In 2012, Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy S3. The S3 had a number of improvements over and above the former flagship device, the Galaxy S2, including a 720p 4.8-inch SuperAMOLED screen, a quad-core processor and a revised flavor of the TouchWiz user interface described as “Nature UX.” The Nature UX included a number of sounds designed to sound more natural, including a water ripple noise for the lock screen and a whistle sound for incoming text messages. This whistle noise is the default for the S3, S4 and S5 and is perhaps Samsung’s attempt to have a distinctive notification sound, as the iPhone’s text message and incoming email sounds.
This whistle is described by the source website as being almost universally disliked by users, owners and non-owners alike, but Samsung have buried the notification sound settings page in the device settings and this makes it too much effort to be changed. There are very few smartphones with a very easy way to change the notification noises, but for the Samsung whistle haters amongst us, there is some good news for the Samsung Galaxy S6: the whistle sound effect, plus Nature UX’s ripple and nature-inspired noises, have been banished from the device. Instead, there are a number of deliberately artificial sounding beeps and bloops designed to blend in with how Samsung have matured TouchWiz.
Samsung’s evolution of their proprietary TouchWiz interface has many facets and the changes to the device sounds is just one part. We’ve changes to aspects of TouchWiz. The interface has been pulled to be closer to stock Android – believed to be partially at Google’s insistence. It’s faster, leaner and cleaner and a departure from the previous generation of TouchWiz, present on the Galaxy S5. And it appears that Samsung have carefully considered the interface right down to the sounds that it makes. Does the new interface make as bold a statement as the design changes implemented in the S6 compared previous generation Galaxy S models? Yes, it does. Samsung have turned around the Galaxy S line up with a new design inside and out. That the old notification noise has gone is interesting and a sign of the detail in the changes.
Still, there are many, many Galaxy S3, S4 and S5 models out there in circulation and it will take several years before they are no longer in service. If any of our readers truly hate the Samsung Whistle noise, pipe up and let us know in the comments below. Or if you have any observations about the changes to TouchWiz.