One UI 9 Could Make Floating Bottom Bar More Compact

Samsung introduced a pill-shaped bottom bar for a host of system apps in One UI 8.5. The company appears to refine this design in One UI 9, making the floating bar more compact. It aims to increase screen space around the edges while keeping the floating look.

Samsung tests redesigned floating bottom bar in One UI 9

While Samsung has yet to debut the final version of One UI 8.5 (Android 16 QPR2), leaks about One UI 9 (Android 17) are already starting to surface. The company has begun testing the next-gen software on devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Now, while digging through the internal test build of One UI 9, tipster Tarun Vats spotted a redesigned floating bar in the Quick Share feature.

As you can see in the images, the bar appears more compact than One UI 8.5’s, creating larger gaps on the sides and bottom. On top of that, the bar becomes more rounded compared to what we see in One UI 8.5. The tabs that also follow the pill-shaped design also have more rounded highlights when active.

This small tweak should improve the overall visual balance of the interface. Of course, Quick Share only shows two tabs (Receive and Send), so the space appears wider. It will be interesting to see how Samsung will implement this tweak in apps like Gallery, which feature four tabs, as the spacing may require additional adjustments.

It’s worth mentioning that this development is based on an early build, so Samsung may still refine the design in upcoming One UI 9 internal builds. The company is expected to kick off a beta program for the next-gen software in mid-2026 (around May 2026, if it follows last year’s pattern). The final version could ship with the upcoming foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, expected in July 2026. We will let you know if new developments surface on the web in the coming weeks.