Summary
- Samsung is currently rolling out its Android 15-based One UI 7 in the US, bringing a redesigned look with split notifications and a new Now Bar.
- Leaked information suggests that the upcoming One UI 8, based on Android 16, may introduce a dedicated “Private album” feature within the Samsung Gallery app for securely hiding photos and videos.
- One UI 8 is also expected to include enhancements like video summaries in Samsung Internet, new animations, a DeX redesign, improved Secure Folder functionality utilizing Android 15’s Private Space API, and a full screen mirroring option for the Gallery app.
Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7‘s rollout is now in full swing in the US. Samsung’s launcher has begun rolling out on all eligible S-series flagships and foldables, with Samsung’s A-series devices slated to receive the update in May and June (varies depending on the device).
The update significantly alters Samsung devices’ look and feel, introducing split notification and Quick Setting shades, alongside a new Now Bar to highlight essential information at a glance.
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With One UI 7 (mostly) out of the way, the South Korean tech giant is now diverting its resources towards One UI 8. Based on Android 16, which is expected to roll out in stable in June, One UI 8 has already made its way to internal test builds on Samsung’s servers, with the update expected to bring iterative changes that offer practical and quality of life improvements.
From what has already been spotted in leaks and rumors, we’re expecting One UI 8 to bring video summaries to Samsung Internet, new animations, a DeX redesign, and potentially even enhancements to Samsung’s Secure Folder.
Now, new information stemming from X user @DalgleishGX (via SamMobile) suggests that in addition to Secure Folder enhancements, Samsung could also introduce a dedicated ‘Private Album’ feature to Samsung Gallery.
According to the user, the feature was found in a leaked One UI 8 build, and it functions exclusively for photos and videos in Samsung Gallery. It isn’t entirely clear if the functionality will be hidden behind Gallery’s Samsung Labs, which simply locks albums, or if it employs the Android 15-introduced Private Space API.
We might be able to check the feature out later this month
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The latter will likely be the case, especially since Samsung will reportedly be adopting Google’s Private Space API for Secure Folder in One UI 8 to prevent hidden files and folders from showing up in areas where they’re not supposed to. Private Space, for reference, isolates desired files and folders within a separate, encrypted partition on the device. This is unlike album locking, which primarily hides content from immediate view.
How exactly Private album will function remains to be seen. We should have more insight about the potentially upcoming feature with One UI 8’s first public beta, which could come out as soon as this month.
Elsewhere, One UI 8 is also expected to bring complete screen mirror functionality to the Gallery app. For reference, when you attempt to mirror your Samsung device’s Gallery to a smart TV, your device doesn’t really mirror its full display. Instead, it goes into sort of a presentation mode with only the media highlighted. With One UI 8, Samsung Gallery will give users a new ‘Mirror screen mode in viewer’ settings, allowing seamless switching between full mirroring mode and presentation mode.
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