TL; DR
- A report says One UI 9.5 moves the Phone app’s search icon to the bottom-right.
- The empty search box reportedly changes from “Search” to “What are you looking for?”
- No Samsung confirmation, Galaxy model list, or release date has surfaced yet.
Samsung’s Phone app is among the apps users open dozens of times a day, yet they rarely think about it until a small change makes them realize how awkward or unnatural the old way was. A peek at One UI 9.5 made me realize exactly that, and it involves a corner of the screen my thumb has always disliked.
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What Is Changing In The Samsung Phone App In One UI 9.5?
According to an Android Police report published on November 12, 2026, the search icon in Samsung’s Phone app is moving from the top-right corner of the screen to the bottom-right, where it will sit beside the existing options. The report is based on an upgraded version of One UI.
Alongside the ergonomic changes, Samsung is also reportedly bringing a Rambler-like voice typing feature to One UI 9.5. It might be called “Refine Voice Input.” Like Google’s Rambler, the feature will streamline a jumbled stream of spoken words into a polished, refined piece of text.
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Samsung is also planning a new Memory app, similar to AI Mind Space or Pixel Screenshots. We could also see some Bixby upgrades related to agentic AI abilities (the capability to complete a multi-step task in the background), along with improved widgets.
| Detail | What the report says | What it leaves out |
| Icon position | Bottom-right, beside the existing options | Which options sit there |
| Software seen | “An updated version of One UI” | Galaxy model, build number, and region |
| Status | Spotted by SamMobile in a build | Any Samsung confirmation |
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Does Such A Small Change Matter?
Why does this matter, though? Well, on big-screen smartphones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, or even the Galaxy S26+, reaching the top of the screen, especially while using the phone with one hand, is quite difficult. Relocating the key visual element to the bottom improves its reach and, therefore, one-handed usability.
Samsung has also made similar ergonomic changes across its user interface. For instance, it also moved the search button in the Calendar app.
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| Open question | Status |
| Which Galaxy phones get it | Not stated |
| When One UI 9.5 or this change arrives | Not stated |
| Whether Samsung has confirmed it | The report doesn’t call it official |
| Whether the Calendar change matches Phone | Described only as “similar” |
| Messaging changes | SamMobile’s headline mentions easier messaging; I couldn’t read the details |
For now, there’s nothing for you to do. No release date or list of Galaxy models has surfaced, so I wouldn’t change a purchase plan over this.
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