Getting Started With One UI 8
If you've got a compatible device in one of the supported countries, you can jump into the One UI 8 beta program. Just head over to your Samsung Members app, and you'll find the option to sign up there. It's pretty straightforward to enroll your device, and you can always leave the program if you change your mind. Once you're in, you'll see that your device is running Android 16, which is pretty cool.
What's New In One UI 8?
One UI 8 Beta 1 brings a bunch of changes and new features. Some are big, some are small, but they all add up to a different experience.
Visual Changes
- Weather App Redesign: The weather widget and the app itself look totally different. It's got a new visual style with some translucency and a more realistic background. It's a fresh look, and you might like it.
- Samsung Internet App: The Samsung Internet app has a redesigned menu at the bottom. You can now customize the toolbar to show what you use most, like history, downloads, or even a summarize option.
- Reminders App: The Reminders app has a completely new look. Categories are now at the top, and you can minimize them to clean up the view. When you type a new reminder, you'll get suggestions, and you can even create reminders with your voice.
- Contacts App: The Contacts app makes it easier to change your profile card. You can customize the text, color, and even preview how your image will look on different devices.
New Features and Improvements
- Quick Share in Quick Settings: There's a new Quick Share option directly in your quick settings panel, making it faster to share files to nearby devices.
- Faster AI Select: The AI Select feature is now much quicker. No more waiting around; it's immediately available for generative edits.
- Camera Quick Controls: In the camera app, you can now swipe up or down to open quick controls or switch cameras. You can choose which action you prefer in the settings.
- Alarm Groups: In the Clock app, you can create alarm groups. This lets you group existing alarms and even add a widget to your home screen to silence the entire group at once.
- Enhanced Multitasking: When using split screen, you can now drag the divider all the way to the top or bottom of the screen. This gives you more control over how much of each app you see without closing anything.
- Secure Folder Updates: The Secure Folder has new options, including the ability to hide apps and completely encrypt and hide the secure folder itself.
- Calendar Integration: You can now create reminders directly within the Calendar app. You can also drag and drop reminders to different dates, and it will offer suggestions when creating events.
- Call Recording History: If you record a call, it will now show up in your contacts history page, making it easier to find.
- Samsung Health Challenges: Samsung Health is getting updates for new challenges, like seeing who can run the furthest the fastest. There are also updates for inputting food, though these might not be fully implemented in this beta.
- Modes and Routines: There are a bunch of new options in Modes and Routines, including advanced routines for weather, battery checks, and even an umbrella reminder.
- Accessibility Updates: The assistant menu now has a pinch-to-zoom option. You can also magnify the keyboard while typing.
- Bluetooth Enhancements: You can now pair hearing aids to your device via Bluetooth. Also, you can control mouse actions with the keyboard for things like pointer, click, hold, and scroll.
- Dex Improvements: Dex now supports WQHD resolutions and display rotations up to 90, 180, or 270 degrees.
- OraCast Broadcast: You can broadcast from one device to multiple devices using a QR code.
- Service Center Sharing: When visiting a Samsung service center, you can use NFC or a QR code to share encrypted information about your phone and personal details.
Key Takeaways
- Redesigned Weather App: A fresh new look for your daily forecast.
- Faster AI Select: Quicker access to generative editing.
- Improved Multitasking: More control over split-screen views.
- New Alarm Grouping: Manage multiple alarms easily.
- Enhanced Secure Folder: More privacy options.
- Calendar and Reminders Integration: Streamlined event and task management.
- More Modes and Routines: New automated actions for various scenarios.
Performance and Battery Life
So far, the overall performance of One UI 8 Beta 1 seems pretty smooth. It feels similar to the previous version, with a nice 120Hz display and fluid app transitions. It's an early beta, so there might be some bugs, but it's stable for the most part.
As for battery life, it's a beta, so it's hard to say for sure. My battery was going down pretty fast, but that's not uncommon for early beta builds. Samsung will likely optimize this in future updates.
Should You Install One UI 8 Beta 1?
If you're thinking about installing One UI 8 Beta 1, I'd probably recommend against putting it on your main device. It's the first beta, so there could be bugs or features that don't work perfectly. If you have a spare S25 Ultra and you're curious, you could try it out. You can always roll back and unenroll from the beta program if you need to.
Hopefully, future betas will bring even more enhancements, like those cool wallpaper AI features and Android 16 customizations that we haven't seen yet. If you find anything else new in One UI 8, let me know in the comments below!
