Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. News

One UI 9 will finally give Samsung phones a feature most Androids have had for years

The long-missing network speed indicator is finally showing up in One UI 9

Add as a preferred source on Google
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone in blue color.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

Samsung is already a few weeks into testing One UI 9 with Galaxy S26 beta users, and a new feature spotted in the latest build feels long overdue. It is the network speed indicator, a simple status bar tool so common on other Android phones that it is surprising Galaxy phones have gone this long without it.

You can find this feature even on budget Android phones from brands like OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi. It shows real-time upload and download activity in the status bar while the phone is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, giving users a quick way to check whether their connection is actually moving data.

Samsung is adding it through Good Lock

According to SammyGuru, the network speed indicator has been spotted in One UI 9 through Samsung’s Good Lock customization suite. More specifically, it appears to be part of the updated QuickStar module, which lets Galaxy users tweak the status bar and Quick Panel.

Once enabled, the indicator sits in the status bar and shows live speeds in KB/s, MB/s, or GB/s, depending on current network activity. It works with both Wi-Fi and mobile data, so users do not have to rely on a separate app. If a video is buffering, a download is slow, or an app refuses to load, the speed meter can quickly show whether the phone is actively using the network or sitting idle.

What else is new in the One UI 9 beta?

The latest beta builds also include new AI-powered features, expanded accessibility tools, more Good Lock customization, and privacy improvements, including an improved Lockdown Mode that can quickly disable biometric authentication.

Recommended Videos

Samsung opened the One UI 9 beta program for the Galaxy S26 series last month in select markets, including India, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Poland, and South Korea. The beta update is expected to arrive in the Philippines next. As for the stable launch, nothing is set in stone as of yet, but One UI 9 is expected to debut in July, alongside Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy foldables.

Sudhanshu Kumar Mangalam
I’ve got about 4 years of experience, mostly covering gaming, PC hardware, and smartphones. In my free time, I like…
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series just got a feature every Android foldable should have
No more manual rotation lock fiddling, Samsung's foldables just got smarter.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 quick toggles

Samsung's foldables keep sneaking in these little quality-of-life wins, and this one might be my favorite yet. Redditor ultima40 discovered that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra now remember rotation lock separately for each screen.

So if you fold and unfold your phone throughout the day, switching between the cover screen and the tablet-like inner display, your phone will keep track of how you like each one oriented. 

Read more
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 let you ditch your laptop’s grainy webcam
Samsung's new foldables inherit USB webcam mode from the Galaxy S26, and their hinge lets you put it to better use.
USB webcam mode on Galaxy Z Fold 8 featured

Samsung's latest foldables can double as a USB webcam for your laptop. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 all support the USB webcam feature, which first debuted on Pixel phones back in 2023 before Samsung brought it to the Galaxy S26 series earlier this year.

How webcam mode works

Read more
Instapaper just had its biggest update in years, and it’s packed with goodies
New website, new iOS app, and AI Voices for Android, Instapaper's glow-up has arrived.
Instapaper iOS app

Apps like Instapaper are essential for keeping my reading goals in check. I cannot always read an article in full when I come across it, so the ability to save articles in a read-it-later app is a must-have feature for me. After Pocket's demise, Instapaper became the alternative most people flocked to. 

And now the company just handed its users a massive update to be thankful for. The company rebuilt its website from scratch, redesigned the iOS app around Apple's Liquid Glass look, and finally brought AI Voices to Android. Let's break down what's actually new.

Read more