggles now getting a closer mirror to how they appear on stock Google Android while also being grouped based on functionality. My favourite feature here has to be the ability for the software to remember your preferences the last time you turned on Airplane mode. If you had Bluetooth off, for instance, it will stay off the next time you want to stay off the grid.
The camera app will now scan your documents a lot better than before while a new widget will let you launch it straight to your preferred mode, no more searching for portrait or night mode all the time. The weather app is also getting some and, well, you now have access to new emoji. Every iteration of Samsung’s custom Android software almost always features emoji that are better than the previous one so, yeah, you should enjoy these.
Access to the One UI 6 beta program, for those keen on giving Android 14 a spin before it becomes official in a few weeks and the countdown to the full-blown rollout through partners like Samsung, is available through the Samsung Members app after which the first beta update should be available from the phone’s settings app. Since we are talking about test software here, should things go awry, a reversal to One UI 5.1 and Android 13 is possible using the Samsung Smart Switch software on a Windows or Mac computer. Smart Switch is also what you should turn to to make a backup of your existing setup before proceeding to try out One UI 6 (highly recommended).
