Following the recent leak, in which several support pages went live across Samsung’s regional websites for the One UI 9 Beta program, the brand has now officially announced the beta release of its One UI 9 custom skin based on Android 17 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Series smartphones.
Read more about it below.
One UI 9 Beta Update Announced for Galaxy S26 Series
In today’s announcement, Samsung mentions that this beta update arrives with several additional new features and improvements. This includes new creative tools being added to Samsung Notes, alongside decorative tapes and a wider variety of pen line styles as well. Furthermore, the Creative Studio can now be accessed directly via the Contacts app itself in order to create personalized profile cards without needing to switch between apps.
There is also a newly updated Quick Panel, and now brightness, sound, and media player controls can each be adjusted independently. Speaking more, Samsung has additionally introduced improved Mouse Key speed support for smoother cursor control, alongside a combined TalkBack package that brings together accessibility features that were previously offered separately by Google and Samsung.
The new Text Spotlight feature has also been introduced, which is capable of displaying selected text in a larger and clearer floating window in order to make reading easier for users.
Regarding security, One UI 9 also introduces enhanced protection against suspicious apps and potential threats. When new high-risk apps are detected, the software will now warn users, block execution and installation, and also recommend deletion through updated security policies.
As mentioned above, the One UI 9 Beta program is currently available only for Galaxy S26 Series users in Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the U.K., and the U.S. Adding to this, Samsung has also confirmed through its announcement page that the rollout will begin starting this week, and Galaxy S26 Series users can apply to join the beta program through the Samsung Members app as well.
Here’s how to join the beta:
- Open the Samsung Members app.
- Log in using your Samsung Account.
- Look for the One UI 8.5 beta banner on the homepage.
- Tap it and enrol by agreeing to the terms.
- Finally, head to Settings > Software update and download the update.
