What you need to know
- Samsung recently rolled out the One UI 5 beta to the Galaxy S22 series, issuing two updates for users that want to try the software out.
- The company has extended the beta to the Galaxy S21 series, starting with users in South Korea and the U.K.
- The beta includes a number of enhancements and new features that users can expect in the stable build.
- Samsung is expected to launch stable One UI 5 later this year, along with other Android OEMs.
It's only been a few weeks since Samsung launched the One UI 5 (Android 13) beta for its flagship Galaxy S22 series. However, reports indicate that the company is already extending the beta program to Galaxy S21 owners in some countries.
Two reports from SamMobile indicate that users in South Korea and the United Kingdom are already receiving the beta on their Galaxy S21 devices.
This update gives users a taste of Android 13 and includes a bevy of features and enhancements for Samsung devices. That includes a tweaked notification shade, an expanded color pallet for UI theming, per-app language settings and notification permissions, improvements for privacy, security, and accessibility, and much more.
A second beta build was recently launched for the Galaxy S22 series with additional features such as a smart suggestions widget. This also kicked off the program in the U.K. and India for the S22 series. It's expected that there shouldn't be much difference in software between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22, so users can likely expect a similar experience.
According to SamMobile, the U.K. update features build G99xBXXU5ZVHE and comes in at nearly 2GB. Knowing Samsung, the program should extend to other regions shortly.
To enroll in the beta, open the Samsung Members app and find the associated banner or navigate to the Notices section (bell icon). After registering your device, head over to the software update section in the phone settings, and the update should be waiting for you.
Keep in mind that this is beta software, so there are likely to be bugs. It's not exactly recommended that you install the beta on your daily driver, so try at your own risk.
Stable Android 13 is expected to start arriving on Galaxy smartphones later this year, but until then, we expect Samsung will expand its beta program to more of its best Android phones in the coming weeks.
The Galaxy S22 is Samsung's latest standard flagship, offering a simple design, great specs, and very capable cameras. It comes in several different colorways, including the new Bora Purple, and is among the first Galaxy phones to have access to the Android 13 beta.
