Can a small, mostly bug-fix update change how you use a phone? Samsung’s second One UI 8.5 beta doesn’t land with a parade of new bells and whistles — but it quietly stitches a few rough edges back together while dropping hints about some genuinely interesting additions coming to Galaxy phones.
The tidy update: what Beta 2 actually fixes
Samsung pushed Beta 2 to Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra devices; the build is relatively light (about 1.1GB) and focuses on stability. The company’s changelog reads like the kind of maintenance you notice only when it’s gone wrong: interrupted quick panel initialization, menu icon spacing, intermittent reboots, issues moving photos into gallery group folders, stuttering in the More View menu during calls and a few call/volume problems tied to Bluetooth car kits. Samsung also reworked Camera Assistant toggles so Dual Rec and Single Take modes can be enabled again via settings.
A short list highlights the main items addressed:- Dual Rec and Single Take re-enabled through Camera Assistant
- Quick panel initialization and icon spacing fixes
- Gallery group-folder movement bug corrected
- Call-related stuttering and Bluetooth car kit sound issues improved
- Intermittent reboot and volume button problems patched
- Stability improvements across camera and multi-app workflows
This is the kind of release that won’t headline tech feeds, but it should make everyday use a little smoother for early beta testers. Samsung also updated the software update page UI in One UI 8.5 — a small design note that signals the company is continuing to tidy the overall experience.
Pro filmmaking kit — on a phone?
Under the hood of Camera Assistant, code strings discovered by teardown watchers hint that Samsung is building support for TILTA wireless lens controllers. For the unfamiliar: TILTA makes wireless focus and lens-control gear widely used in mirrorless and cinema rigs. The strings read like this: a title for a “TILTA wireless lens controller” and a summary saying you can use such a controller in Pro video mode (nearby device permission required).
If this arrives in public builds, it isn’t just a novelty. It would let creators mount a Galaxy in a professional rig and control focus or lens behavior using the same remote hardware they use on bigger cameras. That kind of integration points toward Samsung trying to court pro and pro-am filmmakers who want phone video to fit into established workflows. Expect this support to surface around the Galaxy S26 window — Samsung’s next flagship — where camera-centric features are likely to get center stage. For a deeper look at what’s expected for the next flagship, Samsung’s upcoming lineup is previewed in our Galaxy S26 coverage.
Storage Share: small feature, big practical win
One UI 8.5 introduces Storage Share, a feature SamMobile’s hands-on demos show working neatly in day-to-day scenarios. If you work across a phone and tablet (signed into the same Samsung Account), you can access another device’s storage through the Nearby Share menu and open files directly from your primary device’s file manager.
This isn’t cloud sync; it’s local device-to-device access that can save time when you’re switching between a tablet for editing and a phone for shooting. For people who live in multi-device workflows, it’s one of those quietly useful touches that improves productivity.
A balancing act: pro features vs. software bloat
There’s a subtle tension in this release. On one hand, Samsung is adding pro-level capabilities — think TILTA support and deeper camera controls, and rumored HDR tweaks that play into broader imaging ambitions. On the other, critics have long argued that One UI packs too many opt-out features and can feel cluttered. Some users prefer Google’s more opt-in approach to new functionality; others want the raw toolbox Samsung offers.
Beta 2 feels like Samsung trying to have both: clear up the niggles that annoy power users while laying groundwork for niche capabilities that appeal to creators. Whether that’s enough to change minds likely depends on how the company exposes and organizes those features in the final release — and how quickly it can land them without the delays and rollout issues that have frustrated some owners in past major updates.
Where this fits in the timeline
One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16 and is expected to debut in stable form alongside or just after the Galaxy S26 family. The beta is widening geographically (recently adding India and Poland), giving more hands-on feedback ahead of a public launch.
If you care about stable day-to-day performance, Beta 2 is mostly housekeeping. If you’re a creator, the TILTA strings and Storage Share are worth keeping an eye on — they hint at a future where a phone sits more comfortably inside a professional kit.
For readers tracking the S26 and Samsung’s imaging roadmap, our Galaxy S26 preview offers context about how these software changes might be timed with new hardware, and Samsung’s growing HDR ambitions are explored in our coverage of HDR10+ Advanced.