Samsung has accidentally revealed its most anticipated Galaxy feature for the upcoming S26 Ultra, confirming rumors of a dedicated, built-in privacy screen.
The confirmation comes after the company’s Good Lock division unintentionally showcased the novel feature in a Jan. 19 blog post detailing the functionalities of its next-generation flagship smartphone. According to Android Police, the privacy screen feature was accidentally revealed during the unveiling of their Good Lock suite of features.
Details of the privacy screen and integration with Good Lock
The privacy screen isn’t a standalone feature. It’s part of the Good Lock suite. Good Lock is Samsung’s customization suite that lets Samsung users tweak the look of their phone to their preferences.
While the feature is available with One UI 8.5, only the S26 Ultra supports the specific hardware required for the privacy screen. As a result, the S26 Ultra may be the first in its lineup to support such a feature, and potentially more.
Other features seen from the Good Lock blog post include:
- Ability to customize the unlock animation.
- Adjustable quick settings panel size.
- Add your images to the quick settings panel
- The ability to edit the text shown under the home screen icons
- GameBooster+ allows physical gamepad buttons to be mapped to on-screen controls.
- Large icon folders in home screen ( via Homeup).
It remains unclear whether these additional features will be supported on older phones with One UI 8.5 or are exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and later models.
Confirming a rumored feature
Android Police reports that the feature will let users toggle it on and off. When activated, the feature would automatically trigger whenever users are in public places, preventing others from viewing their screen content.
The feature prevents anyone other than the user from viewing the screen content. Display-level light control allows just the right amount of light from the screen to reach the eyes of anyone at the right angle. As a result, anyone standing or sitting close to, or behind, a Galaxy S26 Ultra user would be unable to view their screen content.
The built-in feature allows Samsung to begin phasing out the need for dedicated privacy screen protectors. As a result, we expect more phones, especially high-end ones from other brands, to include this feature going forward.
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More details to be revealed at Galaxy Unpacked
GSMArena reports the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be unveiled at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25. Sales are expected to kick off on Feb. 26, beginning in South Korea, the report also revealed.
Further reports from Android Police indicate that the privacy screen would be available only on Ultra models. The Ultra models have been the most advanced in Samsung’s Galaxy series and the most expensive, too. GSMArena, which already has an unofficial specification for the device, has yet to add a price tag.
Looking beyond Samsung, a recent leak suggests Apple may be preparing its own high-end shakeup with a rumored iPhone Ultra on the horizon.