One UI 8.5 missing features explained: Which Galaxy phones miss out

Table of contents

What the June 2026 update finally added

What One UI 8.5 still does not give you

Which phones are affected

What Samsung has said

Will One UI 9 fix this?

What to do right now

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update arrived with a lot of promise: Galaxy AI features, camera upgrades, and smarter notifications. But if your phone is a Galaxy S25, S24, or older, you’ve probably noticed that some of the headline features Samsung showed off on the Galaxy S26 simply aren’t on your device.

This is what’s missing from One UI 8.5, which devices are affected, and what you can expect in future updates.

What the June 2026 update finally added

When One UI 8.5 stable rolled out in May 2026, three Galaxy AI features were missing from the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung quietly fixed that with a June 2026 update, released on June 11. The package was about 900MB, noticeably larger than a typical security patch, and for good reason.

The three features now available on the Galaxy S25, Z Fold 7, and Z Flip 7 are:

• Prioritize Notifications: Galaxy AI reorders your alerts so the most important ones appear at the top. Everything is processed on your phone, not in the cloud. One catch: it only works when your notifications are in the same language as your phone’s system language. Supported languages include English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Thai, Polish, Italian, and Vietnamese.
• Summarize Notifications: Long group chats and email threads get collapsed into a short, plain-language summary without you having to open each app. The same language requirement applies.
• File Summaries: In the My Files app, you can now get AI summaries of PDF and TXT files, as well as voice recordings saved in the Voice Recorder app. On-device only.

The update started rolling out in South Korea first, with North America, Europe, and India expected to follow within a week, according to Android Authority and GSMArena.

What One UI 8.5 still does not give you

The June update closed part of the gap, but several S26 features are still absent from the S25 and older devices. Here is what you are still waiting on.

1. Now Nudge

This is the most talked-about missing feature. Now Nudge is a context-aware AI tool that reads what is on your screen and surfaces helpful suggestions in your Samsung Keyboard toolbar. It might offer to add an event to your calendar, save a contact, or share a photo, based on what you are looking at in the moment.

It only works with the Samsung Keyboard, so if you use Gboard, it will not apply. As of June 2026, Now Nudge is only available on the Galaxy S26 series. It is missing from the S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and every older device.

Samsung has not explained why. Digital Trends noted that Now Nudge does not appear to rely on any Galaxy S26-exclusive hardware, which makes its absence on the S25 harder to justify. Samsung markets it as a headline One UI 8.5 feature, which makes the omission even more noticeable.

According to a firmware leak spotted by SamMobile, Now Nudge appears in internal One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, suggesting Samsung may be saving it for the One UI 9 update. But this is based on a leak, not a Samsung statement.

2. 24MP camera mode

On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a 24MP shooting option sits between the standard 12MP and the maximum 200MP modes. It uses AI Fusion processing to produce more detailed shots without the file sizes that come with high-resolution captures. You access it through the Camera Assistant app.

On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that option does not exist in Camera Assistant at all, even though both phones run the same version of the app. SammyGuru confirmed this. There is no confirmed plan to bring the 24MP mode to the S25 or any older device.

3. Video softening

This is a Camera Assistant setting with three levels: Off, Medium, and High. It reduces the sharpening and noise processing that Samsung applies by default, giving your videos a more natural, less over-processed look. Think of it as a processing intensity dial.

Android Authority found it in One UI 8.5 code, but it was never activated on the S25. It is currently reserved for the Galaxy S26. The S25 Ultra is also missing related autofocus speed and sensitivity controls, as well as 8K recording via Smart View or HDMI output.

4. Fingerprint accuracy booster

This feature lets you rescan your registered fingerprint up to 10 times so your phone gets better at recognizing it. It is a software feature with no hardware requirement, which makes its rollout history odd.

It reached the Galaxy S25 FE in May 2026 via a security patch, and the Z Fold 7 also has it. But as of the June 2026 update, the standard Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra still do not have it. Android Authority noted that no one has publicly explained why the S25 FE received it before the S25 Ultra.

5. Horizon Lock and other missing features

A few more S26 features are also absent. Horizon Lock (also called Horizontal Lock) is a Super Steady video stabilization feature on the S26 Ultra that keeps footage level even when your hands are shaky. It is missing from all older Ultra models after the June update.

Other omissions on the S25 build, reported by PiunikaWeb and Digital Trends, include:

• The ‘Show Finder on Home screen’ shortcut
• Samsung Browser’s ‘Ask AI’ feature
• A high-magnification photo remaster tool (30x+)
• Some 8K recording options

Which phones are affected

Here is how the missing features break down by device:

• Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge: Got stable One UI 8.5 in May, then the three notification and file features in June. Still missing Now Nudge, 24MP mode, video softening, Horizon Lock, and the fingerprint accuracy booster.
• Galaxy S25 FE: Unusually got the fingerprint accuracy booster first via its May security patch. Received the June update but did not get the additional AI features from that build, per SammyGuru.
• Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7: Same hardware class as the S25, same gaps. Got the June notification and file features. Already has the fingerprint booster. Still missing Now Nudge, 24MP, and video softening.
• Galaxy S24 series: On the confirmed One UI 8.5 list and has features like Quick Share with Apple devices. It was not confirmed that the June AI features would reach the S24 immediately, per Android Central.
• Galaxy S23 series: Got a reduced version of One UI 8.5 that is missing Quick Share with Apple devices (available on S24 and newer) and Call Screening. PhoneArena and Android Authority both noted this fuelled planned-obsolescence complaints from S23 owners who still have about a year of OS support left.
• Galaxy A-series (A56, A36, A55, A35, and others): Receive One UI 8.5 with a reduced AI subset called Awesome Intelligence, not the full Galaxy AI suite.
• Galaxy S22, Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Tab S8, S21 FE: Not getting One UI 8.5 at all. These devices have reached the end of feature updates.

What Samsung has said

Samsung has issued no public explanation for any of these omissions. PiunikaWeb and Ubergizmo both reported that Samsung has not issued an official statement. Samsung moderators have only responded publicly to bug reports, such as battery drain on certain carrier variants, not to questions about deliberate feature gaps.

What makes this harder to accept is that the Galaxy S25 and Z Fold 7 run the same Snapdragon 8 Elite hardware as the Galaxy S26. The hardware argument does not hold up. Whether this is a scheduling decision or a strategy to differentiate the S26 remains unaddressed by Samsung.

Will One UI 9 fix this?

One UI 9, based on Android 17, entered beta on May 13, 2026, starting with the Galaxy S26 series in six countries: the US, UK, Germany, South Korea, Poland, and India. Samsung has not officially confirmed a stable release date, but multiple South Korean outlets point to a July 22, 2026, Unpacked event at which the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are expected to launch.

The Galaxy S25 and S24 series would likely receive stable One UI 9 around August or September 2026, if Samsung follows its usual rollout pattern. Internal One UI 9 testing for the S25 reportedly began in the first week of June 2026, according to SamMobile.

The strongest signal for Now Nudge on older devices is the firmware leak: SamMobile found Now Nudge listed in internal One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That suggests it is coming with One UI 9, not One UI 8.5. But until Samsung officially confirms it, treat it as expected rather than guaranteed.

For 24MP mode, video softening, and Horizon Lock, there is no leak or statement pointing to a backport. If those features matter to you, the Galaxy S26 is currently the only option.

What to do right now

1. If you have a Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, or S25 Edge, go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. The June 2026 update brings Notification Highlights and File Summaries. Do not expect Now Nudge, 24MP, video softening, Horizon Lock, or the fingerprint booster from this update.
2. If you are waiting for Now Nudge, keep an eye on the One UI 9 beta and stable cycles over the next few months. Based on what is known from the firmware leak, it should arrive then, but there is no Samsung commitment to point to yet.
3. If 24MP mode or video softening is important to you, no backport is confirmed. The Galaxy S26 is the only guaranteed path to those features today.
4. If you own a Galaxy S23 and want Quick Share with Apple devices, it is not coming to the S23. As a workaround, QR-based Quick Share still works for sharing between devices.