News
Everything new with Samsung One UI 5 Watch for Galaxy Watch 4 and 5
On June 7, Samsung officially announced the most-anticipated One UI 5 Watch Beta Program. In addition, the company officially detailed which new features will be installed on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Watch 5 smartwatch with this new upgrade.
Everything new with Samsung One UI 5 Watch
Watch faces and tiles
Add watch faces and tiles more easily
- A new vertical layout makes it easier to find the watch faces and tiles that are right for you.
Improved Buds controller tile
- You can now turn 360 audio on and off from the Buds controller tile if your Buds support 360 audio.
Quick access to timers
- You can start timers from the new Timer tile without opening the Timer app.
Set an album or story as your watch face
- Instead of just one picture, you can now make your watch face cycle between pictures in an album or story that you select. Your watch face will change to a different picture each time you turn on the watch screen.
Samsung Health
Automatically record cycling workouts
- Samsung Health can now detect when you start cycling and record your workout automatically. You can also set whether to automatically map your cycling routes.
Get heart rate guidance during running workouts
- Your watch can provide personalized heart rate zones while you run to help you manage your exercise intensity.
Backup and restore
Keep your watch data safe
- Files and data from your watch are periodically backed up to your phone when it’s connected to your watch. You can also save backups to Samsung Cloud. Your phone needs the latest version of the Smart Switch app to use this feature.
Control your phone
More call controls
- You now have more control over calls without touching your phone. You can adjust the call volume, mute sound, and press buttons on the keypad, all from your watch.
Additional changes
Dictate text with the Home button
- Just press and hold the Home button any time you’re entering text with Samsung Keyboard to instantly switch to voice input.
Use multiple timers at once
- You can now have up to 20 timers running at the same time to help keep track of all your tasks.
Share your medical info in an emergency
- A button to access your medical info will appear automatically when a hard fall is detected or when you press the Home button 5 times to start the Emergency SOS feature.
Device care
- Check the status of your watch’s battery, storage, and memory and immediately fix any problems to extend battery life and keep your watch running smoothly.
Control your watch without touching it
- Universal gestures let you control your watch without touching the screen or pressing a button. You can assign various actions to gestures such as shaking your wrist, making a fist, or pinching your fingers.
Organize apps in folders
- Create folders to keep your apps organized so you can find the apps you need quickly with less scrolling.
News
PSA: Samsung’s Android 15 One UI 7 Beta Program is Now Official
Samsung has finally launched the Android 15-based One UI 7 Beta Program. The official announcement was made on December 5. The activity is initially available for the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra in seven.
One UI 7 introduces radical interface tweaks, fresh new UI components, rich graphics, plenty of new features, and a lot more. The new software also uplevels the security system of your Galaxy smartphone to keep data safe.
What’s New in One UI 7?
Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 Beta Program delivers a glimpse into a revolutionary smartphone experience powered by cutting-edge Galaxy AI features, enhanced personalization, and an overhauled interface.
One UI 7 integrates advanced AI agents and multimodal capabilities across the interface, enabling seamless and natural interactions.
Key AI enhancements include:
Writing Assist Tools: Users can now boost productivity with integrated AI-powered tools that summarize content, check grammar and spelling, and format notes into bullet points—all without switching between applications.
Call Transcriptions: Calls recorded on Samsung Galaxy devices running the latest One UI 7 can now be transcribed automatically, supporting 20 languages, offering a convenient solution for multitasking professionals.
One UI 7 introduces a streamlined design language centered around simplicity and user engagement.
Now Bar:
- Accessible directly from the lock screen, this feature offers instant access to activities like Interpreter, Music, Recording, and Stopwatch.
- Reduces the need to unlock the device frequently, transforming the lock screen experience.
Simplified Customization:
- Redesigned widgets and lock screens allow users to personalize their devices effortlessly.
- Enhanced control over every detail ensures a more intuitive and cohesive experience.
Refreshed Camera UX:
- Reorganized controls make advanced settings easier to access.
- Pro and Pro Video modes now feature a simplified manual settings layout and a new zoom control for smoother transitions during video recording.
Availability and Rollout
The One UI 7 beta program is now available for Galaxy S24 series users in Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the UK, and the US, starting December 5.
The official release of One UI 7 will begin in Q1 2025 with the next-generation Galaxy S series devices. Over time, it will expand to other Galaxy devices, reflecting Samsung’s commitment to extended OS upgrades.
News
Samsung Galaxy S25 production to outpace S24 despite overall cuts
Samsung seems to have revised its smartphone production target for 2025. Meanwhile, Samsung is aiming to foster Galaxy S25 series production than the S24 series. New input suggests that the production target is reduced by 7 to 8 million.
According to TheElec, Samsung is cutting smartphone production estimates for 2025, but the flagship Galaxy S25 series could be produced higher than the Galaxy S24 series.
Back in October, it was reported that Samsung is aiming to produce 237 million phones in 2025. As per the revised plan, the company has set a production target of 229.4 million.
In particular, the Galaxy S25 series is expected to be produced at 37 million units. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 series is estimated to be shipped 35 million units this year.
It seems the budget and entry-level phones would be produced in slightly lesser quantities. The aim is to maintain a conservative outlook without impacting premium sales.
On the flip side, the report also revealed production estimation of foldable smartphones, as follows:
- Galaxy Z Flip 7 – 3 million
- Galaxy Z Flip FE – 900,000
- Galaxy Z Fold 7 – 2 million
These figures sum up to a production target of around 6 million units. Combining a Fan Edition model, the sale is still estimated at 6 million – suggesting a slow pace of adoption.
The Galaxy S25 series will launch in late January next year, while the foldable devices may debut in July. Samsung is also preparing to introduce a Slim variant of the S25 series, while the launch timeline is uncertain.
Apps
Samsung Calendar icon receives more tweaks in One UI 7 Beta
Samsung Calendar app got a new icon with One UI 7, including new icons and enhanced features. The One UI 7 Beta update has been released, and a new report suggests that beta users just received the first app update, which is for the Samsung Calendar app.
The latest update of the Samsung Calendar app arrives with version 12.6.00.35. It brings a new tweak to the app icon, you can now see the name of the day along with the date. This update is truly useful as users no longer need to open the calendar to check the day, they can see its glance on the icon.
The new revamped icon of the Samsung Messages app is available for devices running Android 15-based One UI 7 beta, which means it’s currently only for the Galaxy S24 series. More devices will get this revamped icon with One UI 7.
Aside from this, the One UI 7 update makes handling your calendar easier. You can now reschedule events by simply dragging and dropping them in the Month view.
You can now choose which calendars to show on your widgets which lets you display different calendars on your home screen. With the “Add countdown widget”, you can add countdowns for events like birthdays to see the days left and right on your home screen.
Moreover, you can also move all events from one calendar to another without hassle, perfect for switching from a phone-based calendar to a cloud-based one. If you are a Galaxy S24 user, register and install the One UI 7 Beta to enjoy new Samsung Calendar features.