Samsung's One UI 8.5 expands to older Galaxy flagships with AI upgrades and AirDrop support

Stable One UI 8.5 starts making its way to older Galaxy flagships in the US

The update brings improved Galaxy AI, a more customizable Quick Panel, and more. Samsung has been on a roll lately with the stable One UI 8.5 update. After releasing it for Galaxy S25 users in the US, the company has now started rolling out the update for S24 users in the US as well (via SamMobile). The update comes with the firmware version S92xUSQU5DZDR and is over 4GB in size. While it's not a full Android version upgrade (that will come with One UI 9 for eligible phones), it does bring a number of new features. These include improvements to Galaxy AI, AirDrop support with Quick Share, and more. A full changelog is at the end of this article. It's worth noting that the update is currently rolling out on Verizon's network and should expand to other carriers and unlocked phones soon. Meanwhile, if you have a Galaxy S24, you should check for updates to download it as soon as it becomes available.

Samsung's One UI 8.5 is finally here, and I can't wait to try it

I've been writing about Android since 2011, with a focus on device reviews, Samsung and Google Pixel hardware, and the latest happenings in the ecosystem. In my entire writing career, I've reviewed more than 75 Android phones. Carrying both a Samsung or Pixel flagship and an iPhone as a daily driver provides me with deep insight into how Android works and how it compares to iOS. I have been writing for Android Police since 2021, covering news, how-tos, and features. You can find my previous work on Neowin, AndroidBeat, Times of India, iPhoneHacks, MySmartPrice, and MakeUseOf. When not working, I tend to mindlessly scroll through X, play with new AI models, or go on long road trips. You can reach out to me on X or drop a mail at [email protected]. After a lengthy beta period, the next big One UI update for your Samsung flagship is finally here. One UI 8.5 builds on One UI 8 to bring new customization options, deeper AI integration, and quality-of-life improvements. It also brings a smarter Bixby that can make navigating your Samsung Galaxy phone easier. As a Galaxy S25 user, there are the One UI 8.5 features I am excited to try. Related The One UI 8.5 setting that finally fixed my Galaxy's most annoying quirk One UI 8.5 has a fix so good it feels like Samsung has been holding out on us Posts 2 By Ben Khalesi More customizable Quick Settings panel Samsung revamped the Quick Settings panel with Android 16-based One UI 8. With One UI 8.5, it is further refining the experience by making the panel more customizable. You can resize individual tiles to your liking. For example, you can resize the brightness slider or music player tile to a single line, or expand them to take up more space and expose more functionality. Additionally, you can reposition tiles freely within the grid and switch between horizontal and vertical layouts. Besides these cosmetic changes, One UI 8.5 enables creating dedicated tiles for more granular options, both from system and third-party apps, making the Quick Settings panel even more powerful. Direct Voicemail Apple and Google have improved the voicemail experience on their phones in the last couple of years. Taking a cue from them, Samsung is introducing Direct Voicemail in One UI 8.5. The feature bypasses your carrier's voicemail system, recording the missed call directly on your Galaxy phone. It even uses AI to show a transcript of the call as it's being recorded. Close If you have used Live Voicemail on the iPhone, Direct Voicemail is Samsung's take on it for Galaxy phones. You can auto-send calls to Direct Voicemail after a specified time or send them manually from the incoming call screen. What makes Direct Voicemail even better is the Galaxy AI integration. So, you can use AI to summarize longer voicemails, instead of reading the full transcript. Audio Eraser is also available to remove background noise from the recorded call. AirDrop support comes to older Galaxy devices Samsung's flagship Galaxy S26 series already supports AirDrop, allowing you to seamlessly share files with iPhones and other Apple devices via Quick Share without installing additional apps. One UI 8.5 expands AirDrop compatibility to older flagship Galaxy devices. For this, you must enable the Share with Apple devices toggle in the Quick Share settings. Then, any nearby iPhone or iPad with AirDrop visibility set to Everyone for 10 minutes will appear in your Galaxy phone's Quick Share list. If you are a heavy Quick Share user, One UI 8.5 adds an option to ensure your Galaxy device only receives files from other devices logging in to the same Samsung or Google account. Another notable Quick Share improvement in One UI 8.5: photo sharing suggestions. When you share an image, Quick Share recognizes the faces of people in the picture and surfaces them directly as share targets. A more customizable lock screen Customizability is the theme of One UI 8.5, with the update enabling deeper lock screen personalization. When using a lock screen wallpaper with a human or pet, One UI 8.5 will automatically adjust the placement for a perfect fit. Basically, your Galaxy phone will automatically move the clock widgets around so that the important parts of the photo are visible. There's also a Weather option in One UI 8.5's lock screen settings that uses AI to generate animated weather effects, like rain or snowfall. These effects appear behind the wallpaper's main subject, creating a dynamic look without obstructing the photo. Smarter Bixby Close One UI 8.5 debuts a smarter Bixby that uses AI to process your voice commands better. Unlike before, you can now speak to Bixby in natural language, and it will automatically understand what you want. For example, you can ask Bixby to keep your Galaxy phone's screen from turning off while you are looking at it. Samsung's AI assistant will understand your request and enable the relevant system setting. Likewise, you can ask Bixby for help if you cannot figure out a particular behavior on your Galaxy phone. One UI 8.5 also makes Bixby more powerful by adding real-time search capabilities. Samsung has partnered with Perplexity AI to bring this feature to its AI assistant. Real-time search enables Bixby to do more, including helping with recommendations and answering your questions. Instead of brainstorming on your own, you can ask Bixby to suggest hotels for your next trip featuring a pool or scenic views. Do note that the smarter Bixby is only available in selected languages and markets, including Germany, Korea, India, Poland, the UK, and the US. Storage share If you are deep into the Galaxy ecosystem, One UI 8.5 introduces a handy Storage Share feature. It enables you to view files and documents stored on other Galaxy devices from the My Files app. Likewise, you can access files stored on your Galaxy phone from other Samsung devices, including TVs. Partial screen recording Samsung is giving screen recording a minor but important upgrade in One UI 8.5. Subscribe for In-Depth One UI Coverage, Guides & More Get clearer guidance on One UI by subscribing to the newsletter: clear explanations, practical how‑tos, and expert breakdowns of new settings, AI features, and customization so you can confidently use each tool. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Instead of recording your Galaxy phone's entire screen and then cropping the unwanted parts later, you can record only a portion of the display. The feature is smart enough to automatically detect the area you want to capture and crop out the rest of the screen. For example, if you start a partial screen recording while the YouTube app is open, One UI 8.5's screen recorder will automatically focus on the video window. Enhanced Photo Assist A major new One UI release won't be complete without new Galaxy AI features. Photo Assist gets a key upgrade in One UI 8.5, enabling continuous AI-powered editing. So, instead of saving each edited photo, you can use Photo Assist to make changes continuously. You can view a history of all the edits and filter the changes to keep. One UI 8.5 builds on One UI 8 in all the right ways Besides all the new features, One UI 8.5 stands out for being based on Android 16 QPR2. Android manufacturers typically build their skins on the initial build of a major Android version, skipping QPR releases. However, with Google now introducing more meaningful features and platform improvements through each QPR release, Samsung's decision to base One UI 8.5 on Android 16 QPR2 is a step in the right direction. One UI 8.5 is rolling out for the Galaxy S25, S24, Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and other older Galaxy devices.

Samsung's One UI 8.5 Update Rolls Out to These Galaxy Phones, Tablets

Samsung appears to have finally started rolling out the stable One UI 8.5 update for more old Galaxy S series smartphones and tablets across global markets. The Android 16-based software was first released in South Korea earlier this month. The stable One UI 8.5 update now seems to be available for eligible Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy A36, Galaxy A56 and Galaxy Tab S11 series. The update will bring more new features to these devices, which were previously available only in the Galaxy S26 lineup. One UI 8.5 Update Expands to More Samsung Devices Last year's Samsung Galaxy S25 series started receiving the One UI 8.5 update in the US and Indian markets last week. Now, Multiple user posts on X indicate that Samsung has released the One UI 8.5 stable version for previous-generation flagship smartphones like Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S23 series and tablets. Users claim that the stable One UI 8.5 update for the Galaxy S23 is now available in India with firmware version S91xBXXU9FZDP, as a 4GB download. Also, the stable update appears to be available for Galaxy Tab S11 and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. The vanilla model is getting firmware version X736NKOU5BZE3, while the Ultra variant is receiving firmware version X936NKOU5BZE3. Meanwhile, another user suggests that the One UI 8.5 has been made available for the Galaxy Tab S10 FE model in Korea with firmware versions X520XXU7CZE3 and X5200XM7CZE3. The update is 2.8GB in size. It is likely to expand to other markets soon. Additionally, Samsung said to have started rolling out the stable version of One UI 8.5 to its mid-range smartphones, Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36. The stable update version includes many new Galaxy AI features that debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S26 series. The new tools include Call Screening, Agentic AI, Creative Studio, continuous AI image generation, and updated Audio Eraser functionality, among others. Eligible users with above-mentioned handsets in India and global markets will get the latest update automatically. Interested users can also manually check for the update by heading to Settings > Software update > Download and install. It is recommended to update smartphones while they are connected to a strong Wi-Fi network and plugged in to charge.