Like clockwork, Samsung has released a new major One UI version every year since One UI 3.0. However, the company will break that yearly release streak with the upcoming One UI 7.0 update.
At SDC24, Samsung confirmed that One UI 7.0 will not have a public release in 2024 but should go live in early 2025.
The reason? One UI 7.0 is one of the most significant updates the company has developed in years, and as a result, it needs more development time before it is ready for the masses.
Many reports have surfaced in recent months about One UI 7.0 and what new and updated features it might bring. While we wait for Samsung to finish work on One UI 7.0, we will continue to aggregate everything we know about the update into this article.
This One UI 7.0 story will be updated periodically with new information as it becomes available. Without further ado, here's what we know about One UI 7.0 so far.
What is the general theme and purpose of One UI 7.0?
The overarching theme and goal of One UI 7.0 was confirmed by Samsung at its 2024 Developer Conference on October 3.
At the event, Samsung said the primary purpose of One UI 7.0 is to elicit a positive and emotional response from the users whenever they interact with the UI.
To this end, Samsung based One UI 7.0 on a new user experience focused on “simple and emotive design.” At SDC24, Samsung said the core of this One UI 7.0 design philosophy consists of three main elements, described as follows:
- Simple. Aiming for purposeful simplicity across the UI.
- Impactful. Creating a new signature impression for One UI.
- Emotive. Creating UI elements, like a new blur engine, that elicit a positive emotional response from users.
In other words, One UI 7.0 aims to overhaul the visual and functionality side to a high degree. However, the nitty-gritty details of how this will be achieved have not been confirmed or are subject to change.
As such, the hands-on video we shot on the SDC24 demo floor with an early version of One UI 7.0 is already outdated by more recent accounts.
The story continues after our early SDC24 hands-on video
Many UI elements were not set in stone at that time, and things can continue to change by the time One UI 7.0 goes live. With that in mind, here is a comprehensive list of all we know about One UI 7.0 so far, with the caveat that nothing is set in stone until the update is nearly ready for release in early 2025.
Everything new and updated One UI 7.0 feature rumored so far
- One of the most exciting changes to One UI 7.0 consists of fluid animations and transitions that will fundamentally change (and modernize) how the UI feels.
- One UI 7.0 introduces a new “Galaxy Avatar” feature. There's not much known about it, but it was spotted in the One UI 7 “Advanced Features” menu in an early video.
- More recent developments confirm that Galaxy Avatar is the existing AR Emoji feature renamed and integrated into the Settings app.
- Augmented Reality features, including AR Doodle, AR Zone, Deco Pic, and Quick Measure, will become stand-alone experiences (apps) in One UI 7.0. Prior to One UI 7, these features were AR components of AR Zone.
- Many (if not all) Samsung apps will receive new redesigned icons.
- One UI 7.0 will introduce redesigned quick toggle and notification areas. An early leak video (which appears to have been pulled since) revealed numerous customization options for these UI elements.
- Users can quickly access the notification and quick toggle areas in One UI 7.0 depending on which part of the status bar they're swiping down from (left or right of the selfie camera).
- Along with new app icons, some Samsung app UIs will be redesigned. The Camera app is among them. The redesigned app groups various camera settings together for a cleaner look.
- AI Portrait Studio has a new design with better previews at the bottom of the screen.
- Samsung appears to be working on a new “Cloud” app for One UI 7.0. Its functionality is not clear, but the name hints at new cloud backup services.
- One UI 7.0 might bring improved Parental Controls.
- One UI 7.0 could integrate more Good Lock features and/or make Good Lock available in more regions.
- Leaker @UniverseIce claims that One UI 7.0 is the biggest improvement in Samsung's software development history. The update brings unprecedented system stability, smoothness, and fluidity of animations and transitions.
- One UI 7.0 non-linear and parallel animations were demonstrated in an alleged early leak video.
- One UI 7.0 could allow users to completely turn off thermal throttling.
- Galaxy AI will become more powerful with the release of One UI 7.0. One rumored AI feature is Notification Summaries.
- One UI 7.0 is said to become even more secure with extra features added to the Auto Blocker's “Maximum Restrictions” mode.
When will One UI 7.0 be released, where, and for which devices?
Samsung said it will release the public version of One UI 7.0 in early 2025, which likely means the Galaxy S25 series will be the first to ship with the new OS update out of the gate.
However, Samsung is expected to release a beta version of One UI 7.0, with a limited reach, before the end of 2024. Here's what we know about availability:
