Samsung One UI 8 Is Launching Soon But You Can Test The Beta Right Now
Samsung has officially launched its One UI 8 Beta Program, the company's latest take on Android 16, and with it comes multimodal AI capabilities and customization. This "first-generation upgrade" promises to redefine the user experience, mirroring Android 16's goal to have optimized UI/UX for Android phones, foldables, and tablets. For now, the beta program is open only to Galaxy S25 users.
Surprising almost no one, One UI 8 is pumping in more AI features for Galaxy devices. There's a new focus on intelligent multimodality, which allows for natural, seamless communication with AI that understands what users are viewing or watching in real time. One UI 8 will also adapt to user context, offering contextual suggestions that align with an individual's daily routines, leveraging features like Now Bar and Now Brief to provide curated insights to keep users on task.
Beyond AI, One UI 8 will have Auracast—a broadcast audio technology based on Bluetooth LE Audio—baked in. The concept is to allow multiple Auracast-compatible devices, such as Galaxy Buds3 and hearing aids, to join a shared audio stream such as public audio announcements or audio at concerts. Auracast is slowly gaining adoption within the tech manufacturer world, but so far has extremely limited infrastructure, availability, and compatibility issues within the public space.
One UI 8's Reminder app also receives some enhancements, basically transforming into a comprehensive travel companion of sorts; users can manage all trip-related reminders in one intuitive interface. There's also an ability to share to-do lists for trips with a single button press while the addition of voice-enabled reminders further enhances its utility. Sharing memories is also supposedly simpler with the updated Quick Share feature, allowing instant file sending and receiving with a single tap from the Quick settings panel.
The beta program, accessible through the Samsung Members app, is now open, initially available for the Galaxy S25,
S25+, and S25 Ultra in key markets including Germany, Korea, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. For some reason, the Galaxy S25 Edge we recently reviewed is being left out of the party. The stable version of One UI 8 is expected to launch together with Samsung's upcoming Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 this summer.
