So how did Samsung leap ahead in the Android 16 race?
That’s a big change from the usual cadence, where Samsung devices tend to trail Google’s by months. According to Android Authority, the faster turnaround was made possible by a behind-the-scenes overhaul of how Samsung develops its custom Android skin, One UI.
For years, Android itself was built using a branch-based model, where each new version lived in its own separate code branch. It worked, but developers often had to deal with a tangle of bugs and conflicts when merging everything back into the main codebase. Google has since moved to what it calls a “Trunk Stable” approach. This means one constantly updated and stable branch, with unfinished features hidden behind flags until they’re ready.
Samsung has now adopted a similar strategy for its own Android skin, One UI. Speaking to reporters after July Unpacked, Samsung executive Sally Hyesoon Jeong confirmed that One UI is now developed from a single, stable internal branch. Jeong credited the change with allowing Samsung to roll out One UI 8 just weeks after Android 16 became available.
Samsung worked closely with Google on this transition, even though the move wasn’t required. Google provides the core Android code to OEMs, but how they build on top of it is up to them. For Samsung, speeding up the process made perfect sense.
Jeong said the company plans to match Google’s release schedule going forward. If that holds true, Galaxy users may finally get major Android updates without the months-long wait. And this will likely continue with the next release as well.
