Samsung's Marshmallow beta in South Korea gives users a welcome chance to weigh in
Certain South Koreans wielding a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge are in luck, though. A Vietnamese Samsung fan site recently leaked a listing of the twelve devices receiving their respective Android 6.0 updates in the first quarter of 2016. And that’s not all: Samsung also launched a beta program for users to test Marshmallow on its flagship devices. The beta program is open until January 18, 2016 to Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge users on South Korea’s KT and LG U+ networks. Participants will be the first experience Samsung’s flavor of Marshmallow and are encouraged to provide feedback on the usability of the software. The beta program is available through an app called Galaxy Care, which is downloadable from the Play Store.
Why this matters: The beta test for what we assume will be the next version of Samsung’s TouchWiz is not available in the U.S., nevertheless, this is a good indicator that Samsung’s considering user feedback more often when it comes to software. And it should: After the year that Android’s had with security issues, and how badly the Galaxy S6 Edge handled its memory management issues, getting the next major software update right on the first try is crucial. TouchWiz does offer some benefit over stock Android. A beta test helps Samsung iron out bugs and interface issues, and it gives users more of a stake in the company’s products.