These One UI 9 features completely changed how I use my Galaxy

I’ve been spending a lot of time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lately, and in the process, I’ve been putting One UI 9 through its paces. Like every major Samsung update, there are plenty of new features to play around with, but this time, I didn’t have to wait for the update to arrive. One UI 9 came pre-installed on Samsung’s latest foldables, which has given me plenty of time to figure out which features I actually keep coming back to.

And that’s really what this list is about. Out of everything Samsung added with One UI 9, these are the three features I’ve found myself using again and again.

Related

Samsung’s most underrated feature is hiding on the side of your screen

I ignored Samsung’s Edge panel for years and often treated it like a nuisance, but it turned out to be the key to maximizing my One UI experience.

A little tough love for my screen time

I’ve tried almost everything to stop myself from doomscrolling. App timers, blockers, daily limits, you name it. The problem is that most of these are incredibly easy to ignore. Give me a “use for another 15 minutes” button and, well, I’m probably going to tap it.

That’s why one of my favorite One UI 9 features so far is something I don’t think I was even supposed to use this way. It’s called AI Network Guard, and it takes a much more aggressive approach. Instead of reminding me that I’ve spent too long on an app, it can cut off that app’s internet access altogether.

Once the restriction kicks in, there’s no endless feed waiting for me. It adds just enough friction that I’m more likely to put my phone down instead of mindlessly scrolling. Getting to AI Network Guard is a little unusual because it’s tucked away inside Samsung’s Connectivity Labs. Here’s how to find it:

1. Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Tap Connections, followed by Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select Intelligent Wi-Fi.
4. Tap Intelligent Wi-Fi seven times to unlock Connectivity Labs.
5. Scroll down and select AI Network Guard.
6. Tap Set up a Guardian PIN.
7. Create your PIN and confirm it.
8. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose the apps you want to restrict.
9. You can also open the three-dot menu and use Downtime to decide when those apps can access the internet normally.

AI Network Guard is primarily designed as a parental-control feature, giving parents a way to manage what kids can access. But I’ve essentially turned it into my own doomscrolling guardrail. It sounds a little extreme to cut an app off the internet just to stop yourself from scrolling, but that’s precisely why it’s worked better for me than another notification telling me my time is up.

My health stats, right where I want them

The health dashboard I actually wanted

Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf

Health and fitness are a pretty big part of my everyday routine. I already use my Samsung Galaxy Watch to track my workouts, steps, sleep, and plenty of other health metrics.

Now, One UI 9 makes that a lot easier with custom cards in Now Brief on my phone. I can create cards around the health stats I actually care about — that could be my energy score, daily activity, step count, sleep score, calorie intake, or even how much I’ve walked or run during the week.

I particularly like this because it turns Now Brief into something much more personal. I can glance at a card and see how active I’ve been without jumping between different sections of Samsung Health. And because my Galaxy Watch is already collecting most of this information throughout the day, it feels like my phone is finally doing a better job of surfacing it when I need it.

Credit: Zarif Ali / MakeUseOf

Health isn’t the only option, either. You can create custom cards around weather and videos covering topics such as finance, gaming, technology, or travel. Here’s how to make one:

1. Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Tap Galaxy AI.
3. Open Now Brief, then select Custom Cards.
4. Tap the + icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Choose what you want your card to focus on, such as Weather, Health, or Videos.
6. Pick the information you want to see and follow the on-screen instructions to finish creating your card.

You can have up to three custom cards at once, and they aren’t set in stone either. I can always go back and edit mine depending on what I’m focusing on, which makes Now Brief much more useful.

I can finally see what AI is doing on my phone

Nothing gets past the activity log

Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf

AI is slowly finding its way into almost everything I do on my phone. And as these assistants become capable of doing more than answering a question, I also want to know what they’re actually doing in the background. With dozens of apps installed on my phone, tracking every AI-powered action myself isn’t exactly realistic.

One UI 9 gives me a simple way to keep an eye on it all. There’s now a dedicated AI assistant activity section tucked inside the Settings app, which essentially works as a history of actions AI assistants have taken on my behalf.

The activity is broken down by app, and I can see what happened over the past 24 hours or expand to the last seven days. If nothing has happened, Samsung tells me there has been “No activity in the last 7 days.” Here’s where you can find it:

1. Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Scroll down and tap Security and privacy.
3. Under Privacy, select AI assistant activity.
4. You’ll now see any recorded AI activity, which you can browse and filter by time period.

It’s one of those One UI 9 additions I probably won’t open every day, but I’m glad it exists. As I hand more tasks over to AI on my phone, having one place to check what it’s actually done gives me a little more visibility into something that can otherwise feel pretty invisible.

Brand

Samsung

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

Display

Foldable Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X

RAM

16GB

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is Samsung’s most premium book-style foldable yet, combining a thinner and lighter design with flagship hardware throughout. It features a large high-resolution foldable display, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, an upgraded 200MP camera system, and a 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with 45W fast charging. Samsung has also refined the wider cover display, making everyday use feel more like a traditional smartphone while preserving the productivity benefits of a tablet-sized inner screen. If you want Samsung’s most capable foldable experience, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the one to beat.

Not just another One UI 9 fling

I’ve used enough major One UI updates over the years to know that I’ll probably try most new features once and never think about them again. One UI 9 has been a little different. A few of its additions have actually stuck, and I now find myself reaching for them without really thinking about it.

That, to me, is when a software feature actually makes a difference. It stops feeling like something new Samsung added this year and becomes part of how I use my phone. I’m sure I’ll discover a few more like that as I spend more time with it, but for now, these three aren’t going anywhere.

Source link