Samsung has started rolling out its One UI 8.5 update to the Galaxy S25 series in the US. This brings a mix of visual tweaks, AI tools, and UI customisation upgrades to last year’s flagship lineup.
The update has already been spotted by users on X, suggesting the rollout is now actively hitting devices across the region. If you’re on a Galaxy S25, it’s worth checking the Software Update section in Settings. The new version appears to be arriving in waves.
At the centre of One UI 8.5 is a noticeable redesign of the quick settings panel. Samsung now lets users grab, resize, and reposition individual toggles freely. This gives far more control over layout. Users can also switch volume and brightness sliders to a vertical format, while media controls expand for easier access.
The lock screen has also been refreshed. It features new animated clock fonts, along with a thickness slider that adjusts how the clock looks. A new weather option adds live animations directly onto your wallpaper. This is a small addition, but one that gives the interface a bit more movement and personality.
However, the update isn’t identical across all S25 models. Reports from Korean Samsung forums suggest that as many as nine features are missing on the older devices. The biggest omissions include Now Nudge, a 24MP camera mode, Notification Highlights, a Home Screen Finder shortcut, and Samsung Browser’s “Ask AI” tool.
The exclusions have raised questions, especially since many of these features don’t appear to rely on new hardware from the Galaxy S26 series. Instead, some users are pointing to what feels like deliberate feature segmentation across generations, a strategy that’s becoming more familiar across the smartphone industry.
For now, One UI 8.5 still delivers a meaningful update for Galaxy S25 owners in the US. However, not everything shown in Samsung’s wider software push is making its way down to older flagships.
