Android 15 is getting close to a stable version, which means that we'll soon see Android phone makers show off their own editions, like One UI 7, Samsung's unique take on the software for its Galaxy phones. And the new version of One UI could be especially interesting as it's rumored to be taking major cues from iOS 18.
Leaker chunvn8888 on X has posted notes from a source who tried Samsung's still in-development version of Android 15. And the general take-away seems to be that Samsung's making a lot of visual changes, as well as a few practical ones, that seem to be indirectly inspired by the iPhone's interface.
For one, Samsung will allegedly be moving to new, rounder icons across the board, with apps gaining a 3D effect. The Gallery app icon's getting a makeover too with a new rainbow color scheme, again similar to how the iOS Photos app looks.
On a more practical level, One UI 7 could feature greater lock screen shortcut customizability, with more available apps and actions to place in one of your two corner slots. Samsung may also be adopting a split notification shade that divides your actual notifications from the quick settings. We've seen this on other Android skins of late, and it seems very much inspired by Apple's division of the notifications on your Lock Screen from the shortcuts and options available in Control Center.
The last major point in this leak is a Camera app redesign. The new version of this staple app will supposedly move all settings to the bottom edge, and hide them in a drawer until you tap a button to show them again.
i-nspiration
It would be plain wrong to say iOS and Android were identical operating systems. But over the years we've seen the world's two primary mobile operating systems converge in how they offer certain features and design elements. Although it arguably makes phones feel samey, even across brands, it makes sense to arrange things roughly how users expect them to be after a decade and a half of using smartphones. Nobody buying a car today would praise a company that moved the gas and brake pedals around for being original, after all.
The latest Android version normally debuts at the same time as Google's flagship Pixel phones each year, typically in October. But the next Google event, already confirmed to introduce us to the Pixel 9 series, is happening in August. We'd assume these new Pixels will launch with Android 15, so its official debut could happen there too
Even in previous years where Google held an October launch, Samsung has got the first version of its new One UI out before the end of the year. So anyone with recent Samsung phones should start looking out for this drastically different-looking One UI 7 update as we approach fall.
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