Thought Leadership
Some Galaxy smartphones get stuck on the setup screen after updating to Android 17. Other reported issues affect the status bar and volume controls.
Samsung is rolling out One UI 9, based on Android 17, to more Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S23 series in Europe. As the update reaches more devices, users are reporting several bugs. Samsung has confirmed some of the issues.
Devices Get Stuck During Setup
The most serious problem prevents smartphones from reaching the home screen after the update is installed. The issue occurs during the setup process that One UI 9 runs after a reboot. On some Galaxy S26 Ultra devices, the screen freezes, apparently because the Samsung account terms and policies fail to load. A Samsung community manager confirmed the issue on the company’s South Korean forum and attributed it to the update.
As a temporary workaround, Samsung recommends updating the browser, signing in over Wi-Fi, or accessing the Samsung account through the company’s website.
Since mid-October, users of Galaxy S24, S25, and S26 devices, as well as Samsung foldables, have also reported an XML-formatted “Access Denied” error during setup. The devices are not permanently rendered unusable, however. Users can work around the problem by putting their smartphones in airplane mode or disabling Wi-Fi and mobile data in Safe Mode.
One leaker suspects that a server-side change by Samsung, intended to prevent firmware leaks, may be responsible. Samsung has not confirmed this theory.
Status Bar and Volume Controls Affected
Other bugs affect the user interface. In QuickStar, a module within Samsung’s Good Lock customization app, status bar icons sometimes respond to the wrong settings. Samsung has acknowledged the bug but has not provided a timeline for a fix.
Samsung attributes other disappearing icons to insufficient space in the status bar. Meanwhile, the volume panel sometimes displays incorrect audio output icons and inconsistent volume levels, such as 80 percent instead of 81 percent. For the first issue, Samsung recommends updating the Sound Assistant app to version 9.0.00.11.
October Security Update Also Rolling Out
Separately, Samsung is distributing the October security update to the Galaxy S25 series, as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. According to reports, the update patches 44 Android vulnerabilities, including a critical flaw affecting Bluetooth.
(Editorial Team)
