What you need to know
- Samsung has reportedly started rolling out its One UI 8.5 Beta 5 to Galaxy S25 users in the U.S.
- This patch is quite light, as the patch notes mainly detail an “applied Bixby version update,” which could be the major rework we’ve seen rumored before.
- Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked takes place next week on February 25, 2026 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT.
We are less than a week away from Samsung’s flurry of next-gen announcements, and it’s looking to make sure its next software is ready for it.
Samsung’s One UI 8.5 Beta 5 was spotted rolling out to eligible Galaxy S25 users by SammyGuru. Reports state that the patch is slowly becoming available for users who’ve enrolled in the beta program in the U.S. The changelog for the patch is quite light, as Samsung labels this as One UI 8.5 vZZAN. More than that, the update applies “Bixby version update.”
The publication adds that the patch is only ~548MB, so the update should download relatively quickly, given your internet connection. Other reports state that One UI 8.5 Beta 5 has arrived in South Korea and India already, meaning the U.S., as well as a few other regions, should begin seeing it more prominently as the week ends.
The post highlights that there’s no telling whether or not other devices, like the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7, will receive this patch before next week’s Unpacked. It would likely put Samsung in quite a crunch to try and squeeze availability in with only a few days left to go, so we’ll have to see.
Galaxy Unpacked is on the way
One UI 8.5 Beta 4 rolled out to eligible users earlier this month, bringing with it a new feature they could test. Direct Voicemail was added to the Phone app, which lets users “automatically send calls to voicemail after a set period or route all incoming calls directly to voicemail.” The patch was quite large, coming in at 1.5GB. It included the February 2026 security patch, while also looking to fix a load of bug fixes plaguing Galaxy phones.
We’ll have to see how One UI 8.5 shapes up officially for everyone, as Galaxy Unpacked will take place on February 25, 2026 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT in San Francisco, California. Additionally, users should look out for Samsung’s reserve program that’s already underway. You can even try to guarantee yourself up to $900 off the next big flagship phone.
Android Central’s Take
All eyes are on Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event next week. With time so low, it didn’t seem like we would see another One UI 8.5 beta but, alas, here’s the fifth one. Other than the Bixby version update, which could be the major revamp we’ve been expecting for quite some time, there’s not much else to unravel. What I’ll be keeping my eyes on is when Galaxy S25 users can get their hands on the new software officially, as it hits its stable servers. Then, of course, we’ll go down the list of devices.