Bold headline: Galaxy S26 is here, and Samsung still tightens the software path for the Galaxy S25.
Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S26 lineup, and alongside it introduced One UI 8.5 in its stable form. Curiously, a day after the S26 reveal—and before users can actually hold the new devices or software—Samsung started pushing a One UI 8.5 beta to Galaxy S25 owners. Here’s what’s new in this latest beta and what it means for existing S25 users.
What happened
- One UI 8.5 beta 6, with firmware version ending in ZZAO, is rolling out to Galaxy S25 series devices in South Korea, India, and Germany. Based on Samsung’s pattern, the update should reach the UK and the US soon.
- The update package weighs about 568MB and includes the February 2026 security patch.
What’s fixed this time
- Bixby Labs wake-up phrase creation bug is resolved.
- The Gallery’s sketch conversion feature no longer shows two “View Previous Image” buttons.
- Now Bar/Now Brief recommendation cards have improved text, icons, and Always-on Display visibility.
- A crash when adjusting camera area settings in Settings > Display has been fixed.
- The Basic mode lock screen style no longer changes unexpectedly in Modes and Routines.
- Notification card animations have been smoothed out for a cleaner look.
What to expect next
There are almost certainly additional changes not listed in the official notes. We’ll keep monitoring for more features and fixes as the beta evolves. If you’re running the beta on your S25, try it out and share your impressions in the comments.
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