The rumor mill suggests Samsung may launch a One UI 8.5 public beta program for the Galaxy S25 sometime soon. The company recently uploaded a beta firmware on its test server, indicating an imminent release. A new leak now gives us a more specific release window.
Samsung will supposedly open the One UI 8.5 beta program on December 8. In the first phase, the program will only be available for Galaxy S25 owners in the US, UK, Korea, and Germany.
This will be followed by the second beta dropping around December 22nd, with the program expanding to India and Poland. The third beta will reportedly drop around January 5.
Coincidentally, last year, Samsung started the Android 15-based One UI 7 beta program on December 5. So, December 8 certainly seems like a plausible timeline.
Nothing is final yet, though. Leaker @UniverseIce says that One UI 8.5 is still too buggy in its current state and doesn’t offer enough new features. So, there’s always a possibility that Samsung could delay the public beta program by a few weeks.
With Samsung adopting the stable trunk development approach like Google, One UI 8.5 should be based on Android 16 QPR2. That means it should include all the new features and changes Google adds to the OS by that point.
Whenever the One UI 8.5 beta program goes live, it should be available for the Galaxy S25 series first. Samsung’s other 2025 flagships — the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 — will likely join the beta bandwagon at a later date. Other older Galaxy flagships will also have to wait for their turn.
One UI 8.5 could pack some big changes
Several One UI 8.5 leaks in the last couple of months have detailed most of the changes that Samsung plans to add to its next Android skin. A hands-on video has showcased several major UI changes, including a revamp of the Phone app, notification panel, and Quick Settings.
Even if the One UI 8.5 beta program for the Galaxy S25 series starts in December, the phone will likely only get the stable build after the Galaxy S26’s release next year. Samsung plans to use the Galaxy S26 as the primary launch device for One UI 8.5.
