How to Sign up for Samsung’s Android 11 / One UI 3 Beta
I’ve never been a fan of Samsung’s attitude towards beta operating system updates. Admittedly, I say this out of jealousy, because it seems to me that I never “have the right” to install one of these on my devices. (My pixels, on the other hand, are always in some kind of Android beta, and this is a much simpler and more versatile process .)
That being said, Samsung is now rolling out Android 11 on its flagship phones in the form of a kind of public beta for One UI 3. I use this wording because Samsung claims there are limits on who can subscribe to it right now. The following users are allowed for Galaxy Note 20 series phones :
- Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra users using unlocked firmware
- Unlocked users (U1 devices purchased directly from Samsung; unlocked firmwares are supported by any carrier).
And for the Galaxy S20 series phones, these are:
- Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 + and Galaxy S20 Ultra users on Sprint & T-Mobile
- Unlocked users (U1 devices purchased directly from Samsung; unlocked firmwares are supported by any carrier).
If you’re eligible, I recommend that you first install any pending operating system updates on your device via Settings> Software Update. Then open the Play Store app and make sure all your apps are up to date (three-line hamburger icon > My Apps & Games ). Launch the Galaxy Store app and do the same ( hamburger icon> Updates ). Finally, make sure you used the Galaxy Store app to install the Samsung Members app – without it, you won’t be able to access the beta.
Now launch Samsung Members and cross your fingers. If you see a banner that looks like this at the top of the app, you’re golden:
Click on this and you will be able to register for beta testing. You will need to wait a little – up to ten minutes or so, perhaps – before the update appears on your phone under Settings> Software Update . Consider using this time to create a full backup of your phone, as installing the beta version might cause problems in some way. After all, this is a test.
Also be aware that Android 11 / One UI 3 may break some applications on your device. It can happen, and it is just an annoying byproduct of using a beta operating system. You can wait for the app developers to fix the underlying issue, or if it’s a serious issue, you can exit the beta by deregistering from the Settings screen in the Samsung Members app. Then use the Samsung SmartSwitch app to downgrade your device.