New leak is bad news for Galaxy owners
Republished on December 27 with new reports on the likely Android 15 release schedule for eligible Galaxy phones.
If this latest leak is true, Samsung’s ill-fated One UI 7 beta still has some nasty surprises in store for Galaxy owners. The beta came very late, although what it adds is excellent. And now that millions more users are eagerly waiting to install the beta over the next few weeks, they might be disappointed.
As published by @familytaes on X, “24 OneUI 7 beta 3 series will be released between the 30th and 6th (maybe +- 2 days). After Beta 3, there would be 2-3 more betas at most. The S23/22/21/A series will not have a beta program. The best news is that the stable release appears to be mostly on schedule. “A stable deployment schedule will be announced on January 22 (most likely February 1-2).”
Android Authority reported the “bad news” with this “new One UI 7 beta rumor here to dampen your Christmas spirits… If this information is accurate, it would be a very irregular One UI beta program from Samsung. The Lack of beta software for older Galaxy flagships also won’t sit well with users who are already unhappy with Samsung’s delayed Android 15 rollout.
It’s a shame. Samsung’s version of Android 15 is excellent. And while it won’t please all die-hard Samsung and Android fans, as I’ve reported separately, the move toward maximum restrictions by default, cracking down on sideloading. and unsafe physical and wireless connections, as well as tighter controls on the ecosystem are all welcome given the worsening threat landscape. At least from a security and privacy perspective, Samsung is doing a good job bridging the gap (to some extent) with the iPhone and distancing itself from the Pixel.
As with all leaks, there is a serious caveat here. As Android Authority “It’s important to note that other, more reliable Samsung leakers have yet to corroborate this rumor.” I’ve reached out to Samsung for any comment on the leak or confirmation of changes to its plans.
When One UI 7 appears on your phone, whether in beta or in the stable release that is expected to coincide with the Galaxy S25 in a few weeks, it will be a game-changer for your phone. Although Samsung has been seriously criticized for the delays, it is worth the wait. And you should familiarize yourself with Android security and privacy updates from Samsung and Google during installation.
Samsung says that with One UI 7 it “improves security and privacy in the AI era, giving users more transparency and choice”, and I think that’s fair. The time has come for this. You’ve probably seen several stories over the past few weeks as AI-driven threats begin to take a heavy toll on the mobile security landscape. Whether it’s more realistic phishing expeditions or AI-enhanced malware to evade detection, the results aren’t good for users.
Android 15 and One UI 7 will help, especially with live threat detection and tighter controls on installations, downloads and permission abuse. As such, the lack of a beta (if true) is manageable. What matters most is the timely availability of the stable version for your device.
Given the delays in other updates in recent months, notably with the One UI 7 beta itself, Samsung users may be concerned about how quickly the stable version of Android 15 will arrive on their devices.
It will be a while before we know for sure, but as SamMobile just pointed out: “Over the past 2-3 years, Samsung has released the stable One UI update before the end of the year. This year, however, the South Korean firm delayed the release of the One UI beta update by three months… During the SDC 2024 event in October, Samsung announced that it would begin rolling out the update stable One UI 7.0 in Q1 2025. It looks like Samsung will keep its promise. However, don’t expect all phones in all regions to receive the update simultaneously.
Ironically, the timing of One UI 7’s release is expected to coincide with the re-release of the Galaxy S25, which will also address the spotty update schedule that leaves many Samsung users waiting for updates to arrive on their devices.
While this won’t solve the region, model, and carrier conundrum that affects Android updates, the long-delayed introduction of seamless updates at least begins to address the problem and make it less painful for users. What we really want to see is an approach for everyone, everywhere, just like Apple’s. But this is not yet planned.
With One UI 7, the extra care and attention could also extend the time frame. “Samsung was quite late this year with the release of the new One UI update”, SamMobile said. “The company would have wanted a major update with an improved user experience, and that’s exactly what it did. One UI 7 introduces a significant overhaul to the user interface design. You can check the likely eligibility of your device for the update here.
Android 15 is such a compelling overhaul when it comes to security and privacy, made even more true by Samsung’s One UI package, that it’s a shame there are these delays in getting the new OS installed on phones, especially on new flagships. But this is a game changer for Android and there’s not long to wait now. Don’t get caught out by installing pre-release versions of software or applications from the Internet or social media posts.
