One UI 9.5 to add Gaming Hub integration to Samsung Contacts

There's been a steady stream of One UI 9.5 revelations this week. It's clear that Samsung is making significant upgrades to many of its native apps with the next major firmware version.

It appears that the Samsung Contacts app will pick up Gaming Hub integration with One UI 9.5, bringing a social element to the otherwise boring Contacts app.

AndroidAuthority did a teardown of the One UI 9.5 Samsung Contacts app and found several references in the code about Gaming Hub integration. The code suggests that with One UI 9.5, users will be able to link games and presumably be able to send requests and more from within the app.

It will be possible to link games through the Samsung Gaming Hub. What the code doesn't reveal is which games will be supported for this feature, though it's a safe bet that most popular games would likely add support.

Once linked, users will be able to send friend requests, invite people to guilds, check their contacts' gaming profiles, and see which of their friends are online and playing those linked games without having to leave the Contacts app. A direct chat option with individual players may also be available.

No screenshots have emerged of this new functionality as yet, but it's only a matter of time before we get to see all of this in action. Samsung is expected to launch the One UI 9.5 beta program in the near future, before the stable version arrives pre-installed on the Galaxy S27 series next year.