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Samsung will finally put an end to your painful six-month waiting 'starting in April'

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Mar 05, 2025, 2:50 AM

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The next big Android update is officially coming to a Galaxy phone near you in a matter of weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about Android 16, which is obviously unlikely to roll out in stable form before August even as far as Google's in-house Pixel devices are concerned.

Instead, Samsung is still inexplicably struggling to expand its Android 15-based One UI 7 set of goodies beyond the Galaxy S25 handset family. At last, the company appears to have (intentionally) confirmed that this struggle will end next month, which means that you don't have long to wait now... if you own a Galaxy S24-series device.

Because Samsung is only ready to confirm that the "official update of One UI 7 will be available starting in April" (emphasis mine), there are clearly no guarantees at the moment that any other products aside from last year's S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra will be allowed to leave Android 14 (with One UI 6 on top) behind next month.

If we are to trust that preliminary schedule inadvertently made public just last week, the main S24 trio could be joined by the lower-cost Galaxy S24 FE, as well as the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 super-flagships, on the stable One UI 7 train on the same April 18 date.

The Galaxy S23 family might then earn the same belated honor just a week later alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, and the Galaxy A54 mid-ranger. But after so many months of excruciating waiting and seemingly endless beta testing, it's probably wise not to get your hopes up all of a sudden.

Clearly, Samsung has some serious apologizing to do after what can only be described as the biggest mobile software fiasco in the company's history. Keep in mind that the aforementioned Android 14-based One UI 6 version started making its way to the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra in October (!!!) 2023, and a year before that, the Galaxy S22 trio was treated to an official Android 13 makeover in, you guessed it, October.

Granted, even Google's Pixel phones received their Android 15 enhancements a little later than expected, but the emphasis is definitely on "little" there. Bottom line, Samsung has no excuses for this debacle, especially when you consider how many devices from brands like OnePlus, Motorola, Sony, and HMD have scored this update already.

Of course, One UI 7 strays pretty far from Google's "vanilla" Android 15 take in many departments, but I'm fairly certain a lot of Galaxy device owners would have gladly given up some of Samsung's proprietary tweaks and add-ons for an earlier chance to run this new OS version.

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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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