At the 2018 Samsung Developer Conference, one of the big announcements was a big refresh for Samsung's custom Android interface. The Samsung Experience is gone, and in its place, we have One UI.

From understanding what in the world One UI is to seeing when you'll be able to get it on your phone, here's everything you need to know.

The latest One UI news

December 11, 2018 — Galaxy Note 9 now being updated to One UI Beta 2

Following One UI Beta 2 rolling out to the Galaxy S9 and S9+, it would now appear that the second beta version is finally making its way to the Note 9.

Similar to Beta 2 for the S9 series, the main focus here is all about patching bugs. The update weighs in at 553.88MB and some of the issues that are now patched include the following:

  • Freezing of Dialer app
  • Sometimes Autofill function does not work when using Samsung Pass
  • Alarm does not work
  • Update error in Play Store or Galaxy Apps
  • Screen does not turn on when receiving/making calls

Also included here is the December 2018 Android security patch.

If you haven't already received the update, dive into the Note 9's settings and make your way to the section titled "Software update." It should be waiting for you there.

November 29, 2018 — One UI Beta 2 for Galaxy S9 fixes a laundry list of bugs

Bugs are bound to happen with any beta, and Samsung's One UI has been no exception to that. Beta 2 recently began making its way to unlocked Galaxy S9 handsets in the U.S., and the main focus with this 748.52MB update is squashing a huge list of bugs/glitches.

We won't go through every single one, but here are a few of the biggest bugs that are now squashed:

  • Swiping left or right does not work in Recent menu
  • Not able to log-in Samsung face, fingerprint recognition is not working
  • Alarm comes with vibration only
  • Alarm does not ring on scheduled time
  • Roar sound comes if a notification comes while listening to music
  • Impossible to join group call
  • Delay of displaying a screen with an incoming call
  • Rapid battery discharge during the Netflix streaming with Chromecast
  • Apps screen and app name is overlapped
  • Phonomon where multiple apps are closed

You can check out the entire changelog here, and in addition to all the bug fixes, Beta 2 also adds the November 1, 2018 Android security patch.

November 15, 2018 — Samsung One UI beta also available for Galaxy S9/S9+ in the U.S.

Not long after Galaxy S9/S9+ handsets in South Korea gained access to the One UI beta it's also started rolling out to folks in the United States.

You should be able to register for the beta right now in the Samsung+ app, and once you do, an update will be waiting for you under Settings -> Software Update -> Download Updates Manually.

As with any beta, expect a few bugs here and there. Right now, Samsung warns that Sprint Calling Plus and biometric authentication with banking apps isn't working.

November 15, 2018 — Samsung One UI beta now rolling out to Galaxy S9 handsets in South Korea

The day has finally come (for some of our readers, at least) to start playing around with One UI! If you own a Galaxy S9 or S9+ and live in South Korea, your phone should receive an update to the One UI beta anytime now if it hasn't already. There's currently no word when the beta will open for the Note 9 or when it'll expand to the U.S, but I'd imagine those details will be made available soon.

All the big details

What exactly is One UI?

One UI is the name of Samsung's new Android interface and serves as the successor to The Samsung Experience that previously replaced TouchWiz.

One of the biggest goals with One UI is to help users "focus on the task at hand." To achieve this, One UI removes a lot of clutter from the Samsung Experience and makes things much cleaner. For example, the settings page is being simplified even more and regrouping certain settings together so that they're easier to get to. The phone, notes, email, and other Samsung apps also have a new look to only show essential information.

Samsung's also marketing One UI as being more natural, saying that it's "restructured the way we interact with our devices." Buttons that are traditionally towards the top of the screen have been moved closer to the bottom, and in many of Samsung's apps (such as Messages and Clock), the top area is reserved exclusively for viewing content you don't have to interact with.

Third, One UI aims to "be visibly comfortable." Colors have been tweaked to provide better clarity, and based on the color of the phone you have, elements of the UI will be tweaked to match it.

What Android version is it based on?

One UI is based on Android 9 Pie, and as such, has all of the features from Pie that we've come to know and love.

That means One UI has new gesture navigation, a bunch of new emoji, improved notifications, and more on top of all of the One UI-specific changes.

What phones will be updated to One UI?

So far, Samsung's confirmed that the following phones will be updated to One UI:

  • Galaxy Note 9
  • Galaxy S9
  • Galaxy S9+
  • Galaxy Note 8
  • Galaxy S8
  • Galaxy S8+

When can I get it?

As of November 15, 2018, Samsung's begun rolling out its One UI open beta to users over in South Korea and the United States for the Galaxy S9/S9+. At some point soon, the Galaxy Note 9 should follow as well.

One UI will exit the beta stage and be officially released to the masses in January 2019 for the Galaxy Note 9 and S9/S9+. It's been confirmed that the Note 8 and S8/S8+ will follow at a later date, but when that date will be is unknown.

How to get Android 9 Pie and One UI on your Samsung Galaxy S9