Can I revert UI but still get security updates?

[Zxrp]

Hi! I'm here with a two fold question, am I able to revert to the previous UI? I just got my new phone yesterday spent a few hours fiddling with it to get it to look how I liked, pushed the update and went to bed.

Woke up dismayed and frustrated, not to mention how ugly the new UI is, widgets lost all customizability, when I swipe finger down it only shows notifications now, I can't figure out how to gain back dual access of quick settings from there plus notifications. Did some quick reading to see folks report 20% decrease in battery optimization due to all the AI assistance, personally I'm very anti AI (generative, and the assistance bots that use all the data from spying on you to further train its models). So I don't want any of that either.

Anyway sorry so my question is, can I revert the UI while still able to get security updates going forward?

[johnz237]

Hi! Welcome to the Samsung Members community!

Simple answer = no.
There is no way to keep updates and revert. The only option is to "root" the device- no info can be provided here on that matter. Which has a whole bunch of risks—mainly simply bricking your phone. But even if successful, you won't get updates.

Helpful information answer =

UI7 Tip - Quick panel back to before UI7 / similar / combine both panels
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/samsung-lounge/ui7-tip-quick-panel-back-to-before-ui7-similar-co...

Other notes about UI7:

Have a gander here:
@Roko621 for credit https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Samsung-Apps-and-Services/A-list-of-features-that-can-be-changed...

Credit to @Sonora - return old OneUI 6.1 icons style on OneUI 7
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/mobile-apps-services/tipps-amp-tricks-how-to-return-old-oneui-6-...

*Use Good Lock for best customizations

Ai is a tricky one- because AI is the future and is being implemented into ALL of the big brands. Android, IOS, Windows- so- you cant exactly avoid it being on your phone.... you can however simply ignore it.
Go to settings- Galaxy Al- turn on
"Process data only on device"
For added privacy, you can prevent collection and processing of your data for Galaxy Al's advanced intelligence features. Online processing provides the best results and is required for some advanced intelligence features.

[arianwen27]

For an explainer as to why. One ui versions aren't like windows versions. They're more just significant updates to a continuous system.

So patches don't exist for previous updates as patches are updates themselves, just smaller ones without fancy one ui names.

Where windows has separate versions with independent updates like windows 10 and 11. Phones just get a single stream of updates.

Oh and all the ai is optional. It only runs if you tell it to or enable it. If you don't enable anything in "galaxy ai" there's no battery usage

[Glenntech]

If you swipe down from the right and tap on ybe pen icon
Go into panel settings and select together
This will give you the swipe down you had before
Im afraid theres no way to revert back to the previous UI

The AI features are part of the Android operating system that Google develops and this can be reduced to a point
Im afraid this is the way the Android operating system is going. Indeed even Apple are doing similar as well. All be it no where near as developed

You don't have to use AI features. But software is becoming more integrated and there's really no getting around it for too much longer

[Zxrp]

Thank you for explaining it in layman's terms 🫂, as disappointing as the answer is I appreciate it, I saw someone say on a subreddit you can roll it back to the previous UI but I thought that might be the 'sketchy answer'.

As for AI i've gone and removed all permissions for all the AI I could find in my settings and disabled Gemini + Bixby. Going by Samsung's website it kinda looks like they're expecting to charge people for these feature by the end 2026, so I guess I couldve waited it out too haha.

[Zxrp]

Thank you so much for the answer and all the links John! I've got the notifications+quick settings merged now.

My beef with the AI was my data/writing/art being collected to train their future models (and that generative art/photo mode, since they're all trained on stolen works, being a big arts person myself I refuse to engage with it from a ethics standpoint). Anyway I appreciate the tip I set it to local data only, and disabled Gemini+Bixby, and simply won't engage with the AI art features as my solution.

Next goal for me is fix the widgets with homelock and see if I can get the old lock screen look with the micro icons under the time back. I especially appreciate the link that shows everything that can be changed back with the new UI. More reading to do for me I guess 😅.

Not the best start coming from a Google phone to a Samsung one but oh well what can you do!

[Zxrp]

Thanks so much Glenn! Yes it definitely does unfortunately look like all tech has gone 1000% in on this new AI stuff, time will tell if they find enough consumers for it. In the fine print it looks like Samsung plans to charge consumers for these features by the end of 2026, so I'm interested to see how that works out for them.

I would have less issue with using it if it was an optional opt in not opt out on what data/writing/art I share, and if they actually gained legal rights to train their models on folks work and art, and paid royalties, but they have sadly not gone this route. So I'd rather protect my own work than contribute their 'ill gotten gains' method. Hopefully the legal system catches up to them some day.

But for now I'm taking folks advise to set data collection to 'local only' and disabling Gemini+Bixby, and just not engaging with any other features attached to the apps.

[johnz237]

The legal side of AI is new, and the laws behind who is protected, their stuff, and themselves in regards to how AI is trained aren't set in stone. Even the "godfather" of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, warned about how careful we must be. In reality, all countries are in an AI race at the moment, and some things are being neglected.

Android, and all the AI stuff, is on Google phones now—being Samsung runs on Android- which google develops. Samsung, in a sense, has the same software as Google phones with extras.