Starting December 8 for Galaxy S25 Series
Enhanced Galaxy AI, Connectivity, and Security Features
Program Available in Six Countries Including South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom
Samsung Electronics announced on December 9 that it began operating the beta program for the new version of its Galaxy smartphone user interface (UI), 'One UI 8.5', starting December 8. One UI 8.5 is based on the existing One UI 8, with a focus on enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) features and connectivity between devices.
The One UI 8.5 beta program is being rolled out sequentially for Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra users in a total of six countries: South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and India.
Users who wish to participate in this beta program can apply through the Samsung Members app on their Galaxy phones. Samsung Electronics plans to analyze and refine user feedback collected through the beta program to further improve the completeness of the official version of One UI 8.5.
One UI 8.5 has been improved to allow users to create and share content more conveniently using AI. The AI-powered image editing feature, 'Photo Assist', reduces the hassle of the editing process. Through generative editing and the portrait photo studio, users can now edit images continuously without having to save at every step.
The image editing history can also be utilized in more diverse ways. Previously, users could only 'go back' in the AI image editing history, but with One UI 8.5, users can now view the editing history and selectively apply or remove edits made at specific stages.
The content sharing feature, 'Quick Share', has also been improved to make it easier to find sharing recipients. When users link contact information to people in photos stored in the gallery, the system recommends sending photos to those individuals.
The connectivity features between Galaxy phones and various nearby devices have also been strengthened. A new 'Audio Broadcast' feature has been added, allowing users to transmit their voice directly to nearby audio devices using their Galaxy phone.
After connecting the phone to a nearby 'LE Audio' device, when the user speaks into the phone's built-in microphone, the connected LE Audio device can play the voice in real time. LE Audio is an audio standard that operates via low-power Bluetooth and can connect to multiple devices simultaneously.
The newly added 'Storage Sharing' feature allows users to access files from other Galaxy devices, such as tablets and PCs, directly from their phone. Through the phone's 'My Files' app, users can instantly access files, images, videos, and more stored on nearby Galaxy devices.
Personal data protection features, such as theft protection, have also been enhanced. The existing 'Stolen Device Protection' feature has been upgraded with a new 'Authentication Failure Lock' function, which automatically locks the phone if it is lost or stolen while the screen is on. Even when the lock screen is disabled, if multiple authentication attempts-such as fingerprint, PIN, or password-fail during situations that require authentication, like changing the lock screen password or accessing the Secure Folder, the screen will automatically be locked.
The official version of One UI 8.5 will be installed starting with the Galaxy S series to be released in the first half of next year. It will then be rolled out sequentially to previously released Galaxy devices.
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