One UI
Android distribution
- 18 min read
- 4 chapters
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Through User interface, Smartphone and Thumb
Samsung designed One UI to make using larger smartphones easier and be more visually appealing. It was announced and unveiled at Samsung Developer Conference on 7 November 2018, and was updated in the Galaxy Unpacked event on 20 February 2019 alongside the Galaxy S10 series, the Galaxy Fold, the Galaxy Watch Active, the Galaxy Fit and the Galaxy Buds, since then receiving yearly upgrades.
Features
One UI was designed as part of a goal to make Samsung's hardware and software "work together in perfect harmony" and provide a more "natural" experience on large-screen smartphones. One UI displays most of the features that were in the Samsung Experience UX. A prominent design pattern in many of Samsung's system applications is to intentionally place common features and user interface elements along the middle of the screen rather than near the top. This makes them easier to reach with a user's thumb when using the device one-handed.
For similar reasons, apps use large headers to push their main content towards the vertical centre of the screen. The navigation bar supports the use of gestures and the usual 3-button system, while a system-wide "night mode" was also added (which gives UI elements and supported applications a darkened color scheme). As with Android Pie upstream, the Overview screen of recent apps uses a horizontal layout, as opposed to the vertical layout of previous versions.
One UI Core
One UI Core was a slimmed down version of the original One UI feature set aimed towards the lower-end/budget models of the A Series, M Series, the F Series, and some budget A series Tablets that all came with the core version of One UI. Devices running One UI Core lacked features that the full version of One UI gets such as Screen recording, Knox Security, Samsung DeX, Link to Windows, Good Lock modules, and sometimes AR Emoji depending if the OS uses 32-bit or 64-bit. Since the release of One UI 6, the One UI Core name had been abandoned, and devices previously running One UI Core were instead given full One UI software with limited features with the update to One UI 6.0 based on Android 14.
Default apps and components
The following is a list of Samsung's first-party apps and components included with One UI. Availability may vary by device and region, and not all apps and components are preinstalled or supported on every device.
One UI devices also come with numerous Google Mobile Services components preinstalled as part of the Android software experience, except for devices sold in Mainland China.
Typefaces
When One UI launched in 2019, the default system font continued to be the Google-developed Roboto. As before, Samsung have pre-installed their own Samsung Sans typeface and the "fun" typefaces Choco Cooky, Cool Jazz and Rosemary as options. One UI also introduced an additional pre-installed font, SamsungOne, a lighter typeface that was originally released in 2016 as an option from the Galaxy Store.
With the release of One UI 6.0 in 2023, Roboto was replaced as the default system font by a new typeface, One UI Sans. Roboto continues to be pre-installed as an option, now under its own name.
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History
One UI
One UI 1
One UI 1.0 is the first version of One UI (based on Android 9 Pie), and was released on 19 December 2018. It brought about many features which were becoming increasingly popular among various apps. Dark mode (then named Night mode) was one key feature added to make viewing in dark spaces easier on the user's eyes. This feature was included in many apps and eventually brought to iOS 13 and Android 10. The first version also brought native screenshot editing tools, refined curves, refinements to the Always-On Display (tap to show), an upgraded Bixby with support for remapping the Bixby button, and a new way to navigate the device: gestures.
While Android 9 Pie did come with gesture support, it was not available on Samsung devices and is said to be 'half baked' by many users. However, Samsung decided to create their own gesture system to navigate devices with One UI installed. To achieve this, the user has to swipe up from the bottom of the device in the three locations of the 'buttons' to navigate. The gesture system has received mixed reviews. The incoming call screen got refinements.
One UI 1.1 brought stability fixes and performance optimizations, primarily for the camera, fingerprint reader, and facial recognition. This version was officially launched with the release of the Galaxy S10 series and select Galaxy A and Galaxy M series devices in 2019.
One UI 1.5 provided a native screen recorder, a "Power Mode" for higher system performance and exclusive early access Link to Windows support in cooperation with Microsoft. It was launched with the Galaxy Note 10 series devices on 12 August 2019. It was included with select Galaxy A series devices from 2019, Galaxy Tab S6 and Tab Active Pro.
Although Samsung Experience was rebranded to One UI in late 2018, some apps like Settings or the Calendar still identify One UI 1.0–1.5 as Samsung Experience. This would be corrected with One UI 2 as the Samsung Experience name would later fade away with the release of Android 10 for those supported devices. Additionally, app versions were 10.x and with each generation of One UI, the version of apps was incremented by 1 for every One UI version.
One UI 2
One UI 2.0 is the second version of One UI and is powered by Android 10. It provides Galaxy users with a skinned Digital Wellbeing experience, a more refined UI in some default apps such as Device Care, a minor UI change to the clock position in quick settings, a native screen recorder, the new Android 10 gesture system, Dynamic Lock Screen (different wallpaper with every unlock), a Trash folder in Files, native Android Auto, sound themes and harder Location permission access. The incoming call screen got improvements, including the phone icons. The first phones that were released with this version were the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71. It also made its way to other devices such as the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series on 7 November 2019 as a software update.
One UI 2.1 brought support for 120 Hz refresh rate, Quick Share, Music Share, additional camera modes, and native support for Live Captions. It was first released with the Galaxy S20 series & the Galaxy Z Flip. It was released for older devices such as the Galaxy S9 and S10, Note 9 and Note 10, the Galaxy Fold, select Galaxy A series devices, and other One UI 2.1-compatible devices as a software update on 24 February 2020.
One UI 2.5 first released with the Galaxy Note 20 series and Galaxy Tab S7 series on 21 August 2020 and on the Galaxy Z Flip 5G on 7 August 2020, with the update later being released to select supported devices. It doesn't bring changes to the UI, but instead has new feature additions to the camera, DeX, gesture navigation, and other services.
One UI 3
One UI 3.0, the third version of One UI and based on Android 11, was released for Galaxy S20 devices beginning on 2 December 2020 after starting beta testing in August. This version includes a few noteworthy improvements, such as a translucent notification panel, brief notifications, new volume controls positioned on the right or left of the device alongside the physical volume keys, slightly enhanced widgets, redesigned incoming call screen, and smoother animations and transitions throughout the whole UI among other features. Blue Light Filter has been renamed to Eye Comfort Shield.
One UI 3.1 was first released with the Galaxy S21 series and began rolling out to other supported Galaxy devices, starting with the Galaxy S20 series on 17 February 2021. While there were no significant user interface changes, it included several new camera feature improvements, such as enhanced touch autofocus and auto exposure control, an improved Single Take feature, and software implementations such as Object Eraser, Multi Mic Recording, Private Share, and others. This version is also the first to replace the built-in Messages app with Google's version. However, this change only applies to phones released in 2021 with Android 11 or later. This can also be seen on the Galaxy S22 series, but the app remained available in the US on these devices for the last four years until 6 July 2026 when it was discontinued. Older phones retain Samsung's Messages app, which has been present since TouchWiz. Devices such as the S10 and S20 remain unaffected and do not include Google's Messages app.
One UI 3.1.1 first released with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 on 11 August 2021, although it first appeared with the Galaxy Tab S7 FE on 18 June 2021. It made multitasking easier with enhanced multi-window and task-switching features and also optimized more apps to take advantage of the large screen devices such as foldables and tablets. The new features were rolled out to all supported devices, but those that neither are classified as foldable phones nor tablets continued to show their software version as One UI 3.1 after the update. Unlike the previous and next releases of One UI, this version was only available to foldable phones and tablets.
One UI 4
One UI 4.0 (based on Android 12), started beta testing on 19 July 2021, and was publicly released to the Galaxy S21 series first starting 15 November 2021 with other devices received the update thereafter. The Galaxy S21 FE was the first device with this version pre-installed. This version focuses on customization, privacy, and access to Samsung's expanding ecosystem.
One UI 4.1 was first released with the Galaxy S22 series. It brought minor changes; however, it did introduce features like Smart Calendar, added option to choose how much virtual RAM is desired (from 2, 4, 6 or 8 GB), redesigned palette picker, Smart Widgets, separate Left/Right audio balance, extra brightness toggle, Pro Mode on more cameras, Night Mode portraits, and other minor changes.
One UI 4.1.1 is based on Android 12L which optimized the Android OS for alternative form factors such as foldables. It first released with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 on August 23, 2022. This update also adds further Samsung specific enhancements to multitasking and optimizations for foldable smartphones (Galaxy Z Fold line) and large screen tablets (Galaxy Tab line). The new features made it to supported bar-type phones but these phones continued to show the software version as 4.1 after the update like One UI 3.1.1 as it was only available to foldable phones and tablets.
One UI 5
One UI 5.0 (based on Android 13) started beta testing on 5 August 2022, and was announced on 12 October 2022, it was officially released as a software update for the Galaxy S22 series first starting 28 October 2022 with other devices received the update thereafter. The Samsung Galaxy A14 (5G variant) was the first phone to have this One UI version pre-installed.
Some features and changes include the ability to turn off the RAM Plus feature, where previously users could only limit it to 2 GB rather than turning it off entirely, and a redesigned way of customizing the lock screen, similar to iOS 16. Material You was also expanded to most of Google and Samsung apps along with some third-party apps that support Material You. One UI 5 also brought refreshed icons with a slight gradient and subtle differences.
One UI 5.1 was announced on 1 February 2023 and released on 13 February 2023 with the Galaxy S23 series. It brought many new multitasking features, weather, new battery widget, Settings and Spotify suggestions, Camera and Gallery features, as well as improvements such as the ability to change color tone for selfies, enhanced image remastering, and revamped info display.
One UI 5.1.1 launched with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Tab S9 on 26 July 2023. The update increases the number of apps shown in the taskbar with more recent apps, improves support for Flex Mode in more apps, allows for two-handed drag-and-drop file transfer and gives the ability to hide apps in pop-up mode among other features and improvements. Even though other features made it to non-foldable phones, the latter devices continued showing their software version as 5.1 after the update like One UI versions 3.1.1 and 4.1.1 as it was only available to foldable phones and tablets.
One UI 6
One UI 6.0 (based on Android 14) started beta testing on 11 August 2023, and was officially released as an update for the Galaxy S23 series first starting 30 October 2023 with other supported devices following later. The Galaxy A15 (and its 5G variant) and the Galaxy A25 5G were the first phones to have this version of One UI pre-installed.
Starting with this version, Samsung Messages was removed from US Galaxy models in favor of Google Messages, which provides RCS support. It remained available as an optional download on the Galaxy Store until 6 July 2026, when it was discontinued in the US.
This version of One UI includes a redesigned quick panel with a new button layout, improved access to the brightness settings and a new notification layout that allows sorting by time. Other new features include a new default font, called One UI Sans, new emojis and an improved multitasking experience. Built-in Samsung applications such as the Camera app, Gallery, Photo Editor, Weather among others have also received updates to add more functionality and customization.
One UI 6.1 was released on 17 January 2024 with the Galaxy S24 series. This and later versions of One UI mainly include new AI-based features pre-installed for flagship devices (Galaxy S (including tablets) and Galaxy Z) since 2024 and as an update for flagship devices released in 2022 and 2023. These features are marketed as Galaxy AI and rely on a combination of local models and cloud-based models. In mainland China, the cloud partner is Baidu providing its Ernie model, while in international markets (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), the cloud partner is Google providing its Gemini Pro model.
Features available on all applicable devices include enhanced battery protection designed to prevent battery degradation, Super HDR for photos in the Gallery and on social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, and the option to show the lock screen wallpaper on Always On Display. Simultaneously the merger of Samsung's Quick Share and Google's Nearby Share feature were announced allowing all Galaxy users fast file transfer with all Android and Windows devices using a single solution.
While not released alongside One UI 6.1, Samsung implemented Google's A/B seamless update technology with the release of the Galaxy A55. This works by installing updates to a secondary system partition that the device boots from whenever it is restarted.
One UI 6.1.1 was released on 10 July 2024 with Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. This update includes several new Galaxy AI features such as Portrait Studio, Suggested Replies and Sketch to Image. Other devices received the update thereafter starting with the Galaxy S series since the Galaxy S24 series on 5 September 2024, before announcing the Galaxy S24 FE on 26 September 2024 (alongside the Galaxy Tab S10+ & S10 Ultra). However, non-foldable & mid-range phones continued to show the software version as 6.1 after the update like One UI 3.1.1, 4.1.1 and 5.1.1 as it was only available to foldable phones and tablets.
One UI 7
One UI 7.0 (based on Android 15) started beta testing on 5 December 2024, and was released on 22 January 2025 with the Galaxy S25 series. It eventually became available to the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy Z6 series, and other One UI 7-compatible devices as a software update on 11 April 2025. By June 2025, the stable rollout of One UI 7 in almost all of existing compatible devices has made its way to most countries. Only the Galaxy S25 (except the FE model) series, and select Galaxy A, Galaxy M, Galaxy F, and select Galaxy Tab devices released in 2025 were the only Galaxy devices that have this One UI version pre-installed. Starting with this version, Samsung introduced One UI as the default interface on its Tizen-based smart TVs, monitors, projectors, and home appliances.
This One UI version also became the shortest-lived among all released versions and the only version to not have an incremental version (e.g. x.1).
The update features a complete revamp of the One UI experience, this include an overhaul to the icons, widgets, system apps, lock screen, quick panel (which has been separated into the notification panel and the control panel), and updated set of new ringtones and notification sounds. DeX for PC (later replaced in favor for Link to Windows) and downloadable edge panels are deprecated in this release.
It also integrated Galaxy AI across supported devices. Features included Circle to Search, Live Translate, Interpreter, Note Assist, and Transcript Assist, alongside new tools such as Now Bar, Now Brief, and AI Select. Generative Edit, first introduced in earlier versions, was updated in One UI 7 using the Samsung Vision Model app, a background system component for editing and recognition features, Instant Slow-mo, introduced earlier, remained available in One UI 7. A new setting was added to allow users to choose between on-device and cloud-based AI processing. Integration with Google Gemini was also added, allowing the assistant to be launched by long-pressing the side button and used in conjunction with features such as Circle to Search.
One year later after the Galaxy A55, while not released alongside One UI 7, Samsung also implemented Google's A/B seamless update technology with the release of the Galaxy A36. This works by installing updates to a secondary system partition that the device boots from whenever it is restarted.
One UI 8
One UI 8.0 (based on Android 16) started beta testing on 28 May 2025, and then officially released with Galaxy Z Flip 7, Z Flip 7 FE and Galaxy Z Fold 7 on 9 July 2025, later the Galaxy S25 FE on 19 September 2025, and later the Galaxy A07 5G on 12 January 2026, was gradually rolled out to other supported devices, starting on 15 September 2025 with the Galaxy S25 series in South Korea.
The One UI 8 update includes the introduction of Gemini Live (enabling real-time multimodal conversations through screen sharing and image uploads), improvements to Circle to Search (which made its way to every Galaxy device receiving this update), improvements to multitasking (with the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 7), improved Flex Window (with the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 7), and added Galaxy AI features (such as improved Portrait Studio in Generative Edit and Audio Eraser). The update removed the ability to unlock the bootloader of all Galaxy devices updated to it.
One UI 8.5 (based on Android 16 QPR2) began initial beta testing on 8 December 2025, and became formally available in February 2026 for the Galaxy S26 series and the following month for the Galaxy A37 5G and A57 5G. This version was later released for other devices starting with the Galaxy S25 series as a software update on 6 May 2026.
This incremental update of One UI is also the first to be incompatible with certain devices released in 2022 despite those devices already received One UI 8.0.
The One UI 8.5 update introduces a fresh visual design, featuring transparent blur effects, floating elements, and smoother animations. Newer features for the Galaxy AI were added, such as improved call screening (with AI assistance), text-based image editing, combining objects from different photos, applying styles to images, continuous AI image generation, and Creative Studio for wallpapers, stickers, and profile images. Bixby was also updated to integrate Perplexity AI. Other features in the update include a built-in document scanner (in Camera app), extensive UI customizations (home screen, lock screen, and quick settings panel), Quick Share with support for AirDrop, and improvements to system apps.
One UI 9
Shortly after the stable release of One UI 8.5, One UI 9 (based on Android 17) started beta testing on 12 May 2026. It officially launched on 22 July 2026, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8, and later on the Galaxy S26 FE on 27 August 2026, and eventually made its way to other devices, which began on 16 September 2026 with the Galaxy S26 series, through a software update.
The update makes changes to the lock screen wherein after the 13th failed unlock attempt, it would lockout the phone, requiring a factory reset to regain access (this only applies to devices that were launched with One UI 9).
One UI Watch
In 2021, Samsung and Google announced the wearable version of Tizen and Wear OS were being merged.
Software support
Prior to the release of One UI, Samsung provided 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 or 4 years of security updates for most of its devices. Since then, software support has been extended multiple times:
- On 5 August 2020 (during the Galaxy Unpacked event unveiling the Galaxy Note20 series), Samsung announced that it would offer up to 3 years of OS (and One UI) upgrades and 4 years of security updates for select devices released between 2019 and 2023
- On 9 February 2022 (also during the Galaxy Unpacked event unveiling the Galaxy S22 series), Samsung announced that it would offer up to 4 years of OS (and One UI) upgrades and 5 years of security updates for select phones and most tablets released between 2021 and 2024, rugged tablets released since 2024, and smartwatches released between 2021 and 2025
- On 17 January 2024 (during the Galaxy Unpacked Event unveiling the Galaxy S24 series), Samsung announced that it would offer up to 7 years of both OS upgrades and security updates for select devices released since 2024, becoming the second manufacturer to offer 7 years of support (the first brand to do so was Google with the release of the Pixel 8 lineup).
Enterprise edition devices have a slightly longer software support. An example would be the Enterprise edition of the Galaxy S25 series, which, for the first time on any Android device, have support for 8 OS upgrades and 8 years of security updates.
The extended software support was followed by Samsung's low-end and mid-range phones released since 2025 and smartwatches sold since 2026:
- It expanded with 6 years of OS and security updates with the release of Galaxy A16, Galaxy A26, A36, A56, and the Galaxy A07 (including their respective Galaxy M and F series counterparts).
- Additionally, they provided 4 years of OS and security updates only for the following devices: the Galaxy A06 5G, and its rebranded versions, Galaxy F06 5G (sold in India), Galaxy M06 5G (sold online in select countries), and the Galaxy A25 (Japan variant).
- It currently provides 5 years of OS and security updates for the Galaxy Watch 9 series and later smartwatches as well.
Galaxy Book devices are subject to the Windows support life cycle. Samsung has no control on restricting Windows feature updates and Microsoft does not restrict feature updates on computers.