SEOUL, January 8, 2026, 19:21 (KST)
Samsung Electronics’ next One UI 8.5 update will add weather animations to Galaxy lock screens, with rain or snow generated by artificial intelligence software and blended into the wallpaper, according to GalaxyClub. The Dutch Samsung-focused site said a new Weather option in Settings can create the effect while keeping it behind people or objects in the picture. Samsung has not announced when One UI 8.5 will roll out, the site added. 1
Lock screens have become a new front in phone software, as makers chase more daily use without forcing people to open apps. Android Authority said Samsung’s approach looks similar to Google Pixel “Live Effects” and is already showing up in a One UI 8.5 beta — a test version of the software — tied to the Galaxy S25 line. The outlet said One UI 8.5 is expected to arrive alongside Samsung’s next flagship phones as soon as next month, with older devices following later. 2
SammyFans said the animations aim for a more realistic look, with fog, snowfall and rain moving across the background instead of sitting on top of the whole image. The setting sits under Wallpaper & style for the lock screen and builds on Samsung’s earlier “Photo Ambient Wallpaper” experiment tucked inside a Labs menu, it wrote. The same beta also briefly removed two camera modes before restoring them as optional toggles via Camera Assistant in Good Lock, Samsung’s add-on suite for customising its interface, the site added. 3
SamMobile said that camera change almost turned into a self-inflicted problem on the Galaxy S25 Ultra after an earlier One UI 8.5 build dropped Single Take and Dual Recording from the camera app’s More tab. Single Take captures a short clip and lets the phone pull out photos and short videos, while Dual Recording lets users record with two cameras at the same time, it said. Samsung has since restored the modes, but the workaround still “leaves a lot to be desired,” the outlet wrote. 4
For Samsung, the lock screen tweak is a small change with a clear goal: keep the phone looking fresh in the few seconds users spend unlocking it, hundreds of times a day. It also adds another AI feature people can see immediately, without hunting through menus.
But beta features shift fast, and extra animation and image analysis can cost battery life or cause stutter on older models. Hiding camera tools behind extra settings — and an optional add-on — could also trigger support complaints if users think Samsung cut features rather than moved them.
Google already sells its Pixels with lock screen tricks and software-only extras, and Samsung has a habit of matching popular ideas once they prove sticky. That keeps Galaxy users closer to Samsung’s software layer on top of Android, even as hardware and camera specs converge across the high end.
Samsung has not laid out a final One UI 8.5 feature list in public. For now, the best read is the beta trail: more animated weather on the lock screen, and a camera app still being rearranged.
