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Samsung Widens One UI 8.5 Beta to S23, Fold5/Flip5 and First A‑Series Phone

The phased rollout signals a push to test new UI features plus cross‑platform sharing on more phones before stable releases.

Overview

  • Samsung expanded the One UI 8.5 beta on Thursday to seven more models, adding the Galaxy S23 lineup, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, and the mid‑range Galaxy A36 with availability staggered by country.
  • The S23 series beta is live in India first with firmware S911xXXU9ZZD5, a roughly 4.16GB download that includes the April 2026 security patch.
  • Galaxy S25 FE users in South Korea received Beta 2 with build ZZD5, which fixes nine issues and adds AirDrop support via Quick Share along with the April 2026 security update.
  • AirDrop‑style sharing is expanding through Quick Share on devices that install the One UI 8.5 beta, including the Galaxy S25 and S24 families and recent Galaxy Z Fold and Flip generations for easier file transfers with Apple devices.
  • Enrollment runs through the Samsung Members app, and access is region‑locked for now with Fold5/Flip5 limited to the US and Korea and A36 to India, so users should expect staged updates and back up data before trying beta software.