Android
Android 13 themed icons feature is awesome, One UI 5.0 should include it
Android 13 is the next big thing and Google is working to release this new Android version for smartphone and tablet devices. Samsung is also internally working on the Android 13 beta dubbed One UI 5.0. So far, the South Korean tech giant has remained silent on the whereabouts of this upcoming One UI version and there’s more that we yet to know.
However, there’s one feature that has caught my eye on the stock Android 13 and it’s called Themed icons. This feature is also powered by the Material You library and has already been introduced with Android 12.
But Android 13 has taken this feature to the next level and introduced some tweaks. Hence, I want these changes to be also adopted on Samsung One UI 5.0. Why? let’s find out.
First, let’s take a look at the working terminology of the themed icons:
Similar to Android 12, the Themed icons feature is also included in the core user interface personalization features for Android 13. While you should know that the feature was in beta mode in Android 12 and now it’ll come with full mode under the latest Android installment.
Speaking of which, the themed icons features color palettes, which generate in different combinations after you choose and set a new wallpaper on your phone’s home screen or lock screen. These color palettes include a primary and a secondary color for the entire user interface along with an accent and a dark theme color.
Once selected, you can choose a wallpaper-derived color palette for your smartphone, which appears throughout the user interface. That’s not it, you can also opt into the themed icons feature to convert supported app icons into a monochrome appearance.
You can see such an example mentioned below.
Once you enable themed icons, you will see the two-color icon throughout the app home screen. As compared to the One UI 4.x versions, the stock Android variant of the themed icons looks way better.
If we talk specifically about the design of the Samsung One UI 4.x stock apps are not supporting this concept completely, because of the lack of these monochrome icons. However, with Android 13, developers can submit their own version of the monochrome app icon to support the features of the themed icon.
(Comparison of One UI 4.0 with colored icons – Before and After)
Dark Mode:
If you think I will stop explaining the beautiful themed icons here, then don’t worry, there’s one more thing I want left to cover up.
The user interface also has a different yet very simple approach. Once you turn on the night mode, the user interface reverses the primary and the secondary color of the icon, which is the sweet and simplistic approach to harnessing and enhancing the power of themed icons.
We’re approaching One UI 5.0 beta and since Google has delayed Android 13 for the time being, we are excited to know, whether this new feature will get an enhancement of the new themed icons.
Samsung takes Galaxy’s software support quite seriously. The company is continuously enhancing its software department and cementing its lead in after-sales support. Android 14-based One UI 6 is coming later this year as the last major update for several Samsung devices.
As Android 14 is yet to officially land on Samsung devices, we’ve compiled a list of handsets, which will have to spend their remaining time on the One UI 6. As the company’s software policy is pretty clear, there’s no confusion on models’ eligibility for updates.
Follow our socials → Google News, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook
Galaxy S21 was eligible for major updates up to Android 14, while Samsung promised additional OS support. This means, the upcoming Android 14 will not be the last OS upgrade for the lineup, and the same applies to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.
The S21 FE launched with Android 12 out of the box, while 2022’s revised policy makes it eligible for updates up to Android 16. All flagships launched after the S21 line are eligible for 4 OS, while several Galaxy A, M, and F series phones will have to stick with Android 14.
Galaxy A series phones that are eligible for 3 OS will end up getting major upgrades post-Android 14 release. Meanwhile, several mid-range and budget phones from Galaxy M and Galaxy F lineups are supported by just two major upgrades.
Android 14-based One UI 6 will be the last major update for these Samsung devices:
- Galaxy A72
- Galaxy A52 (A52 5G, A52s)
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A13
- Galaxy M53 5G
- Galaxy M33 5G
- Galaxy M23
- Galaxy M13
- Galaxy F23
- Galaxy F13
One UI 6 will radically turn your Samsung Galaxy phone’s user interface. The new software’s Beta testing was started in August, with Stable rollout expected this month. There are a lot of eligible Samsung Galaxy devices, so let’s see an expected official release of the One UI 6 update.
Samsung is actively running the One UI 6 Beta Program for Galaxy devices. Earlier, the company announced the Beta activity for the Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy S21 series. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 series has received a total of 5 major One UI 6 Beta, signaling the official release is near.
Follow our socials → Google News, Telegram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook
This year’s Samsung Developers Conference taking place in the first week of October. For reference, the SDC22 was held in the last week of October 2022, with the rollout started in November. Thanks to Samsung’s early SDC23 event, flagship Galaxy devices may get the Stable update earlier than last year.
Galaxy devices that are in Beta stage are most likely to get upgraded to Stable One UI 6, based on Android 14, by October 2023. This includes the popular foldables, flagship tablet lineups, Galaxy S23/S22/S21 series and the best mid-rangers i.e. Galaxy A54/A34.
Here’s when to expect the official release of One UI 6 for your Samsung Galaxy
October 2023
Galaxy S series:
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S22+
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy S21 FE
- Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Galaxy S21+
- Galaxy S21
Galaxy Z series
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
Galaxy A series
- Galaxy A54
- Galaxy A34
Galaxy Tab series
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8+
- Galaxy Tab S8
November/December 2023
Galaxy A Series
- Galaxy A73
- Galaxy A72
- Galaxy A53
- Galaxy A52 (A52 5G, A52s)
- Galaxy A33
- Galaxy A24
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A14
- Galaxy A13
- Galaxy A04s
Galaxy M series
- Galaxy M54
- Galaxy M53 5G
- Galaxy M33 5G
- Galaxy M23
Galaxy F series
- Galaxy F54
- Galaxy F23
- Galaxy F14 5G
Galaxy Xcover series
- Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S23 series comes pre-installed with Android 13-based One UI 5.1 software. The new Android 14 OS will roll out to the latest Samsung flagships later this year, and if you own a Galaxy S23 series model, should bookmark this tracker to stay updated with the latest insights.
Android 14-based One UI 6.0 will debut later this year, while Samsung is letting users experience the new features and changes through its Beta Program. As Google is making minor tweaks throughout the user interface, One UI 6 Beta carried out notable cosmetic changes.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Android 14 Update Tracker
Note: We will add or remove entries to provide useful insights only.
One UI 6.0 (Android 14) News:
Samsung could release the stable Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update for the Galaxy S23 series in late October 2023.
One UI 6 Beta Progress:
September 27
One UI 6 Beta 5 starts rolling out with fixes for touch, camera, rebooting, and more issues.
September 22
Samsung has begun to push the One UI 6 Beta 4 update, bringing October 2023 security patch and fixes for a handful of issues.
September 15
Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphones are getting the September 2023 security update in Europe. Read more here…
September 14
Samsung is now releasing a new One UI 6 beta update for Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphones in India. Read more here…
September 14
Samsung has released the Android 14-based third One UI 6 Beta update for Galaxy S23 series users. The update is currently available for Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 users in the US. Read more here…
September 7
Some Galaxy S23 series users in Europe grabbed the third One UI 6 Beta update.
August 31
Samsung has started releasing the second One UI 6 Beta update to the Galaxy S23 series. In addition, the Beta Program has been expanded to China, India, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Useful articles:
- Download and Install One UI 6 Beta on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in any country
- How to join One UI 6 Beta Program
- Samsung One UI 6 Features: Quick Panel, Lock Screen, Camera, Smarter Settings and more
August 10
Samsung started Android 14 Beta for Galaxy S23 series in early August. The Beta program will be available in seven countries like last year, meanwhile, Beta 1 is available in just three markets including the US, Germany, and South Korea.
One UI 6 Early Info/Leaks/Rumors:
July 19
Previous One UI 6 test builds ended with the numbers “6″ and then “8,” and now it’s back at the letter “A.” This major change hints that Samsung is now ready to deploy the One UI 6 Beta to the Public through the Members app.
July 16
One UI 6 Beta has appeared in several new markets including the Middle East, North America, and Southeast Asia. 12 new markets to participate in:
- Brazil
- Canada
- Mexico
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Russia
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Sri Lanka
- Saudi Arabia
- UAE
- Australia
July 8
Samsung has finally started testing the One UI 6 build on the Galaxy S23 series in China. One UI 6.0 testing is underway with the PDA version number S91xOZCU2ZWG2.
July 6
We’re in July 2023 and Samsung is testing a new One UI 6 build for Galaxy S23 in India and Europe. This testing is underway with firmware S91xBXXU3ZWG2.
July 5
Galaxy S23’s One UI 6 Beta ZWFA appeared for Europe and India CSC codes.
July 1
After internal test builds, the first One UI 6 Beta build for Galaxy S23 Ultra bearing version number ZWFA appears on the server.
June 30
The Galaxy S23 Ultra running Android 14 operating system has been tested on Geekbench. In single-core, the US variant of S23 Ultra with 8GB of RAM scored 1712, while 3476 in multi-core.
May 25
Samsung has begun testing new Android 14-based One UI 6 firmware on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which carries a PDA build version ending with BWEE.
May 12
– Samsung One UI 6.0 could bring Android 14’s Ultra HDR image format to select Galaxy smartphones.
May 10
– Galaxy S23 series internally testing the Android 14 firmware ahead of Beta activity on a handful of CSCs.
In case you have any additional information about the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, do share it with us through social media! Here are our social handles → Google News, Telegram, Twitter, Facebook