Samsung has been introducing a new version of One UI to accompany every major Android release since 2018, starting with One UI 1.0 based on Android 9. Now that the Android 15 beta is over, many Samsung fans are looking forward to One UI 7.0.
Leaks suggest that this will be a pretty big overhaul compared to previous releases. However, One UI 7.0 may not be released as soon as usual. Here's everything you need to know about One UI 7.0.
When does the One UI 7 Beta Program start? Which devices will be supported?
Samsung has yet to officially announce which devices will be included in the One UI 7 Beta Program or when it will start.
Last year's One UI 6 Beta Program supported the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra first. So we expect the same thing to happen this year: the One UI 7 Beta program will start with the Galaxy S24 series. It’s also likely that the program will only be available in the US, South Korea, and Germany like last year, at least initially.
An internal test build of One UI 7.0 was first spotted on Samsung’s servers in May, shortly after Google made the Android 15 beta program public last month.
In June, tipster @UniverseIce claimed that Samsung delayed the One UI 7.0 beta to focus on developing One UI 6.1.1 (which was announced alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 and features a bunch of new Galaxy AI features) for the Galaxy S24 series. The tipster said that One UI 6.1.1 “isn’t a minor upgrade.” So, it’s possible that One UI 6.1.1 could be the foundation for the new features of One UI 7.0.
A month later, @UniverseIce posted on X that the One UI 7 Beta Program would start in late July or early August “if nothing happens.”
In late July, AllAboutSamsung editor Max Jambor reported that the One UI 7 Beta Program had been further delayed due to “a lot of bugs in the current internal beta.”
Soon after, SamMobile claimed that the program would start “around the third week of August.” However, this was clearly a false prediction. Now, according to 9to5Google, it looks like the One UI 7 Beta Program will be ready in September.
What’s new in One UI 7.0?
One UI 7.0 is based on Android 15, which was officially released a few days ago. One UI 7.0 is expected to have all the new features of Android 15, including App Storage and Private Space. You can read this article to learn more about Android 15.
The controversial new interface
It seems that One UI 7.0 is a major overhaul compared to recent One UI generations. Leaks suggest that Samsung take a page from iOS and bring Dynamic Island to One UI.
Informer @UniverseIce posted on X in July that “One UI 7 could be the most changed version in the history of One UI.” Accordingly, Samsung’s system app icons will be completely redesigned.
Informer @chunvv8888 shared that an anonymous source said that many interface elements of One UI 7.0 will be redesigned to look more like Apple’s iOS, including the new app icons mentioned by @UniverseIce and an improved Notification Screen.
A few days later, he shared an image of the new Gallery app icon, which looks very similar to the iOS Photos app.
In late July, a video of One UI 7.0 in action surfaced. The leaked photos shared by SmartPrix showed the Quick Panel and Settings app of One UI 7.0 looking quite similar to recent versions of iOS. There was also an animation that looked very similar to Dynamic Island on recent iPhone models.
Another leak from @chunvn8888 showed the App Screen of One UI 7.0 with a blue-white color scheme applied. While it doesn’t show any new features, it’s still a notable leak since we still don’t have many images of One UI 7.0. The image shows the new Gallery app icon alongside the Facebook and Netflix app icons, which don’t support the Color Scheme yet.
There will be more new features
One UI 7.0 is not just about interface design changes. However, there are still not many rumors about the new features of One UI 7.0.
One UI 7.0 will apparently support satellite connectivity. After analyzing the code of many native apps, Android Authority found references to satellite emergency messaging capabilities. Apple has provided a similar feature on recent iPhone models to help users contact people when there is no cellular connection.
In July, @chunvv88 shared photos of the new Camera interface of One UI 7.0, which has a rearranged button layout to make using the device more comfortable with one hand, with camera settings accessible from the bottom of the screen.
One UI 7 Beta Program to Begin Soon
According to the information we have so far, One UI 7.0 will be released a little later than originally planned. However, if the latest leak is to be believed, the One UI 7 Beta Program will begin this month. We expect the One UI 7.0 beta to arrive on the Galaxy S24 series soon, as they have already been updated to the latest stable One UI version – One UI 6.1.1.