The first step toward something bigger

Accounts, conversational onboarding, and a trusted contact.

This release is a beginning. It's the first step on a path where your Balance Phone starts to know you better and adapt to you: we're preparing new things, more personalisation, and an experience that feels increasingly yours. All of it starts here, with the way we welcome you.

An account that starts by getting to know you

Setting up your Balance Phone is no longer about filling in a form. For adults, it begins as a conversation: a few honest questions about what you expect from your phone and what relationship you want to have with it. Instead of fitting you into a mould, Balance OS listens first. That conversation is the foundation for the personalisation that comes next.

The account is also entirely optional. You can skip it and everything works the same, in guest mode. If you create one, an email makes your profile recoverable, so signing in from another device takes you back to where you were instead of starting over. And if you change your mind, it's reversible for 30 days and never affects Balance OS protections.

When the phone is for someone you look after

If you're setting the phone up for a minor, or for someone you look after, the beginning adapts to that. It adds the steps that actually matter there, like naming a trusted adult or contact who can be turned to if needed. Nobody goes through steps that don't apply to them, and whoever is looking after someone has what they need from the start to do it with peace of mind.

Google services are working again

For a while, Balance kept Google entirely out of reach, and that came with a real cost. Authentication failed. Android Auto refused to connect. Gemini sat silent. Maps couldn't open. We've rebuilt the protection from the inside, and the services that depend on Google now work as they should.

Searching inside the Google app is still off the table by design. After a couple of attempts, Balance steps in to point you toward Chrome or Ecosia, where the search itself stays safe.

Closer attention on three apps

WhatsApp. WhatsApp is for messaging your people, but it's also a doorway. The Updates channel scrolls without end. Links to Instagram, Facebook, and other accounts pull you sideways into infinite feeds. We've closed those doors. The chats stay open.

Spotify. Some podcasts on Spotify come with video, and that video can carry explicit material. We've stopped the video from playing. The audio keeps going.

YouTube Music. YouTube Music shares the same pattern as Spotify, podcasts paired with video that includes explicit content. The video doesn't play. The music does.

Smoother offline recovery

When your connection drops, the offline screen now has a Try again button. Tap it and Balance checks if the network is back. No more force-quitting the app just to retry.

Plus quieter work behind the scenes to keep things stable.

Protection that doesn't need a signal.

Balance keeps holding when your internet drops — and reaches further into the apps you already use.

When the connection drops, Balance doesn't.

Until now, Balance's filtering relied on a live internet connection. When you lost signal, it couldn't verify which apps were safe — so it stepped aside. That changes with this release.

When your internet drops, Balance now blocks browsers and any app it can't confirm is safe in that moment. You'll see a dedicated screen that explains what's happening, and a "Try again" button to check if your connection is back. No force-quitting, no guessing. Balance just holds.

One exception by design: the system Settings app stays accessible at all times, even offline.

More surfaces. Fewer detours.

Balance has expanded its awareness in several places you likely visit every day:

YouTube in Google Search. Inline video clips embedded in search results are now blocked. The search stays open; the scroll-and-watch loop doesn't start.

Google Short Videos. The short-form video carousel in Google Search — the one that looks like Reels — is now blocked too.

WhatsApp. The Updates tab is now reliably blocked in every language. Links and flows that open Instagram or Facebook from within WhatsApp Settings are also closed.

Spotify and YouTube Music. In-app video playback is blocked. Your audio keeps going — only the video layer stops.

NYT Games and Watch. The games tab and the Watch video section within The New York Times app are now blocked.

A screen when something shifts.

If Balance's accessibility service disconnects unexpectedly — for instance, after your phone restarts in an unusual way — you'll now see a dedicated screen explaining what happened and what to do next. Previously this could happen silently. Now it doesn't.

Block screens for image and video search results are now visually distinct, making it clearer which type of content was filtered.

Now you can request a second look.

When Balance blocks a website, you'll now see why — and a button to ask for an instant AI review, right there on the screen.

For a while, the block screen gave you one piece of information: this site isn't available on Balance. Not much to work with.

This release changes that — in two ways.

The reason is now visible

When a website gets blocked, the screen now shows the reason behind it, pulled directly from our database. Instead of a generic message, you get context: why this specific URL was flagged.

It's a small change that makes the system feel less like a wall and more like a decision you can understand.

And you can ask for a review

If you think a site was blocked in error, you can now request a review without leaving the screen. Tap "Don't agree? Request a review", and an AI evaluates the URL in real time.

If it determines the site should be accessible, Balance grants access for an hour — no need to contact support, no waiting.

If the review confirms it should stay blocked, you'll see a clear explanation of why. Either way, you know where you stand.

This applies to websites. App blocking works differently and isn't part of this review flow.

A more intentional start

The final step of Balance's setup has been redesigned. Instead of landing on a default, you're now presented with a clear, considered choice: Balance's minimal home screen or One UI.

It's a small moment, but the right moment to be intentional — your phone, your choice, made consciously.

One more thing

A clear button now appears inside the search field across the app. A small convenience that saves a couple of taps when you're looking for something.

Accounts in. Settings calmed down.

The settings screen has a new layout. Quieter, easier to navigate. And now Google and Samsung accounts have a proper home inside it — you can sign in, manage your credentials, and stay in Balance without jumping between apps.

Something to find.

A new button has appeared in the navigation bar. The first time you open it, a small hint tells you it's there and what it does. After that, it's just part of the phone — no announcement, no fanfare. One of those details that earns its place quietly.

Under the hood.

App names now appear as they should throughout the phone. YouTube and Google Games blocking also works reliably in a few more situations. Finishes and corners — the kind of work that makes everything feel more solid.

A complete system, quietly.

Balance works best when its protections hold without exception. This update closes one of those exceptions.

The Secure Folder block is more thorough now.

Samsung's Secure Folder creates an isolated space on the phone — a separate environment where apps and accounts can run independently. Balance has always blocked it, because that isolation can become a route to content Balance would otherwise keep out of reach.

This update extends the block to cover an additional pathway through Android's accessibility layer. That pathway could previously be used to reach Secure Folder content even when the main block was in place. It's now covered.

If you've never noticed Secure Folder or tried to open it, nothing changes for you. If Balance was already stepping in when it opened, it now does so more consistently.

Plus quiet work behind the scenes to keep the system running well.