The update has started rolling out to Galaxy S25 series phones in Korea
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| One UI 8.5 |
The first stable version of Samsung's One UI 8.5 user interface has arrived for older Galaxy phones, bringing many of the features found in the new Galaxy S26 series to Samsung's older generation of devices.
The update began rolling out in Korea on May 6, 2026, and is expected to reach other regions later in May. One UI 8.5 introduces several new Galaxy AI features, improves existing ones, and enables Quick Share between Android and Apple devices.
The update will be available for the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra, and Galaxy S25 FE.
Sources indicate that other Samsung phones will receive the same One UI 8.5 features later, including the S24 series, as well as the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models, specifically the Z Fold 6, Z Fold 7, Z Flip 6, and Z Flip 7, according to a report by tech news site BGR, which was reviewed by Mobi Alo .
New features
1- Call filtering
The Galaxy S26 series introduced several new features, most notably a significant upgrade to Galaxy AI capabilities compared to previous generations, along with the addition of entirely new AI features. Among these is "Call Filtering," which is now available on the Galaxy S25 series and older phones via One UI 8.5.
This feature scans incoming calls and informs the user of the caller's identity before answering.
When a call is received from a suspicious number—whether identified by AI as suspicious or from any unknown number in general—the Samsung phone can answer on the user's behalf.
The phone will ask the caller for their identity and reason for calling, then determine if the call is legitimate. The user can then choose whether to answer or not, and can review a summary or transcript of the call after it ends to make a decision later.
This feature is a significant improvement over "Bixby Text Call," and can be configured to automatically answer calls from unknown numbers, instead of requiring manual selection as before.
2- Improve the image assistant
The AI-powered photo editing tools in the S26 series are a major highlight. While the Galaxy S25 series already featured Photo Assist, its capabilities were limited compared to the new version in One UI 8.5.
In the previous version, users could select any element in a photo to remove, resize, or move it, as well as insert elements from other images and transform sketches into realistic objects. Portrait Studio also used AI to create artistic portraits.
With One UI 8.5, Photo Assist has become much more advanced, retaining all the previous features while adding the ability to input text commands.
Instead of relying solely on manual selection, users can now type a precise description of what they want, which the AI will then execute with greater accuracy.
3- Improved audio noise cancellation feature
Background noise can be annoying, whether you're watching or recording videos in noisy environments. That's why Samsung introduced the Audio Eraser feature.
Initially, this feature only worked on videos recorded within the gallery, where noise could be removed using the video editor.
However, in One UI 8.5, the feature was enhanced and now works system-wide and in real time. This means it can reduce noise during live use, including built-in apps, streaming platforms, and social media apps.
In practice, it can reduce noise while watching YouTube videos, browsing Instagram, or recording audio. The ability to remove noise while recording video is now available directly during the recording process, without the need for post-processing.
4- Support for sharing via "AirDrop" with Apple devices
The ability to share files wirelessly has been around for a long time, whether via Bluetooth or modern Wi-Fi technologies. Android's Quick Share and Apple's AirDrop both allow for very fast file transfers.
However, the problem has always been that each system operates independently, preventing file sharing between Android and Apple devices. This has recently changed with the introduction of AirDrop support for some Android phones, including the Galaxy S26.
In One UI 8.5, Quick Share now supports transfers between Android devices and Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs, with improvements over the previous beta version, which had some issues.
This feature will be available on the Galaxy S25, S24, S23, and even the S22 series. This will allow users of these devices to easily send and receive files from Apple devices.
