Not the update I hoped it would be

The start of a new beta is always an exciting time, whether it’s a new Android version from Google or a new version of One UI. I expected that to be the case with One UI 9, which is based on Android 17.

However, now that I’ve spent some time with the beta on my Galaxy S26 Ultra, I can say that this is a much smaller update than we’re used to — and there’s no reason to rush into the beta program to try it for yourself.

The changes to the UI are few and far between, but some of them are nicer than what we had before. The media player has been completely redesigned, as seen in the images above. The track title has been moved to the center, and the playback buttons and scrub bar control are bigger and easier to target. One change I’m not so keen on is the removal of the artist name, but overall, I think the new media interface is an improvement.

The media player has had some tweaks in the quick settings panel, too. In One UI 8.5 (pictured left), the player had to fill an entire row, but a Good Lock module allowed you to bypass that limitation. In One UI 9, shown on the right, you can resize the media player to a 2 x 2 square without Good Lock. I love Good Lock, but I’m always happy to see some of its features get baked into One UI itself. Most users still have no idea what Good Lock is and are more likely to find something that comes on their phone out of the box.

The buttons and sliders in the quick settings panel have been tweaked, too. The icons no longer sit in a circle within a circle, and the color indicating a tile has been activated now fills the entire button. The border around the volume and brightness sliders is gone, and the sound profile and dark mode buttons are no longer integrated into the sliders, and can be moved or removed.

There are some changes to the phone call experience, too. When you’re on a call with someone in your contacts, the phone displays recent messages or important dates for that person. This is likely an update to Now Nudge, which surfaces similar information in messaging apps. In the two screenshots above, this has already proven more useful than Google’s Magic Cue, which frequently tries to convince me that my McDonald’s email receipt is somehow related to the MOT and service I’m booking for my car.

There are some other minor UI changes here and there. You can hide the multitasking handles in split-screen mode, and the digital wellbeing and parental control menus are now separate, rather than combined in one place. There’s also a new menu in settings that collects your sideloaded apps into one list, which is handy for those of us who frequent APK Mirror.

As far as major One UI updates go, One UI 9 is pretty light. If you’re thinking of joining the beta, I’d say wait. There’s nothing here that’s worth the risk of bugs or data loss. While it appears to be working at the moment, Google Wallet often fails during Samsung’s betas, so you’d be sacrificing core functionality just to test some minor changes. There are plenty of Good Lock modules that are broken, too.

If you do decide to try One UI 9, you’ll need a Galaxy S26. Other models should get access to the beta soon, but there’s no indication of when that will be just yet.

One UI 9 will likely include more exciting features when the stable update rolls out. Usually, folding phones launched in the middle of the year debut with a new OS version, and Samsung typically saves new features for announcements alongside the phones. Until then, One UI 9 is a small update that’s difficult to get excited about.

How do you feel about the changes Samsung has made to One UI 9 so far? Are you a fan of the tweaked quick settings, or do you prefer One UI 8.5? Let us know below.