One UI 9 leak reveals new looks for Now Bar, widgets, and more

One UI 8.5 launched alongside the Galaxy S26 series and Samsung is currently working on bringing the Android skin to older devices. As you wait for One UI 8.5 to arrive on your Galaxy phone, there’s some new information on One UI 9 to check out. A leak has revealed changes to Now Bar, widgets, and the Gallery app.

Courtesy of SammyGuru, we’re getting an early look at a few UI changes that could come in Samsung’s next big update. For Now Bar, it appears Samsung has switched to a darker background. Also, when playing a track, the name appears at the top and a wavy animation plays across the bottom of the pill-shaped container. According to the outlet, you can remove the toggle or go directly into Now Bar settings by long-pressing it.

Next up, it appears that several of Samsung’s widgets have been updated to have more squared-off corners. A few of the affected widgets include Samsung Browser, the Weather app, and Now Bar. The publication suggests that there could be a number of presets that would allow you to adjust the corner styles.

The last change is arguably the most interesting. There appears to be a new box in the Gallery app. This softly blurred box shows up when you select multiple images. Any pictures you select get added to this box, making it easier to see what you’ve picked. Based on these leaked screenshots, you’ll be able to select up to 15 items.

Samsung is still busy rolling out the stable version of One UI 8.5, so don’t expect One UI 9 to come out for a while. Also, keep in mind that these changes could be adjusted before the stable version of One UI 9 arrives.