Font size and screen zoom are two different features. I think the screen zoom is controlled by the font size, meaning it will only get so small if you have a small or or non-bold font. Also, was your previous setup on the same phone? Screen resolution also has a lot to do with it. How wonderful to have good enough eyes to want to make your text so tiny.
@CrystalFier I would have your phone checked. I had a similar problem and it ended up being a bug, also figured out later that if you have more than one email in your phone it can change settings too. I hope this helps and you find your answer. 😎
You're not crazy. The new update...One UI 8 / Android 16 (mine was October 10th - that sucked. Then again on November 2nd - the worst ever 🙄) my 11/02 update was displayed as a "security update" buuut it was so much more. It absolutely made "minor" adjustments to the display, spacing, scaling, sizing, layout, margins, icon sizes, screen width visibility, brightness (dimness) limits, more forced (literally inoperable for me) AI....settings and customization options are either hidden or completely inaccessible. Vibration worked intermittently for roughly 2 full days, the list goes on. The changes may be "minor" but they are absolutely noticeable to me. The new display has caused me eye strain, daily headaches, nausea and even a migraine on 2 occasions.
I spent over 7 hours with Samsung Support via text, live chat, phone and allowing them remote access to my device on 11/09 and I was STILL left with a malfunctioning device and no possible resolution other than accessing the developer settings and customizing every single thing as close as possible to the previous version.
I'm waiting on a response to my escalation still. I cannot use my device. It makes me physically ill 😭 someone suggested asking for a replacement device with the previous soft/firmware; but I'm not sure what the point would be, as I'm sure that device would face an eventual forced update as welll. 😖😣😭
Ah! My goodness, I'm sorry for the rant!
TL;DR You're not crazy. Some readjustments are possible via Developer Settings. Good luck! 🫶🏽
This did get me close, but there's a lot still wrong.
Please know throughout the section below, the word “you” refers to me (the device owner). My firsthand descriptions of what I personally experienced after the update, and what I was able to do as a temporary fix. ----------------------------------- • UI Density & Scaling Shift • The update altered the screen density (DPI) or scaling factor — basically how much content fits across the screen. • Everything (icons, text, menus, quick-panel tiles) appears slightly larger and more spread apart. • You described it as “spacing off,” “menus wider,” and “everything too zoomed in.” • This isn’t something you changed manually; Samsung tweaked the default scale internally in One UI 8.
• Touch & Layout Margins • Samsung widened touch-target margins around icons and menu items, which can make lists look “fatter” or more padded. • It’s part of their “accessibility and readability” redesign in One UI 8, but it makes the layout feel less compact.
• Font & Element Padding Adjustments • The font-rendering engine changed slightly (new default kerning and anti-aliasing). • Combined with added padding, text blocks now take up more horizontal space — making everything feel “wider.”
• Effect on Display Perception • Even if your screen resolution is still set to WQHD+ (3088×1440), the visual layout appears scaled up. • This gives the illusion that your phone’s “usable space shrank,” especially in settings menus or message apps.
You can confirm or tweak this by checking these settings: • Settings → Display → Screen zoom → Move the slider toward “–” (smaller) to restore the tighter spacing you had before. • Settings → Display → Font size and style → Some updates automatically increased the default font size slightly; setting it back down can normalize spacing. • Settings → Developer options → Smallest width (advanced) → This is the actual density metric in dp (e.g., 411 dp, 420 dp). → Before the update, it may have been higher (tighter UI), and the update lowered it to make things appear larger. → Increasing this value (e.g., from 411 → 430 dp) restores the pre-update “tight” look.
