Samsung One UI 8.5: Stable Rollout Begins April 30 — Is Your Galaxy on the List?

Wednesday, 22 April 2026 at 18:00

After months of beta testing and a longer-than-expected wait, Samsung's One UI 8.5 stable rollout has a confirmed start date.

Summary

Samsung's One UI 8.5 stable update begins rolling out on April 30, 2026 in South Korea for the Galaxy S25 series, with international markets including the US following from approximately May 4 — confirmed by a Samsung representative.
The Galaxy S26 series already ships with One UI 8.5 pre-installed, making the S25 series the first devices in line for the upgrade after completing nine beta builds since December 2025.
One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16 and introduces Ambient Design — a blur-based visual overhaul across the interface — alongside Perplexity-powered Bixby, Call Screening, Photo Assist, Creative Studio, and Audio Eraser for real-time background noise reduction.
The eligible device list is unusually broad for a point-five update, covering devices from the Galaxy S22 series through current A, M, and F series models — reflecting Samsung's decision to use 8.5 as a wider Android 16 delivery vehicle.
Older flagships (S23, S22) and mid-range A, M, and F series devices should expect stable updates in May or June, with the full rollout completing before Samsung begins the One UI 9 beta program for the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung hasn't published an official eligible devices list — but based on the beta program's scope and the pattern of past major releases, every device that received One UI 8.0 is expected to qualify.

Why This One UI 8.5 Is Bigger Than Usual

Point-five releases in Samsung's naming history have typically been conservative — incremental patches rolled out mainly to flagship Z and S series devices. One UI 8.5 breaks that pattern significantly. The wider rollout extends to Galaxy A, M, and F series budget devices, suggesting Samsung is using this release to deliver Android 16 across its portfolio rather than saving it for a major version bump. That's a meaningful shift in strategy, and it's why the eligible device list in the input looks unusually long.

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The visual redesign is the most immediately noticeable change. Ambient Design introduces blur effects across system UI elements and refreshed stock apps — the aesthetic direction Samsung has been quietly building toward for two generations. Perplexity's integration into Bixby is the AI headline: replacing Samsung's own LLM back-end with Perplexity's search-oriented model is a pragmatic acknowledgment of where Bixby's limitations have been.

The Features That Matter Daily

Audio Eraser is the sleeper feature in this update. Real-time background noise reduction applied system-wide — not just in Samsung's own apps but across YouTube, Instagram, and other third-party apps during playback — addresses a legitimate annoyance that users have lived with for years. Call Screening automates the screening of unknown callers. Photo Assist with text prompts expands Samsung's generative editing capabilities.

One UI 8.5: list of eligible Galaxy smartphones

Galaxy S Series

Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 FE, and S25 Edge
Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, and S24 FE
Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, and S23 FE
Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra
Galaxy S21 FE

Galaxy Z series

Galaxy Z TriFold
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition
Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Z Flip 7 FE
Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6
Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5
Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4

Galaxy Tab series

Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra
Galaxy Tab S10+, Tab S10 Lite, Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 FE, and Tab S10 FE+
Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+, Tab S9 Ultra, Tab S9 FE, and Tab S9 FE+
Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024)
Galaxy Tab A11 and Tab A11+
Galaxy Tab A9 and Tab A9+
Galaxy Tab Active 5 and Active 5 Pro

Galaxy A series

Galaxy A73
Galaxy A56, A55, A54, and A53
Galaxy A36, A35, A34, and A33
Galaxy A26, A25, and A24
Galaxy A17 (4G & 5G), A16 (4G & 5G), and A15 (4G & 5G)
Galaxy A07 (4G & 5G) and A06 (4G & 5G)

Galaxy M series

Galaxy M56, M55, M55s, and M53
Galaxy M36, M35, M34, and M33
Galaxy M17, M17e, M16, and M15
Galaxy M07 and M06

Galaxy F series

Galaxy F07e
Galaxy F56, F55, and F54
Galaxy F36 and F34
Galaxy F17, F16, and F15
Galaxy F07 and F06

Galaxy XCover series

Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and XCover 7
Galaxy XCover 6 Pro

Rollout Order and Realistic Timelines

Galaxy S25 series: April 30 (Korea) / May 4 (international). Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 follow closely behind, potentially in the same April window. Galaxy S24 series and Z Fold 6 / Z Flip 6 likely in early-to-mid May. Galaxy S23, S22, and mid-range A, M, F series devices should expect updates through May and June. The full rollout should complete before Samsung initiates the One UI 9 beta, which is expected to begin for the Galaxy S26 series later in 2026.