Samsung One UI 8 rollout begins: AI, privacy, and design upgrades explained

Samsung has officially kicked off the global rollout of One UI 8, starting with the new Galaxy S25 series. Owners of the S25 Ultra, S25+, and the standard S25 can expect to see an OTA update notification in the coming days, though availability will vary depending on market and carrier. Samsung stresses that the rollout is staged, so while some users are already celebrating the upgrade, others may need to wait a bit longer.

Alongside the S25 lineup, Samsung has confirmed that a wide range of devices will join the One UI 8 family later this year.

The official list includes the Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, S24 FE, S23 series, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, S23 FE, S22 series, Z Fold4, Z Flip4, S21 FE, and several tablets such as the Tab S10, S10 FE, S10 Lite, Tab S9 series, Tab S8 series, as well as popular midrange phones like the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, A26 5G, A17 5G, A55 5G, A35 5G, A25 5G, and more. Even older models like the Galaxy A15 5G and A06 remain on the eligibility list, showing Samsung’s growing commitment to multi-year support.

The star attraction of One UI 8 is its deeper AI integration. Samsung introduces the Now Bar, a real-time activity panel that highlights app behavior, media playback, and even integrates with third-party apps. The Now Brief takes this a step further, serving as a personalized dashboard for traffic alerts, reminders, and curated music or video suggestions. These features lean heavily on Samsung’s collaboration with Google, which also brings Gemini Live and the intuitive Circle to Search tool directly into the ecosystem.

However, the new AI-powered experience doesn’t come without concerns. Privacy is a major talking point, and Samsung aims to counter skepticism with Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection (KEEP). This system runs apps in isolated sandboxes, preventing them from mishandling sensitive data. The broader Knox Matrix automatically signs out compromised devices from your Samsung account, bolstering overall security across your ecosystem.

For foldable owners, Samsung promises noticeable improvements. A new AI Results View makes multitasking more intuitive, offering Floating View or Split View options for generated content. Users can drag and drop AI-created text and images seamlessly into other apps. It’s a subtle but meaningful improvement for devices like the Z Fold6, where multitasking is core to the experience.

And then, of course, there’s the new dynamic clock design. It adapts to wallpapers by bending and wrapping around shapes or faces, giving every home screen a more organic and personalized feel. It may not be as headline-grabbing as Knox or AI tools, but it’s a fresh touch that visually sets One UI 8 apart.

Community reactions have been mixed. Many welcome the update as a solid step forward, praising the flexibility of AI features and Samsung’s expanded device support. Others express concern about long-term reliability, with the dreaded green line screen issue reappearing in user debates. While Samsung hasn’t directly addressed this in the rollout notes, enthusiasts continue to joke online about putting phones in the freezer before installing updates. Some also point out that while Samsung offers local processing options for certain AI tasks, many would prefer full on-device AI without cloud dependency.

Despite jokes, criticism, and a degree of skepticism, One UI 8 marks an ambitious shift toward AI-driven personalization, improved security, and better foldable optimization. Whether you’re on the bleeding edge with the Galaxy S25 Ultra or waiting for your midrange A-series device to catch up, Samsung is betting that One UI 8 will redefine what its software can offer in 2025 and beyond.