Latest One UI 9 build reveals new features and Samsung’s refinements

Jenith

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A month ago, the first One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy S26 series appeared on Samsungâs servers. It was still early days, so those builds didnât reveal much in terms of new features or changes.

They werenât even based on Android 17 but were instead running on Android 16. That has now changed with newer builds weâve been able to access and test on our Galaxy S26 devices.

These latest test builds are far more interesting and line up with several leaks about the features Samsung is reportedly preparing for One UI 9.

Take Tap to Share, for example. References to the feature showed up in earlier One UI 9 builds, and itâs now available in the Quick Share menu on the latest firmware.

https://www.imeisource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/One-UI-9-Tap-to-Share-1920x2080.jpg
Tap to share allows file transfer between devices using NFC – Source: Abhijeet Mishra / imeisource

As the name suggests, Tap to Share lets you start transferring images, videos, and other files by simply tapping your phone against another device. On the Galaxy S26 series, you can also tap the top edge of the phone, as all three models include NFC antennas on both the top and the back.

Samsung has also added home screen widgets for Bixby. These are fairly basic, offering voice/microphone and keyboard icons for quickly starting an interaction. The 4×2 widget goes a step further, adding a full text input bar with a microphone icon beside it.

https://www.imeisource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/One-UI-9-Bixby-widgets-1920x2080.jpg
One UI 9 adds home screen widgets for Bixby – Source: Abhijeet Mishra / imeisource

Thereâs also a new Warranty and Care menu in device settings. It serves as a central hub for support, providing warranty and repair details for all your devices, along with diagnostic tools and remote assistance options. It even integrates Bixby, letting you ask for help using voice commands.

https://www.imeisource.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/One-UI-9-warranty-and-care-1920x2080.jpg
A dedicated warranty and care info screen in device settings – Source: Abhijeet Mishra / imeisource

One UI 9 will also bring various refinements to the user interface, though Samsung appears to still be experimenting with different changes. For example, the first One UI 9 builds introduced slightly larger volume and brightness controls in the Quick Panel, and those have been made even bigger in the latest build.

This story is developing…
 
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