Samsung's One UI Made Me Fall Out of Love With Stock Android

Yahoo

06-07-2025

A lot of people praise stock Android for being clean and light, often comparing it to One UI, which is deemed bloated. While certain pre-installed Samsung apps are indeed not very useful, I'm willing to argue that One UI is by far the best Android skin, and the minimal aesthetic of stock Android is highly overrated.
Stock Android purists often use the term bloatware to refer to anything non-Google, and since One UI comes preloaded with a lot of Samsung alternatives, it's labeled bloated. However, if you've actually bothered to use Samsung apps and not immediately dismiss them simply because they're not from Google, you'll notice that many of them have ample merit.
Take Samsung Notes, for instance. It's not some half-baked, redundant app like the kind you'd expect from a budget OEM. It's genuinely feature-rich, supports handwriting recognition, has all the formatting tools you'll need, does a better job than Google Keep at organizing your notes, and syncs seamlessly with Samsung Cloud. And if you have one of Samsung's Ultra phones, you can use the S Pen to instantly take notes on the screen without even unlocking the device.
The same goes for Samsung's mobile browser. I use it as my default browser, and I can assure you that Samsung Internet is better than Chrome in almost every way. It's far more feature-rich, more customizable, has more privacy controls, better dark mode implementation, built-in ad-blocking support, and a dedicated video assistant to avoid inconsistent video interfaces across websites.
Samsung Internet's incognito mode (called Secret Mode) is also far superior to Chrome. Files downloaded while in Secret Mode can only be viewed within Secret Mode, and aren't visible anywhere else on your phone—this is such a no-brainer feature, I'm surprised Google hasn't added it to Chrome yet. Also, to make sure no one can see these files other than you, Secret Mode is also password-protected.
On the privacy dashboard, you can block annoying pop-ups and backward redirections, and prevent apps from opening new browser tabs so you're not redirected to web pages you didn't mean to visit. You can also block automatic downloads and trackers, and receive warnings about malicious sites as a precaution.
The only area where I'd say Samsung Internet falls behind Chrome is cross-platform sync. If you like to have your bookmarks synced when moving from your phone to laptop, Samsung Internet will not be able to serve that purpose for you since it's limited to mobile. Does it suck that the app lacks this feature? Yes. Does it make the app bloatware? Absolutely not.
Similar is the case with many other Samsung apps. Being given a choice is not the same as having bloatware. Many preloaded Samsung apps can be uninstalled, so if you don't like them, you can get rid of them.
True stock Android—like what you'd find on an AOSP build—is basically dead in the consumer market. These days, when people say "stock Android," they're mostly talking about Pixel phones. And while Pixels aren't technically stock Android, they're still the closest thing to it. But even with Google's added features, Pixels feel limited in ways that One UI doesn't.
Granted, Pixel phones offer an adequate level of personalization, but the core interface and behavior can't be altered. Want to change how your recent apps screen looks? App icons? Home screen layout? Status bar? Nope.
Samsung, through One UI and its in-house customization suite Good Lock, gives you control at a system-deep level—without root, without third-party hacks. You can not only customize the look and feel of your phone, but also add extra features.
On my phone, I used Good Lock to add a back-tap gesture, a delete button to the screenshot toolbar, a more granular volume slider, and make multi-window show more content so I don't have to scroll as much when using split screen or pop-up view.
The Pixel experience is curated, yes, but curated to Google's tastes. If that aligns with you, great. But One UI is more malleable in comparison and can be made to look, feel, and function exactly the way you want. It's your phone, after all.
Alongside split screen, which is available on all Android phones, One UI allows opening apps in a resizable pop-up window, the same way you open app windows on your laptop, and if you know how to take advantage of it, this feature can be really useful.
For instance, I've made it a habit to open notifications in pop-up view, so whatever app I'm currently using isn't interrupted. If the notification is not important, I just close the window and carry on, but if it's important, I minimize the window into a floating bubble and come back to it once I'm done with the current app. If you're savvy, you can even use gestures to quickly access split screen or pop-up view while using an app.
Edge panels are another feature I use very frequently. It's used primarily to store your favorite apps (further reducing clutter on your home screen), but also allows you to check the weather, view and add reminders, access your clipboard items, and more. Edge panels can be accessed anytime, other than during gaming, by swiping inward from the panel handle.
A piece of software doesn't automatically become cluttered just because it has more features in it. One UI separates core and advanced functionality in a way that keeps the interface clean for casual users while offering depth for power users.
You won't even notice half the features unless you go looking for them, which is exactly how it should be. Think of it this way: the software rewards you for exploring it, instead of overwhelming you with options from day one.
With One UI 7, Samsung's biggest software update in years, the company organized these settings into "topics" accessible from the search bar within the Settings app, making it easier for casual users to navigate them.
What people call 'clutter' in this context is really just capability. It's not clutter if it's neatly filed and easy to ignore until needed. Apps you don't need can be hidden from the app drawer and home screen, too. Minimalism for the sake of aesthetics is overrated.
I'm yet to see a more comprehensive mobile automation system than Samsung's Modes and Routines. Through the app, you can create simple IFTTT (If This Then That) applets that perform a sequence of actions when set conditions are triggered.
For instance, you can create a routine that enables Bluetooth whenever you open YouTube and Netflix, so you can quickly connect your earbuds without having to enable this setting each time manually. Similarly, you can create a routine that enables Location whenever you open Google Maps or ride-sharing apps.
Most of the tasks you do on your phone are repetitive in nature, like enabling Do Not Disturb before bedtime or power saving mode when you're running low. Since these actions are recurring and predictable, your phone should be smart enough to just do them without requiring your input as a user, and that's exactly what Modes and Routines are for.
Once you get familiar with the feature, you can come up with all sorts of creative ideas to make new routines. On my phone, for instance, I've set a routine that keeps Battery Protection enabled overnight, so I never need to worry that my phone is sitting fully charged throughout the night, damaging its battery health.
All of this and more is simply not possible on stock Android. Pixel has its own automation system, called Rules, but its functionality is nowhere near as capable.
Android didn't have a proper AirDrop alternative for a long time. Eventually, Google launched Nearby Share in 2020, right after Samsung launched its own implementation, Quick Share, the same year.
Google's intent was to create a unified and seamless file-sharing experience across the entire Android ecosystem, whereas Samsung's Quick Share was designed exclusively to make Galaxy devices work together better.
It only takes a quick Reddit search to find out which one people prefer more. Quick Share is faster, allows sharing with multiple devices simultaneously, works offline, and doesn't make you jump through setup hoops every time. It felt closer to what AirDrop was always meant to be: invisible and instant.
In 2024, Google and Samsung merged Nearby Share and Quick Share into a single cross-Android solution, with the latter essentially absorbing the former.
Similar to the point above, Google's new Private Space feature is very clearly inspired by Samsung's Secure Folder, an isolated and password-protected space inside your phone. It's not just a locker to store sensitive photos, videos, and files, but it can create a clone of any third-party app of your choice, allowing you to log in from a separate account.
Before introducing Private Space to Pixel phones, Google added "Locked Folder" to the Google Photos app, which did the same thing but only for your gallery items.
The problem is that the option to access it is easily visible, and the folder uses your phone's screen lock, so if someone knows your lock screen password, like your partner or a family member, they can easily get in. Thankfully, Private Space allows creating a unique password, just like Secure Folder.
Most people experience Android through Samsung's One UI, so the latter has a far bigger role to play in the direction of Android's development than you might realize. One UI is not just a disposable skin taped on top of Android; it has contributed to the OS more often than stock Android purists would know.