Samsung is giving early access to its One UI 8 open beta program to users of the Galaxy S25 series, including the S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra models. This comes ahead of the official release of Android 16, expected for Pixel phones in June.
To join the beta, users must be in the US, Germany, Korea, or the UK, with US phones requiring an unlocked device or T-Mobile variant. The software is not compatible with the new S25 Edge model.
The One UI 8 beta promises “multimodal capabilities” and personalized suggestions but seems to offer limited changes compared to the previous version. The interface still relies on Now Brief, a feature that assimilates data from Samsung apps and sources, providing weather information, calendar events, and news articles. There is no audio version of Now Brief in the beta.
Despite the lack of significant updates, users can sign up for the beta through the Samsung Members app, with the update available via OTA within minutes. The installation process is quick, but it’s recommended to have backups before using beta software.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/samsung-drops-android-16-beta-for-galaxy-s25-with-more-ai-you-probably-dont-want