Samsung is rolling the One UI 9 beta out to six more Galaxy device families this week, and the update quietly brings a real answer to AirDrop. Samsung’s UK newsroom confirmed on September 1, 2026 that the beta, built on Android 17, now covers the Galaxy S25 series along with the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 in India, Korea, the UK, and the US.
Samsung’s own software update channel went further, confirming the Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold6, and Z Flip6 are eligible too. For anyone who has ever tried sending a photo to an iPhone owner and given up, that detail matters more than the version number attached to it.
TL;DR: Samsung confirmed on September 1 that the One UI 9 beta, built on Android 17, is expanding to the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy Z Fold7, and Galaxy Z Flip7, with the Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, S23 series, Galaxy A56, A57, and S24 FE following through early September. The standout feature is an expanded Quick Share that adds AirDrop-compatible two-way file transfers. Enrollment runs through the Samsung Members app, and Samsung has not set a stable release date yet.
Which Galaxy phones get the One UI 9 beta first
The rollout started with the Samsung Newsroom announcement naming the Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 FE, Galaxy Z Fold7, and Galaxy Z Flip7 as the first eligible devices, available in India, Korea, the UK, and the US through the Samsung Members app.
Samsung expanded that list within 48 hours. The Galaxy S24 series and Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 picked up their first One UI 9 beta builds on September 2, followed by the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy A56, and Galaxy A57, according to GSMArena’s tracking of the rollout. The Galaxy S24 FE joined on September 3, the same day this article was written, after being left out of the initial wave.
That is ten device families running a beta that started with six just two days earlier. Samsung has not confirmed how One UI 9 changes across its full range yet, but the pace of the rollout suggests the company wants broad testing coverage before a stable build ships.
| Device | Beta status | Date confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 FE | Live | September 1 |
| Galaxy Z Fold7 | Live | September 1 |
| Galaxy Z Flip7 | Live | September 1 |
| Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra | Live | September 2 |
| Galaxy Z Fold6 | Live | September 2 |
| Galaxy Z Flip6 | Live | September 2 |
| Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra | Live | — |
| Galaxy A56 / A57 | Live | — |
| Galaxy S24 FE | Live | September 3 |
The AirDrop-style Quick Share feature that stands out
Quick Share is the feature actually worth enrolling for. Samsung’s official software update account confirmed that the beta adds support for AirDrop through Quick Share, enabling two-way file transfers between Galaxy phones and AirDrop-enabled Apple devices. The feature is live on the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold7, Z Flip7, Z Fold6, and Z Flip6.
Cross-platform sharing between Android and iPhone has never had a clean native path. People default to email, messaging apps that recompress images, or a USB cable if one is nearby. A working two-way Quick Share connection removes that friction entirely, and it is notable that Samsung built it rather than waiting on Google to solve it at the Android level.
It is not clear yet whether the feature works reliably outside controlled testing conditions, since beta software carries that uncertainty by definition. Samsung has not published a compatibility list for which iPhone models or iOS versions the AirDrop connection supports.
What else changes in this beta
The Galaxy S24’s beta changelog, compiled by Sammy Fans, gives the clearest look at what One UI 9 touches beyond file sharing. The Quick Panel now supports resizable brightness, volume, and media controls, letting users reorganize the shade instead of accepting Samsung’s default layout. Samsung DeX gets a simpler path to switching into desktop mode, and Samsung Notes adds a new Tape tool along with more pen styles.
Location privacy gets a visible marker too. A blue indicator now appears when an app is actively reading a phone’s location, a change that mirrors what iOS has done for several years. Accessibility also picks up several additions, including a Text Spotlight tool, an improved Select to Speak function, refinements to Mouse Keys, added keyboard shortcuts, and TalkBack updates that now ship through the Play Store instead of waiting on a full OS update.
None of these are headline features on their own. Together they read like Samsung clearing out a backlog of small annoyances before the bigger Z Fold8 hardware cycle arrives later this year.
Joining the beta before the stable release lands
Enrollment works the same way it has for previous One UI betas. Owners of an eligible device sign up through the Samsung Members app, then check Settings, Software update, Download and install, to pull the beta build. Samsung has not said when One UI 9 moves to stable, and it has not confirmed the Galaxy Z Fold8 features that reportedly influenced parts of this build.
Beta software still means occasional battery drain, app crashes, and features that get pulled before the stable build ships. Anyone who relies on their phone for work should wait, but anyone curious about the AirDrop-style sharing now has a straightforward way to try it two days after Samsung first confirmed the rollout.
