SAMSUNG

Why One UI 5 won't please everyone

It is no longer a secret for anyone, Samsung is already working on Android 13, which in the company is One UI 5. And the proof of this is that the South Korean company started the beta program of this operating system, for the Galaxy series equipment. S22 in some markets.

Even today, indications have emerged that the company is also already working on One UI 5 for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21, Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A53 series devices. However, a change in One UI 5 may not suit all users.

It's just that according to what is being revealed, Samsung has removed one of the quick settings shortcuts from the notification tray. Quick settings on Samsung phones, as well as Android in general, are in a two-step menu. The user can swipe down on the notification tray to access some key shortcuts, while a second swipe will reveal a complete toggle list that includes multiple pages.

This is the case for most Android phones, but the number of shortcuts you'll see at any given time varies by brand and device. For example, on Google Pixels, the Quick Settings menu shows a 2×2 grid above the notifications and a 4×2 grid across the full panel. On the other hand, on Samsung smartphones, we historically have six toggles in the first menu and a 4×3 grid in the second. In either case, Samsung shows a lot more quick settings at once compared to a Pixel.

However, in Android 13, Samsung is taking an interesting step, but in another direction. Apparently, when starting the One UI 5.0 beta on a Galaxy S22+ we now only have five quick settings icons. The larger 4x3 grid remains unchanged, but it's still strange that Samsung is tweaking the top-facing menu with this update.

The reasons that lead Samsung to change its mind? I have no idea. But six icons in the first step smaller menu might seem a bit cramped, and using just five icons looks visually incorrect.

Regardless, quick settings are all about being fast, so removing a slot just makes the feature that much less convenient. In any case, this is an incredibly small change and one that Samsung can easily reverse when One UI 5.0 is released in the stable version, which should arrive closer to the end of the year.

Joel Pinto, from Portugal