Samsung Surprises Galaxy Owners With Android Update Decision

Republished on May 22 with new reports into One UI 8’s release.

Samsung versus Google has not really been a thing yet — but watch this space. The two shared a stage at Samsung’s Galaxy S25 flagship launch, a phone steeped in Google software and AI. But when it comes to Android upgrades and monthly security updates, the Korean giant plays second bat to Google’s much smaller Pixel ecosystem.

That Samsung versus Google dynamic will play center stage as China flexes its muscles, with the threat that its and Android’s (bar Samsung) leading OEMs will depart for a Google free alternative with Huawei. That would leave Android dominated by the Galaxy-maker while under the control of the Pixel-maker. You can see the problem.

Google has just assured that Samsung will launch Android 16 this summer. Hopefully a more seamless rollout than the Android 15 debacle, but still some months behind Pixel by the time it reaches users. As SammyFans laments, “Android 16 stable version coming very soon, Samsung yet to start One UI 8 beta program.”

Against that backdrop, it’s hard not to read anything into Samsung’s surprising new update decision. “Samsung Messages was going to die,” Android Authority says, “but now big updates are coming!” While Phone Arena says the “Google Messages rival is back from the dead and getting even better.”

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This is a huge year for secure messaging. Cross-platform RCS is due an end-to-end encryption upgrade, bringing full content security to stock Android to iPhone messaging for the first time. While WhatsApp faces a furor after Meta forced its AI on users without an opt-out. As an aside, you can ditch Meta’s AI from your chats — details here.

The new updates to Samsung Messages are just table-stake catch-ups to Google’s own Messages apps: “Live location sharing, birthday reminders, reactions, and more,” per Android Authority’s latest APK teardown. But the significance is that there are any “big updates” at all. A year ago, we saw confirmation that Samsung is “going all in on Google Messages,” as it "stopped pre-installing Samsung Messages on [U.S]

Galaxy phones."

“We thought Samsung Messages was being retired,” Tech Radar reports, “but it could now get 4 new features to take on Google Messages… We feared the worst for Samsung Messages when the Galaxy S25 series launched without the app on board – Google Messages was preinstalled instead – but it seems Samsung Messages isn’t actually going away, as a major batch of new updates have been spotted."

As I have pointed out, the news out of China is a game-changer for Samsung and Android. The Galaxy-maker needs to decide how it wants to operate in a world where it dominates but does not control. All other leading OEMs — including Apple and Google — would control their hardware and software stack. Samsung would suddenly be the outlier, despite selling more phones than anyone else. Something needs to give.

This disconnect between Samsung and Google is quietly becoming a thing, despite the PR machines pushing a different narrative. Per SammyFans, “Samsung isn’t just another smartphone maker, it’s the biggest player in the Android ecosystem.” But “many of us tuned into Google’s I/O 2025 event expecting at least a hint about the Android 16-based One UI 8 Beta timeline. Instead, we got silence.”

There is still limited official news on One UI 8, despite Google confirming Android 16 being available from next month for Pixels. “In recent days, Samsung fans have been increasingly turning to the One UI 8, the upcoming system-based update Android 16,” Samsung Magazine says. “Although there are various reports about the dates and list of supported devices, it is important to note one thing: as of May 20, 2025, Samsung has no official roadmap. One UI 8 did not release.”

Meanwhile, the Huawei-flavored stakes for China as it battles America’s latest technology sanctions are ramping up, with threats of legal action as Huawei’s AI chips become the latest sacrifice of the on going splinternet. This is important becuase history tells us the more intense this standoff, the more likely China will circle its technology wagons and encourage a unified response. And that’s bad news for Android and risks accelerating China’s own alternative to Google’s OS.

For now, this is all about Android 16 and the efficiency of Samsung’s rollout and the length of time between Pixel its own flagship upgrades. That was the issue with One UI 7 / Android 15, and the longer the gap with Android 16 the more the pressure builds. This can’t happen again for Samsung or Google without wider concerns escalating.

The encouraging news, per SammyFans, is that “the biggest indicator that Samsung is preparing for the One UI 8 beta launch is the creation of dedicated beta program pages for the Galaxy S25 series on its community forums. These pages have appeared in major markets including: United States, Germany [and the] United Kingdom.”

SammyFans says this “is significant because historically, when these subforums appear, it’s a clear signal that a beta program is about to launch. According to industry sources, the beta could kick off as early as next week.” The website also says “Samsung’s track record shows it consistently sets up these pages right before opening registrations through its Members app,” which means that “if you are in the U.S., Germany, or the U.K. with a Galaxy S25, S25+, or S25 Ultra, you might soon get the opportunity to sign up and test One UI 8 before its official release.”

According to SamMobile, “Samsung has been developing One UI 8 for a long time, and we have tested early firmware on devices like the Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5. However, that does not mean all of these devices will get the One UI 8 beta.” Currently, “beta One UI 8 firmware only exists for the Galaxy S25 lineup. There’s a good chance the initial wave will have the beta program going live for only the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra (and possibly the Edge model).”

But meantime, as reported by 9to5Google, “Android 16 QPR1” is out, with a “huge Material 3 Expressive overhaul feels like a bit of a turning point. It’s a restart that will coincide with the 10th iteration of Pixel phones and although it’s only in its first beta incarnation, it’s already shaping up to be a vastly superior experience.”

Good news for Pixel users. Per The Verge, “users with eligible Pixel devices, including ones as old as the Pixel 6 and up to the 9A, that are registered in the Beta program can get access to the new release as soon as it’s ready.”

And so we’re back to the Pixel versus Samsung elephant in the room. One controls the OS and the other controls the market. Google and Pixel are collaborating on a raft of new initiatives as you’d expect, but any Pixel market gains will come at Samsung’s expense. And at some point that will take precedent.