By Rajesh Pandey
Updated
Here are all the top new features that were introduced in One UI 4, Samsung's Android 12-based software update.
Samsung's One UI 4 skin is based on Android 12. Instead of a complete UI overhaul, One UI 4 builds on previous iterations of the skin and introduces several new features. It also neatly integrates Google's new Material You design elements. With One UI 4, Samsung brings all the goodies of Android 12 to your Galaxy phone, but with its own touch.
Below is a look at all the major new One UI 4 features that you can enjoy on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
1. New System Animations and Dynamic Theming
Samsung has revamped the system animations in One UI 4. They are more fluent and cohesive and take better advantage of the high refresh rate displays on newer Galaxy devices to offer a smoother user experience. There's a new charging animation as well when you plug in your device.
Samsung has adopted the Material You-based dynamic theming in One UI 4, though with its own take. This means that system UI elements and Samsung's apps will use a color palette based on your phone's wallpaper. Alternatively, you can choose from four other automatic color schemes.
Samsung's stock widgets have been redesigned in One UI 4 to be in line with the new Android 12 style. This gives them a more polished look with rounded corners. Some of the widgets also show a bit more data, but that's about it—they have not gained any new functionality.
If you gave up on widgets previously or just never bothered to use them, the new polished look will give you enough reason to use them.
The One UI launcher has also received minor usability improvements and lets you use third-party icon packs via the Good Lock module Home Up. Further, Dark mode support has been extended to app icons on the home screen and app drawer.
The Korean giant has further improved the implementation of widgets by adding Smart Widgets support in One UI 4.1. This allows you to stack multiple widgets on top of each other.
3. Redesigned Quick Settings Panel
The Quick Settings panel has once again been redesigned in One UI 4. The icons are now more compact, with the brightness slider being made thicker for easier control. The notification grouping style has also changed in One UI 4, and it's a bit more compact.
4. Improved System Apps
Some of the system apps have been upgraded and enhanced as a part of One UI 4. The Weather app, for example, has received a complete makeover with new animations.
Samsung Keyboard has also been improved and allows you to directly add emojis, GIFs, and stickers with just a single tap. Additionally, you can create custom emojis by mixing two different emojis and animating them. The built-in grammar checker is now powered by Grammarly to keep your typing errors at bay.
The Share menu gets a handy upgrade in One UI 4 and lets you customize the order in which the items are displayed. Plus, you can add apps or contacts to the Favorites bar in the Share menu so that you can quickly share data with them.
6. Privacy Improvements
Samsung has incorporated all the new Android 12 privacy features in One UI 4. When you open an app for the first time, you'll be prompted to allow notifications from it. Unless you do so, any app that you install won't be able to send you notifications.
Another notable change in Android 12 is the ability to share your approximate location with apps. Whenever an app asks for your location, you'll have the option to share your Precise or Approximate location with it.
There are also tiles in the Quick Settings panel that will let you completely disable camera and microphone access with just a single tap. A green indicator will also be shown on the status bar whenever an app accesses the camera or microphone.
Taking a cue from iOS 15, you will get an alert whenever an app accesses the clipboard content on your device in One UI 4.
7. Device Care
The Battery and Device Care menu has received a complete overhaul in One UI 4, though it shows the exact details as before, just in a better manner. The Optimize now button sits right at the top and displays the current optimization status of your phone. Below that, you can find options to jump into the Battery, Storage, or Memory menus.
The Software update and Diagnostics sub-menus are new additions to this settings page, with the latter letting you run various tests to see if your phone is working correctly or not.
8. eSIM Support in the US on Galaxy S21
The Galaxy S21 series have had eSIM support since launch, but the feature was not available on the US variants for some reason. The One UI 4 update enables eSIM support on the unlocked, T-Mobile, and Verizon variants of the Galaxy S21 in the US.
9. Camera App Enhancements
The Camera app is getting some enhancements in One UI 4 as well. Firstly, it shows the zoom numbers on the relevant buttons instead of an icon, so that you can know the amount of zoom you had to apply before taking a picture.
You can also seamlessly start recording a video from the Photo mode in the Camera app by simply dragging the shutter button to the top and locking it there.
One UI 4 Focuses on Usability Improvements
One UI 4 may not seem like a significant update on the surface, but it does bring some notable usability improvements to the table. Privacy enhancements are always welcome and will help keep your data safe and secure from shady apps.
Apart from adding new features to its skin, Samsung is also quick to roll it out to its devices. The company released the Android 12-based One UI 4 update for its entire product portfolio, including low-end and mid-range devices, in just a few months starting November 2021.
And as a follow-up, Samsung rolled out One UI 4.1 with several new features to its devices in Q1 2022. It included new options like RAM Plus, improved Pro mode in the Camera app, and more.
