Samsung One UI 8.5: What to Expect.

Published: Jan 22, 2026, 9:40 AM

Samsung's One UI has significantly evolved since its inception, moving far away from the tough days of TouchWiz. The latest One UI 8.5 beta release exemplifies this transformation.

The ugly duckling of the past has truly become a beautiful swan. While it's not a perfect interface, One UI is easily our favorite Android skin, particularly due to its customization options.

New Features in One UI 8.5

Interface Changes

One UI 8.5 introduces a new floating tab bar, inspired by iOS 26's Liquid Glass redesign for the iPhone. Relevant buttons and features for apps will now appear in a pill-shaped bar at the bottom of the screen, enhancing reachability in apps like Phone, Clock, Gallery, and others. Additionally, Samsung DeX will remember window sizes and positions, making your phone feel more like a cohesive mini-computer than just a phone with limited functions.

One exciting new feature that has captured everyone's attention—including mine—is an enhancement to the QuickStar Good Lock module. Users will be able to personalize Quick Settings toggles in ways that no other Android manufacturer, not even Google, has allowed. You can set custom pictures or photos as backgrounds for your quick settings toggles, offering unprecedented customization. However, as Uncle Ben famously said, "With great power comes great responsibility." Jumping headfirst into such customization could easily turn your quick settings tiles into an incoherent mix of styles.

The Home Up module, another essential Good Lock component, is also receiving significant improvements aimed at enhancing customization. Users can adjust widget content size and remove background blur, expanding their customization options. You’ll also be able to create one comprehensive Edge panel that combines content from the Apps, Tasks, and People panels. If you find the bottom swipe gesture frequently closes your current app, you’ll be able to disable it, which could be quite helpful. Lastly, you can hide certain apps from the Direct Share menu, allowing only your favorites to appear prominently—a feature that should have been available long ago.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 owners will also benefit, as they can modify the number of favorite apps on the cover screen, making One UI 8.5 particularly appealing for foldable phone users.

Photo Assist

Samsung is streamlining its on-device AI image editing, allowing users to apply multiple edits to their photos seamlessly without manually saving each version. Instead, once editing is complete, the app will display all your edits, enabling you to keep only the ones you like without losing your editing flow.

Quick Share

Sharing images and files has been enhanced. Your Galaxy device will proactively identify faces in your photos and suggest sending them to contacts who resemble those faces. While this sounds user-friendly, it requires ensuring that your friends have appropriate profile pictures uploaded.

Storage Share

One UI 8.5 will significantly enhance the Samsung ecosystem experience. If you own multiple Samsung devices, such as a Galaxy tablet or a Samsung TV, you'll be able to access your phone’s storage directly from those devices. This will improve continuity and eliminate the need for manual file sharing. Simply ensure that you’re signed into your Samsung account on all devices and have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.

Audio Broadcast

With One UI 8.5, your Galaxy will effortlessly connect to Bluetooth LE-enabled devices using the Auracast feature. This includes various headphones, medical equipment for the hearing impaired, TVs, and more. Your Galaxy can also act as a kind of speakerphone, amplifying your voice when the Audio Broadcast feature is activated, resembling a personal digital bullhorn.

Theft Protection

Samsung hasn't overlooked security; One UI 8.5 will introduce Theft Protection, which locks your phone after a number of failed attempts to access it via incorrect fingerprints, PIN codes, or passwords. You can’t argue against tighter security.

One UI 8.5: The Cherry on Top?

As it stands, One UI 8.5 is likely to launch globally alongside the Galaxy S26 series. Samsung typically reserves a major software update for its flagship releases, and we can't imagine a bigger one for 2026 than the Galaxy S26 arriving in late February.

In my view, Samsung has excelled with its interface, catering to its most dedicated and customization-loving power users—primarily through the Good Lock personalization suite that every Galaxy user should try. Even if customization isn’t your thing, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better stock Android skin than One UI right now.