Samsung just confirmed what leaks have been hinting at for weeks: a new privacy layer that physically stops strangers from reading your screen in public.
The company announced the feature in a press release, though it still hasn’t given it an official name. What we do know is that it uses a combination of hardware and software to manipulate pixels so that only the person holding the phone can see what’s on the display. Anyone trying to peek from the side gets nothing.
This lines up with earlier leaks from One UI 8.5, which showed a Quick Panel toggle labeled Privacy Display. That suggested the feature would be easy to turn on and off, and Samsung’s announcement backs that up.
You won’t need to shield your entire screen all the time. The system lets you apply privacy only to certain apps, automatically blur passwords and PINs as you type them, hide sensitive notification previews, and adjust how much protection you want depending on the situation. It’s flexible, not forced.
Samsung didn’t say which phones will get it, but the timing points strongly to the Galaxy S26 series launching with One UI 8.5. The bigger question is whether older devices can support it. Since the feature relies on specific display hardware, a software update alone might not be enough.
If you’ve ever tilted your phone awkwardly on a bus or covered the screen with your hand while entering a password, this could actually be useful. Not groundbreaking, just practical.
