All about One UI 4, Samsung’s mobile interface

One UI 4 is the thirteenth version of the software interface for Samsung smartphones. A version that improves the performance of One UI 3.0, and that above all takes advantage of the news that Google brings with its Android 12 operating system.

A user interface, what is it?

Released in December 2018, One UI is Samsung’s third software interface. It takes over from Samsung Experience, which in turn followed TouchWiz. Radically different from its predecessors, One UI aims to be simple, both in terms of design and use. This software interface landed with the Samsung Galaxy S10 and is now being rolled out in its fourth version, visible since late 2021 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, as well as all three Samsung Galaxy S21s. Of course, the update will gradually reach other smartphones of the brand. According to the schedule established by the firm, One UI 4 will be rolled out to eligible devices by August 2022. The first tablets to benefit should be the Galaxy Tab S7, starting in February.

On the main lines

One UI is a software interface that works hand in hand with Android. So you will find all Google services there, from Maps to Play Store. But Samsung also integrates its own applications. It thus includes an alternative application store (Galaxy Store), a mobile game aggregator or even Samsung Free, a Google News counterpart, which also offers flash games. Since version 2.0, One UI includes OneDrive and strengthens its compatibility with the applications of the Office suite thanks to a partnership with Microsoft. Samsung smartphones were also the first to benefit from xCloud, Xbox’s game streaming solution. In version 3.0, Chaebol revised its interface design and changed the various animations.

The main new features that One UI 4 brings

Let’s focus on the new features that come with the new Samsung software update. As previously specified, One UI 4 does not interrupt the user experience, which had been extensively revised with One UI 3. By 2022, the South Korean company prefers to refine existing options and integrate new customization and security. It appeared with Android 12.

• Android 12 puts security and access to your personal data in the spotlight. With One UI 4, Samsung displays a badge in the upper right corner of the screen when an app has access to your camera or microphone. One of the best integrations of the moment, since it is not a simple point, as in a Pixel 6, not even in an iPhone. The badge clearly indicates what the app has access to and with one click you can change the permission. The precise or approximate location function is also making its appearance with One UI 4, an option totally derived from Android 12.

• Interoperability between the different devices of the Galaxy ecosystem is even more present this year with the new Watch, for example. But Samsung has decided to take the experience a bit further by offering a version of One UI 4 dedicated to laptops in the Galaxy range. Called One UI Book 4, this variant aims to bring One UI to your Galaxy Book PC (a range of products available only in the United States). Everything is designed to make you think about your Samsung smartphone and not get lost when changing devices, for example. A welcome development, reminiscent of an ecosystem lined by an apple …

The pros and cons of One UI

At these points, like Samsung’s interface-related “tips and tricks,” nothing really new under the One UI 4 sun. So, you can find our long, detailed article just below.

If you are a regular One UI user and would like to contribute to this article, provide advice, clarification or corrections, please feel free to contact us in the comments.