One UI 9 lastly has the characteristic we’ve all been ready for from Samsung

One UI 9 is formally out for eligible Galaxy telephones, and there’s rather a lot to love. I’ve been using it on my Galaxy S26 for the reason that first beta, and if there’s one characteristic I’ve beloved essentially the most, it’s AI Network Guard. It’s a easy characteristic that allows you to cease particular apps from utilizing the web over each cell information and Wi-Fi.

This is an enormous deal as a result of most Android apps can’t do that natively. It’s good to see Samsung is lastly letting customers do that, even when it took this lengthy.

You can now lastly block web entry for particular person apps

The kill swap you’ve all the time needed

If there’s one characteristic I’ve all the time missed on Galaxy telephones, it’s the flexibility to dam web entry for particular person apps. Sure, there has all the time been an possibility to limit background information entry for an app, nevertheless it’s not the identical factor.

So till now, the one actual possibility was to make use of a third-party app like WebGuard to correctly block cell information and Wi-Fi entry for apps. It works, however that’s an additional app it is advisable arrange and hold working within the background.

To be truthful, just a few Android producers have provided this selection for a very long time. Still, it’s been largely lacking from Android on the whole. With One UI 9, Samsung has lastly added this selection, so that you not want a third-party app or different workarounds.

The characteristic is named AI Network Guard, and it’s really meant to assist dad and mom restrict their youngsters’ distractions. To that finish, it even requires establishing a PIN to allow this restriction. But after all, there’s nothing stopping you from utilizing the characteristic for your self. You can use it to dam distracting social media apps or video games that have a tendency to tug you in and waste time. I’ve been utilizing it for precisely that, and it’s actually my favourite One UI 9 characteristic to date.

AI Network Guard is hidden by default, however straightforward to arrange

It received’t take lengthy

AI Network Guard isn’t one thing you’ll come across. The characteristic is definitely a part of One UI’s Connectivity Labs menu, which is principally a hidden Wi-Fi settings menu. To unlock it, head to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi, faucet the three-dot icon on the prime and select Intelligent Wi-Fi. Then, faucet Intelligent Wi-Fi a number of instances quickly to allow the Connectivity Labs menu.

After that, faucet Connectivity labs, scroll down and faucet AI Network Guard. Tap Set up a Guardian PIN to create a six-digit PIN for this characteristic. Finally, allow the toggle, go to Manage restriction, and select the apps for which you wish to flip off web entry.

The entire setup takes lower than a minute, and you may as well re-enable web entry on your apps at any time utilizing the grasp toggle or eradicating apps from the Currently Restricted checklist.

There’s even a toggle that allows you to limit all browsers and video games without delay. This is useful as you don’t have to pick out each recreation or browser manually. Also, the restriction mechanically applies to any new recreation or browser you obtain. To allow it, faucet the three-dot icon within the prime proper nook, select Advanced settings, and allow the related toggles.

In the identical menu, you’ll see a Downtime possibility. It permits you to set a selected window throughout which the community restriction is turned on mechanically. This is genuinely helpful if you wish to block an app from web entry solely through the day or within the night — it might prevent from enabling and disabling the characteristic manually on a regular basis.

Since this characteristic is locked behind a PIN, no person else can disable it. That’s what makes it totally different from a third-party app like WebGuard. If you’re enabling restrictions on your youngsters, they’ll’t restore web entry with out your PIN.

This characteristic can also be useful for blocking in-app adverts

An surprising perk

Even for those who don’t wish to use AI Network Guard on your youngsters or block distractions for your self, there’s one other use case. You can use it to dam adverts inside apps and video games. It’s not meant for this, after all, however it might get the job performed. Most apps and video games depend on an lively web connection to point out adverts and banners, so slicing off their web entry stops them from loading adverts.

The apparent catch is that this received’t work for each app. Some apps do require web entry for verification and unlock different options. The identical goes for video games that want an web connection to obtain new ranges.

This characteristic can also be helpful for saving mobile data. If you’re on a restricted information plan, AI Network Guard might help you block web entry for a bunch of apps without delay. The Downtime possibility makes this much more sensible, since you possibly can arrange the restriction for a selected window of time as a substitute of implementing a blanket ban across the clock.