What you need to know
- Samsung has started teasing a new “layer of privacy” that’s headed for Galaxy “very soon.”
- While this looks poised for the Galaxy S26, its teasers showcase how users can enable privacy settings that will block prying eyes from seeing certain parts of their screen.
- This setting would blackout notifications if users desire or their phone unlock credentials.
The new phone space is energetic right now, following what looks like Samsung’s first official teaser for the Galaxy S26.
In a blog post, Samsung recognizes that your Galaxy phone (and phones in general) are a person’s “most personal space,” as it looks to offer more ways to keep your privacy in public. The company states that it will “soon unveil a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from shoulder surfing wherever you go.” This is regarding the rumors we’ve been hearing about a privacy display for its upcoming series.
Samsung states that, when out in public (or in other places), users can customize the level of privacy their display provides.
“Adjusting visibility” is the name of the game here. Samsung says users can protect certain parts of their display, such as their notifications. However, it highlights the privacy display’s ability to hide your phone’s unlock credentials, too. Samsung says it will prepare to introduce “privacy at a pixel level.” The teasers indicate that people standing or sitting around you won’t be able to pry from an angle.
Samsung ends this feature’s teaser with a statement: “This is privacy you can see and security you can feel – and it’s coming to Galaxy very soon.” The tail end of this is what’s causing a lot of buzz, as this looks like its first official Galaxy S26 teaser.
It’s on the way
We’ve been wrapped in Galaxy S26 rumors concerning this privacy display for a while now, with leaks spotting its settings. The information was supposedly retrieved from Samsung’s One UI 8.5 beta, showcasing options to adjust its intensity, as well as automatic triggers. These triggers would be based on your environment, which could allow your phone to automatically shut off certain parts of your display to potential prying eyes.
A tipster recently posted photos on X about how this could look in real life. Samsung’s blog post states that it wanted to pair security capabilities on a hardware and software level, and if it all goes well, that could boost a user’s privacy while outside by a noticeable amount.
Android Central’s Take
Stepping up privacy on your phone is always a plus, and doing it in a way such as this only makes it better. While I have to temper my excitement for the moment, Samsung hasn’t exactly said this is for the Galaxy S26, but it certainly looks that way. More than that, past rumors have only mentioned this for the S26 Ultra. I’m an Ultra guy, and if this is headed for that phone, it’s going to be hard for me to ignore it. Rumors have said the next series could debut late in February, and if we’re taking hardware privacy features to this kind of level, I’m glad.
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