Samsung’s One UI 8.5 beta program continues to evolve ahead of the Galaxy S26 launch. Beta 4 has now rolled out to Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra users in select markets, bringing bug fixes and one quietly introduced feature that Samsung didn’t bother mentioning.
The 1.5 GB update is currently available in South Korea, Germany, and the UK, with India expected soon. Italy remains excluded from the beta program entirely, a recurring theme for Samsung’s software testing phases.
One UI 8.5 is shaping up to be more significant than the jump from version 7.0 to 8.0, despite both running on Android 16. The fourth beta focuses primarily on stability improvements, particularly around call functionality.
Changelog – One UI 8.5 Beta 4:
- Fixed a bug where the call would automatically go to speakerphone.
- Fixed an error that occurred when checking call history in the Phone app.
- Fixed an issue where, in certain situations, only one person on the other end could hear audio during calls while a Bluetooth headset was connected.
- Fixed a bug where tapping the call log icon would paste the phone number to the keypad.
- Fixed an issue where selecting “Copy” in AI Select did not automatically close the AI Select menu.
The real addition is Direct Voicemail, a feature Samsung left out of its official notes. It mirrors iOS 17’s Live Voicemail by automatically routing calls to voicemail after a set delay (5, 10, or 20 seconds, or custom intervals between 1 and 20 seconds). Users can read live transcripts while the message records and pick up mid-voicemail if needed.
Importantly, it runs entirely on-device without carrier dependency. With the Galaxy S26 series rumored for late February, One UI 8.5‘s official release shouldn’t be far behind.
