A nasty bug is bricking the Galaxy S26 Ultra before people even start using it

Published Oct 22, 2026, 12:54 PM EDT Jon is a seasoned journalist who has written definitive coverage of consumer tech at publications like Engadget, Android Authority, and BetaKit. He's an expert on making tech accessible ranging from mobile and PCs to emerging platforms like wearables. When he's not writing, he's going on adventures with ihis family and is an avid photographer. Sign in to your How-To Geek account You're not alone if you can't even reach the home screen on your brand-new Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung has confirmed that a bug is preventing some owners from getting past the setup process, rendering the Android flagship phone effectively useless. The company tells users on its South Korean forums that a One UI 9 setup flaw displays a "webpage is unavailable" error when using an "unstable" version of WebView (the web page viewer inside apps) on some networks. There's no way to exit setup, so the phone is a brick if you're affected. Some customers have had success switching between Wi-Fi and cellular access (or the reverse), but it's not a guaranteed solution. Samsung also recommends updating WebView or Chrome, or trying to log in to your Samsung account on either the phone or the web. Samsung hasn't said when it expects to issue a fix, or how users will implement it. The setup bug was only confirmed today (October 22), so it may take some time to get a permanent remedy. Is the Samsung setup bug a widespread problem? It appears limited so far Companies rarely acknowledge the scale of bugs like this, and typically say that only a handful of devices suffer from a glitch. The setup bug clearly isn't affecting most buyers, however, so the conditions that trigger it appear to be limited. You shouldn't avoid buying the Galaxy S26 Ultra at this stage, as it's likely to run smoothly — just be aware of what you can do if things go wrong. Samsung is also likely to install the eventual fixed version of One UI 9 on new phones leaving the factory. If you're still nervous, you might only have to wait a while to get a handset that works properly out of the box.