GoKawiilPaul Jones / Android Authority
The start of a new beta is always an exciting time, whether it’s a new Android version from Google or a new version of One UI. I expected that to be the case with One UI 9, which is based on Android 17.
However, now that I’ve spent some time with the beta on my Galaxy S26 Ultra, I can say that this is a much smaller update than we’re used to — and there’s no reason to rush into the beta program to try it for yourself.
Are you excited for One UI 9? 38 votes Yes 34 % No 32 % I need to see more before I decide 34 %
Smart (but small) UI changes
One UI 8.5 One UI 9
The changes to the UI are few and far between, but some of them are nicer than what we had before. The media player has been completely redesigned, as seen in the images above. The track title has been moved to the center, and the playback buttons and scrub bar control are bigger and easier to target. One change I’m not so keen on is the removal of the artist name, but overall, I think the new media interface is an improvement.
One UI 8.5 One UI 9
The media player has had some tweaks in the quick settings panel, too. In One UI 8.5 (pictured left), the player had to fill an entire row, but a Good Lock module allowed you to bypass that limitation. In One UI 9, shown on the right, you can resize the media player to a 2 x 2 square without Good Lock. I love Good Lock, but I’m always happy to see some of its features get baked into One UI itself. Most users still have no idea what Good Lock is and are more likely to find something that comes on their phone out of the box.
The buttons and sliders in the quick settings panel have been tweaked, too. The icons no longer sit in a circle within a circle, and the color indicating a tile has been activated now fills the entire button. The border around the volume and brightness sliders is gone, and the sound profile and dark mode buttons are no longer integrated into the sliders, and can be moved or removed.
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