Samsung rolls out One UI 8.5 beta 5 for Galaxy S25 ahead of official Galaxy S26 launch

Galaxy S25 owners in the US can now try out the newest One UI tricks

Mark has almost a decade of experience reporting on mobile technology, working previously with Digital Trends. Taking a less-than-direct route to technology writing, Mark began his Android journey while studying for a BA in Ancient & Medieval History at university. But since then, he's cast his eyes firmly on the future, with a deep love for anything that bleeps or bloops. Outside of Android tech of all types, Mark loves to hike, play video games, build small plastic men that cost far too much, and spend time with his two daughters. One UI 8.5, Samsung's reskinned version of Android 16 QPR2, is due to arrive alongside the new Galaxy S26 smartphones during Galaxy Unpacked on February 25. But that's just the final version. If you want to get a sneak preview of everything One UI 8.5 has in store, then you can try it out as part of the One UI 8.5 beta 5, which is now available in the US. Well, as long as you have a Galaxy S25, that is. Likely to be the last beta release before the eventual rollout As far as updates go, this is a bit of an underwhelming one. According to SammyGuru, you can expect the update to measure just 548MB in size, which is pretty small for beta builds. By most accounts, it doesn't add anything, and largely just fixes some Bixby bugs. In fact, most of the reason it's worth commenting on is the fact it's likely to be one of the last beta releases before One UI 8.5's final release. The latest version of One UI 8.5 is expected to release alongside the Galaxy S26 range, with an eventual rollout to older phones. So, if you want to get on the One UI 8.5 train early, this is one of your last chances to do so. With that in mind, it's a bit of a shame that Samsung didn't choose to make this available to more devices. At the moment, this beta version is only available for the Galaxy S25 range, leaving S24 owners and earlier in the cold. Still, it's worth waiting for. One UI 8.5 delivers a lot of long-awaited features for Samsung's phones. The big Bixby revival is expected with this new version, and Samsung's long-ignored digital assistant will return with backup from Perplexity AI. Also included is AI photo generation with Photo Assist, and an AI-powered voicemail that bypasses your usual carrier service and allows for live transcripts. Subscribe for ongoing One UI 8.5 coverage and analysis Get deeper One UI 8.5 reporting by subscribing to our newsletter -- receive focused coverage, beta breakdowns, feature deep dives, and practical analysis of Samsung's software moves and what they mean for devices. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. It's a big release, for sure -- but it's not the only new software Samsung is working on. , with a potential release expected in the summer, along with a new and wider Galaxy Z Fold.

Samsung nearing One UI 8.5, new Bixby release with its latest beta update

Samsung is rolling out its fifth One UI 8.5 beta for the Galaxy S25 in the US, and it comes as the actual release is right around the corner. As reported by SamMobile, One UI 8.5 Beta 5 has just expanded to the United States for Galaxy S25 owners following a prior release in other parts of the globe such as the UK and India. The update brings just a single actual change, with Samsung saying that it has "applied Bixby version upgrade." That suggests Samsung's new Bixby - which was announced last month before Samsung deleted the reveal - is coming up fairly soon. The new Bixby, as Samsung had said, brings additional functionality that is powered by Perplexity, as well as also featuring some competing features to Google's AI services, as shown in two of the screenshots below (though these features are not live in One UI 8.5 Beta 5). We'll likely see the official, proper reveal of One UI 8.5 and the new Bixby alongside the Galaxy S26 series, scheduled to debut on February 25.