Samsung’s official One UI 8 release schedule may let you down

Earlier today, Samsung rolled out the stable One UI 8 update for the Galaxy S25 series in South Korea. The firmware’s availability should expand to more countries in the coming days. As for other Galaxy devices, a recent leak suggested Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup would get the update in late September. Sadly, that’s not the case, as Samsung’s official One UI 8 release timeline provides a clearer picture of when Android 16 will roll out to its devices.

With stable One UI 8 already live for the Galaxy S25, Samsung has officially laid out when Android 16 is coming to the rest of its lineup. While the schedule is specific to Korea, Samsung’s global rollout is typically aligned, so most devices worldwide should follow the same timeline.

As per the timeline, only the Galaxy S25 lineup will be updated to Android 16 in September. The Galaxy S24 series, Z Fold 6, Flip 6, Tab S10, S23, S22 series, and several other mid-range Galaxy devices will only get the update in October. And older flagship devices such as the Z Fold 5, Fold 4, Flip 5, and Flip 4 will have to wait until November to taste the latest version of Android.

Even budget-friendly models like the Galaxy A24, A16, and Tab A9 are slated to get Android 16 in November.

Samsung has a habit of beating its update deadlines

That’s a long wait for some flagship devices, especially since a previously leaked timeline indicated most of Samsung’s premium Galaxy S, Fold, and Flip devices would get stable One UI 8 by mid-October.

The silver lining is that Samsung has a history of beating its own schedules, so there’s a good chance Android 16 could reach its flagship devices earlier than the official timeline suggests. In any case, Samsung seems set to update almost all its compatible Galaxy devices to Android 16 and One UI 8 before the end of the year.

Remember that if you own a carrier-locked Galaxy phone or tablet, you might have to wait even longer than what Samsung promises. Your network operator will run the stable firmware through its own set of testing and certification before releasing it.