If you've ever looked at Xiaomi or Realme colleagues and quietly envied the speed indicator in the corner of the screen — Samsung has finally listened. In the QuickStar update for Good Lock, which was released alongside the One UI 9 beta, a "Network speed" option appeared in the "Indicator Icons" section. Turn it on — and in the status bar you can see in real time how many megabits your connection is pulling.
What specifically changed and how it works
The feature was confirmed by Android Authority and Sammy Fans on real Galaxy S26 Ultra hardware. It's hidden behind three steps: Good Lock → QuickStar → Indicator Icons → Network speed toggle. Disabled by default. After activation, the indicator fits into the right cluster of status bar icons — next to signal level and battery.
The version of QuickStar in which the option appeared is 11.0.03.15. Before this, Galaxy users had to either install third-party apps or get root access — both options non-standard for a mass-market flagship costing over a thousand dollars.
"Samsung has quietly delivered one of the most requested Galaxy features ever"
Trendblog.net
The catch: the feature exists, but not for you
This is where the practical part begins, which Samsung's marketing keeps quiet about. Currently, the indicator is available exclusively on the Galaxy S26 with the One UI 9 beta. According to Android Police, the stable release of One UI 9 for the S26 is expected later in the summer of 2025 — and only after that will the feature gradually appear on Galaxy S25, S24, and other compatible devices.
Samsung has announced no specific timeline for older flagships. Trendblog notes that historically Good Lock features reach previous generations after the stable release of the corresponding One UI version — meaning S24 owners should expect to wait at least until autumn-winter 2025.
Why this matters beyond "just another gimmick"
The speed indicator is not cosmetics. It allows you to instantly understand:
- whether it's worth waiting for a file download or switching to Wi-Fi;
- whether your provider really delivers the promised speeds in a specific location;
- whether background processes are consuming bandwidth at a critical moment.
Chinese brands — Xiaomi, OPPO, Realme — built this in back in the mid-2010s. Samsung, controlling roughly 20% of the global smartphone market, ignored this request for years, which, judging by forums and Reddit, is one of the most frequent requests from Galaxy users. The fact that the implementation came through a beta Good Lock module rather than natively in One UI settings is telling: Samsung is testing demand before making the feature standard.
What's next
If One UI 9 in stable version releases for the S26 by the end of August as expected, and QuickStar keeps the feature unchanged — in the fall, S25 owners and possibly S24 owners will get it. But if Samsung decides to limit it to only the new flagship lineup as an upgrade argument, this will be the first serious test of how ready the company is to monetize even minor conveniences.
The question is not whether the indicator will appear on older Galaxy phones — but whether it will appear before Samsung announces the S27.
