Samsung Brings Call Screening and New AI Features to Older Galaxy Phones

Samsung is moving a new wave of premium features off the Galaxy S26 launch path and onto older phones, with call screening now confirmed for the Galaxy S25 range and other past flagships through One UI 8.5. For owners of recent Galaxy devices, the update matters because it changes everyday use, not just software menus: Samsung is widening the gap between what a brand-new phone can do and what last year’s model can already handle.

The biggest consumer-facing change is call screening. Samsung has said the feature will arrive on the Galaxy S25 family and other older flagships with One UI 8.5, reversing the expectation that it might remain exclusive to the S26 line. Current Galaxy phones mainly depend on Bixby Text Call as a manual screening tool, while leaked One UI 8.5 firmware indicates Samsung is building an automatic version that more closely resembles Google’s Pixel Call Screening. For users, that means fewer interruptions from unknown numbers and a cleaner filter before a call reaches the phone.

Samsung is also broadening its AI pitch. In One UI 8.5, Bixby is becoming a more conversational device agent with better natural-language understanding, agentic device controls and real-time web access. Samsung has paired that with upgrades to Photo Assist, Quick Share, Audio Broadcast, Storage Share and security features including Theft Protection and Failed Authentication Lock. The practical effect is clear: older Galaxy phones are getting more of the tools Samsung once used to distinguish its newest flagship hardware.

The rollout has been incremental. Samsung first opened the One UI 8.5 beta to Galaxy S25 series users in the United States and select markets including Germany, India, Korea, Poland and the United Kingdom starting December 8, 2025. On March 26, Samsung expanded the beta to the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S11 in select markets, then later extended it to the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy A36 5G in selected regions. Samsung says more devices will join in April.

Samsung is also widening cross-platform sharing. AirDrop support through Quick Share began rolling out from Korea on March 23, initially for the Galaxy S26 series, and is now reaching more devices in the One UI 8.5 beta, including the Galaxy S25 and S24 series and newer foldables in select markets. The feature requires Quick Share app version 13.8.51.27 or later, Google Play services 26.11.xx or later, a Samsung Account, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some early image-sharing complaints about missing location and lens data are expected to be fixed.

Taken together, the update shows a broader strategy: keep older Galaxy phones current enough that users feel less pressure to replace them just to get Samsung’s newest AI tools.