Samsung will let you beta test One UI 7 on your Galaxy phone

Key Takeaways

• One UI 7 beta will be available to the public, not just developers, once the schedule is confirmed.
• The final One UI 7 build will only be released alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 next year.
• Samsung might have delayed One UI 7's release to optimize it with iOS-like smoothness.

Samsung held its annual developer conference earlier this month, and among other things, it talked about One UI 7. While the company did not showcase its Android 15-based skin, it noted that One UI 7 will focus on improved usability. More importantly, it revealed that a One UI 7 beta build for developers will land before the end of this year. Samsung's wording was not clear, suggesting that the beta will only launch for developers and not the public. Thankfully, that's not the case, and Samsung will release the beta to the public as well.

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Following the Samsung Developer Conference 2024, many Galaxy users felt disappointed and confused about the company's supposed decision not to release One UI 7 beta to the public.

Replying to a query posted on its South Korean community forum, a Samsung moderator confirmed that One UI 7 beta will also be available to the public "when the schedule is confirmed." Like the last few years, when the beta program goes live, Galaxy owners will be notified through a banner in the Samsung Members app.

While this is good news for flagship and premium Galaxy device owners, there's still no clarity on when Samsung will commence the One UI 7 beta program. The company typically starts a public beta program for its next major One UI release in August, with a stable public build landing in October or early November.

One UI 7 will only launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 next year

The One UI 7 beta program has yet to go live this time, even though the first week of October has already passed. This is likely due to Samsung tweaking its One UI release schedule. As the company announced at its developer conference earlier this month, the final One UI 7 build will only drop alongside the Galaxy S25 early next year. So, existing Galaxy owners might have a long wait ahead before they get to try Android 15 on their phones.

Hands-on videos of the Galaxy S24 Ultra running Android 15-based One UI 7 from Samsung's developer conference revealed many iPhone-inspired design changes. These include a revamped Quick Settings panel, redesigned notifications with rounded corners, a refreshed Camera app focused on one-handed use, etc. Despite being a closed beta build, the animations also appeared slick and smooth on the phones.

If Samsung can properly optimize One UI 7 to deliver iOS-like smoothness, it might be able to justify the delay in its release.