Samsung has started the official rollout of the latest version of its One UI software for Galaxy smartphones, and there’s a very good chance you can try it out today. One UI 7 has been released as a beta version and is available for Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones in the U.S., the U.K., India, Korea, Germany, and Poland starting today, December 5. To try it out, you must sign up to join the beta program, but what features will you get if you do?
New design and simplified home screen
Samsung says One UI 7 has a “significant new look” and a “simple, impactful, and emotive design” that includes less clutter on the screen, new One UI widgets, and greater customization features to give you finer control over the look and function of the software. The home screen and the lock screen have been simplified, too.
Now Bar
The most intriguing new design feature in One UI 7 is the Now Bar. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait to try it out because it’s “set to be supported on upcoming Galaxy S series devices,” which means it’s probably not going to appear on the Galaxy S24 or earlier devices and won’t be inside the beta version of the software you can try today.
The Now Bar is part of a new notification system that reduces the need to unlock your phone to view information or interact with notifications while also highlighting certain activities like music playback, the stopwatch, voice recording, and the AI Interpreter mode. Samsung claims the Now Bar will “transform the lock screen experience” and promises to support it with new features in the future. We may not get a look at the Now Bar until the Galaxy S25’s release, but it sounds a lot like Apple’s Dynamic Island and Live Activities features.
New Galaxy AI features
It wouldn’t be a One UI update without new Galaxy AI features, but at the moment, Samsung is only announcing a few. Its Writing Assist mode will work in more apps, while the Call Transcript mode will now support 20 languages, up from the 13 supported at launch. When recording calls, the transcription feature will begin automatically.
Despite not detailing many new Galaxy AI features at this time, we expect many more to be announced, particularly when the Galaxy S25 series first appears in 2025. Samsung calls the beta version of One UI 7 a “preview of scalable AI ecosystems of the future” and repeats its mission for Galaxy AI in general, which is to integrate AI into every aspect of the software in a natural and intuitive way.
New camera app
In One UI 7, Samsung is promising a redesigned camera app with new buttons and controls, as well as different modes to make it easier to use and quicker to find the features you want. It also mentions that you’ll get a “clearer view of the picture you’re taking or video you’re recording,” but doesn’t elaborate on what this will look like. The camera’s Pro mode will get a makeover to make the manual controls easier to use, and it will introduce a new zoom speed control specifically for Pro mode.
Knox Matrix and security
Samsung’s Knox security system will get a big upgrade in One UI 7, with a new dashboard to check the security status of your phone and other Samsung smart devices and act on any threats flagged by the system. This will be performed using Knox Matrix and the Trust Chain, a secure private blockchain supporting connected Samsung devices. Elsewhere, Samsung will introduce Passkeys into One UI 7, faster recovery of data backups by using device security methods to unlock them, the option to block access to 2G networks, and the ability to prevent automatic reconnection to some Wi-Fi networks.
A new opt-in security feature called Identity Check enhances the current theft prevention features. For example, if the device suspects the PIN has been compromised, it will require biometric authentication to make alterations to the phone’s security settings and add a one-hour security delay, too. Identity Check works based on location, so it shouldn’t happen at home.
How to get One UI 7 beta
To gain access to the One UI 7 beta, you should sign up with the Samsung Members app, which is available on your Galaxy S24 smartphone or for download through the Google Play Store. Samsung says the final version of One UI 7 will be released with the “upcoming Galaxy S Series devices,” which we can take to mean the Galaxy S25 range, during the first three months of 2025.
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