It’s only been a few days since Samsung started rolling out the Android 17-based One UI 9 beta update to the Galaxy S26 series. This was a long enough time window for enthusiasts and testers to explore every nook and corner of the operating system to find small details that even Samsung didn’t highlight.
However, folks over at Android Authority have done way more than that by digging deep into the One UI 9 beta build, which proved worthwhile, because it led to the discovery of a major productivity feature. As per the leaked code strings, Samsung is aiming to help users boost their productivity by allowing the blocking of internet access for certain apps.
How an upcoming One UI 9 feature can block internet access for certain apps
This is unlikely to be part of Samsung’s Digital Wellbeing tools, as the feature is titled “Network management for concentration.” In a detailed description, the company has clearly stated that the primary goal of this feature is to ‘reduce distractions from videos, social media, and games.’
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_intro_title">Network management for concentration</string>
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_intro_body">Reduce distractions from videos, social media, and games to improve concentration on work and study.</string>Although the code strings don’t explicitly mention that it’ll block internet access for certain apps, the screenshots shared by Android Authority make it abundantly clear that it’s about restricting internet access for certain apps. In one of the screenshots, the leaked feature shows a settings page titled “Network restriction.” The screenshots also show the option to choose what apps you want to restrict.
This sounds far better than the App timer in Digital Wellbeing, which prevents access to apps after a specified time. So, if you have App timer enabled for YouTube, you won’t be able to access the app to watch videos that you saved for offline viewing after you hit your daily usage limit. The new network restriction feature could prove to be pretty handy in this kind of scenario.
Moreover, the code strings suggest it’ll provide users with the ability to set a six-digit PIN. This is to ensure that no one else without access to the PIN can control the network management capability. This can potentially turn out to be a handy feature for parents, as children won’t be able to disable the feature without access to the PIN.
You’ll have complete control over the feature. It lets you turn on or off internet restrictions for certain apps whenever you want. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do it manually. Under its Advanced settings, it has a “Downtime” option, which allows users to set a start and end time. This is a handy addition for those who want the internet restriction to kick in automatically and remain in effect for a specified period.
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_downtime">Downtime</string>
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_use_downtime">Use downtime</string>
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_set_time">Set time</string>
<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_start_time">Start time</string>However, it’s worth pointing out that the feature appears to be in very early stages of development, and the code strings don’t guarantee the feature will make it to the final release of One UI 9, which is said to transform some of Samsung’s biggest features.
