Samsung confirms free AI upgrade for all Galaxy phones running OneUI 8
Samsung is already rolling out One UI 8, its version of Android 16, to all Galaxy phones that support it, but the upcoming major update may be much more important.
At least four new Galaxy AI functions may be included in One UI 8.5, according to a report from the Korean website ETNews.
But you may have to wait a long time. The Galaxy S26 series phones are expected to get OneUI 8.5 in January or February 2026, with a broader rollout to follow in the coming weeks and months.
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They would be the first new Galaxy AI features in more than a year, if that is the case. Here is what you have to look forward to.
Meeting assistant
Has somebody ever met with you using a language you don’t understand? I’m not referring to ROIs and KPIs, though Galaxy AI might be able to assist you with that as well—a real foreign language.
Meeting Assistant was created with certain situations in mind. Theoretically, it can identify what is being spoken, precisely transcribe it, and then translate it in real time into your target language. If all goes according to plan, this may be quite helpful in some meetings, as well as in situations like interviews and press conferences, if you connect headphones.
Touch assistant
Similar real-time translation capabilities are provided by Touch Assistant, but only for text that is displayed on the screen. You can choose to translate a passage of text by simply selecting it as though you were going to copy it.
Although it’s unclear exactly what this means, ETNews claims that Touch Assistant also “organizes it for easy reading.”
Smart clipboard
You can move text without being restricted to the most recent item you copied by using the clipboard feature, which is available through the Samsung Keyboard.
By employing AI to recommend actions for any material that shows up, Smart Clipboard seeks to improve this. For instance, you could want to add particular words or phrases to your favorites, summarize a lengthy text section, or translate anything that isn’t in your system language.
Social composer
Do you like sharing content on Instagram but find it difficult to think of a clever caption? Social Composer can assist you.
It can analyze your uploaded photos, identify the people or things in them, and then provide a variety of textual descriptions about them. Along with a more thorough description and even links to any products it recognizes, this can also include a caption.
A big Galaxy AI leap for free?
Whether all of these capabilities will be available on One UI 8.5 in the format ETNews has outlined is still up in the air.
It could, however, significantly improve the Galaxy AI experience on your phone. Will it be able to match the Google Pixel phones’ Gemini-powered experience? We’ll find out in time.
Additionally, Galaxy AI might not always be free, even though Samsung has not indicated that it will charge for certain services.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
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