Samsung announced that the company has launched the beta version of the One UI 5 OS for Android 13 for the Galaxy S22 smartphone. Much like Android 13 itself, most of the changes are minor, including some cosmetic improvements and enhancements to security, notifications, cameras, and more. However, Android 13 could offer major improvements to foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold 4, which will be unveiled at Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 10.
Samsung’s OS updates are faster because One UI 5 was launched more than a month earlier than UI 4 last year. It takes advantage of Android 13’s theming makeover with 12 new color options for the home screen, icons, and quick panel. It also lets you save some space by stacking widgets, while adding accessibility options like a magnifying glass tool to magnify text and objects. It also adds a system that reads your keyboard input aloud.

Samsung
You’ll also see Android 13 updates such as new notification settings that require apps to request permission before sending notifications. The new security dashboard can check whether security and privacy checks are performed, and you will be able to set your preferred language on an app-by-app basis.
Android 13’s foldable enhancements appear to be designed for devices like the Fold 3 that have different sizes, resolutions, and pixel densities on the inner and outer displays. Samsung already offers that feature for the Fold 3, but native Android 13 support could open up more options, such as enhanced productivity tools.
We’ll find out more at Unpacked in a few days, scheduled for August at 9:10AM ET. Meanwhile, if you live in the US, South Korea, or Germany and own a Galaxy S22, you can try the One UI 5 update using the Samsung Membership app – remember the common risks of using beta software.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of us parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, we may receive an affiliate commission.