Samsung isn't wasting any time. The manufacturer is offering the first public beta of One UI 8 based on Android 16... the final version of which isn't yet available. A beta of a beta, so to speak! The proposition is therefore rather risky, as it opens the door to all sorts of bugs. However, it's also a way to discover new features before everyone else.
Accelerating the development of One UI
However, not everyone will be able to benefit from it: you must have a Galaxy S25, S25+, or S25 Ultra, and live in Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, or the United States. No luck for French users. The final version of One UI 8 will be available this summer, Samsung assures — after all, Android 16 is about to be launched for all smartphones.
The company also announced that its next foldables, also expected this summer, will run on One UI 8. The rollout will then be gradual. A much faster and more sustained pace than for One UI 7, which is still struggling to be installed on the manufacturer's smartphones.
The rollout of the current version of the overlay began in early April and is expected to be completed in July. Almost a year after the release of Android 15 on which it is based... This very long delay should therefore be a thing of the past from One UI 8, thanks to the "mutual partnership between Samsung and Google": "Thanks to open communication, Samsung and Google actively shared their respective design systems as well as real-time feedback, which accelerated software development and allowed One UI 8 to be one of the first interfaces to adopt Android 16."
As for the new features themselves, Samsung will obviously add a (super) layer on the AI functions by promising improvements for the multimodal capabilities of its artificial intelligence, on the optimization of the "user experience" based on device designs, and for "personalized and proactive" suggestions. The Now Bar, which isn't very useful in One UI 7, should benefit from it.
Beyond AI, One UI 8 will also improve audio connectivity with the ability to scan a QR code to share your smartphone's audio via Auracast. The Reminders app has been redesigned with a new interface, simplified task sharing, and the ability to add reminders by voice. Quick Share is optimized for sending and receiving files instantly.
Source: Samsung
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