What to Know About android 17: These Samsung Galaxy phones are eligible for the One UI 9 upgrade

Samsung has announced that it’s now rolling out One UI 9, its customised version of Android 17, to select Galaxy phones. This comes almost exactly three months after the launch of Android 17 on Google Pixel smartphones.

According to the official announcement, the Galaxy S26 series is the first to receive the stable update. The Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra are specifically mentioned. Android 17 comes pre-installed on the recently released S26 FE, as well as on the foldable models Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Android Police says that the update has now reached S26 models in the US.

So, anyone who owns one of these models can look forward to a number of new features arriving on their device with One UI 9. Samsung particularly highlights NowNudge, NowBrief and My FanCam.

NowNudge is an AI-based feature that allows you to carry out context-sensitive actions directly from within a chat. For example, if you’re discussing an upcoming event or a restaurant visit, you can create a calendar entry or make a booking straight from your messages.

NowBrief provides summaries of content that may be relevant to everyday life. This could include information on sleep quality, today’s weather, upcoming appointments or podcast recommendations. Users can now customise which information is displayed.

‘My Fancam’, on the other hand, is a feature specifically designed for video recording. It ensures that a selected person is always centred in the frame. The frame adjusts automatically, which should result in less camera shakiness.

Samsung also is introducing a new option called “Warranty and Care” in the settings menu, which allows users to check the warranty status of connected devices and even run a diagnostic check on current issues.

Samsung emphasises that One UI 9 also provides greater security and control when it comes to data protection. New features such as Security Brief provide information on current warnings about malware, apps from unknown sources and applications that request unnecessary permissions.

Using AI, Samsung also sends out privacy alerts that report on potential risks. This is designed to prevent apps or third parties from gaining access to personal data without the user’s knowledge.

Many of these features require you to sign in with a Samsung account.

How to get the One UI 9 update

The update will be automatically installed on eligible Galaxy smartphones. You should get a notification; however, you can also install it manually.

To do so, go to Settings, select Software Update, then tap Download and install. You may need to check for new updates first.

Other Galaxy phones getting OneUI 9

In the coming weeks, Samsung is likely to announce further Galaxy phones, in addition to the S26 range, that will receive the update to Android 17.

This will include the Galaxy S25 series, S24 series, Galaxy Z7 series and others. We’ve asked Samsung for confirmation and will update if we hear back.

In Thailand, it was previously thought that Samsung would be upgrading the S25 and Z7 devices from 28 September, but Samsung’s regional news page has since been updated only specifying September, without a date.

If you have a Galaxy S23 model, then you should also be getting One UI 9 and it will be your last major OS update. The same Thailand press release says “by October” for the S23 FE.

The Galaxy S22 range has already had its final one but continues to be supported with security patches.

If you’d like to know which devices from other manufacturers will also receive the update to Android 17, you can check here.