After rolling out the update in Korea last week, Samsung has announced the global rollout of One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 for the Galaxy Tab S7. The Tab S7 is Samsung's flagship tablet product launched in August of 2020. It's unquestionably the best Android tablet, and to some, possibly even the best tablet out there. Regardless of how you rank the tablet, it's clear that software is one of its shortcomings compared to Apple's iPad. The One UI 3.1 update hopes to further close that gap.
Over on the Samsung Newsroom, the company detailed the One UI 3.1 software update rolling out for the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+. The new software update is based on the stable Android 11 release from Google, but it adds a couple of nifty productivity features on top of the plethora of features already baked into Samsung's One UI software.
For starters, Samsung says it's now easier than ever to share content between your Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy S21. You can easily copy text and images on your smartphone and then paste the content onto your Tab S7 — and vice versa.
Furthermore, you can more easily pick up where you left off in the Samsung Internet browser app or sync notes faster in Samsung Notes. These features are enabled with a setting called "continue apps on other devices" that is available on Galaxy smartphones and tablets running One UI 3.1, which currently only includes the Tab S7 and S21 series. Both devices will need to be signed into the same Samsung account, have Bluetooth enabled, and be located within 2m in order for the feature to work.
Next, Samsung has added its promised Second Screen feature with the One UI 3.1 update. With Second Screen, you can turn your Galaxy Tab S7 into an extra monitor for your Windows PC. You'll have access to several modes to extend your screen space. For example, there's your standard Extend mode to work across screens.
And there's also a Duplicated mode to quickly shift files opened on your tablet to your PC and then sync any changes. Second Screen requires a WiDi (wireless display)-capable Windows 10 PC running Windows 10 v.2004 or later, which includes many Galaxy Book models. Third-party tools like Deskreen can enable this functionality on any tablet + PC combo, but these tools won't feel as native as the integration between a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and a Samsung laptop.
Finally, the One UI 3.1 update enables Wireless Keyboard Sharing on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. With this feature, you can connect your Book Cover Keyboard to a compatible smartphone and tablet and seamlessly switch between the two with a simple key combo. By pressing the 'Cmd' and 'Lang' keys, you can switch between input on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra, for example. This feature is supported on Galaxy devices running One UI 3.1, which as previously mentioned, currently only includes the Tab S7 and S21 series. It also only works with the official Samsung Book Cover keyboard, which is quite pricy.
Actually, there's just one more feature to mention. It's called Auto Switch and it involves Samsung's new Galaxy Buds Pro true wireless earbuds. The feature allows the Galaxy Buds Pro to automatically switch to the source with actively playing media or an incoming phone call. The reason this feature is included in this changelog is that Active Switch only works when your Galaxy Buds Pro is paired to Galaxy devices running One UI 3.1 or above — which, you guessed it, includes the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy S21. If you don't have the Buds Pro but rather Samsung's older Buds+ or Buds Live, then you'll be happy to know this feature will arrive in a future firmware update. Once it does arrive, you'll be able to toggle it with the "Automatically Switch to Other Devices" setting in your accessory's respective app.