It’s that time of the year again; the time to embrace a new version of Android in all its unadulterated glory. Google, the mothership of Android, released the latest iteration of Android — Android 11 — for its supported Google Pixel devices on the 9th of September and other OEMs are expected to follow suit.

Samsung, who implement a feature-heavy skin on top of Google’s vanilla Android is not the quickest off the block, but users aren’t too keen on waiting for months to get their hands on the new product. So, to reduce anxiety and give you a bit of peace of mind, we’ve curated a special space for all news related to the upcoming version of One UI 3.

Related: How to turn off the screeching sound of S Pen in Galaxy Note 20, Note 10, and below

What is One UI 3?

Steering further away from the “Pure Android” experience, Samsung introduced us to the exciting world of One UI in its Developers Conference 2018. It was built on Google’s latest Android Pie but already had Dark Mode — a feature Google only released last year. It looked and felt a lot different, too, giving Samsung users a different identity from the rest of the Android users.

Last year, Samsung released Android 10-based One UI 2. It wasn’t much different from its predecessor but was certainly more refined. This year, Samsung will give us the third generation of its well-received user interface called the One UI 3.0. We are yet to see what features would make their way to the system ultimately, but we’re certain that we won’t be disappointed.

Supported Devices

This year, at Samsung’s annual Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung assured three guaranteed updates for its flagship and upper mid-range devices. Sadly, this rule would only apply to devices released in 2019 and later. So, Galaxy S10 and Note 10 devices, as expected, would get Android 11. S20 and Note 20 devices, too, of course. Midrange devices, such as S10 Lite, Note 10 Lite, and a few A-series devices are also in line for the update. Samsung’s ultra-premium line — Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Z Flip — should also get the update in due time.

What are the key features of One UI 3?

Samsung has shared nothing with its loyal userbase so far, so, it’s anybody’s guess at the moment. However, we still do expect to see Android 11’s key features make its way to the Samsung OS.

Conversation Bubbles should finally make its full-fledged debut in Android 11-based One UI 3. It’d act just like the usual Facebook Messenger chat bubbles but with other messaging apps.

Android 11 also comes with more robust privacy settings, hoping to give iOS 14 a run for its money. One time permissions are going to be especially popular this year, and One UI 3 is also expected to have the perk on board.

Android 11 also brings a new notification delivery system. The notifications you receive are now divided into three parts — Conversations, Alerting, and Silent. The Alerting and Silent notifications work just as they did in Android 10, but the Conversations make sure that all your conversations are stacked together, helping you reply to them in an easier manner.

Notification History is also expected to feature in One UI 3. It’s another small Android 11 perk that could make life a lot easier for many. By keeping track of all the notifications you hastily dismissed, it’d give you the peace of mind you thoroughly deserve.

The Share Sheet has been one of the most notorious features of Android. It’s incredibly useful, of course, but it also tends to be very frustrating and sluggish at times. Android 10 improved the loading times drastically, but there was still no way for users to pin their favorites to the sheet. Android 11 has made that dream a reality, and we’re hoping to see the same on One UI 3, as well.

Will the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 get One UI 3?

The Galaxy S9 and Note 9 got their second OS updates in the form of One UI 2. And as per Samsung’s old schedule, the devices won’t go any further than that. So, if you’re one of the many Galaxy Note 9 or S9 users, you’d be disappointed to know that your device won’t be getting the latest version of One UI this year.

Has One UI 3 released?

No, Samsung is yet to release the stable or the beta for its Android 11-based One UI 3, but the signs, so far, are certainly promising.

As discussed, Google has started rolling out the stable build of Android 11 to all of its supported Pixel devices — Pixel 1 and Pixel 1 XL not included — across the globe. Other manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and RealMe have also come up with their respective Open Beta programs. Thanks to its heavy customization, Samsung is usually late to the party, but as per sources, we could see the South Korean giants arrive a little early this year.

As of September 9th, Samsung has started rolling out the first developer beta for the Galaxy S20 devices in South Korea and the United States. There hasn’t been any official word from the Samsung press channels, so, we’re not sure when we’ll get the chance to have a taste of the latest version of One UI.

When will my Samsung device receive One UI 3?

As discussed in the previous section, Samsung has started the pre-beta program for the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra. The closed beta is only available for affiliated developers, of course, which is why Samsung has refrained from making a public announcement.

Once the pre-beta concludes, Samsung is expected to start working on an open beta program for its latest flagship devices. The S20 trio is set to get the update ahead of any other Samsung flagship. The Note 20 duo would also get the beta, albeit a little later than the S-series. Last year’s S10 and Note 10 devices should also get the beta, but would probably have to wait a few extra weeks.

It’s all speculation at this point, but we don’t expect to see the latest, stable version of One UI before November 2020. The Note 20 lineup could get the update in December, while the S10 and Note 10 flagships could be pushed back to the first quarter of 2021.

Device Name Expected Release Date
Galaxy S Series
Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra November 2020
Galaxy Note 20 series December 2020
Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+ Q1 2021
Galaxy S10 5G Q1 2021
Galaxy S10 Lite Q1 2021
Galaxy S9 and S9+ Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy Note series
Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+ November 2020
Galaxy Note 10 5G Q1 2021
Galaxy Note 10 Lite Q1 2021
Galaxy Note 9 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy Fold and Z Flip
Galaxy Fold Q1 2021
Galaxy Fold 5G Q1 2021
Galaxy Z Flip January 2021
Galaxy A series
Galaxy A01 Q3 2021 (Launched with Android 10, shall get one major update in Android 11.)
Galaxy A10 Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy A10e Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy A10s Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy A20 Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy A20e Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy A20s Q2 2021
Galaxy A30 Q3 2021
Galaxy A30s Q3 2021
Galaxy A40 Q3 2021
Galaxy A50 Q3 2021
Galaxy A50s Q3 2021
Galaxy A51 Q2 2021
Galaxy A6, A6+ Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy A60 Not Eligible (Released with Pie, Android 10 later this Year)
Galaxy A6s Not Eligible (Released with Nougat, didn’t even receive Android 9 Pie)
Galaxy A7 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy A70 Q2 2021
Galaxy A70s Q2 2021
Galaxy A71 Q2 2021
Galaxy A8 Star Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy A8, A8+ Not Eligible (Released with Nougat, Android Pie is its last update)
Galaxy A80 Q2 2021
Galaxy A8s Q2 2021
Galaxy A9 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy A90 5G Q1 2021
Galaxy J Series
Galaxy J2 Core Not Eligible
Galaxy J2 Pro Not Eligible (Released with Nougat, didn’t even receive Android 9 Pie)
Galaxy J3 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy J4 Core Not Eligible
Galaxy J4, J4+ Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy J6, J6+ Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy J7 (2018) Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy J7 Duo (2018) Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy J7 Prime 2 (2018) Not Eligible (Released with Nougat, Android Pie was its last update)
Galaxy J8 (2018) Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy M Series
Galaxy M10 Not Eligible (Launched with Android Oreo, Android Pie is its single major update.)
Galaxy M10s Not Eligible (Launched with Android 9, Android 10 is its single major update.)
Galaxy M20 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy M30 Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy M30s Q2 2021
Galaxy M31 Q1 2021
Galaxy M40 Q2 2021
Galaxy Xcover series
Galaxy Xcover 4s May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Xcover Field Pro May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Xcover Pro Q2 2021
Galaxy Tab A Series
Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018) May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2018) May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) May not receive Android 11
Galaxy Tab A 8.0 with S Pen (2019) Q3 2021
Galaxy Tab Active Pro (2019) Q2 2021
Galaxy Tab Advanced 2 (2018) Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy Tab S Series
Galaxy Tab S4 10.5 (2018) Not Eligible (Android 10 is its second and last major update)
Galaxy Tab S5e Q2 2021
Galaxy Tab S6 Q1 2021

Why the delay in Samsung Android 11 update

Samsung’s current custom skin, One UI, is a lot lighter than its predecessor — TouchWiz — but it still is a long way from resembling Google’s stock Android. The South Korean OEM bundles in a bunch of features, which, more often than not, enhance the smartphone experience for end-users.

As you’d expect, bundling in these features means that Samsung generally spends a lot of time perfecting them, making sure they are ready to fire on cue. After rigorous beta tests and trial-and-error rounds, Samsung finally rolls out the stable build to its latest flagships. This year, the Android 11-based One UI 3 is expected to roll out to the Galaxy S20 trio before trickling down to other devices. And since Samsung will conduct multiple rounds of testing to perfect the OS, the rollout is usually a couple of months delayed.

Got a query related to Android 11? Fire them up in the comments section below.