Samsung One UI 5: the key word is personalization

One UI 5 is ready with its share of new features: even more settings, Bixby that expands its presence and reorganized settings.

Samsung has revealed a number of details about One UI 5, a new version of its user interface that will start rolling out in a few days. The Galaxy S22 will be the first to get this right. The company pays special attention to personalization, including on the lock screen. You will be able to select up to 15 photos and videos for this screen, and one of them will randomly appear each time the screen appears.

Ready for One UI 5 with its share of new features

You can also let Samsung control the display from a set of images. You can choose from up to five categories – dogs, cats, animals, landscapes and nature – and the South Korean giant will update images every two weeks. You can also change the wallpaper, clock style, and pop-up notifications on the lock screen. Also expect more interface colors and many new customizable watch faces for the Galaxy Watch.

Samsung says it has redesigned notifications to be more intuitive and easier to read at a glance. Widget styling on the home screen needs to be improved. One UI 5 will also offer “clearer answer and reject [call] buttons.”

Speaking of calls, there’s a new feature dubbed Bixby Text Call. You can answer the call by typing a message and Bixby will read it aloud to the caller. The voice assistant can also convert what the caller says into text. Bixby text call is available starting with One UI 4.1.1 in South Korea. An English version will be available in early 2023. No information for France.

One UI 5 also emphasizes modes and procedures. With Routines, you can perform multiple actions on your device based on your actions, such as starting a specific playlist when you leave the house. In addition, you can also have modes with individual settings for certain situations, such as when you are sleeping, relaxing or exercising. In relax mode, you can hide notifications to focus on a movie or game, and when it’s time for bed, turn off all sounds and reduce the screen brightness.

Always more personalization

During a keynote at the Samsung Developers Conference, Sally Hyoseong Jeong explained that your device will ask you some simple questions to help you determine the modes that are right for you. In the near future, the company plans to launch its modes on other devices (watches and tablets).

In addition, Samsung is merging One UI 4’s “biometrics and security”and “privacy”settings into a single “security and privacy.”You will be alerted to potential security issues and see possible solutions on the same screen. For example, you’ll get a warning screen if your smartphone thinks you’re about to share an image that contains sensitive information, such as a photo of your credit card, driver’s license, or more. Regarding identity documents, Samsung indicates that their availability varies by language. For now, this feature will only be available if the system language is English or Korean.

On the health front, Samsung has been working with Google on the Health Connect platform, a set of APIs that should allow Android developers to create “enriched health experiences,”explained Sally Hyesung Jeong. There will be centralized privacy controls that will still let you sync your data across different health and fitness apps.

As a result of Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft, when setting up a new Windows PC, you can use a QR code to pair your smartphone. This will add your mobile hotspot to the PC Wi-Fi settings. Sally Hyesung-jeong also suggested that One UI 5 will bring improved continuity between apps. For example, you can switch from the mobile PowerPoint app to the desktop app and pick up where you left off. Samsung plans to enable similar functionality for non-Microsoft apps. In terms of performance, the redesigned Z Fold 4 taskbar will be coming to other Z Fold and Tab S8 tablets as part of the Android 12L update. What’s more, you can copy text on images and paste it anywhere.

A new menu dedicated to connected devices will offer interaction options for Quick Share, Smart View and other Samsung DeX. Finally, also expect easier access to the menu, which will make it easier to switch your Galaxy Buds from one device to another.