One UI 9 update: which Galaxy phones have it and what’s new

One UI 9 is out on most of Samsung’s recent flagships and a growing list of mid-range phones, but rollout still varies by region. It made its debut in July on the Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8, which shipped with it.

The Galaxy S26 family came next. Samsung started its stable release in South Korea on September 16, then its Thailand newsroom pushed the international date back twice before removing it entirely. The update finally reached S26 owners in other countries toward the end of September, and Samsung never explained the delay.

From there it moved down the line:

• 2024 flagships: the Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra, plus the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, started in South Korea and then the US.
• 2023 flagships: the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, along with the Z Fold5 and Z Flip5, began receiving it in South Korea on Oct. 14.
• Mid-range phones: the Galaxy A27 and A37 got stable builds in South Korea, with the A36 and A56 also on the list. The Galaxy A15 started spreading beyond Korea in early November, with India among the first countries.

The Galaxy S23 FE is tracked separately and wasn’t part of the first S23 wave.

In the US, the update has been landing on AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S24 series and on unlocked Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 phones. That build pairs Android 17 with the September 5, 2026 security patch.

The Galaxy S23 took a different path. After its South Korean start, the stable release appeared in Europe in late October, first for owners who had joined the beta program, with everyone else expected to follow within hours. Samsung still hasn’t published a full country-by-country calendar, and as of mid-October no nationwide US carrier rollout for the S23 had been confirmed.

For UK and Canadian owners, the practical answer is the same as everywhere else: there is no fixed date. Samsung’s own wording is a gradual expansion to eligible devices, so checking the update screen every few days is the most reliable way to know.

The quick panel, the menu you swipe down from the top of the screen, gets the most obvious makeover. You can now use separate brightness and volume sliders, resize the music widget and restyle the panel’s background and buttons through Samsung’s Good Lock customization app.

Privacy is the other big theme:

• A location indicator appears whenever an app is checking where you are.
• Privacy Alerts use on-device AI to flag apps that seem to want background permissions they don’t need. Samsung lists the S23 among the phones that support it.
• Security notifications warn you about possible malware.

Smaller changes add up too. Samsung Notes gains a tape tool that hides text until you tap it, DeX (the desktop mode you get by connecting a monitor) handles windows better, and the My Files app has a cleaner layout with better storage tracking. Accessibility options include Text Spotlight, which enlarges on-screen text, and Mouse Keys for precise pointer control. Some phones also get a new Warranty and care section in Settings.

Galaxy S24 owners pick up four AI tools first seen on newer models. My FanCam keeps one person framed while you film, Call Brief shows the local time and country of an international caller, Now Nudge makes suggestions based on your routines, and Now Brief gets cards you can customize.

The update doesn’t treat every phone equally. The Galaxy S24 misses notification highlights, scam detection and several AI features that Samsung keeps for the Galaxy S25 and S26, and not every headline feature is confirmed for the S23.

For the Galaxy S23, which launched in February 2023 with Android 13, Android 17 completes Samsung’s promise of four major upgrades. Don’t expect One UI 9.5 on it. Security updates continue into 2028, so the phone stays safe to use for a while, but its feature set is now essentially final. The Galaxy S22 series and several older models are expected to miss Android 17 entirely.

If you own an S23 and love new features, that’s a reasonable moment to start thinking about when you’ll upgrade. If you just want a phone that works and stays patched, you’ve got time.

Two problems have stood out since the wider rollout. The first hit drivers: some Galaxy owners reported Android Auto stuttering or refusing to connect after updating. Reports showed up across Reddit and both Samsung’s and Google’s forums, and one owner’s test found a Galaxy S24 Ultra on One UI 9 reproduced the problem right away while a phone still on One UI 8.5 did not. Google has since confirmed that a fix has been rolled out.

The second is battery life. Some Galaxy S24 and S25 owners say their phones drain far faster than before, with a few charging three or four times a day. Samsung hasn’t confirmed a battery bug, and there’s no official fix yet. Other users have praised smoother animations and less stutter on the S24, so experiences clearly vary.

Samsung has also been asking for feedback after occasional reports of lag. If your phone feels off after the update, it is worth telling Samsung so the problem gets logged, and keeping an eye out for a follow-up patch.

How to install One UI 9 safely

Open Settings, tap Software update, then Download and install. If nothing appears, your phone simply may not be in the current wave yet.

Expect a large download. Galaxy S24 owners moving from One UI 8.5 face about 3.8GB, the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 need about 3.5GB, and non-beta Galaxy S23 owners in South Korea saw a package of about 3.85GB. Phones that were in the beta get much smaller files of a few hundred megabytes.

Before you start, connect to Wi-Fi, charge the phone and back up your photos and files. A major Android upgrade is not the time to discover your cloud backup stopped working months ago.