Samsung One UI 9 Locks Galaxy Phones From Power Menu on S26 Series
Updated
Updated · PhoneArena · May 30
Samsung One UI 9 Locks Galaxy Phones From Power Menu on S26 Series
2 articles · Updated · PhoneArena · May 30
A quiet One UI 9 change on the Galaxy S26 series now sends the phone straight to the lock screen when a user exits the power menu.
That blocks a common theft tactic: grabbing an unlocked phone, opening the menu and trying to power it off quickly to stop tracking.
The menu itself still shows the same 4 options—Power Off, Restart, Emergency Call and Medical Info—with the new protection triggered only when backing out.
One UI 9 is built on Android 17, and the lock-screen behavior appeared in S26 builds released this week, though it is still unclear whether it arrived in beta 1 or beta 2.
Samsung joins a broader anti-theft push: Apple already requires authentication to fully shut down iPhones, while Google has spent the past year adding layered Android theft protections.
As AI fuels a global cybercrime boom, can Samsung's new lock feature truly protect our data?
Will advanced anti-theft locks simply push thieves to use signal-blocking bags, making new software defenses useless?