What you need to know
- Samsung announced that it’s rolling out access for its One UI 8.5 beta for several past-gen models, such as the Galaxy S24 and S24 FE.
- Beta access is also arriving on the Galaxy S25 FE, as Samsung teases that more devices will gain access in April.
- Samsung recently rolled out its seventh One UI 8.5 beta for the Galaxy S25, and we’re just hoping a stable release is coming next.
It’s been a long wait for several of Samsung’s older Galaxy phones, but that’s ending today (Mar 26) as the beta for its major OS upgrade is here.
A newsroom post shared what users can expect this week, as Samsung confirms its One UI 8.5 beta is rolling out on several older phones. The post says the beta is “available now” for the Galaxy S24, S24 FE, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Fold 6, and the Galaxy Tab S11. While a few of these are past-gen devices, Samsung also says the beta is coming online for Galaxy S25 FE owners, too.
Only “select” markets are receiving this beta late week. Those in the U.S., Korea, India, and the U.K. can expect to see the beta’s availability and begin enrolling. To do so, Samsung directs users, as always, to its Members app.
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It’s no surprise that many users have been patiently awaiting Samsung’s rollout for many past-gen devices. This seems to be just the start of more to come. The company teases that another wave of devices will receive access in April. Right now, it hasn’t given a specific date or timeframe, so we’ll have to keep our eyes out for that announcement next month.
Beta, beta, beta
There were rumors that Samsung might’ve been preparing for such an announcement, after the firmware was spotted on a test server. Hopefully, once users get their hands on it and we’re ready for a proper rollout, Galaxy S24 users can avoid any pauses. Samsung had a bit of a hiccup with this series when rolling out One UI 8 in October. Users who already installed it didn’t seem to have any issues, but something was surely amiss as Samsung yanked its access.
One UI 8.5’s beta has been going and going, and earlier this month, its seventh iteration arrived. The update was reportedly rolling out in South Korea, India, and Germany for the Galaxy S25 series at a time when most of us were expecting its official appearance for everyone. It hauled in a 1GB download, packed with fixes for calling problems and more. There’s still no telling when Samsung could drop this for the Galaxy S25 for real, but hopefully it won’t take too much longer.
Android Central’s Take
For past-gen users, this is a huge development. I’ve seen countless number of people on social media in my research asking when Samsung will bring it to the S24. Now it’s here, and hopefully the beta goes a little smoother. The Galaxy S25 has been stuck in this program for months, and we’ve already entered its seventh beta. There was hope that it would get One UI 8.5 roughly around the same time as the S26 series dropped, but no dice. So, here I am, not-so patiently waiting.
