The February Unpacked event is just two days away and we’ve got yet another Galaxy S23 leak on our hands. Rather than any hardware details, we now know more about the One UI 5.1 update coming to all supported Galaxy phones. But there seem to be some upgrades exclusive to the Galaxy S23 as well.
he got it WinFuture (Opens in a new tab) (via Android Authority (Opens in a new tab)), we have a complete changelog for the One UI 5.1 update. Things like gallery improvements and making it easier to set up your Galaxy S23 appear here, but this is a point version on top of One UI 5 (based on Android 13). So don’t expect huge changes.
Curious? Here are the new features.
One UI 5.1: what’s new
Before we share the changelog, we wanted to highlight the most important new features in One UI 5.1 based on this leak. Like we said, this is a point version that lacks major upgrades, with Samsung looking instead to improve the experience of the upcoming Galaxy S23 and anyone opting for one of the three rumored models.
A big focus seems to be on the Gallery app as Samsung introduces new features like family photo album sharing. AI will analyze the faces in the photo and then suggest you share if it recognizes any family members in the photo. Samsung offers 5GB of free storage for each family member (up to six people). If all of this sounds familiar, that’s because you can do it in Google Photos.
The gallery search function will also see improvement according to the leak. You will be able to search for more than one thing at a time or search for people based on their face.
One UI 5.1 will also see Expert RAW live in the advanced section of the main camera app. This could be great for the upcoming Galaxy S23 phones, all of which are rumored to get camera upgrades, highlighted by the 200MP main camera introduced for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
As for the Galaxy S23’s exclusive features, they’re not all that great. Samsung plans to make it easy to switch to the new S23 from an old Galaxy phone or Android phone. With Bluetooth LE, One UI 5.1 migration is meant to happen via saved networks, as well as your Samsung and Google accounts via a QR code.
Finally, the last thing we want to point out is the Bixby calls section. Here, Bixby’s personal assistant will answer phone calls for you, where you’ll see the caller’s speech come as text. It looks a lot like Google’s call screen on Pixel phones, so consider us intrigued.
One UI 5.1: leaked changelog
Here is a list of the changes One UI 5.1 should bring to the Galaxy S23 family broken down by application.
camera
- Changing the color tone of a selfie just got easier: You can easily change the color of your selfies using the Effects button on the side of the screen.
- Quick access to Expert RAW: Expert RAW allows you to capture high-quality images without any processing or compression, making it ideal for those who want to edit their images later. Expert RAW is now easier to access from the Advanced menu.
Gallery
- Shared family album: With Shared Family Album, sharing photos with your family has never been easier. Gallery recommends photos to add to your shared family album by recognizing the faces of your family members. You also get 5 GB of storage for each family member (up to 6 people).
- Improved processing: Processing automatically removes shadows and reflections to make your photos look great. You can also recreate GIFs for better resolution and clarity.
- Convenient information display: If you swipe up when viewing a photo or video in your gallery, you can see at a glance when and where the photo was taken, the device, where it was stored, and more.
- Search just got more powerful: You can now search for more than one person or item at the same time. You can even search for people without tagging their name, just by clicking on their face.
- Choose a location to save screenshots: You can now save screenshots and screen recordings to a folder of your choice by setting it up in Advanced Features.
AR Zone and AR Emoji
- Use 3 emojis in AR Emoji Camera: Take fun photos and videos with friends (up to 3 people) in mask mode. You can replace your friends’ faces with other characters by tapping on an emoji.
- Layout and editing improvements in AR Doodles: Brushes are now available on the AR Doodle home screen for faster access. You can also resize and move your drawings after you’ve created them, and the new eraser tool lets you erase just a portion of your drawings without erasing them completely.
widgets
- New battery widget: With the new battery widget, you can check the battery level of your Galaxy devices. Right from the home screen, you can see how much battery your smartphone, Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch and other supported devices have left.
- Intuitive weather widget: A new illustration style and a summary of current weather conditions make it easier to see weather information, whether it’s sunny, cloudy, raining or snowing.
situations and scenarios
- Different backgrounds depending on the situation: Set different wallpapers on the lock screen and home screen depending on your current activities. Choose a work wallpaper, a sport wallpaper and more by setting different modes.
- More conditions and procedures for scenarios: Run scripts automatically when airplane mode or mobile hotspot is on. Transcripts can now open some apps, adjust left/right volume balance, and more. New actions now let you control quick sharing and touch sensitivity, as well as change the ringtone and font style.
Connection
- Samsung Notes Collaboration: Create a shared note that multiple people can edit at the same time. Write a report with colleagues, take notes for a study group, or draw a picture with a friend. The possibilities are endless.
- Inviting to shared apps made easy: Now you can easily invite people to shared albums, notes, and calendars with a link that can be shared across apps like messaging, email, and social networks.
- Multiple advanced controls between Galaxy Book and smartphone: You can now use the Galaxy Book’s mouse, keyboard, or trackpad not only with your Galaxy tablet, but also with your Galaxy smartphone. You can easily copy and paste text and drag and drop images from one device to another as if it were the same device.
- Media Output for Wi-Fi Speakers: If you want to continue listening to music on Wi-Fi speakers via Spotify Connect and Chromecast built-in, just open Media Output from the Quick Access Toolbar, not the Music apps.
- Continue browsing on PC: If you are browsing the Internet on your smartphone using Samsung Internet and then continue browsing on your computer, you can find the websites you opened on your smartphone and continue browsing them using a computer browser.
Samsung DeX
- Improved multitasking in DeX: In split screen mode, you can now drag the separator in the middle of the screen to resize both windows. You can also corner a window so that it takes up a quarter of the screen.
settings
- Settings suggestions: Suggestions are now displayed at the top of the Settings screen, letting you know which useful features to try or which settings require your attention so you can enable or try them right away.
Samsung Internet
- Enhanced search: You can now search by folder name in bookmarks or by group name in tabs. Improved search logic allows you to find what you’re looking for, even if something is misspelled.
Setup wizard
- Faster and easier initial setup for your new Galaxy: If you’re switching to a new Galaxy from a Galaxy or other Android device, just scan the QR code on your old device to automatically migrate your Wi-Fi networks, Samsung account, and Google account to the new device to transfer without typing anything.
Atmosphere
- Detailed weather information at a glance: Useful information about the weather is now displayed on the main screen of the Weather app. You can check severe weather alerts, daily weather reports, hourly precipitation, and color temperature charts.
calls
- Bixby text calls: Use Bixby Text Calls to automatically answer calls and find out what the call is for. You’ll see what the caller is saying in a text conversation, and you can tap or type responses to have them read aloud to the caller. Bixby text calls are only available in English and Korean.
One UI 5.1 is available
Funnily enough, Samsung itself leaked its plans for One UI 5.1 when it comes to devices older than the Galaxy S23 (via 9to5Google (Opens in a new tab)). The phone maker is supposed to push the update to “flagship models released after the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip.”
This means Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 4.
It is safe to assume that One UI 5.1 will reach other Samsung devices as well. We don’t know a timeline yet, but we’re guessing a March-April timeframe.
Galaxy S23 program predictions
One UI 5.1 doesn’t look like a major update if this leaked changelog is to be believed. Gallery improvements look great, but Samsung is playing catch-up with Google again. But if you don’t want to use Google Photos for any reason, you won’t be missing out on at least some great features.
Of course, the Bixby call feature sounds interesting, so we’ll have to see if and how this pans out.
We’ll likely hear all about One UI 5.1 on Wednesday, so keep it locked in here to stay up-to-date with all the latest Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra news.
