Samsung continues to spread the One UI 9 love, but the first big bug rears its ugly head
Samsung is rolling out six stable One UI 9 updates around the world, which would be great news if it wasn't for a very serious glitch reported by many users.
Unfortunately, not everything is going as smoothly as the company undoubtedly anticipated and you probably hoped, as dozens of Redditors were not only left unable to install stable One UI 9 on their devices on Monday, actually having trouble using any functionality of their phones. Luckily, there's a fix for that (or rather a workaround), but many Samsung fans are still (understandably) unhappy.
The Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 should be smoother than ever once you move up to One UI 9. | Image by PhoneArena
That obviously includes essentially the entirety of Europe, as well as key Asian markets like India, and yes, even the US, at least as far as carrier-specific units on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are concerned. As usual, US unlocked variants need a little more time to join the party, and I fully expect that to happen by the end of the week.
The mid-range Galaxy A57 5G is in a similar position as its high-end "cousins" from 2024, receiving official One UI 9 updates pretty much everywhere... apart from the US. That should also follow in the coming days, although for some users, the regional delay might actually prove to be a blessing in disguise.
The first big One UI 9 bug is not exactly easy to quash, but at least you can deal with it in an efficient way. | Image by Reddit
Don't panic and don't despair, as all you apparently need to do to clear that hurdle and be able to enjoy your Android 17-based One UI 9 add-ons and tweaks is force your phone to restart by simultaneously holding the Volume Down and Power buttons, then hold the Volume Down key again when the Samsung logo pops up to boot into Safe Mode, enable Airplane Mode from there, completely disable both your handset's Wi-Fi and mobile data, disconnect from all networks, and then hit restart without doing anything else.
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That's... definitely a little convoluted and unnecessarily complicated, especially for users who may have never heard of "Safe Mode" or never used those kinds of tricks to dodge such software glitches in the past. But for the time being, it seems to be the only efficient solution to a bug that should have clearly never been a thing on a "stable" software release like this.
Have you had any problems running One UI 9?
6 Votes
The bug, mind you, has been reported on multiple devices, from the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra to the Galaxy A57 5G and even the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so be on the lookout for it if you haven't switched your Samsung phone from One UI 8.5 yet.
What's next?
Hopefully, Samsung will first and foremost deal with the bug described above in an official, public, and comprehensive manner. Once that's handled, the company is obviously likely to move on to other devices waiting for their One UI 9 makeovers.
The S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra are likely to receive stable One UI 9 updates in the very near future as well. | Image by PhoneArena
If Samsung manages to pull that off without (temporarily) bricking any more devices, I think the global One UI 9 rollout can officially be declared a triumph... after a very hesitant start just a few weeks ago. And that, my friends and dear readers, is part of the reason why this is the world's number one smartphone vendor.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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