Samsung opened the One UI 8 beta program for the Galaxy S25 series in late May. Since then, it has rolled out four beta firmware, while shipping the stable build on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7. Now, the company has announced an expansion of its Android 16 beta program to more Galaxy devices.
Starting August 11, Samsung will open the One UI 8 beta program to include its 2024 flagship devices — the Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold 6, and Flip 6. However, the firmware will only go live for devices in India, Korea, the UK, and the US. Then, in October, the company will expand the beta program to include more devices, including the S23 series, Z Fold 5, Flip 5, Tab 10 series, and even its low-end A36 and A33.
Once the beta goes live in your region, enroll in it through the Samsung Members app. Remember, while upgrading to the One UI 8 beta won’t wipe your phone’s data, downgrading to the stable One UI 7 build will erase everything.
Samsung will also start pushing out the stable One UI 8 build to its devices from September. Galaxy S25 users will likely be the first in line, having already gone through four beta releases. Other eligible Galaxy devices will get the update in the following weeks.
Samsung usually beats its promised release timeline — unless last-minute issues crop up. So there’s a good chance you’ll get to try Android 16 on your Galaxy device a few weeks early.
Wait for One UI 8 Watch will stretch even longer
Galaxy Watch users will have to wait even longer for Wear OS 6-based One UI 8 Watch, as Samsung says it will expand availability beyond the Galaxy Watch 8 lineup “later this year.” So far, the company has only released the stable update for the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024), which makes sense since it’s essentially the same device as the Watch Ultra (2025).
Currently, the Galaxy Watch 7 is the only wearable part of the One UI 8 Watch beta program. Samsung’s announcement did not make it clear if it will expand the beta to its older Galaxy Watches or directly update them to the stable build.
