One UI 8

If you’re looking for the most customizable out-of-the-box experience on a smartphone today, it’s tough to go wrong with Samsung. Unlike some of the more locked-down launchers you’ll find on Android — sorry, but I’m looking at you, Pixel — the amount of personal touches you can apply to any Galaxy phone can feel endless, and that’s before you install something like Good Lock. However, with One UI 8.5, it seems like Samsung made the rare move to remove some of this functionality in the name of security, and users aren’t pleased.

After months in beta on the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update is now expanding to a host of other Galaxy devices including foldables, last-gen flagships, mid-rangers, and more.

The One UI 8.5 beta is now on its seventh update, marking one of the longest beta phases for Samsung’s OS in recent history.

Galaxy devices will receive another One UI security update soon as Samsung makes the March 2026 security patch official with important fixes.

One UI 8.5 beta is still going strong, though it’s nearing its final few updates – hopefully. Samsung is currently rolling out the Galaxy S25 series’ patch for the latest beta version of One UI 8.5.

The Galaxy S26 trio is finally here, and with it comes One UI 8.5. Samsung might be waiting until the summer to roll out its next big shake-up for its version of Android, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing some new visual elements in this mid-cycle release. As we’ve come to expect, at least one element on the S26’s software is ripped right from Samsung’s closest rival.

Samsung is completely changing directions this year, and among moves like adding Perplexity as an AI assistant instead of relying on Gemini, Samsung is releasing something called “Now Nudge” on the Galaxy S26 series. Now Nudge is essentially just Magic Cue on the Pixel, but it only works with the Samsung Keyboard.

After a false start back in January, Samsung has re-announced its Bixby reboot, which delivers more AI and will go live in One UI 8.5.

Samsung’s Galaxy series, especially as you reach the high-end in price, seems to want to cater to professional video more every year. After adding pro video codecs, Samsung is now offering the option to connect up to two 24-bit audio inputs via Bluetooth with an “Advanced Audio” app.

The Galaxy Watch 4 started receiving an update to One UI 8 late last year, but it’s not often that the rollout spans this long. Some users still haven’t been updated to the new OS.

Good Lock modules make or break Samsung Galaxy phones for some users. A recent Home Up update for One UI 8.5 beta is adding a few additional homescreen tools for Good Lock users.

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 beta is here and, with it, a look at Samsung’s updated design language. But there are some changes that feel eerily familiar, probably because Samsung is bringing a lot of Liquid Glass-like UI tweaks to Galaxy phones with its next big One UI update.

Samsung’s latest major Galaxy update, One UI 8.5, has just debuted in beta. While the full rollout won’t take place until sometime in 2026, we can take a look through everything that’s new in this update.

Samsung has just launched its One UI 8.5 update in beta after what feels like months of the next big Galaxy update leaking. The beta is available starting on the Galaxy S25 series, and Samsung’s announcement reveals a few features the leaks didn’t spoil.

For whatever reason, the Galaxy Watch 6 One UI 8 update has felt slower than previous rollouts. Users in the US are starting to see Samsung’s latest upgrade to Wear OS 6 on the Galaxy Watch 6.

We’ve been hearing tidbits here and there around Samsung’s next big Galaxy update, One UI 8.5, but now the whole changelog has leaked, revealing everything that’s new.

Although we’ve all adjusted pretty quickly to the modern seven-year software support standard set by Samsung and Google, it’s easy to forget it’s still a relatively new shift. There are still plenty of devices with four years of OS upgrades set to age out over the next few years, and today, it’s the Galaxy S21 FE’s turn to graduate into security patches exclusively.

While we’re already an update ahead on Pixel, One UI 8 based on Android 16 has rolled out far and wide to Samsung phones. Here are a few things we think you’ll love getting to grips with.