Samsung's One UI 7 Rollout Stumbles Into Controversy | Image Source: arstechnica.com
SEOUL, South Korea, 14 April 2025 – What was supposed to be a triumphant evolution in Samsung’s Android experience became an informed account of haste and arrogance. Only a few days after the launch of its long lead An IU 7 update based on Android 15, Samsung was forced to hit the brakes on a global release after the emergence of a serious error. The problem, which left some Galaxy S24 users unable to unlock their phones, triggered an immediate response from the technology giant: a shutdown, a re-evaluation and, from April 17, a slow restart in South Korea.
According to Android Central, the release started on April 10 for users in the United States, Europe and South Korea. He promised to improve the functionality of AI, a refined interface and security updates. However, these updates have been overestimated by alarming user reports, including a critical unlocking defect and a privacy defect related to the secure folder: two failures with potentially important implications for Samsung users’ confidence and reputation of the software.
Why did Samsung launch the plug in One UI 7 so suddenly?
Samsung’s decision was not arbitrary. As Forbes pointed out, once the update landed on users’ devices, some Galaxy S24 models began to show erratic behavior, in particular, they refused to unlock. It wasn’t an isolated failure. Users from various regions, including the United States, Europe, Vietnam and China, raised similar concerns. In addition, according to a detailed Samsung review, the secure folder - Samsung’s digital vault for sensitive files – reproduces private photos outside the folder through self-generated stories. This violated the very objective of a safe environment.
While Samsung has not yet released an official and detailed explanation for the break, the urgency of its reaction suggests that internal alarms have been triggered. According to Ars Technica, Samsung removed One UI 7 from its servers during the weekend, indicating a major failure. In terms of software development, it is similar to a five-arm fire. And the decision to replace the original construction (which was about 5 GB) with a smaller and more targeted patch of about 292 MB in South Korea, indicates an hasty attempt to correct what might be considered harmful surveillance.
What is the new post-return update program?
The new schedule is not only about patches, it is a complete review of Samsung’s original roadmap. According to an extremist Reddit quoted by 9to5Google, the company published a revised calendar through its Samsung Members app. While the Galaxy S24 series is still on track for the end of April, other devices, including the Galaxy S23 series, were pushed through May. Specifically, the Galaxy Tab A9 will not be updated until July. This is a significant delay for a version of OS introduced six months ago.
We might wonder, why fight now? In short, Samsung seems to be playing defense. After what seems to be insufficient QA tests for a new version, the company is now expanding the updates to monitor real world performance in stages, starting with a smaller region, such as South Korea, and expanding cautiously.
Is the file still safe?
The biggest concern for privacy-oriented users is whether Samsung’s secure folder can still be reliable. In an alarming discovery detailed by SamMobile, photos inside the secure folder appeared in Stories that could be accessed outside the safe environment. This was not due to any piracy or technical manipulation. Rather, it was an internal malfunction – self-generated stories triggered by the Gallery app made private content visible by simple notifications.
This defect not only breaks the wall between public and private data, but also raises questions about Samsung’s internal testing protocols. An IU 7 was expected to improve and not compromise the performance and privacy standards of its predecessor. For now, as the report indicates, a visit to disable self-generated stories at the Safe Carpets Gallery, but this is not a permanent solution.
How will this reputation of Samsung affect?
Samsung is not new to the controversy, do you remember the fires of the Galaxy Note 7 battery? But this time, the damage is more subtle and psychological. It escapes the trust of the user. The release time, combined with security errors, sends a clear message: Even technology giants can merge software launches. In the era of instant reactions and Reddit whistles, these errors spread rapidly and increasingly.
According to Forbes, this failure comes at a time when Samsung is trying to match Google’s seven-year promise of software support. With the S24 series positioned as the flagship of these improvements, this hiccup affects Samsung’s credibility not only for the present, but for future devices like the next S25 series, which should send with One UI 8.
What do online users say?
The placement on forums like Reddit and X (before Twitter) was a mixture of concern and frustration. Tarun Vats, a well-known Samsung extremist, noted that the revised version of the construction (vS928NKSU4BYD9) is now released in Korea, with probably global expansion in the coming weeks. However, users remain cautious. As a Redditor jumped, “If the safe file isn’t safe, what’s the point?” This kind of disappointment of the user is difficult to repair thanks to a fair code.
Others ask why Samsung hasn’t made these mistakes before. The answer is probably in the complexity of software like One UI 7, which integrates deeply with Android 15 and packages into Samsung’s own Galaxy AI tools. This is a complex overlap on an already complex system. But according to Ars Technica, this is not an excuse, it is an engineering challenge that Samsung needs to solve more rigorously before launching scale updates.
What’s next for Samsung and One UI?
For now, Samsung has taken over the start-up in South Korea, which often serves as a Limus test before introducing global updates. If the smallest tranche is stable, the next few weeks will likely see a gradual expansion to Europe, the United States and other Asian markets. However, it is clear that the confidence previously offered to Samsung by default will now be more conditional.
The technological world is looking closely. Android 15 was released in October 2024, and Samsung’s delay in starting (almost six months later) was intended to ensure a smoother transition. Ironically, the prolonged delay has hardly prevented errors. Now, since some devices will not receive the update before the summer, users may wonder if they even bother, especially with One UI 8 probably launching in a few months next to the Galaxy S25.
Samsung must always comment officially on the failure of the safe folder or publish complete patch notes by detailing all corrections in the new construction. For a company that has spent years positioning itself as a premium Android OEM, conscious privacy, that silence could be its deafest yet.
The world expects better, from its devices and from the people who make them. Samsung’s next moves will decide whether it was just a fall or the beginning of a decline in reputation in its software division.
