The first One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy S26 may land soon
Samsung's One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy S26 series is expected to roll out soon, following the appearance of test builds on Samsung's servers—a pattern that historically precedes official beta releases by 2-3 weeks. This update, based on Android 17, will introduce UI enhancements to the Now Bar, Gallery app, widgets, and Samsung Browser, requiring IT organizations to prepare for device management and compatibility testing across enterprise Samsung device deployments. Organizations should anticipate a staggered rollout timeline similar to One UI 8.5, with flagship devices receiving updates first and older devices following months later, impacting mobile device management (MDM) and support strategies.
Android 17 will be the next major smartphone OS to emerge from Google's labs. The software's final beta was made available last month, setting the stage for a stable rollout sometime next month. In the meantime, Samsung has been testing the Android 17-based One UI 9 software internally since February, though there has been no inkling of the first beta dropping anytime soon.