Credit: David Imel / Android Authority
Update: October 6, 2020 (3:30 AM ET): Samsung has announced a release timeline for One UI 3.0. The company posted the details on its South Korean website. We’ve updated the original article below with the latest information.
Original article: September 15, 2020 (3:15 AM ET): Samsung announced a One UI 3.0 developer beta based on Android 11 last month, available on the Galaxy S20 series. We didn’t hear about any particular features or changelog at the time, but we’ve finally got a comprehensive list of additions and tweaks.
One UI 3.0 features
Twitter user Samsung Rydah (h/t: XDA-Developers) posted a One UI 3.0 changelog earlier today, and it’s an extremely comprehensive list. Check out the list below.
Home screen
- Touch and hold an app to add an associated widget.
- Turn the screen off by double-tapping on an empty area of the home screen (settings > advanced features > motions and gestures)
Lockscreen
- Dynamic lockscreen now has more categories, and you can select more than one.
- Lockscreen widgets are improved.
Quick Panel
- See your conversations and media more conveniently in their own sections when you swipe down from the top of the screen.
AOD
- Always On Display widgets are improved.
Accessibility
- Get quick access to the most important accessibility settings during device setup.
- Get recommended accessibility features based on what you use.
- Set the accessibility shortcut more easily in settings.
- Sound detectors now work with your SmartThings devices such as TVs and lights to give you more visible alerts when the doorbell rings or the baby is crying.
Samsung Keyboard
- You can find the keyboard settings more easily under General management in settings, and the settings have been reorganized to put the most important ones first.
Samsung Dex
- You can now connect to supported TVs wirelessly.
- New touchpad multi-gestures let you change screen zoom and font size more easily.
Internet
- Added ability to block websites from redirecting you when you tap the back button.
- Added warnings and blocking options for websites that show too many pop-ups or notifications.
- Rearranged menus to make things easier to find.
- Added several new add-ons, including one that translates websites.
- Added option to hide the status bar for a more immersive browsing experience.
- Increased maximum number of open tabs to 99.
- Added ability to lock and reorder tabs.
- Improved design for tab bar which is now supported on all devices.
- Ended support for Samsung Internet edge panel.
Contacts and Phone
- Added the ability to edit multiple linked contacts at one time.
- Added an option to help you quickly delete duplicate contacts.
- Enhanced the search experience.
- Extended the storage period for the Trash bin from 15 to 30 days.
Phone/call background
- Added the ability to customize the call screen with your own pictures and videos.
Messages
- Created a Trash bin to store recently deleted messages.
Call and text on other devices
- Added the ability to turn Call and text on other devices on or off with Bixby Routines.
Calendar
- Events with the same start time are now shown together in month and agenda view.
- Reorganized options for adding and editing events.
- Improved layout for full screen alerts.
Reminder
- Improved layout for full screen alerts.
Digital wellbeing and parental controls
- Added trends to your weekly report. You can see how your usage has changed since the previous week and check your usage time for each feature.
- Added phone usage time while driving to your weekly report.
- Added a lockscreen widget so you can check your screen time without unlocking your phone.
- Added separate profiles for personal and work modes so you can track your screen time separately.
Camera
- Improved autofocus and auto exposure functionality and usability.
- Improved stabilization when taking pictures of the moon at high zoom levels.
Photo Editor
- Added the ability to revert edited pictures back to their original versions.
Bixby Routines
- Grouped preset routines help you get started quickly and learn how to build your own routines quickly.
- You can now see what actions are reversed when a routine ends.
- New conditions have been added, such as a specific start time, the disconnection of a Bluetooth device or Wi-Fi network, a call from a specific number, and more.
- New actions have been added, including talking to Bixby and accessibility actions.
- You can add a customized icon for each routine and add routines to the lockscreen for quick access.
XDA-Developers has also uncovered a few more One UI 3.0 details via the developer beta, namely that the Android skin ditches two stock Android 11 features. One UI 3.0 lacks the stock Device Controls feature, which turns your power menu into a smart home center. Instead, the skin has its own smart home shortcut accessible via the quick settings menu (albeit for the SmartThings app only).
The second major stock Android 11 feature said to be missing from Samsung One UI 3.0 is the Quick Access Wallet option. This allowed you to quickly access your cards saved in Google Pay. But XDA notes that Samsung has its own solution, letting you quickly access cards saved in Samsung Pay.
The One UI 3.0 developer beta update weighs in at 2.5GB according to the Twitter user’s screenshot, so you might want to get connected to Wi-Fi if you’re on a limited mobile data plan. The update also delivers the September 2020 security patch.
One UI 3.0 release date
Samsung has announced that the stable One UI 3.0 release will happen after November 2020. The information has been machine-translated from Samsung’s Korean forums so it’s possible that there’s some discrepancy in our understanding. However, the timeline seems plausible because Samsung is already preparing to release the One UI 3.0 public beta. Also, this was the same timeline for the One UI 2.0 stable update last year. With that in mind, you can expect to get your hands on One UI 3.0 by December.
The update should roll out first to the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 flagships. A variety of Samsung devices are now eligible for three years of Android version updates, ranging from 2019 flagships and higher to several Galaxy A series phones. So you can bet that these devices will also be on the list.
Is there anything else you’d like to see from One UI 3.0? Let us know in the comments below!