Samsung confirmed what many had already suspected: the One UI 9 beta program is moving beyond its initial handful of markets. The second rollout phase kicks off on May 26, bringing Android 17-based software to users in India, Poland, and other regions that were left waiting after the first wave launched.
The first beta dropped quietly, with little announcement, and the geographic coverage was uneven. Samsung had listed six countries upfront, including the US, UK, Germany, and South Korea, but not all of them actually received access. The May 26 wave is essentially a corrective push to close those gaps before the program grows further.
Right now, the beta is limited to the Galaxy S26 series. That’s expected. Flagship hardware always serves as the proving ground for major software updates, and One UI 9 is no small release given the Android 17 foundation underneath it.
What’s more interesting is what’s happening in parallel. Samsung is still actively shipping One UI 8.5 to older devices, which signals that the company may be preparing to open the beta to non-flagship hardware sooner than usual. That would be a shift from previous cycles, where the gap between flagship and older-device access stretched considerably.
For users in eligible markets, the path in is straightforward: open the Samsung Members app, find the beta program section, and register. Once the rollout begins in your region, the firmware becomes available to download.
Worth keeping in mind: this is development software. Bugs, missing features, and occasional instability are part of the deal. Most people signing up for betas understand that, but it bears repeating for anyone expecting a polished daily driver.
Samsung appears to be moving faster on One UI 9 than it has on previous cycles. Whether that pace holds through a stable release is the real question.
