Samsung starts testing One UI 8 based on Android 16

No, there’s no typo in the title – we do mean that Samsung has started testing One UI 8 based on Android 16. And yes, it’s incredibly ironic, since the update to One UI 7 based on Android 15 still isn’t out, even with many months of testing. That one will finally start rolling out next month, and then the waiting game will start again very soon after that, since Google aims on releasing Android 16 in June.

We are naturally hoping that Samsung will be quicker with this update than it’s been with the previous one, but of course there’s no guarantee. The fact that the Korean company is already testing One UI 8 internally does seem like a good sign, but we wouldn’t make any bets based on this information alone.

BREAKING ‼️

The FIRST One UI 8 internal test build for the Galaxy S25 series has been spotted on the server today

Build Version: S938BXXU1BYC1/S938BOXM1BYC1/S938BXXU1BYC1

Samsung has kicked off One UI 8 (Android 16) development two months earlier than usual.

Repost 🔄 pic.twitter.com/hZ3G38ORng

— Tarun Vats (@tarunvats33) March 7, 2025

The first One UI 8 build for the Galaxy S25 series was spotted today on Samsung’s firmware servers, and the good news is that the company has started development two months earlier than usual. Then again, Android 16 may come out even earlier than that in the year. Perhaps there’s a chance Samsung will release the One UI 8 update by the end of the year at this rate. We’ll let you know when we find out more.