One UI 6.1 update for Galaxy S23, which has been available since March 28, 2024, offers most of the exclusive features introduced in Galaxy S24 to last year’s flagship.
This Galaxy S23 new features guide, explains all (44 in total) One UI 6.1 features for Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra to help you understand and use these exciting new features, including Galaxy AI, more customization options for Galaxy S23, new ways to share, passkey support, and revamped battery protection.
The One UI 6.1 update has been rolled out to the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9+, and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. This guide applies to all of these devices with the update. Samsung will very likely update the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z fold 4, Galaxy Flip 4, and Galaxy Tab S8 series.
Now. let’s go though all One UI 6.1 features for Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, and Other Galaxy devices.
Table of contents
- 1. Live translate: Translate phone calls in real-time (on-device Galaxy AI)
- 2. Interpreter: Translate in-person conversations (on-device Galaxy AI)
- 3. Circle to Search: Instantly search for anything on your screen with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
- 4.Translate with Auto Scan: Translate text in pictures, signs, documents, and other sources (on-device Galaxy AI)
- 5. Browsing assist: Summarize and translate webpages (Galaxy AI)
- 6.Note Assist: Note smarter, not harder with One UI 6.1 (Galaxy AI)
- 7. Transcript Assist: Automatically transcribe voice recordings (Galaxy AI)
- 8. Writing Assist: Do more with the Samsung Keyboard with One UI 6.1 (Galaxy AI)
- 9. Generative Edit: Reimagine your photos with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
- 10. Generative wallpapers: Generate unique wallpapers with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
- 11. Advanced intelligence settings: Control AI features on One UI 6.1
- 12. AI recommendations: Effortlessly enhance your photos (online Galaxy AI)
- 13. Image paste: Copy and paste from one image to another
- 14. Clips to stickers: More options for custom stickers
- 15. More accurate image clipping in One UI 6.1
- 16. Categorized results: Improved Gallery search with One UI 6.1 (on-device Galaxy AI)
- 17. Instant Slow-mo: Instantly change playback speed (on-device Galaxy AI)
- 18. Studio: Edit videos on multiple devices
- 19. Apply frames and effects to wallpapers in One UI 6.1
- 20. More widgets for the Lock screen
- 21. Customize alarm alert screens (Alarm)
- 22. Up to 2 stickers each date (Calendar)
- 23. Customize reminder alert background (Reminder)
- 24. Do more with reminder categories (Reminder)
- 25. Mode widget: Turn modes on or off from the Home screen
- 26. Reorder your modes in One UI 6.1
- 27. New routine conditions to trigger your routines
- 28. Relumino outline: make objects easier to distinguish for people with low vision
- 29. Quick Share: Share files with all Android devices
- 30. Samsung Find in One UI 6.1: More than locating your devices
- 31. Share your location with others (Samsung Find)
- 32. Broadcast sound with Auracast
- 33. Samsung Internet: Sync Internet tab groups with other devices
- 34. End-to-end encryption in Samsung Cloud with One UI 6.1
- 35. Fast and secure sign-ins with passkeys in One UI 6.1
- 36. Enhanced exercise experience (Samsung Health)
- 37. More options for daily activity targets (Samsung Health)
- 38. Improved cycle tracking (Samsung Health)
- 39. Quicker access Video call effects and Mic mode (Quick Settings)
- 40. More information in the Weather widget with one UI 6.1
- 41. Voice input without leaving the keyboard (Samsung Keyboard)
- 42. Open all minimized apps at once in One UI 6.1 (multi-window)
- 43. Google search suggestions in Finder (Finder)
- 44.More ways to protect your battery in One UI 6.1 (Battery Protection)
1. Live translate: Translate phone calls in real-time (on-device Galaxy AI)
Live Translate is one of the most talked-about new features of One UI 6.1. It helps you overcome language barriers during calls. Live Translate transcribes and translates the spoken content in real time, displaying it on the screen in text format. The other person on the call can hear what you say in their language, and you can hear their responses in your language. Additionally, a voiceover function is available, which can convert the spoken content into the language of one’s preference.
Live translate is powered by on-device AI (Gemini Nano) inside the Phone app.
2. Interpreter: Translate in-person conversations (on-device Galaxy AI)
Interpreter in One UI 6.1 lets you translate a conversation any time you need to talk to someone who speaks another language. You can access Interpreter easily from the quick settings panel. Translations can be viewed on-screen and heard aloud by both participants.
3. Circle to Search: Instantly search for anything on your screen with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
Circle to Search offers a new way to access Google Search. It lets you quickly search for information about what you see on your screen, including images, videos, or text, without switching apps.
Depending on the navigation system chosen, you can activate Circle to Search by:
- Touch and hold (long tap)the Home button if you are using the navigation buttons.
- Touch and hold the navigation handle if you are using the navigation gestures.
Once the Google Assistant page is overlayed, you can specify any objects for which you want more information. You can circle, scribble, squiggle, highlight, or tap to specify the object for Circle to Search
You may check this detailed guide on how to use Circle to Search.
4.Translate with Auto Scan: Translate text in pictures, signs, documents, and other sources (on-device Galaxy AI)
Auto Scan was introduced in One UI 6.0 with the Android 14 update. In One UI 6.1, in addition to scanning or extracting text, you can now instantly translate text with Auto Scan.
You can use Translate with Auto Scan by pointing your camera at the text you want to translate and using Auto Scan to translate it on the preview screen. You can also translate text that appears in images in your Gallery.
5. Browsing assist: Summarize and translate webpages (Galaxy AI)
In One UI 6.1, Browsing Assist offers two functions:
- Summarize the webpage (online) you are browsing. It can save you time significantly by giving you the most important bullet points of the webpage. You may adjust the summary from standard to detailed.
- Translate the webpage (on-device) you are browsing. You need to install the language pack to translate because this is an on-device AI feature.
Please note that the Browsing Assistant works in the Samsung Internet app only. It is not available in other browsers.
6.Note Assist: Note smarter, not harder with One UI 6.1 (Galaxy AI)
Note Assist adds many AI features into Samsung Notes. It helps you organize and improve notes with the following features in One UI 6.1:
- Automatically format notes with headers, bullet points, and paragraphs (online).
- Summarize notes (online).
- Generate covers based on note content (online).
- Correct spelling and grammar (online).
- Translate text in the notes (on-device).
Of course, Note Assist only works with Samsung Notes, not other note-taking apps.
7. Transcript Assist: Automatically transcribe voice recordings (Galaxy AI)
Transcript Assist in One UI 6.1 helps you convert recordings of meetings, lectures, voice memos, and more into text, then summarize them for quick review. You can also translate the transcripts and summaries to review them in other languages.
While the transcription and translating are done with on-device Galaxy AI. Summarizing needs internet connection and data may be processed by Samsung servers.
8. Writing Assist: Do more with the Samsung Keyboard with One UI 6.1 (Galaxy AI)
Samsung introduced Writing Assistant in One UI 4.0 (Android 12). It is powered by Grammarly. The integration with Grammarly is still available on the Samsung Keyboard. But it is now a feature called Suggest text corrections.
Writing Assist in One UI 6.1 has nothing to do with the old Writing Assistant. Writing Assist in the Samsung keyboard is powered by Galaxy AI and offers you these features:
- Choose the tone of writing, e.g., professional, casual, or ready to post on social media.
- Get suggested grammar and spelling corrections.
- Get suggested improvements.
- Translate chats in selected chat and text messaging apps, including Samsung Messages, Google Messages, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
You can choose to process your input text on the device only if you have any privacy concerns.
9. Generative Edit: Reimagine your photos with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
Generative Edit helps you reimagine your images with the following key features in One UI 6.1:
- Adjust the angle of images, then generate a new background to fill in any gaps around the edges with AI.
- Move, remove, or resize people or any objects, then fill in any gaps in the background with AI.
There will be a small watermark on the edited photos using Generative Edit.
10. Generative wallpapers: Generate unique wallpapers with One UI 6.1 (online Galaxy AI)
One UI 6.1 lets you use AI to generate unique wallpapers for your Home screen and Lock screen.
There are some categories to guide you in using generative wallpapers. You only need to provide a few keywords and select the category (e.g., imaginary, night, painting, terrain, mineral, luminous, soft-focus, translucent, or bloom). The AI will then generate the unique wallpaper for you.
11. Advanced intelligence settings: Control AI features on One UI 6.1
You can use the Advanced intelligence settings (Settings —Advanced features — Advanced intelligence) to control over which AI features you want to use and how they process your data. You can even block online processing of your data for all features with a single tap.
12. AI recommendations: Effortlessly enhance your photos (online Galaxy AI)
The Gallery app offers special AI recommendations to enhance photos and videos. It expands the One-Tap edit with many more editing suggestions.
Galaxy AI can analyze individual photos and videos when you tap the information (i) button. You’ll find options for adding star trails, long exposure, colorizing, erasing shadows, erasing reflections, and more. You can access this feature as using One-Tap editing.
13. Image paste: Copy and paste from one image to another
When viewing a photo in the Gallery app in One UI 6.1, you have a new option of copying from the clipboard in the context menu. This allows you to clip an object or copy the whole picture and then paste it into a new photo.
14. Clips to stickers: More options for custom stickers
In the Android 14 (One UI 6) update, when using the Image Clipper, you have the option to save the clip as a custom sticker.
One UI 6.1 now allows you to apply styles such as outline, cutout, vintage, and cartoon to the new custom sticker when saving the clipped image as a sticker. It is no longer required to use the Sticker Maker to add such styles.
15. More accurate image clipping in One UI 6.1
In the One UI 6.1 update, you now have more options to select and deselect areas or objects when using the image clipper to get precisely the area you need to clip without any unwanted parts.
When clipping images in the Gallery app, once the object (area) is automatically selected, you have the option to edit the selected area by deselecting or manually adding selections before you save the clip.
16. Categorized results: Improved Gallery search with One UI 6.1 (on-device Galaxy AI)
When searching photos or videos in the Gallery app, you now get categorized results, such as people, places, shot types, documents, scenes, things, albums, or stories.
17. Instant Slow-mo: Instantly change playback speed (on-device Galaxy AI)
When previewing a video in the Gallery app, you can tap and hold on the screen whenever you want it to be played in slow-motion mode. Once you release your finger from the screen, it will be played at the original speed. This feature was often called Instant Slow-mo in One UI 6.1.
In addition to changing the playback speed on the fly, you can also adjust and save the video with the new playback speed. By default, you may choose from 2x (faster) to 1/4x (slower) of the original speed. You can also apply the new playback speed to any portion of the video and then save it. Of course, the duration of the saved video will change because Galaxy AI will generate (or remove) any frames as needed to keep with the original frame rate.
Please note Instant Slow-mo is not available for 8K videos in One UI 6.1
18. Studio: Edit videos on multiple devices
The project-based video editor, Studio, was introduced in the One UI 6 (Android 14) update. With the One UI 6.1, you can continue your edits on your phone, tablet, or PC by exporting your Studio projects to a file that can be opened on other Galaxy devices.
19. Apply frames and effects to wallpapers in One UI 6.1
In addition to the generative wallpaper (discussed above), One UI 6.1 now lets you decorate your wallpaper with frame and effects.
You can apply frames (clipping with various shapes and choosing matching background colors) and effects (e.g., blur, grayscale, grayscale background, ink, oil paint, and pastel) when you select an image to use as your wallpaper. If the wallpaper includes a person or animal, you can apply depth effects to make the subject stand out from the background.
20. More widgets for the Lock screen
With the latest One UI 6.1 update, you can now enjoy an enhanced Lock screen and Always On Display (AOD) screen experience on your Galaxy S23. The update introduces a range of new widgets that provide you with quick access to useful information, without having to unlock your phone. These new widgets include include Weather, Samsung Health, Battery, Reminder, Calendar, and Clock.
You follow this guide to extend the lock screen timeout.
21. Customize alarm alert screens (Alarm)
With One UI 6.1, each alarm can now have its own alert screen. You can use use an image, video, or AR emoji as the background to create your own custom alert screens for each alarm. In addition to customizing the clock widget on the lock screen, you can also change the layout of where the alarm information appears on the screen.
22. Up to 2 stickers each date (Calendar)
You can now add up to 2 stickers for each date on your calendar. In the month view, stickers for events are now shown next to the event name.
23. Customize reminder alert background (Reminder)
One UI 6.1 update now allows you to customize the background of the full-page reminder alert page. You can choose a picture or a color as the background.
24. Do more with reminder categories (Reminder)
You can now choose a representative icon for each reminder category.
You can also pin categories you use frequently to the top of the category list.
25. Mode widget: Turn modes on or off from the Home screen
Samsung keeps adding useful widgets in recent updates. For example, in One UI 6 (Android 14) update, the camera widget was added. In Android 13 (One UI 5.1) update, the battery widget was added.
Now, in the One UI 6.1 update, the Mode widget was added so that you can turn modes on and off quickly from the Home screen. You can also use the Mode widget to add modes and routines directly from the Home screen.
26. Reorder your modes in One UI 6.1
You can now change the order of the modes listed on the Modes tab in Modes and Routines.
After tapping and holding on to any mode, you can then rearrange the order of your modes.
27. New routine conditions to trigger your routines
In One UI 6.1, you can start a routine when an alarm of your choice starts ringing or when Smart View connects or disconnects.
28. Relumino outline: make objects easier to distinguish for people with low vision
Relumino outline is an accessibility feature in Samsung’s One UI 6.1 that highlights outlines of objects (text, image, and video). This feature is designed to improve visual accessibility for people with low vision. The edge thickness and colors of the objects can be adjusted.
29. Quick Share: Share files with all Android devices
In One Ui 6.1, Quick Share has merged with Google’s Nearby Share.
So, in addition to Galaxy devices, you can now share files with other Android devices even without an internet connection.
30. Samsung Find in One UI 6.1: More than locating your devices
The new Samsung Find app, which is an extension of Samsung’s Find My Mobile web app, lets you see where all your Galaxy devices are on a map at any time. If you lose your Galaxy S23, it can help you find the device and protect your data (e.g., erase the data on the phone remotely). Or if you forget your lock screen password or PIN, you can use the app on another Galaxy device or web app to unlock the phone remotely (this is actually the only method to unlock your Galaxy S23 if you forget the PIN/password/pattern). The corresponding service has been named SmartThings Find. So, it works for all Galaxy devices under your Samsung account.
Please note that Samsung Find is not pre-installed after you update Galaxy S24 to One UI 6.1. You need to download and install it from the Galaxy Store.
Do not confuse Samsung Find with the Find Device app, which Google offers through the Play Store. The Find Device app lets you locate and remotely manage your Android devices under your Google account. However, it does not allow you to unlock the phone remotely.
31. Share your location with others (Samsung Find)
As mentioned, Samsung Find in One UI 6.1 not only let you locate and manage your Galaxy S23 and other Galaxy devices remotely but also allow you to share your location with others (you will see the location access icon in the status bar). You can share your location with family, friends, or anyone that you trust for a limited time or all the time.
32. Broadcast sound with Auracast
One UI 6.1 update also added a new Bluetooth feature: Auracast, which allows you to broadcast the sound from your Galaxy S23 to others nearby with a Bluetooth LE Audio device.
As Auracast is part of the Bluetooth LE Audio standard, more and more Bluetooth headsets will support it.
33. Samsung Internet: Sync Internet tab groups with other devices
Samsung Internet, Samsung’s web browser, can now sync tab groups among all Galaxy devices under your Samsung account. You can create a tab group on the Galaxy S23 and sync it with Samsung Internet on other devices (e.g., a Galaxy Tablet), for which One UI 6.1 is not required.
Please note that syncing tab groups only works for Samsung Internet. It does not work with other browsers, such as Chrome.
34. End-to-end encryption in Samsung Cloud with One UI 6.1
One UI 6.1 update tighten the security for Samsung Cloud to enhance data protection. You can turn on end-to-end encryption for data that’s synced with Samsung Cloud.
35. Fast and secure sign-ins with passkeys in One UI 6.1
Passkeys are now supported on Galaxy S23 with the One Ui 6.1 update. Passkeys provide more security for web sign-ins without the need to remember complicated passwords. You can use passkeys to sign in to supported websites with biometric authentication on Samsung Internet.
36. Enhanced exercise experience (Samsung Health)
Samsung also updated the Samsung Heath app in One UI 6.1 with some new features to enhance your exercise experiences when using the app. For example, you can compete against your past running results in Samsung Health to beat your previous time. You can also crop exercises after you finish to remove any unnecessary time at the beginning or end.
37. More options for daily activity targets (Samsung Health)
Samsung Health now has more options for setting daily activity targets with the One UI 6.1 update. For example, you can choose to track floors climbed or active hours if setting a step goal doesn’t work for you.
38. Improved cycle tracking (Samsung Health)
When you record your physical symptoms and moods in the Samsung Health app, options you’ve used frequently in the past will appear at the top of the screen. You can also now set custom moods if the default options don’t match your feelings.
39. Quicker access Video call effects and Mic mode (Quick Settings)
With the One UI 6.1 update, you can now access video call effects from the quick settings panel when making video calls. You can directly access and change the following four video effects: background (none, blur, color, or image), face, color tone, and auto-framing during the call. You can also set video call effects for all supported apps, such as WhatsApp, Teams, Messenger, and Google Meet, in Settings — Advanced features — video call effects.
For voice calls, the Mic mode will now appear in the quick settings panel during the voice call so that you can control whether you want to focus on your voice by blocking background sounds.
40. More information in the Weather widget with one UI 6.1
The weather widget was also updated to let you know when severe thunderstorms, snowfall, or other precipitation is on the forecast in your local area.
41. Voice input without leaving the keyboard (Samsung Keyboard)
The Samsung Keyboard in One UI 6.1 was updated to remain visible while using voice input. So, it makes it easy for you to switch back to typing whenever you need to.
You can tap the mic button at the bottom of the screen to enter text using your voice at any time while using the Samsung Keyboard.
42. Open all minimized apps at once in One UI 6.1 (multi-window)
A new button, which lets you reopen all of the minimized apps at once when you have more than one pop-up view window minimized, was added to improve user experiences with the multi-window feature.
43. Google search suggestions in Finder (Finder)
Samsung revamped the Finder in the One UI 6 (Android 14) update. This One UI 6.1 update integrated Google Search suggestions into the Finder. So, when you search using Finder, you’ll also get suggested web searches from Google.
Please do not confuse the Finder with Samsung Find. The Finder is for on-device search (with suggestions for web search), while Samsung Find is the app for locating and remotely managing Galaxy devices.
44.More ways to protect your battery in One UI 6.1 (Battery Protection)
Protect Battery was introduced with Android 12 (One UI 4) to help reduce charging wear and, therefore, extend the battery’s life span.
In One UI 6.1, Protect Battery was upgraded to Battery Protection. Of course, this is not a simple renaming.
Battery Protection lets you choose from 3 different protection options to help extend your battery’s lifespan. Basic protection keeps your charge between 95% and 100%. Adaptive protection pauses charging while you’re asleep and finishes charging just before you wake up. You can also choose to limit the maximum charge to 80% for maximum protection.
Do you have any questions about the One UI 6.1 Features for Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, and other Galaxy devices?
If you have any questions about the new features of the One UI 6.1 update for Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, and other Galaxy devices, please let us know in the comment box below.
The community will help you.
You may check other Galaxy S23 guides organized in the following 4 sections.
- Galaxy S23 new features guides. Galaxy S23 new features guides explain the new features of Galaxy S23 and show you how to use them. New features in the One UI 6 (Android 14) update are also covered in this section.
- Galaxy S23 how-to guides. Galaxy S23 how-to guides show you how to use and customize Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra to meet your needs.
- Galaxy S23 camera guides. Galaxy S23 camera guides show you how to use Galaxy S23 camera features to shoot the best photos and videos with the top-notch camera system in Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra. The new camera features in the One UI 6 (Android 14) update are also covered.
- Galaxy S23 accessories guides. Galaxy S23 accessories guides explore useful Galaxy S23 accessories and show you how to use them to protect your phone or increase your productivity (or fun).
Besides, you can read and download (in PDF format) the official Galaxy S23 user manual (including the updated Galaxy S23 user manual for Android 14 (One UI 6).
In addition to the comment box below, you can also reach us through the following channels:
Do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Tips and tricks on Galaxy S23.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Enjoy your Galaxy S23!