I've had some time to review Beta 2, and these are my initial thoughts.
This is part 1 of 3, as the Members app only is letting me post part of what I want to share with Samsung and the community.
Many of you may remember me as one of the Mods from two of the big Android community Discord servers before their demise. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a big contributor across social media channels, and like to push for change and inclusion. These 3 posts are my raw thoughts and feedback regarding Beta 2.
First: We are at the end of March, no Android 15 from Sammy, and Google themselves are putting final polishing touches on Android 16. Never thought Samsung would be this bad.
No Transparency From Samsung: This point is not directly about Beta 2, but it's on my mind right now. Still no transparency, no explanation on why Android 15 One UI 7 appears to have been slapped together in a hurry when Google gave Samsung the code in Summer 2024. As a die hard Samsung fan, who buys Samsung phones, monitors, TV, fridge, washer dryer, I've about had enough. No communication. No commitment to do better. Just silence and an April delivery promise. Pretty sad.
Status Bar Icons Not Fixed: Ugly as ever, worse in Beta 2. Icons are still not aligned, or the same size. The Wi-Fi icon is not in position with the VPN, Ringer, and Location - all 3 of those are exactly aligned. The Wi-Fi icon, cellular, and battery are all hodge podge Micky mouse. As for the wifi version, please leave that. The 5 and 6 are helpful in designating what kind of Wi-Fi network it is. Those who suggest removing the 6 don't understand what it means. The 6 isn't just a version number - it signifies that you should be able to reach near gigabit real-world speeds over wifi - and indeed I can. On my wifi 6E network, I can reach 1.6gbps internal Wi-Fi speeds, and 940 download over wifi.
The real issue is the lack of attention to detail from Samsung. The icons do not match the preview image when downloading One UI 7 updates - why?
Constant Location Icon: Immediately after booting up Beta 2, the Location is locked on and my phone is heating up, location is always in active use. That wasn't an issue in Beta 1, so something changed. When pulling down the shade, it shows a green location dot, confirming that Location is in constant active use. It's taken me 30 min to write this post and edit it, still location is locked on.
Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed feedback. We appreciate your long-standing support and your ongoing contributions to the Samsung community, both here and across other platforms. Users like you help us understand how real-world experiences align with the vision we have for One UI.
We hear your concerns about transparency, timeline expectations, and the visual and functional inconsistencies you've pointed out in Beta 2.
Status Bar Icon Alignment: Your observations about the size and alignment of the icons are noted, especially the value you placed on the Wi-Fi version indicator. We'll share your detailed input with the design and UX team.
Constant Location Indicator: Weāre aware that some users are experiencing persistent location usage following Beta 2. Our team is actively reviewing related reports. Your mention of the issue appearing after the update is particularly helpful context.
Transparency and Communication: While we may not always be able to provide detailed roadmap-level information publicly during development cycles, we agree that clarity matters. Your message reinforces how important transparent communication is to our most dedicated users.
If you havenāt already, please consider submitting system logs via the Samsung Members > Beta Feedback > Error Reports section, particularly regarding the persistent location behavior. This helps our developers reproduce and resolve the issue more quickly.
We look forward to reading parts 2 and 3 of your feedback. Thanks again for your ongoing support and for helping make One UI better for everyone.
