If you own a Galaxy S25 FE in South Korea, your phone might just have grown a few new tricks overnight. Samsung is rolling out the second One UI 8.5 beta for the S25 FE (firmware ZZD5), bringing a handful of features and a grab-bag of bug fixes — plus the April 2026 security patch.
What’s inside the update
Samsung’s official changelog lists nine specific changes. Nothing earth‑shattering, but collectively they tidy up a lot of small annoyances and add a couple of welcome extras:
- Support for AirDrop connection with Apple devices
- Three new camera filters: Classic Film, Pop Film, Blanc
- Fixed an issue where Bluetooth connections disconnected and reconnected periodically
- Fixed notification card cropping at the top
- Fixed screen flicker and color distortion when changing zoom level during dual recording
- Fixed stuttering when entering gallery albums under certain conditions
- Corrected Always On Display time information in some edge cases
- Improved notification card UI when rotating the device
- Stopped the lock screen from briefly showing during incoming calls before the call screen
The update also installs the April 2026 security patch, which Samsung says patches 47 security vulnerabilities found in previous builds.
Why the AirDrop line matters
"AirDrop connection with Apple devices" stands out because it signals Samsung pushing for easier cross‑platform sharing, at least in a limited way. It doesn’t turn your Galaxy into an iPhone, but it reduces friction when swapping files between ecosystems — and it’s part of a broader trend where manufacturers backport or share features across models and platforms. Samsung has already been moving S26 features down the ladder, and some of those moves — like AI call screening — have gotten attention. For background on that shift, see our piece on Samsung’s call‑screening rollout to older models Samsung backtracks: Galaxy S25 will get S26’s AI call screening with One UI 8.5.
Where and when you’ll see it
So far the ZZD5 build is live in South Korea. Samsung typically staggers beta updates, so other eligible regions — India, the UK, the US — should see the update within hours or a couple of days. To check manually: go to Settings > Software update > Download and install.
If you follow Samsung’s beta cadence, this is par for the course — incremental betas that polish camera behavior, UI glitches, connectivity and performance ahead of a wider stable release. The company is simultaneously working on One UI 9.0 (Android 17), so 8.5 is acting as a refinement bridge for current flagship and mid‑range models.
If you’re curious how those flagship S26 features landed and what Samsung is carrying forward, our review roundup of the S26 Ultra gives a sense of the feature set the company is trying to democratize Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Safe Upgrade, Smart Privacy, Spotty Hype.
This update isn’t dramatic, but it’s the kind of polishing pass that makes daily use feel smoother — fewer dropped Bluetooth sessions, fewer visual hiccups while filming, and tidier notifications. Keep an eye on your software update page; if you’re enrolled in the One UI 8.5 beta program and live outside Korea, ZZD5 should arrive soon.
