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Samsung Rolls Out One UI 8.5 to Many Galaxy Phones, Limits Older Models

The staged May 2026 release reflects a tighter eligibility window because Android QPR2 platform changes make backporting the update to older hardware more costly.

Overview

  • The One UI 8.5 stable rollout began in May 2026 and is now reaching a wide range of devices, including recent A- and M-series phones and flagships covered back to the Galaxy S23 per Samsung Germany.
  • Several mid- and low-range models including the Galaxy A16 5G, A17 5G and M55 have already received One UI 8.5 and the May 2026 Android security patch in various regions.
  • Samsung has issued the May 2026 security update separately to some flagships, with the Galaxy S23 series getting the patch in India under firmware S91xBXXSAFZE1.
  • Reports show Samsung halted One UI 8.5 test builds for some pre-2023 phones such as the Galaxy S22 in early April, making it likely many 2022 devices will not get the mid-cycle 8.5 feature release.
  • Unconfirmed tip reports say the Galaxy S25 may get two S26 AI notification tools, Priority and Summarize Notifications, in a June update, and separate rumors point to a One UI 9 Watch beta with deeper AI health reports but neither claim is confirmed by Samsung.