Samsung launches its Android 13-based One UI 5 beta on Galaxy S22 phones

Samsung has officially started to roll out its One UI 5 open beta to Galaxy S22 owners in the US, Germany, and South Korea. The update comes only a few weeks ahead of Android 13’s expected release, and just a few days before Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Like the operating system it’s powered by, the One UI 5 beta looks like a relatively small update that adds some customization options, tweaks to notifications, as well as new accessibility and security settings.

One UI 5 builds off of Android 13’s theming options by offering up to 16 preset color themes based on your wallpaper and 12 additional color options for your home screen, icons, and quick panels. It also introduces a way to stack similarly-sized widgets on top of one another that’s supposed to help create a less cluttered look.

Image: Samsung

There are some new accessibility features as well, including a Magnifier tool that uses the phone’s camera to zoom in on real-life objects and text, as well as options to have your phone read your keyboard input aloud.

Samsung details several other features that One UI 5 has adopted from Android 13, such as new notification settings that require app developers to ask for your permission before sending you notifications. The One UI 5 beta also lets you set your preferred language on an app-by-app basis, and gives you access to a redesigned security dashboard that scans your phone for potential issues.

Image: Samsung

When Samsung released its One UI 4 beta last year, it highlighted how it’s getting updates out earlier each year. This time around, Samsung widened the gap between its previous update even more, beating its One UI 4 beta’s September 2021 launch date by a little over a month. As was the case with Samsung’s previous One UI betas, you can access the One UI 5 update by registering through the Samsung Members app.

While the One UI 5 beta is only available on S22 devices in the US, Germany, and South Korea right now, Samsung plans on rolling it out to more devices and regions in the near future. We might hear more about what One UI 5 has to offer at Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 10th, where Samsung’s rumored to launch a range of new devices, including the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Z Fold 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Buds Pro 2.