The company had to stop the update because of bugs right as Android 16 creeps around the corner.
Samsung’s One UI 7, the next version of its mobile operating system based on Android 15, has been delayed for several of the company’s latest flagship devices, namely 2024’s Galaxy S24 series, the Z Fold 6, and the Z Flip 6. The update was paused four days after rolling out to U.S. users. It’s another harrowing reminder that even as Android becomes less of the front-facing product, it still deals with occasional fragmentation where not all users are on the same version. It’s especially annoying considering Samsung and Google are supposed to be on this shared journey of getting us all to use AI on the platform.
The rollout issues started to take off through the rumor mill, where most things propagate in gadgetland. Noted leaker IceUniverse caught wind that South Korean users had trouble unlocking their devices after the update. It snowballed from there, as a complaint came in that the Secure Folder, a Samsung-specific offering intended to keep your data private, was doing the exact opposite for images in the Gallery app. SamMobile, which is a popular Samsung fan blog, was able to replicate the issue.
After a weekend of complaints and failed software updates, Samsung pulled the plug on the software update. The company didn’t provide a direct reason for stopping it. However, in a statement to Gizmodo, a spokesperson said, “The One UI 7 rollout schedule is being updated to ensure the best possible experience. The new timing and availability will be shared shortly.”
For now, folks on last year’s flagship devices will remain under One UI 6 and Android 14. It means missing out on features like the Now Bar, a lock screen widget that supports live notificationsand AI-powered features like call transcripts and Audio Eraser. It’s also missing key Android 15 features, like app archiving and notification cooldowns. The icing on the cake is that this is all happening about two months out from Android 16, which is already in its third public beta, and about seven months since Android 15 initially launched.
While there may be less emphasis on Android as the core product, Samsung’s delay in delivering the goods echoes the past, where Android’s leading players always struggled to stay on the same page. Android has always been known as the platform of fragmentation; it’s something Apple has enjoyed digging into. It got better when Google clamped down on the code and worked more closely with its partners, but it remains haunted by past flakiness.
Samsung has indicated it’s working on an “update” to whatever is going on with One UI 7, but no date on its whereabouts quite yet. Currently, the only smartphones on the latest software are the Galaxy S25 series.
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