Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung is working on an audio version of the Now Brief feature that could arrive with One UI 8.
- We recently discovered code referencing the feature in One UI 8 firmware, and we now have an early look at the Listen Brief option in action.
Samsung is working on adding text-to-speech functionality to One UI’s Now Brief feature, which debuted with the Galaxy S25 series this January. Earlier today, we spotted evidence of an upcoming Listen Brief button while digging through One UI 8 firmware. We now have an early look at this functionality, along with a few other changes set to arrive in One UI 8.
X user IposDev has shared a screen recording showcasing the upcoming Listen Brief feature. As speculated, the feature essentially reads the Now Brief page out aloud. While the clip doesn’t reveal exactly how users will be able to trigger the feature, the code snippets we saw earlier today suggest that Samsung will add a “Listen Brief” button in One UI 8 to play the summary. In addition, the feature may offer playback controls to pause, play, or stop the audio briefing and give users the option to select their preferred text-to-speech engine.
Along with the Listen Brief demo, IposDev has shared a clip revealing a new notification opening animation that expands the notification to fill the screen when you tap on it.
Lastly, a screenshot showcasing One UI 8’s updated Privacy and security settings page highlights a minor design change. As you can see in the attached screenshots, the updated design has a smaller shield at the top that’s housed within a rectangular card with rounded corners. The section underneath it has also received a “Security” header.
One UI 8 is expected to deliver incremental improvements over One UI 7, as Samsung is reportedly targeting an earlier release this year. Rumor has it that the update could arrive with Samsung’s next-gen foldables, with a more substantial One UI 8.5 update slated to arrive alongside the Galaxy S26 series next year.
