Samsung To Bring Galaxy S26’s Horizontal Lock To Older Galaxy Phones

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Spotted by tipster Tarun Vats on X, a moderator on the Samsung community forums responded to a user’s questions about Horizontal Lock coming to older devices.

“Regarding the document scanning and Horizontal Super Steady features you mentioned, which have been available since the Galaxy S26 series, we are currently preparing to support them on a wider range of devices. Once the update schedule is confirmed, we will announce the details via Samsung Members,” the translated response explains.

For the uninitiated, the Horizontal Lock option in the Super Steady camera feature stabilizes video by locking the horizon to mimic a gimbal, keeping the footage perfectly level even during full 360-degree rotations. Check out video of it in action below.

This was one of the features Samsung spent some time explaining and demoing to reporters at a Galaxy S26 pre-release press event earlier this year. Ultimately, the privacy screen and price increase dominated headlines, but Horizontal Lock was clearly a tool Samsung wanted front and center at the launch because of its ability to mimic a physical accessory: the gimbal.

The b-plot of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been about replacing physical accessories with built-in parts. The privacy screen, which works surprisingly well, replaces a stick-on privacy and anti-glare film.

Meanwhile, the new Gorilla Glass Armor 2 could replace a screen protector. YouTuber JerryRigEverything couldn’t reproduce the same level of scratches on the Galaxy S26 as he could on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

And, of course, the Horizontal Lock does enough of a job of replacing a gimbal.

When Will Galaxy S26 Horizontal Lock Come To Older Samsung Phones?

There’s no other information about when the feature will land on older phones or which devices will get it. But as we’ve seen with the One UI 8.5 rollout, the 2024 phones are the hard cutoff for older devices that receive new AI-powered features.

Samsung Galaxy S24 owners and users of flagships released after that will receive a suite of AI tools that launched with the Galaxy S26. Specifically, these include the enhanced Audio Eraser, Creative Studio, and Call Screening. If you own the Galaxy S23, or a flagship Galaxy device released before 2023, it doesn’t look like those same AI tools will make it to your phone.

That may be a hardware decision. Perhaps the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (which powered the Samsung Galaxy S24 series) was built specifically for generative AI. Or, Samsung sees the 2024 official release of Galaxy AI as an easy way to divide the "before and after" devices, forcing people to upgrade to AI-ready phones to receive these Galaxy S26 features. Either way, the chances of Horizontal Lock landing on phones older than the Galaxy S24 series may be slim.

Update May 6th: Samsung Releases Stable One UI 8.5 Build With Galaxy S26 Features To Select Galaxy Phones

Update May 6th 7:51 am ET: There is still no official word on the Galaxy S26 Horizontal Lock rollout status, but Samsung is now releasing the stable build of One UI 8.5 to several Galaxy phones. It looks like the stable build of the updated OS (which is built on Android 16) will make its way to users in Korea first, according to tipster Tarun Vats on X. So far, eligible devices include the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, and the Galaxy S25 series (including the Edge and FE).

Devices that received the earlier builds of One UI 8.5 in the last few months will likely receive the stable version in the next couple of days and weeks. This includes the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5.

There are no details on when the rollout will come to other countries yet, but expect India and the U.S. to be included very soon. It is worth pointing out, though, that different devices will get a different flavor of One UI 8.5. For example, owners of handsets released in 2023 likely won’t receive the new suite of Galaxy S26 AI tools mentioned earlier in this story. However, the newly advanced Bixby, which is powered by Perplexity AI, will come to some of those older phones. Read more about that in detail here.