Samsung Widens One Ui 8.5 To Galaxy S23, A56 and A36
Samsung is rolling out one ui 8.5 to the Galaxy S23, Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 globally. The third major wave pushes the update beyond the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24 families. For owners of older and cheaper Galaxy phones, the shift is less about a new headline feature than about getting onto the same software track as Samsung’s newer devices.
Galaxy S23 and A56 rollout
Galaxy S23 users in Germany, Pakistan, Portugal and Spain are already reporting the update, while Galaxy A56 owners in South Africa, Norway, Egypt and other countries are seeing it land too. The current wave also includes the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, which means Samsung is now covering a wider slice of its recent lineup instead of keeping One UI 8.5 limited to flagships.
The rollout began in South Korea on May 6 with the Galaxy S26 series, then expanded globally on May 11 to the Galaxy S25 series and the latest foldables. The Galaxy S24 series followed shortly after, so the update is now moving through Samsung’s recent phones in stages rather than arriving everywhere at once.
Android 16 and Galaxy S26 tools
One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16, and Samsung says the update adds floating pill-shaped menus, new Quick Panel and Lock Screen customization options, and AirDrop compatibility through an updated Quick Share integration. That gives users a more visible interface change than many software updates do, especially if they rely on Samsung’s sharing tools across phones and laptops.
If you own a Galaxy S24 series phone or newer, One UI 8.5 also brings four AI tools that debuted on the Galaxy S26 earlier this year. Audio Eraser lets users isolate voices, music and background noise while streaming content through the Quick Panel. Creative Studio turns sketches into finished artwork or changes an existing image’s style. Call Screening answers unknown calls and transcribes them in real time. Updated Photo Assist can add or remove objects and change details like clothing colours.
Galaxy A-series limits
Those four AI tools will not reach the Galaxy A-series phones or the Galaxy S23 range, even as those devices get the update itself. Samsung is leaving Galaxy S23 owners with the upgraded Bixby, which now runs on Perplexity AI and can understand natural language to find and change settings without users knowing the exact menu names.
That split is the part Galaxy owners should watch most closely as the rollout reaches more devices. The Galaxy S23 series is already in the second half of its promised software support window, so this wave shows Samsung still updating it, but not giving it the same AI package reserved for newer hardware.
