Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ Get Android Pie Beta-Based One UI, Free Themes Come With a 14-Day Usage Limit

Samsung's Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have finally started receiving the latest Android 9.0 Pie beta software update in South Korea and the US. Android Pie beta arrives as part of the latest One UI update, which Samsung announced as a successor to its Samsung Experience UI that would be optimised for one-handed operation. The latest software brings plenty of changes including a design overhaul. Apart from that, reports coming in suggest that Samsung's One UI will now allow free themes to be applied on your handset for only 14 days after which they will be automatically removed.

Tipster Ice Universe took to Twitter on Thursday to reveal the changelog of the Android 9.0 Pie beta-based One UI update rolling out to Galaxy S9 units in South Korea. This was soon followed by the same update rolling out to customers in the US, as reported by Sammobile. The changelog reveals a file size of about 1.9GB and an update to the latest November 2018 Android security patch.

The beta update is reportedly available for T-Mobile, Sprint, and unlocked Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ users in the US. To register, open the Samsung+ app and click on the link with “One UI with Android 9.0 on Galaxy S9/S9+” text mentioned, on the home page. The beta update can then be downloaded by going into Settings > Software update > Download updates manually.

One UI brings a lot of new features such as a redesigned interface, redesigned notifications with the ability to reply directly from the notification panel, new Unicode 11.0 emojis, adaptive themes, Device Care and power saving features, new clock styles for the Always On display, improved Bixby search, redesigned Phone app, and more. You will be able to use Samsung DeX with supported HDMI adapters, without the need for a DeX station.

To recall, Samsung had previously confirmed that the stable Android Pie-based One UI update will roll out to the Galaxy S9 lineup sometime in January. The open beta is expected to soon go live in other markets of Europe and Asia as well.

While this update brings a lot of functionality and new features to the Galaxy S9 range, it also has a frustrating time limit for free themes. Android Pie, with One UI on top, restricts the usage of free themes on your Galaxy S9 to just 14 days, reports Sammobile. After this time limit, the theme will forcefully automatically reset to the stock theme.

A notice is reportedly being sent by Samsung to users on the latest update. Samsung clarifies the change by saying that it has “changed the policy in order to help our designers continue to create high quality products and also to provide stable and satisfactory services for you.” Samsung will notify users 10 minutes before the theme reverts to the original one. It is not known yet as to whether the previously applied theme will be rendered unusable or can be used again at a later stage.