Samsung’s One UI 8.5 Shaping Up to Be a Major Update, Could Add Key Android Tools to Galaxy Devices
Samsung is supposed to be preparing the upcoming OS, One UI 8.5, behind closed doors, which is expected to debut with the next generation Galaxy S26 series. Since leaked builds have already started showing a golden chance to witness what the company is cooking for its upcoming OS release, a new major detail is flashing online!
This time, things have been appearing to change as Samsung has perhaps adopted a different approach by directly bringing One UI x.5 instead of going for two additional incremental updates, including One UI x.1 and One UI x.1.1, after One UI 2.5.
Well, One UI 8.5 has been running into the headlines for quite some time. The latest version is going to be powered by Android 16, but there’s a slight change that the Galaxy audiences have never thought of, says a fresh report.
According to the recent report (via Android Authority), One UI 8.5 will be based upon Android 16 QPR2, Google’s secondary quarterly platform release. Basically, the source mentions that they have discovered a leaked build of One UI 8.5, where they confirmed that the SDK version and build ID prefix found are connected to the Android 16 QPR2 build. On the comparison side, the standard One UI 8 version is based on the initial Android 16 OS.
Also, Samsung is planning towards releasing One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 QPR2, which is a major factor; however, if the company continues to stick to the annual Android release cycle, the number of smartphones receiving new features occasionally will be limited. Thus, by adopting Android 16 QPR2 for One UI 8.5, major new Android platform release features could be brought to the Galaxy devices.
New features of Android that might arrive with One UI 8.5:
Now that the upcoming One UI 8.5 is supposed to be based on Android 16 QPR2, the features that might make their way to Galaxy devices are as follows. Nevertheless, Samsung is yet to unveil any information regarding One UI 8.5, and it’s all up to the company whether it wishes to keep the following features or decides to skip some of them.
Media & Audio
- IAMF Decoding Support
- Personal Audio Sharing in Output Switcher
- New Audio APIs
- HDR/SDR Brightness Slider
- Companion Device Management Enhancements
- MediaRouter Network Privacy Improvements
UI, System Experience, and Accessibility
- Expanded dark theme
- Forced Icon Themes
- Lock screen widget support
- Native step tracking in Health Connect
- A new “universal cursor” option in external display settings
- Pointer acceleration and other mouse/touchpad settings
- Interactive Chooser Sessions
- Smoother Android Migrations
- PDF Document Annotation and Editing
- Display Topology API
- Device-aware ViewConfiguration
- Granular Haptic Feedback Control
- Quick Settings Tile Categories API
Developer Productivity
- Graphical app support in the Linux Terminal
- Widget Engagement Metrics
- Early Warnings for 16KB Page Size Compatibility
- Enhanced Profiling
- More Robust Multi-Display Testing
Privacy & Security
- Advanced Protection support for USB
- Local parental controls
- Secure Lock Device
- Phone Theft Protection Toggle
- Identity Check expanded to support more apps
