Galaxy S26 Ultra will bring an amazing feature. The display can do something no other phone can

Protective films that limit display viewing angles are a useful tool for those who don’t want people on the train or in a cafe reading their messages over their shoulder. However, Samsung apparently decided that this could be solved more elegantly – and, crucially, switchably. A feature called Privacy Display has appeared in the One UI 8.5 overlay code, which is designed to limit display visibility from side angles without you having to stick anything onto your phone.

Privacy at a single click

According to information from the system code and screenshots published by user Ach on X, Privacy Display will work similarly to Bixby Routines – meaning with a range of advanced automations. It can be turned on manually, according to a schedule, or automatically in situations where there are many people around you. Samsung specifically mentions elevators or public transport.

More interesting, however, is the option to select specific applications for which the protection will be activated. Do you have sensitive work emails? Privacy Display will activate only in Outlook. Don’t want someone to see your Instagram? You turn on protection only there. This makes much more sense than a permanently darkened display, which is difficult to work with.

Protecting only part of the display? Yes, that’s possible too

According to available information, Privacy Display will not just be an “all or nothing” feature. Samsung will allow protecting only part of the screen – for example, a notification that appears at the top, or a picture-in-picture window with a video. This is a reasonable solution, as you don’t always need to hide the entire display.

The next S26 Ultra will have a privacy feature that keeps people from peeking at your screen. pic.twitter.com/tFcgeFpCqG

— Ach (@achultra) October 2, 2025

Furthermore, it will be possible to protect specific photos in the gallery that contain sensitive information or are marked as private. And note – the protection also applies to the lock screen, specifically to the interface for entering a PIN code, password, or gesture. This way, no one will be able to see your unlock pattern over your shoulder.

The final layer, which Samsung calls “Maximum Privacy”, automatically reduces the display brightness when Privacy Display is active. This further limits side visibility – which makes sense, as the darker the display, the harder it is to view from the side.

Why can’t it be done purely in software?

At first glance, it might seem that limiting viewing angles is purely a software matter – perhaps some filter that darkens the edges of the display. However, the reality is more complex. For a true physical limitation of the viewing angle to work, the hardware must support it – specifically, the display itself and its structure.

This means that the Privacy Display feature requires a special panel that can change the directionality of light. It likely involves layering polarizing filters or a special subpixel structure that Samsung can control via software. This is also why the feature will not be available on older models, even after updating to One UI 8.5.

According to information from user Ach, Privacy Display will appear on the Galaxy S26 Ultra – and given that Samsung has a tradition of keeping advanced displays exclusive to the Ultra model, it is highly probable that the base S26 and S26 Edge will not receive the feature.

In any case, if Samsung brings it to fruition, Privacy Display will be one of the most interesting hardware innovations of 2026. And perhaps the feature will eventually expand to cheaper models.

Would you use the Privacy Display feature, or do you find it unnecessary?

Source: X (Ach), GSMArena