Android 12L landing on Galaxy Tab S8 series (Update: US launch today)

Update, September 1, 2022 (09:00 AM ET): In the article below, we discuss how Android 12L is rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series. However, it was only rolling out in select countries. Today, though, Samsung has confirmed the update is now landing in the United States.

This update brings a wealth of new features, many of which just landed on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. That includes a taskbar, split-screen views, faster app switching, and more.

This will be a rolling launch, so it might be a few days before you see it on your Tab S8. It’s on the way, though!

Original article, August 29, 2022 (01:18 PM ET): Samsung’s Android 12L-based One UI 4.1.1 — which brings optimizations and features for large screens — is coming to the Galaxy Tab S8, S8 Plus, and S8 Ultra.

One UI 4.1.1 made its first appearance with the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 4, now the update is headed to the Galaxy Tab S8 series with three different firmware versions. The Galaxy Tab S8 will receive firmware version X70xBXXU2AVH2, while the S8 Plus gets X80xBXXU2AVH5, and the S8 Ultra will receive version X90xBXXU2AVH2.

In addition to applying August’s security patch, this update will be delivering a variety of improvements. According to SamMobile, the update will bring the same taskbar feature found in the Galaxy Fold 4 to the S8, offering faster navigation between apps and improving multitasking.

A few other notable features include:

• The addition of a new two-finger gesture that will allow you to switch between full-screen and split-screen views.
• Having the ability to extract text from images and share it with apps or translate it into different languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish).
• Call backgrounds can now be customized individually for every contact you have.
• A new feature in the My Files app that allows you to search for information within files.
• Samsung Internet browser now allows you to rearrange your favorite sites by dragging and dropping the icon for those sites.
• Also in the Samsung Internet browser, you can sort bookmarks between folders.
• Users will be able to edit their collection of wallpapers for their lock screen.

While this is exciting news, the update won’t be available for everybody. Unfortunately, it appears One UI 4.1.1 will only make its way to users in Europe and South Korea. There is no word on when or if the update will come to S8 tablets in the United States.

In our review of the Galaxy Tab S8, we felt the device was a capable tablet that delivered on multiple fronts including design, performance, and flexibility. Everything the S8 offers would only be enhanced with this new update, so hopefully, Samsung will bring to One UI 4.1.1 to other regions soon.