Forget One UI 7. The sooner Samsung Galaxy owners can put the Android 15 debacle behind them, the better. The optics around this critical upgrade, with its game-changing security and privacy updates, were already awkward heading into 2025. But no-one expected we’d still be talking about the One UI 7 release come the summer. And yet here we are — some Galaxy phones won’t be upgraded until July.
As Android Authority laments, “One UI 7 should have been Samsung’s best update in years. Now, it’s the worst,” even though “Samsung has done something incredible with One UI 7 — easily Samsung’s biggest Android update in years,” the company “has botched the release of One UI 7 to a degree I didn’t think was possible.”
Samsung’s One UI 7 wrap around Android 15 is excellent. And the enhancements to Maximum Restrictions are particularly welcome. But One UI 8 goes further, and your Galaxy phones will be much safer and more secure with the upgrade. So, perhaps it’s a positive that the Galaxy-maker will likely rush out Android 16 — as best it can — to recover the One UI 7 situation — as best it can. With Apple toppling Android’s leading OEM in the best-selling phone list for the first time, the stakes are high.
In some ways, Android 16 enables other OEMs‚ including Google’s Pixel — to catch up with Samsung. The new Advanced Protection Mode is a form of Maximum Restrictions that will be universally available. And just as with Samsung, this brings unsafe network blocks (including 2G), sideloading blocks, safer browsing and theft protection. It also wraps up Google’s various new spam protections.
Android Authority’s teardown of the latest Play Services APK says “Android 16’s Advanced Protection Mode will offer a one-click toggle that enables a plethora of security settings across the OS and even external apps.” That’s critical, as Android’s premium phones — especially Samsung’s — chase down Apple’s iPhone.
We know Samsung is well advanced with One UI 8 and we know it wants (and needs) a faster, more seamless rollout. The question is whether your phone is scheduled to get it. Thankfully, the teams at SamMobile and SammyFans have compiled lists.
If you own a fairly recent flagship — the Galaxy S series S22 or above, likely also the S21 FE, or a Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Z Fold 4 or above, then you should receive the upgrade. The websites also list eligible A series, Tab series, F series and M series phones.
As for timing, SamMobile says “One UI 8 could start rolling out by late July or early August. That’s just speculation based on what our sources have told us, but since the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are launching with One UI 8 preloaded, we can expect it to start making its way to eligible devices much earlier than any previous version of One UI, not just One UI 7.” Let’s hope that’s right, and One UI 7 is soon forgotten.
