It’s been a busy year for Samsung’s software team. After launching a pretty massive overhaul with One UI 7 earlier this year — an update that took far longer to reach older devices than most expected — the company has seemingly found its footing again with One UI 8. As Samsung’s latest software upgrade begins rolling out, we’re also getting some insight into software plans for the Galaxy S26.
As spotted by Tarun Vats on Twitter, Samsung’s first build of One UI 8.5 has been spotted on internal servers, with versions for all three mainline Galaxy S25 models. That doesn’t mean we’re particularly close to a new beta for Galaxy devices, but it does confirm the company’s new timeline for the upcoming S26 lineup. With two new versions of One UI having been pushed out this year — and with One UI 8 already built on top of Android 16 — Samsung is instead planning to launch the S26 Pro, Edge, and Ultra with an incremental release, rather than One UI 9.
We first heard rumors surrounding Samsung’s new One UI release schedule earlier this year, around the launch of One UI 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip 7. With Google’s current schedule for Android, the company’s effectively flipped its usual timing for software upgrades. Major releases are now timed to every summer’s foldable lineup, while the mainline Galaxy S-series gets a half-step release. Don’t read too much into this change — it says more about Google’s ever-changing Android plans than how Samsung prioritizes its flagships.
As the company readies One UI 8.5 for next year’s Galaxy S26 series, it’s also beginning to roll out stable One UI 8 builds. While most devices are set to receive their respective updates in October, the Galaxy S25 lineup began receiving this software earlier this week, and the folks at SamMobile report that this wave is now arriving in the US.
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