Next year, Samsung phones will receive a software redesign with a new home screen

Samsung’s next major mobile software update, called One UI 7, will introduce a new look to the company’s smartphone interface, including changes to the home screen.

This is according to Sally Hyesoon Jeong, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics and head of the platform’s research and development team, who briefly talked about the update during the technology giant’s developer conference on Thursday. The update will be available in beta this year, with the full version arriving in 2025 with Samsung’s next flagship phone, likely the Galaxy S25. Samsung similarly introduced Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S24 earlier this year in January.

“We are exploring a completely new (user interface) design,” Jeong said on stage. “One UI 7 will bring a fresh new look to the entire interface.”

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Jeong didn’t say much about the update or show what it would look like. But she discussed the company’s overall vision for the new software, including that it was built to better understand what you’re trying to do and “minimize complexity.” She also added that as part of the redesign, Samsung has improved motion and designed a new blur system. She cited One UI 7’s new home screen grid as an example.

“It’s sleeker and easier to use, giving you a neat home screen no matter what Galaxy device you’re using,” she said.

Based on Jeong’s comments, Samsung’s One UI 7 update will be in line with some of the broader themes and changes that have emerged in phone software this year, such as greater personalization and the ability to work more easily between apps. For example, Apple’s iOS 18 update allows iPhone owners to more freely rearrange app icons on the home screen, while Google updated its Gemini assistant to answer questions about what’s on the phone’s screen.

Samsung’s One UI improvements are also important because they impact the experience of using Samsung phones, which account for almost 20% of smartphones used globally, regardless of whether users buy the latest device. Samsung typically debuts software on its newest devices and then rolls out new features on older devices, as it did last month with One UI 6.1.1.

One UI is Samsung’s customized version of Android specifically for its devices, usually built on the latest version of Google’s Android operating system. While One UI initially felt like a stripped-down version of Android, Samsung has used these updates to introduce deeper changes in recent years, such as a new camera layout, passkey support, and extending Galaxy AI to other devices.

While Samsung hasn’t said much about what exactly to expect from One UI 7, Thursday’s tease fits into previous comments Patrick Chomet, Samsung’s executive vice president and chief customer officer, made to CNET about the company’s approach to software.

In a previous interview, he discussed how the company ultimately wants to make different parts of the operating system smarter and more intuitive, so you don’t have to think too hard about what you need when you answer the phone.

“You would never have to go to settings or look for the next action,” he said. “You may not need to open (the app).”