So, Ii looks like Samsung might be skipping One UI 7.1 and jumping straight to One UI 8, according to recent reports, due to delays with One UI 7. While details are still emerging, here’s what we know about the expected features in One UI 8.
One UI 8 Expected Features
While One UI 7 is based on Android 15, One UI 8 will be built on the latest Android 16. Android 16 is currently in beta for Google Pixel phones and is expected to be publicly available after April this year.
This means One UI 8 will likely inherit some of Android 16’s key features. These include an improved photo picker (the pop-up menu for selecting media in apps), the ability for apps to access and manage medical records through Google’s Health Connect, better notification management, and enhanced privacy controls.
Some Android 16 features are already present in One UI 7. For instance, Samsung’s Now Bar, which allows apps to display live activity updates, came before Google’s official implementation. Expect it to be refined and further enhanced in One UI 8.
Samsung phones also already offer Bluetooth audio sharing, so that’s likely to remain as well.
1. Smoother Animations and UI Enhancements
One UI 8 is expected to further refine animations, resulting in a smoother and more polished experience, with Android 16 likely adding support for Decal Shader to enhance the animation and transitions engine on Galaxy devices.
While One UI 7 brought improvements in this area, some aspects, like the quick settings panel, could still benefit from further refinement. Samsung may also introduce a new set of icons to refresh the visual experience.
We also anticipate improvements to split-screen mode, app-switching gestures, and other multitasking features.
2. New Customization Options and Accessibility Features
One UI 8 might allow users to choose their preferred measurement system independently of their phone’s language. This means you’ll be able to switch between metric, US imperial, or UK imperial units without changing the language settings.
For example, if your phone is set to Chinese, it might still display measurements in US units like Fahrenheit, liters, and miles per hour. The new setting will provide users with more flexibility.
Android 16 also introduces improvements for users with LE Audio hearing aids. These users will be able to adjust background noise levels and quickly mute or unmute their surroundings.
Additionally, One UI 8 will enable users to switch microphones during calls, which is useful if the hearing aid’s microphone malfunctions or its battery runs low.
3. Security and Privacy Enhancements
Samsung already provides Knox security and Auto Blocker, but One UI 8 might add an Advanced Protection mode to defend against online threats, harmful apps, and insecure connections.
This mode mandates a security key or passkey to sign into a Google account, blocks potentially harmful files from being downloaded, and prevents app side-loading (similar to what AutoBlocker already does). While Google will have a dedicated section for this in Android 16, Samsung might integrate it into the Auto Blocker menu.
One UI 8 will provide even more granular control over the data each app can access. Additionally, we might see scam protection features that would prevent scammers from taking control of your phone.
This would be done by preventing you from enabling side-loading while on a call and by blocking you from granting accessibility permissions that could allow scammers to take control of your device.
One UI 8 Expected Release Date
Samsung began rolling out the One UI 7 beta for the Galaxy S24 in December 2024. The Galaxy S25 launched in February 2025 with the stable One UI 7 out of the box. As of March 4, 2025, the beta program is still ongoing, with four updates released so far.
The update has also been delayed for older models. However, reports suggest One UI 8 won’t be affected by these delays and will follow One UI 7 directly—Samsung is reportedly skipping One UI 7.1.
Samsung will be rolling out One UI 7 to the Galaxy S23 and other eligible models to align with the Android 15 upgrade. But for One UI 8, the company may catch up with Google’s Android 16 release schedule.
Android 16 is currently in beta on Google Pixel devices and is expected to reach stable release after April 2025. Based on this, One UI 8 could start rolling out in late 2025, possibly by October—following a similar timeline to One UI 6, bouncing back from One UI 7’s delayed timeline.
