Over the years, we’ve seen Samsung’s custom Android fork change form several times. TouchWiz transformed into Samsung Experience, and today it underwent another metamorphosis. At the 2018 Samsung Developer Conference, the company announced that Samsung Experience is no more, and in its place, we have OneUI.
The new user experience has been built in close partnership with both Google and the Android developer community with the goal of minimizing clutter and distractions. The interfaces aim to shift focus on keeping the most relevant content on the bottom half of the screen, meaning anything from app menus to pop-ups now appear at the bottom. According to Samsung, this makes the experience “more natural” and also allows for better one-handed use.
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The software also brings an updated lock screen complete with modified fonts, revamped app icons, and new on-screen navigations buttons that are much more simplistic, among other things. All of this will also be accompanied by a new Dark Mode. This new user interface is also compatible with Samsung’s new foldable screen aka Infinity Flex Display. Users will now be able to have up to three active apps open at once. Each of Samsung’s own apps will adapt seamlessly to the display, regardless of if it’s folded or not. The company is encouraging developers to participate, so some third-party offerings will likely be compatible by the time of release.
Samsung will once again be offering an Open Beta starting in November for consumers based in either the US, Germany, or South Korea. However, it did state that it will be available to users in other markets at a later date. When it comes to the software’s final release, Samsung Galaxy S9++, S9+, and Galaxy Note 9 users will all receive the Android 9 Pie-based update in January.
