Samsung’s starting to roll out One UI 4 again. | Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge
Samsung is starting to roll out its Android 12-based One UI 4 update again after the company paused its original release due to reports of bugs and soft bricks from users, according to XDA Developers. The update, which is hopefully a bit more stable, should soon be available for Galaxy S21 phones (including the S21 Plus and Ultra), along with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3.
One UI 4 includes a visual redesign based on Google’s Material You design that debuted with Android 12. It also includes an updated keyboard. Despite a public beta process, Samsung’s initial release in November had some issues, and users said they were getting poor performance, saw some screen flicker, and experienced other bugs. Last week, the company reportedly stopped rolling out the update to South Korean customers because of one particular issue with Google Play. Now, that rollout is back on.
The Android 12 release has been rocky for other manufacturers too. OnePlus stopped distributing its OxygenOS 12 update for the 9 and 9 Pro after reports that it was riddled with bugs.
Even Google hasn’t been immune — the Pixel 6 had some bugs to start with, and the update meant to fix them introduced new connectivity issues that Google is reportedly still trying to solve. The OS is also available for older Pixels, such as the 3A, 4, and 5A. While some users have reported issues on those phones, they don’t seem to be as bad as those experienced by Samsung and OnePlus users. However, the December update for Android 12 doesn’t seem to have rolled out to most people’s Pixels.