Tech Advisor
A bunch of prominent Samsung phones look set to miss out on the latest One UI 8.5 update. Here’s why. Samsung started a widespread rollout of its One UI 8.5 software update on 6 May, bringing a refreshed Android 16-based interface to phones old and new. The company has traditionally released all updates based on a particular version of Android for any eligible phone – so any phone that got Android 15 would get the subsequent Android 15-based updates. As such, many had assumed that phones such as the Galaxy S22 , Galaxy Z Fold 4 , and Galaxy Z Flip 4 would be in line for One UI 8.5. Not so fast As SamMobile points out, however, that doesn’t seems to be the case with Samsung’s take on Android 16. Samsung Germany’s press release concerning the One UI 8.5 update seemed to suggest that the company was only supporting phones going back to the Samsung Galaxy S23 range and the last three generations of A series. This was despite the fact that the Galaxy S22, Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53 all received Android 16 with One UI 8. The reason for this seems to come down to a shift in Samsung’s approach to software development. While previous One UI updates were all based on the same core Android code, One UI 8.5 is based on a different version of Google’s OS to that of One UI 8. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Android 16 QPR2 was a significant step up from Android 16, with major feature additions, updated APIs, and refreshed developer tools. As such, the process of developing and testing the One UI 8.5 update on older phones would have proved a much more involved task than for previous updates. Which probably explains why the update process has taken so long. Samsung’s seven-year shift Those older devices mentioned above came with the promise of four generations of major Android OS upgrades, which Samsung fulfilled with the initial Android 16/One UI 8 release. The good news is that Samsung started offering the promise of seven OS generations with the Galaxy S24 , while even the company’s mid-range A-series phones now get at least six major updates. This should significantly lessen such update annoyances from now on. Some of those who bought their phones pre-2024, however, look set to fall through the software update cracks. Samsung Galaxy S24 Read our review Price When Reviewed: 899 Euro Best Prices Today: €689.99 at OTTO | 899,00 € at Samsung
Go to News Site
TechRadar 
WIRED 
