One UI 8.5 launches for millions of Samsung phones this week: here's what's new

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Starting this week, Samsung is officially releasing a stable build of One UI 8.5 to basically every Samsung device that debuted in 2025 including some of the best Samsung phones of the last few years.. The update brings several features that were exclusive to the S26 series including Agentic AI, Creative Studio and more.

The update has been making its way around the globe, and officially dropped in South Korea last week. The update comes with version numbers S938USQU9CZDP/S938UOYN9CZDP and is 4408.31 MB alongside the April security patch.

Full list of changes

Continuous image generation
- Photo Assist now lets you generate Al images using different Photo assist features without saving each iteration. When you’re done, you can review all your creations in your history and pick your favorites.
Smarter device control
- Bixby is now better at finding the setting or feature you need, even if you don’t use exact commands or feature names.
Ask anything, anytime
- Whether you need a quick answer or detailed information, just ask Bixby for an instant response. There’s no need to spend time on multiple searches or switching between apps.
Bixby Conversation history
- You can now access your conversation history from the side panel in the Bixby app.
Storage share
- Files from your other Samsung phones, tablets, and PCs are available in the My Files app on your phone. You can also access your phone’s files on other Samsung devices, even your TV.
Quickly connect to Smart View devices
- You can now add a shortcut on your Home screen to instantly mirror your phone’s screen to a TV or other display device.
Enhanced Auracast features
- Options for both broadcasting and listening are now located in the Audio broadcast menu in Settings.
Voice broadcasts
- In addition to media sound, you can now broadcast your voice using your phone’s built-in microphone.
Revamped battery info
- Redesigned Battery settings screen makes it easier to check remaining time, charging status, and daily usage
Improved Power saving
- Choose Standard for moderate savings and customizable limits, or choose Maximum to turn off all non-essential features and make your battery last as long as possible.
Easily control Bluetooth hearing aids
- Access settings for your Bluetooth hearing aids directly from the Accessibility shortcut. A pop-up will appear that lets you change your hearing program, turn Ambient sound on or off, and more.
Control magnification with mouse or keyboard
- Keep what you need magnified in view with these new options. You can make the magnified area follow the cursor as you type or move when you change focus using the keyboard. When using a mouse, you can make the magnified area shift as you move the pointer to the edge of the screen.
Dwell action and Corner actions
- The Auto action after pointer stops feature has been divided into 2 features. Dwell action lets you set custom actions when your mouse stops moving for a certain amount of time. Corner actions let you set a different action for each corner of the screen.
More customizable quick panel
- You can now add, remove, reorder, and reorganize controls in the quick panel.
Early alerts for reminders
- Get alerts before reminders are due to make sure you don’t forget important tasks. You can choose how far in advance to get an alert for each reminder.
Partial screen recording
- You can now select only the part of the screen that you want to record.
Calculator nudges
- Numbers and formulas copied to your clipboard will be suggested when you open Calculator so you can enter them with a quick tap.
Keep window sizes in DeX
- DeX now remembers your app window sizes and positions. When you open an app again, it appears just as you left it.
Weather alarm backgrounds
- Your alarm screen can now show the current weather conditions as a background when it rings.
Time zone converter
- The new slider in the Clock app makes it easy to check the time difference between places around the world.
Enhanced weekly reports
- Weekly reports now include data from your medication tracker and mindfulness sessions.
Upgraded Sharing Experience
- Mix and match your exercise stats with photos from your workout to create the social media post.
Start meditations from your watch
- You can now start meditations directly on your Galaxy Watch without picking up your phone.
Antioxidant measurements from your watch
- Measure antioxidant levels directly from your Galaxy Watch, even if it’s not connected to your phone.
Theft protection
- Turn on Failed authentication lock to automatically lock the screen in case there are too many failed attempts to verify your identity using your fingerprints, PIN, pattern, or password.
Turn off Auto blocker temporarily.
- If you need to temporarily disable Auto blocker’s security protection, a new option lets you turn it on automatically 30 minutes later so you don’t forget.
Avoid unwanted sharing requests
- You can now set Quick Share to only receive files from other devices signed in to your Samsung account or Google account.
Photo sharing suggestions
- When you share pictures that include friends or family, Quick Share can recognize who’s in them and suggest sharing directly with those people.
Automatic Lock screen layout
- When you choose a photo for your Lock screen, the layout adjusts automatically so the clock and widgets don’t cover important parts of the picture.
More customizable clock fonts
- You can now adjust the thickness of more font styles to match your preferred look on the lockscreen.
Enhanced weather widget
- Weather widget now shows a graph if precipitation is expected in the coming hours.
Pollen index
- Check how much pollen is in the air; you can check pollen levels for trees, grass, and ragweed.

This is a rollout so your device might not have the update just yet. Give it a day or two and you should get it.

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Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.