One UI 9 Could Bring a Hidden Security Upgrade, and You Might Actually Use It

While One UI 8.5 isn’t out yet for everyone, Samsung is already working on One UI 9, and while most recent leaks focus on UI tweaks or features, this one goes deeper. Samsung could borrow a memory safety feature from Pixel phones.

A new APK teardown from Android Authority reveals that Samsung could introduce something called Memory Tagging Extension (MTE). The teardown reveals that Samsung is planning to add a toggle for MTE directly inside the Auto Blocker app. 

Samsung could bring MTE with One UI 9

Right now, features like this are usually hidden deep inside developer settings (or not available at all). Samsung, however, seems to be bringing it to regular users. For those wondering, what exactly is MTE? Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) is a hardware-level feature built into newer ARM processors.

It tracks how apps use your phone’s memory, detects issues like data corruption or unauthorized access, and stops apps from interacting with memory they shouldn’t. Basically, it prevents a lot of the bugs and exploits that happen behind the scenes.

Most users never think about memory security, but it’s actually one of the biggest weak points in smartphones. A simple memory bug can lead to app crashes, data leaks, and security vulnerabilities. MTE actively monitors this in real time, which means better stability, fewer crashes, and stronger protection against exploits. And unlike before, you might actually be able to turn it on with a simple switch.

This kind of protection isn’t free

Samsung itself warns that enabling MTE can slightly reduce performance. Also, turning it on will likely require a restart, based on strings found in the code. Also, there’s another limitation here. MTE depends on ARM v9 hardware, which means only newer Galaxy devices will support it, and older phones will likely miss out. So don’t expect this on budget or older models.

Samsung already has strong security with Knox, but this is a different layer. Instead of protecting data from the outside, MTE focuses on what happens inside your phone’s memory, where a lot of modern exploits happen. And by putting it inside the Auto Blocker, Samsung will make advanced security something normal users can actually use. If this ships, it could become one of the most important upgrades in One UI 9, even if most people never notice it.