One of the strengths of Samsung mobile devices is its software, particularly its user interface, One UI. S22 series owners, including those in South Africa, have already received the One UI 5 update but now, Samsung is rolling out the update to more devices around the world.
One UI 5 offers a fresh, new look and feel that makes the user experience more welcoming and seamless thanks to the use of bolder, simpler app icons and a streamlined colour scheme, says Samsung.
Here are some key features of One UI 5:
Use Your Phone Your Way
Personalisation is the big new thing in smartphones today with Google having released Material UI and Apple adopting a level of personalisation never seen before on iPhones with the latest versions of iOS. According to Samsung, One UI 5 represents the brand’s most personalised mobile experience yet, designed to give you greater options for tailoring your devices exactly how you’d like – and apparently, it begins with communication.
There’s a new Bixby Text Call feature (available in Korean with One UI 4.1.1 with an English version planned for early 2023 via a One UI software update) which lets you answer calls by typing a message. Bixby converts the text to audio and shares it directly with the caller on the line on your behalf, and shows you what the caller is saying by converting their voice to text. Perfect for those moments when you need to communicate but can’t necessarily be heard. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s essentially an upgraded version of Google’s Call Screen functionality.
Match Your Phone to Your Lifestyle
What you need from your device can change throughout the day. The features you utilise for your morning routine to get you up and active might not be the same as what keeps you focused during the working day. With the Routines, you can trigger a sequence of actions on your device based on your activities, and with One UI 5’s Modes, you can create customised settings for different parts of your life from sleeping and relaxing to exercising and driving.
For example, while you’re exercising, your priority might be to mute notifications in order to stay in the zone and play music. Alternatively, when it’s time for bed, turning off sounds and turning on Dark mode can help you wind down.
A Mobile Experience Built Around You
In addition to providing you with options to curate a customised look and feel for your device, One UI 5 also offers new features that help you get things done more efficiently. For example, widgets in One UI 5 come with exciting new options and the ability to keep your Home screen neat and tidy with new Stacked widgets (Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Smart Stack widgets it introduced with iOS 14 in 2020). This new feature lets you drag and drop widgets on top of each other and swipe left or right to quickly and easily scroll through each one, to free up space on your Home screen and use it more efficiently.
There’s also a new smart suggestions feature for widgets that uses your usage patterns and the context of your mobile activity to suggest apps and actions for you.
One UI 5 also brings the ability to extract text from images and paste it into a note. Whether it’s quickly capturing event details from a poster you want to send to a friend, or easily saving a phone number from a business card.
Furthermore, you can also control all the devices connected to your smartphone in the new Connected devices menu, where you’ll be able to access all features that work with other devices such as Quick Share, Smart View and Samsung DeX. You also now get easy access to the Auto switch Buds menu, which lets you automatically switch your Buds from one device to another for more seamless inter-device operation.
Convenient Security and Peace of Mind
There’s a new security and privacy dashboard which Samsung says has been designed to be as simple as possible to make it quick and easy to understand your device’s status.
To make sure your private information stays private, One UI 5 also features a new notification on the Share Panel2 that warns you if you’re about to unwittingly share a photo that contains potentially sensitive information such as an image of your credit or debit card, driver’s license, ID or passport.
Built For Galaxy Users, By Galaxy Users
Samsung received feedback from the thousands of Galaxy users participating in our One UI Beta program and utilised it to bring features and functionality that people who use their devices truly wanted.
Through the One UI Beta Program participants can get early access to the interface and share their feedback to help create the best experience possible. This year saw Samsung open up its Open Beta program for One UI 5 earlier than ever before to ensure everyone had access to the new user interface.
The feedback received during this process has shaped the upcoming One UI 5 experience in more ways than one. From small details, such as smoother gestures for a refined look and feel, to whole features, users informed the development journey. Users noted that the Security Dashboard was a much-valued feature, setting the stage for additional updates that give people greater control over their privacy, and feedback also showed that the new Bixby Text Call feature was seen as incredibly useful for answering calls in challenging environments. As a result, this feature is set to support English early next year.
1 Bixby Text Call is now available in Korean with One UI 4.1.1, and English version is planned for early 2023 via a One UI software update.
2 Enhanced photo share feature is available only when system language is set in English (US) or Korean. In the case of ID, availability may vary depending on language.
Read next: The best foldable phone on the market isn’t good enough
