Galaxy A36 Gets One UI 8.5 Beta as Samsung Expands Testing

Samsung is on a roll today. It is expanding the One UI 8.5 beta program beyond flagship devices. The company has officially kicked off beta testing for mid-range devices, starting with the Galaxy A36 5G. More Galaxy A models could get early access to One UI 8.5 in the coming days.

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 Beta goes live for Galaxy A36

The beta program is currently available in India, allowing Galaxy A36 users to try out Samsung’s latest software improvements before they’re released publicly. Interested users can enroll their A36 using the Samsung Members app. Simply tap on the One UI 8.5 Beta Program banner and follow the instructions to complete the registration. When done, you will receive an OTA update.

While this is the first beta build for the Galaxy A36, Samsung has been testing One UI 8.5 for a while now. The Galaxy S25 series picked up the first beta update in December last year. As such, the update is pretty stable now. However, you should still create a backup of your important files and data, just in case. After all, beta software may contain bugs and stability issues that could force you to reset your phone.

One UI 8.5 brings a myriad of new features and enhancements to Galaxy devices. While mid-range models do not receive many new AI tools, Samsung has refined the system performance and improved the overall user experience with UI tweaks and optimizations.

By bringing the One UI 8.5 Beta to the Galaxy A36, Samsung is continuing its push to include mid-range devices in early software testing. It’s a sign that the company is taking feedback from a broader user base before the stable rollout. The final update may arrive on the Galaxy S25 series later this month before expanding to other models in May.