Seoul, April 17, 2026, 01:38 KST
Samsung widened testing of One UI 8.5, its latest Android software layer, to more older Galaxy phones, with beta builds appearing for the Galaxy A54 and A55 in India and a ninth beta reaching Galaxy S25 users in the United States. SamMobile said the S25 test build adds Apple-device transfers, while the A55 package is about 2.19 gigabytes and the A54 build about 2.73 gigabytes, pointing to a broader push beyond Samsung’s newest flagships.
That matters because Samsung has usually kept early software tests mostly for recent Galaxy S and Z models. Broader access gives more users a first shot at Galaxy AI tools and helps Samsung close gaps on two fronts: Apple’s cross-device convenience and Google’s broad Android beta reach, which already spans Pixel A-series phones.
The rollout has been building in steps. Samsung said on March 26 that One UI 8.5 would move from the Galaxy S25 launch lineup to the Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, S25 FE, S24 FE and Tab S11, and on April 9 it added the Galaxy S23 line, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, S23 FE and, for the first time, an A-series device, the Galaxy A36 5G.
In the same expansion, Samsung said Quick Share — its file-sharing tool built with Google — would support transfers to Apple devices on select One UI 8.5 beta phones. Droid-Life, citing Samsung’s April 9 announcement, noted the company also kept a footnote saying live AirDrop support was still limited to the Galaxy S26 series and that timing could vary by market.
The next jump may be the Galaxy S24 line. Separate reports said an internal S24 test build contains four Galaxy S26 tools — Advanced Audio Eraser, Call Screening, Creative Studio and an improved Photo Assist — although Samsung has not confirmed timing; Call Screening uses AI to answer unknown calls and create a transcript, while Samsung, in a feature note published on April 16, described Audio Eraser on the S26 as real-time filtering for voices, music and background noise.
Samsung’s own AI pitch is direct. “Our goal is for Bixby to become the primary entry point for interacting with Samsung products,” Jisun Park, head of language AI in Samsung’s mobile business, said in an April 8 interview, framing Bixby as the route into a broader set of Galaxy AI features. Samsung Mobile Press
Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, wrote after the Galaxy S26 launch that the lineup carried “an even heavier dose of AI than the last generation.” That suggests Samsung now has to move the most visible parts of that software story to older phones quickly, not just to buyers of the latest model. Moor Insights Strategy
The software push also lands as Samsung leans further into Google-backed services. Samsung says U.S. users of Samsung Messages must move to Google Messages before Samsung’s own app is discontinued in July 2026, and AP reported this week that the guidance was updated to make clear the change applies only in the U.S.; Samsung says the switch brings RCS, a richer texting standard, and Google Gemini features.
But there are still catches. Samsung’s developer page says beta software may contain bugs or missing features, updates roll out gradually, and the company cannot provide a specific date for the stable release; Apple still keeps AirDrop native to nearby Apple devices, while Google already runs broad Android betas across Pixel phones.
