Samsung’s One UI 8.5 Beta Is Reportedly Dropping December 8th

Friday, 05 December 2025 at 10:58

Guess what? It looks like we finally have a solid date for Samsung's One UI 8.5 Beta Program. It's supposed to kick off on Monday, December 8th. Seriously, if you own a Galaxy S25 device, you should probably be clearing out some storage right now, because you're first in line for this thing.

This whole process feels weird, though. Samsung doesn't usually do an open beta test for a mid-cycle update, not for an "x.5" version. That fact alone tells me there must be some seriously huge stuff—we're talking major changes—hidden in the code.

Samsung One UI 8.5 adds Pro Camera Save and Share Tools

Samsung Is Rushing to Hit December 8th

You can tell Samsung is in a hurry. They've been frantically refining the One UI 8.5 Beta lately, pushing out updates way more often than they normally do. This super-quick pace basically confirms they are laser-focused on hitting that December 8th release date, and they really, really want to make sure the launch is as smooth as possible, which is nice.

We actually spotted a build that sounds stable—it has the PDA number ZYL5—on Samsung’s servers a little while ago. When the changelog leaked, it basically confirmed that the software is just about ready for regular people to start testing.

Who Gets It First? (And What’s the Juicy Stuff?)

The launch is going to be gradual, of course. It’s focused only on the Galaxy S25 series in specific countries first.

Phase 1 (December 8th):

Germany
South Korea
The UK
The US

Phase 2 (Probably soon after):

India
Poland (These markets might actually skip the first release and jump straight to Beta 2 when they sign up, which is interesting.)

Now for the fun part: what’s new? Forget little tweaks. We are expecting a huge focus on AI and better connectivity between all your devices:

Bixby is Smarter: The assistant is getting a massive overhaul. It should be much better at understanding normal language and controlling your device settings now.
Better Galaxy AI: Think continuous image generation coming to Photo Assist. That means you can create multiple AI images without having to save every single one separately, thank goodness.
Ecosystem Connectivity: We’re getting features like Storage Share. That's a feature that will let you easily access files across your Samsung phones, tablets, and even your PC or TV through the My Files app. Finally!
Small Visual Tweaks: Also look out for a more customizable Quick Panel, a redesigned Battery information screen, and new personalization tools for your Lock Screen.

How to Get Your S25 Ready

If you have a Galaxy S25 device and you absolutely must get a spot in the Beta:

Update the Samsung Members app. You need it. It’s your official portal for joining the Beta Program.
Back up all your files. Seriously, do this. Betas can crash your phone.
Clear up some storage.
Act Fast! I cannot stress this enough—Beta slots are limited and they disappear quickly in the first phase.

Oh, and just a heads up: Samsung has also started internal testing of One UI 8.5 on the older Galaxy S24 series, so those users might be next.