Carry on and wait, says Samsung.

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Here we go again. Hundreds of millions of Samsung Galaxy owners are waiting for news as to when the latest Android upgrade will hit their phones. “We understand you have been waiting a long time,” a company rep has just admitted, "but we are unable to provide internal advance notice regarding the update schedule.”

Leakers had suggested April 30 and then May 4 for a One UI 8.5 upgrade that will come first to Samsung’s recent Galaxy S25 flagship. This to secure upgrades already on the new Galaxy S26 for free, without an expensive device upgrade.

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“Secure” is the operative word here. “One UI 8.5 strengthens device protection,” Samsung says, “and gives users clearer control over their security settings." That includes Theft Protection, Failed Authentication Lock and Identity Check.

All told, the company promises that One UI 8.5 will "safeguard more settings than before, adding an extra layer of protection.” It’s a security-first upgrade.

Fresh from complaining that Samsung users lose out when compared to Pixel and iPhone owners when it comes to timely, transparent updates, SammyFans has the latest on the likely go live dates for One UI 8.5 and these extra protections.

“Samsung users are quite frustrated due to a lack of communication,” the website says. “As always, Samsung is refraining from revealing a release timeline.” But the software “may start rolling out on Wednesday, as the May 4 release window could be avoided due to regional considerations.” That’s only in Korea, though.

“Our assumptions point to May 6 for South Korea, followed by Global markets within a week. A Canadian moderator ruled out the possibility of a simultaneous rollout for a wide range of models, so an undefined delay is likely.”

Put simply, most Galaxy owners still have some time to wait.

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Leakers had suggested April 30 for Korea and May 4 for other markets, despite the May holiday weekend in Samsung’s home market. Now it’s unclear when exactly other markets and models will follow, assuming this week sees any go lives begin.

“You inquired about when One Ul 8.5 will be released,” that online customer rep told SammyFans. “We apologize. We are unable to provide internal advance notice regarding the update schedule. Due to the many variables involved until the final update, the relevant departments have stated that it is difficult to provide advance
notice, so there is no way for us to know internally either."