Samsung’s delayed One UI 8.5 upgrade has just started rolling out, but attention has already turned to One UI 9, which brings Android 17 to Galaxy smartphones. The new Android firmware delivers a raft of security updates, and owners of Samsung flagships will not want to see more delays.
Samsung says One UI 9 “introduces enhanced protection against suspicious apps and potential threats: when new high-risk apps are detected, it now warns users, blocks execution and installation, and recommends deletion through security policy updates.”
Per Android Authority, “in the first One UI 9 beta, within Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings, there’s now a new entry for Manage unknown apps.”
The beta version of the new feature includes a clear warning: “The apps below may put your phone and data at risk because they weren’t installed from an approved source such as the Play Store or Galaxy Store. Uninstall any apps that you don’t trust or recognize.”
Per SammyFans, the current One UI 9 beta “will make Galaxy phones safer and smarter.” Both Google and Samsung are clamping down on sideloading, which is now more restricted thanks to Google’s new police change that forces developers to be registered before they can push apps to mainstream devices. Android 17 also enhanced live threat detection to catch threats early.
Samsung was earlier than Google in locking down phones to protect against malicious apps installed from outside Play Store or its own store. This easy one-touch option to isolate all such apps and then delete them from a phone is a major step forward.
But the real question is how fast will it finds it way onto phones. One UI 8.5 was finally released some five months after the first beta went live. No one will want to see this repeated with One UI 9. Android 17 upgrades will hit Pixels fairly soon. The clock will start ticking then.
