Android 12L is a new branch of Google’s mobile operating system designed specifically for big-screen devices such as foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS devices. It optimizes the UI elements to make proper use of the extra screen space. Announced last year, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the first product to ship with Android 12L out of the box. By the looks of it, Samsung also plans to upgrade some of the older compatible Fold phones to Android 12L soon. That said, it’s unclear whether One UI 4.1.1 is all about Android 12L or it’s mostly Samsung’s custom skin. Google’s version of the software accommodates up to six shortcuts in the taskbar. But the Galaxy Z Fold 4 also shows a couple of recently used apps. So we will have to wait for more information on whether the older Fold models will get Android 12L. We also don’t yet know which device will receive the update. Samsung has three more Fold models, the original Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. We expect at least the latter two to get One UI 4.1.1 complete with the Taskbar. It appears alongside the navigation buttons (or gesture bar) and lets you switch to a new app without exiting the currently-open app. This makes life a lot easier when you’re multitasking.
One UI 4.1.1 may arrive in a few months
Samsung has yet to confirm the rollout of the One UI 4.1.1 update for its older foldables. But we expect it to arrive in a few months. The new One UI version is based on Android 12, so it makes sense that the rollout will begin before Android 13-based One UI 5.0 is ready. The Korean firm is currently beta testing the latter for the Galaxy S22 series. The stable One UI 5.0 is expected to arrive by the end of October, or in early November. So in all probability, One UI 4.1.1 will hit older Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones before November. We will keep you posted.
