Samsung Galaxy S23 owners could get another great Galaxy S24 feature soon

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By Axel Metz
published

First Galaxy AI, then Instant Slow-Mo, and now…

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S23
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and Samsung Galaxy S23 (right) (Image credit: Samsung / Future)

Samsung’s One UI 6.1 update is widely expected to bring the Samsung Galaxy S24 line’s Galaxy AI features to older Samsung phones sometime this month, and we’re now hearing that another Galaxy S24 feature could be about to make the generational jump. 

As spotted by SamMobile, the Galaxy S24’s newer version of One UI Home – which offers smoother animations when opening and closing applications, and all but eliminates frame rate drops – is present and correct in the soon-to-be-widely-available variant of One UI 6.1.

Existing versions of One UI Home are prone to stuttering when apps are opened and closed in quick succession, but it sounds like One UI 6.1 could be about to fix this issue for previous-generation Samsung devices including the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

SamMobile notes that this updated version of One UI Home – which the publication was able to freely install on older Samsung devices via an APK (Android Package Kit file format) file – worked seamlessly on a Galaxy S23 when tested, so there’s no reason to think that all of those aforementioned phones won’t also benefit from similar performance enhancement.

Samsung Galaxy S24 generative AI home screen wallpaper

One UI Home in action on the Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

APK files can be downloaded through third-party websites, but we’d recommend waiting until Samsung rolls out One UI 6.1 to older devices officially before taking this new version of One UI Home for a spin.

As for when that might be, Samsung itself has confirmed that One UI 6.1 will begin rolling out “within the first half of the year”, but leakers have since predicted its arrival at some point between March 11–13, or March 18–20. In other words: expect One UI 6.1 very soon.

As regards the other features set to arrive with One UI 6.1, leading the charge are highly-publicized Galaxy S24 tools like Circle to Search, which has so far proven extremely helpful to Galaxy S24 owners. But some lesser-known features, like Instant Slow-Mo, are also set to debut on older Samsung phones thanks to One UI 6.1.

These AI-based features won't make it as far as the Galaxy S22 line, but One UI 6.1 will introduce lock screen widgets, improved Quick Share functionality, and better battery protection settings to all of those aforementioned Samsung phones. For a detailed look at what to expect, check out our best One UI 6.1 features article.

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Axel Metz
Axel Metz
Senior Staff Writer

Axel is a London-based Senior Staff Writer at TechRadar, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest movies as part of the site's daily news output. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.