- Samsung’s first One UI 7 beta is rolling out for Galaxy S24 devices
- It ushers in some major Galaxy AI updates like advanced writing tools
- Beyond AI, One UI 7 also makes some UX changes
At long last, Samsung has begun rolling out a beta version of its One UI 7 software update for Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra devices.
Based on Android 15, One UI 7 – which will debut in finished form alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 series next year – overhauls several key Samsung UI elements, including default app icons, the Quick Settings tray, and the Galaxy camera interface.
Galaxy S24-owning Samsung users in the US and South Korea can download the One UI 7 beta now, with other regions set to follow in the coming days. Below, we’ve rounded up five new features to check out once you’ve downloaded and installed it.
Samsung kicked off the Great Smartphone AI Craze of 2024 with its Galaxy AI feature suite in January, and the company has continued to improve its AI features with each new update to One UI.
That trend continues in One UI 7, with AI-powered writing tools (Chat Assist, etc.) proving the subject of the latest software-based facelift. Galaxy AI users can already summarize content, check spelling and grammar, and automatically format notes into bullet points, but One UI 7 now “allows users to boost their productivity where texts can be selected, without needing to switch between applications,” Samsung says.
We’ve reached out to the company for confirmation on exactly what that means. It does sound like One UI 7 will make Samsung’s existing AI-powered writing tools more readily available (i.e., useable) in more apps, though.
AI-powered call transcription
Owners of the best Samsung phones have had access to a built-in phone call recording tool since Android 9, but until now, there’s been no native method for transcribing phone calls on Galaxy devices.
One UI 7 finally introduces an AI-powered call transcription feature, meaning users can now choose to have their recorded calls automatically transcribed for reference later on. Apple rolled out a similar Apple Intelligence-based feature in iOS 18.1, as did Google for the Pixel 9 series, so we’re glad to see Samsung joining the pack.
At launch, Samsung’s AI-powered call transcription feature will support 20 languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.
The Now Bar
The most interesting new One UI 7 feature of the bunch is the Now Bar, a new notification system that “highlights relevant activities across various features like Interpreter, Music, Recording, Stopwatch and more.” Samsung says this new widget – which is accessible from your phone’s lock screen – “reduces the need to constantly unlock the device and allows users to engage with key information effortlessly.”
Think of the Now Bar as Samsung’s version of Apple’s Dynamic Island, but bigger and capable of displaying a larger number of notifications.
A redesigned camera UX
Good news, photography fans: One UI 7 introduces a redesigned camera UX. Samsung says camera buttons, controls, and modes have been “reorganized [in One UI 7] to make it easier to find the features you need and to give you a clearer preview of the picture you’re taking or the video you’re recording.”
The manual settings layout has also been simplified in Pro and Pro video shooting modes, meaning it should be easier to focus on your subject, and a new zoom control has been added, too, to help you control the zoom speed for smoother transitions. Neat!
Streamlined home screen
In addition to bringing changes to notifications, Galaxy AI features, and the Camera app, One UI 7 also streamlines the Galaxy home screen. The update brings a “significant new look” and a “simple, impactful, and emotive design” to One UI widgets, app icons, and the lock screen, which Samsung hopes will encourage customization and de-clutter previously mess-prone pages.
In the past, we’ve been critical of Samsung’s approach to app and menu presentation, so we’re glad to see the company taking a leaf out of Apple’s book in this regard. Indeed, Samsung executive Patrick Chomet told TechRadar back in January that his “dream for Galaxy AI [is to reach a point where he doesn’t] ever need to go to settings,” and One UI 7 brings the Galaxy ecosystem one step closer to that utopian vision.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
