Samsung clarified the schedule for the second phase of the One UI 9.0 beta program for the Galaxy S26 series. According to the information shared by the company, Galaxy S26, S26 + and S26 Ultra users in India and Poland will be able to access the beta version as of May 26. Samsung announced the One UI 9 beta program on May 12 and announced that the first distribution would start in the same week. Despite this, it was stated that only users in the USA, the UK, Germany and South Korea would be included in the program in the first stage.
The information in the footnotes of Samsung’s press release revealed that users in India and Poland will have to wait until the end of the month. It is noteworthy that it is a long-standing practice that the company first starts the beta process with limited participation in certain markets. After collecting initial feedback, the number of supported countries is expanded with the second or third beta versions. Despite this, Samsung does not show any signs of changing this distribution model that it has been maintaining for years.
The company’s gradual rollout of its beta program allows bug reports to be evaluated in a more controlled manner. In addition, moving forward with a more limited user base in the first stage helps detect critical system problems faster. However, this approach causes longer waiting times for users in supported countries. In particular, although Samsung offers its flagship phones for sale in many markets, it remains a matter of criticism that it limits beta access to a few countries.
Device and country limitations continue in Samsung beta programs
Since Samsung first launched its One UI beta programs in 2018, it has generally limited access to six or seven countries. Apple and Google, on the other hand, open iOS and Android beta versions to a much wider audience of users to whom they sell their products. Despite this, Samsung’s continued controlled distribution strategy shows that the company prefers to proceed more cautiously in the software development process.
In addition, in recent years, stricter restrictions have begun to be applied on the device side. One UI 7 beta version was only available for the Galaxy S24 series for the first three months. Similarly, the One UI 8.5 beta program was limited to only Galaxy S25 models for approximately four months. Expansion to older devices was quite delayed.
It took about two months for the One UI 8 beta version to reach models other than the Galaxy S25 family. Therefore, the One UI 9 beta program is expected to follow a similar distribution schedule. However, in the current situation, it is considered that this delay may be advantageous for some users. Since Samsung has recently started rolling out the stable One UI 8.5 update, it seems likely that the company will want to conduct the new beta process more carefully.
Details about what new features One UI 9 will come with are not yet clear. Despite this, Samsung is expected to offer performance improvements, battery management optimizations and new functions on the Galaxy AI side in its new Android-based interface version. Although there is a possibility that the beta program will be expanded to more countries and devices in the coming weeks, the company has not shared an official schedule for now.
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