Samsung has released the first One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra. The build went live in India on 3 September 2026 through the Samsung Members app. It is firmware version S91xBXXUAZZHL, downloads at about 3.4GB and carries the August 2026 security patch.
One UI 9 is Samsung’s version of Android 17, the Android release Google began testing in February 2026. We explained how One UI 8.5 and One UI 9 differ in May. Samsung shipped the stable version on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 in July, as we covered at the time.
Why the release was a surprise
On 1 September, Samsung published the list of devices joining the One UI 9 beta this month: the Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 FE, Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, in India, Korea, the UK and the US. The Galaxy S23 was not on it. Neither was the Galaxy S24, which got its own beta a day later.
In July we predicted Samsung would skip a public beta for the S23 and go straight to a stable release in October or November, because that is what it did with the Galaxy S22’s final update. That was wrong.
What’s new?
Samsung has not published a changelog for the S23 beta on its newsroom. The Galaxy S24 changelog for the same beta generation, lists a quick panel where the brightness slider, volume slider and media player can be resized, a Tape tool in Samsung Notes that hides part of a note until you reveal it, and simpler window moves between desktops in Samsung DeX. Accessibility gains Text Spotlight, which enlarges and highlights the text you are reading, and Select to Speak, which reads chosen items on screen aloud without switching on TalkBack. A blue indicator now shows when an app is reading your location.
New Galaxy AI features do not appear to be part of it. Threads from S23 testers on Samsung’s Members forum, posted since 3 September, say the beta adds no new AI features and ask Samsung for Audio Eraser and the other tools that shipped on the S24 and later phones.
The last big update for Galaxy S23?
The S23 series was launched in February 2023 on Android 13 with a promise of four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Android 14, 15, 16 and now 17 make four. One UI 9 should be the last major version the S23 will get, as we reported in July. Security patches continue after it, under the five-year promise, into early 2028.
If you’re in a country eligible for the beta update, be wary. In June we reported that some S23 owners saw permanent green and pink lines on their screens after installing One UI 8.5, a stable release. This is a first beta, so back up the phone before enrolling.
How to get it?
To enrol, open Samsung Members, tap the One UI 9 beta banner for your phone, register, then go to Settings, Software update, and check for updates. Samsung’s beta programme runs only in India, Korea, the UK and the US, so an S23 bought in Kenya may not be able to join. There’s no official date for the roll out of the final stable version.
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