Samsung disables notification channels on all One UI 6.1 devices

Summary

• The One UI 6.1 update on all eligible devices disables notification categories by default, causing user complaints.
• Switching on notification categories after the update retains your old settings, but manual action is required.
• There’s some concern that Samsung may continue removing native Android features in future updates, impacting the user experience.

The Galaxy S24 series launched with One UI 6.1, which we thought would be a minor revision over One UI 6, based on Samsung’s version of Android 14. One UI 6.1 was more significant than expected, bringing many of the S24s’ AI features to older devices like the S23 series and Z Flip and Fold 5. Sadly, some of the changes One UI 6.1 made weren’t for the better, and as older phones are updated to One UI 6.1, more users are starting to complain.

What are notification categories?

One UI on the Galaxy S24 has a new toggle called “Manage notification categories for each app,” which is disabled by default. The categories in question are a feature Google calls “Notification channels,” which were added to Android in 2017 with 8.0 Oreo. This feature lets you choose which categories of notifications an app can send, so you could allow Twitter to notify you of replies but not likes, for example.

What’s the problem?

When we initially reported on this issue, we weren’t sure if this would only impact S24 devices or if the feature would also be switched off on older phones when upgrading to One UI 6.1. Now we have our answer, and it’s what we feared.

If you upgrade your phone to One UI 6.1, the new toggle will appear in your settings app, and it will be disabled by default, even if you’ve already configured notification channels to your liking. Thankfully, it’s easy to switch them back on, and when you do, your old settings will be retained, so you won’t need to skim through all your apps again. To get notification channels up and running again, follow these steps:

1. Open your Settings app and tap on the Notifications menu.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the notifications menu and open Advanced settings​​​​​​.

3. At the bottom of this screen is a toggle called Manage notification categories for each app. Turn this on.

Once you’ve done that, notification categories will be switched back on, and, thankfully, any changes you made to them before updating will be retained. So, when you update your phone to One UI 6.1, remember to turn this toggle on. Likewise, you must repeat this process if you need to perform a factory reset.

As we said last time we reported on this issue, this indicates Samsung has a more significant problem. The company has put a lot of effort into making One UI one of the best Android skins — indeed, it’s the only one I call home – but its old reputation will never fade if Samsung keeps giving people a reason not to use it. For now, this feature can be switched back on easily. But I do worry that this is only the beginning and that Samsung may decide to remove more native Android features in the future.