One UI 8.5 Update: What's New for Samsung Galaxy Devices

One UI 8.5 is shaping up to be a far more substantial update than the version number suggests. Samsung is readying the release for dozens of Galaxy devices, and it will bring not just minor refinements but significant changes to the interface, system controls, AI features, and file sharing.

A major highlight is the refreshed visual design, complete with semi-transparent panels, blur effects, soft shadows, and floating UI elements. The influence of iOS 26’s Liquid Glass is hard to miss, but for One UI it’s still a meaningful step forward. The new look will extend to Settings, the Phone dialer, Gallery, Calculator, notifications, widgets, Control Center, and other system areas.

Samsung is also giving the Quick Settings panel a thorough overhaul. In One UI 8.5, users will be able to freely move, resize, and rotate tiles, as well as customize the brightness and volume sliders. The panel can be stripped down to nearly empty or packed to maximum density, and a handy reset button will restore the default layout without any fuss.

Another standout is the AI-powered call handling. When an incoming call comes from an unknown number or is suspected spam, the system can answer on its own, ask for the caller’s purpose, and display a real-time transcript. The user can then decide whether to pick up or flag it as spam. A similar approach will handle voicemail processing entirely on-device, bypassing carrier servers.

Samsung is also consolidating its generative tools into a single Creative Studio. From there, users can generate wallpapers, stickers, invitations, postcards, and profile cards based on text prompts, photos, or sketches. The studio will offer a range of formats and styles—including childlike drawings, marker illustrations, and oil painting—which should make Galaxy AI feel less scattered and more intuitive.

Another practical addition is a Share with Apple Devices function built directly into Quick Settings. It will enable file transfers to iPhones, iPads, and Macs without any third-party apps, a boon for those straddling mixed ecosystems. In parallel, Samsung is improving cross-Galaxy sharing via My Files: for instance, you’ll be able to browse photos and documents on a tablet from your smartphone without a cable or cloud sync, provided both devices are signed into the same Samsung account.