The new interface has been refined and its capabilities expanded for more seamless and efficient user experience.

Samsung’s history of Android skins has been a tumultuous one at best. The company held on tight to its TouchWiz interface for years, despite users’ hatred of it. Even though the company held on to TouchWiz for so long, they at least finally silently admitted it sucked and introduced One UI.

I had my doubts about One UI when it was introduced, given my personal history with TouchWiz and all. But I was shocked when I finally got to play with the interface. Samsung really took the gloves off with the interface and overhauled it with complete and focused determination. I can say that I no longer feel the need to use a custom launcher on Samsung devices these days.

Now, the company is setting out to improve One UI even further and has opened up a new beta program for the next version. As the company says in their press release, the new interface has been refined and its capabilities expanded for more seamless and efficient user experience. I couldn’t agree more with that. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect from the new One UI:

• Focusing on what matters: With a clean and easy-to-use interface, users will have minimized pop-ups, embedded loading indicators and will only be shown the buttons they need. The new One UI features a streamlined design where notifications take up less space, so users are kept up-to-date while being able to focus on the task at hand. You stay focused while enjoying your favorite content in full screen and never miss any essential information.
• Making the mobile experience visibly comfortable: A new, smarter layout with animated icons and improved edge lighting provides a visually comfortable experience. An enhanced Dark Mode helps users at night by reducing the display brightness while viewing content while also providing battery-saving benefits. Smart Lock screen automatically adjusts the color and format of the clock and notifications to ensure you can always see the texts and icons clearly.
• Keeping digital wellness in check: The expanded One UI provides a wide range of tools to help you with your digital wellness. Focus Mode lets you pause apps temporarily for times when you need to minimize distractions and get in the zone. By tracking usage, managing screen time or enabling focus mode to help avoid distractions, users can ensure that they are being efficient. Maintaining the performance of your smartphone is easier with the intuitive Device Care menu, which gives you quicker access to the essential functions. Some individual features are also enhanced to give you more control, such as keeping or deleting duplicate photos.

The One UI beta program is open to US users for now and limited. You must have one of the following devices to participate, Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10 or S10+ (on a select carrier and unlocked devices). Once open, you can register for the Beta program via the app Samsung Members. Participation in One UI Beta Program requires a Samsung account. Create an account at https://account.samsung.com.