- Samsung is rolling the One UI 8.5 beta out to the Galaxy S23 series and other phones
- These include the Galaxy A36, which is the first A-series model to get access
- The latest beta version also adds AirDrop support to select handsets
One UI 8.5 is so far only available in finished form on the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, but a beta version started rolling out to other Samsung phones a while back. Now, additional phones are getting access to it.
Samsung has announced that its One UI 8.5 beta is rolling out for the Galaxy S23 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Galaxy S23 FE, and the Samsung Galaxy A36. The last of those is especially notable, as this is the first A-series handset to get access.
Beta access will be made available in the US, the UK, India, and South Korea, but this is a phased rollout, which means even if you have one of those phones, you might not have access quite yet.
It should be worth the wait though as it comes with numerous new and improved features, such as improvements to Photo Assist and Quick Share — though not every upgrade will necessarily be available for every handset.
Adding AirDrop support
And even if you have a phone that already had access to the beta, there are new goodies here for you in this version, as it also introduces AirDrop support through Quick Share, so you can more easily share files between Samsung phones and iPhones.
That feature is now available with the One UI 8.5 beta on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy S24 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Samsung has said that additional devices will gain access to the beta later this month, and according to leaker Tarun Vats, the stable One UI 8.5 release might roll out for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series on April 30, so there’s hopefully not long to wait for that either.
If you want to sign up for the beta you can register through the Samsung Members app, but note that this build might not be entirely stable, so you may be better off waiting for the finished version.
