Samsung introduced the Galaxy S26 series in February with One UI 8.5 based on Android 16. In recent weeks, the South Korean company has started rolling out the stable One UI 8.5 update to many older Galaxy smartphones and tablets. A fresh leak now indicates that Samsung started the testing of its next major software release, One UI 9, on older Galaxy S series phones. This update, based on Android 17, is likely to make its way to eligible flagship smartphones in the coming months.Ā
One UI 9 Testing Started for Galaxy S25
Tipster Tarun Vats (@tarunvats33), in his latest X post, claimed that Samsung has started internal testing of One UI 9 for the Galaxy S25 lineup. As per the post, the first internal test build has been spotted, but its exact build version has not been decrypted.
Exclusive ā¼ļø
Galaxy S25 Series: Samsung has started internal testing of One UI 9 for the Galaxy S25 Series.
We have now spotted the first internal test build, although we are currently unable to decrypt the build version.
Interestingly, it has been spotted around 2 weeksā¦ pic.twitter.com/G1qCqR0gFg
ā Tarun Vats (@tarunvats33) June 5, 2026
Vats states that the One UI 9 build was spotted around two weeks earlier than Samsung’s usual testing timeline. For comparison, the first One UI 8 test build for the Galaxy S24 lineup was reportedly surfaced on June 19 last year. This indicates that Samsung may have already started development of One UI 9, which is expected to be based on Android 17, for its existing flagship phones.
Samsung is likely to make the One UI 9 beta available for more users after the wider rollout of One UI 8.5. The Android 16-based update has recently arrived on older foldable phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S11 series and select Galaxy A series models in India and other regions.
The company announced the One UI 9 beta program for the Galaxy S26 series last month. One UI 9 beta adds improvements to Samsung Notes with decorative tapes and pen line styles. With this update, the Contacts app offers direct access to Creative Studio. It includes an updated Quick Panel.
One UI 9 introduces an adjustable Mouse Key speed and a new TalkBack package. It also includes a Text Spotlight feature to show selected text larger or more clearly in a floating window. One UI 9 also includes new security and protection features. It is also confirmed to include several AI-based enhancements.
