Galaxy S26 Ultra owners should avoid factory reset until Samsung patch arrives

Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in South Korea have reported a One UI 9.0 failure that freezes the phone after a factory reset. The bug stops the initial setup and keeps users from reaching the operating system. The first complaints were logged on October 21, 2026.

A South Korean user first described the problem on the Samsung Members community forum. A moderator who also represents the manufacturer confirmed the anomaly. The user said the screen stays black and the home screen never appears after the update.

Why the Galaxy S26 Ultra stalls on the account screen

The phone fails to connect to Samsung’s servers during the last step of setup, right after the owner resets the device for a clean install. According to Samsung’s development team, the cause is an unstable WebView, the system component that displays web pages inside apps, when certain mobile data networks are in use. That failure blocks the Samsung Account policy page, shows an unavailable address warning and leaves the display fully dark, so the owner cannot reach the lock screen or the home screen.

In replies on its South Korean community platform, Samsung detailed its technical diagnosis. The company’s official representative wrote that the development team confirmed the issue appears when an unstable system WebView runs on certain networks. Owners were asked to follow a troubleshooting guide that the company attached to the reply.

Read also: Galaxy S27 targets January 2027 release as Samsung accelerates production

Steps to get past the locked Samsung Account setup

For owners who already reset the phone and are stuck, Samsung published a temporary set of steps. The first is to switch from mobile data to Wi-Fi, update the browser, such as Google Chrome, to its latest version, sign out of the account by hand and try logging in again.

A second route is to use another device, such as a computer or a different phone, to open a browser and visit the official Samsung Account website. There, the owner must log in and accept the latest terms of use before going back to the blocked handset. If neither method unlocks the screen, Samsung advises contacting its official support and avoiding another factory reset on phones running One UI 9.0 until a permanent repair arrives through an OTA update, the software delivered over the air.

Other One UI 9.0 problems and the Android 17 rollout

The setup failure adds to other incidents reported since the One UI 9.0 rollout began. The interface is based on Android 17, and its stable version reached the Galaxy S26 series first in mid-September 2026. It then moved to the Galaxy S25 line and to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, and in October 2026 to the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Owners of the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultra also reported startup freezes and “Access Denied” messages during the transition. Complaints about fast battery drain on updated Galaxy devices from the same family are also recurring. Samsung has not tied these reports to the WebView failure.

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Galaxy S26 Ultra technical specifications

The model hit by the WebView failure carries the manufacturer’s most advanced components in its catalog. Its main hardware is listed below.

• Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with LTPO technology, QHD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 2,600 nits
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
• Internal storage: 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB
• Rear cameras: 200 MP main sensor with OIS and f/1.9 aperture; 50 MP ultrawide (f/1.9); 50 MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, OIS and f/2.9; 10 MP second telephoto with 3x optical zoom, OIS and f/2.4
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture
• Battery: 5,000 mAh with 60W charging support
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and NFC
• System and size: Android 17 under the One UI 9.0 interface; 78.1 x 163.6 x 7.9 mm

Samsung has not announced an official date for the firmware or server update that will permanently fix the WebView failure on the setup screen. The company also has not said how many devices are affected outside South Korea. A Galaxy S26 series update released in South Korea on October 26, 2026, brought general stability and security changes, but available release information does not show it fixes the setup failure.