Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR Leaked builds show Samsung’s next One UI 8.5 update, debuting with the Galaxy S26, will be based on Android 16’s second quarterly release (QPR2).
This is significant because most device makers skip quarterly Android updates, delaying new features until the next major annual version is released.
By adopting QPR2, Samsung can bring new Android platform features to Galaxy devices much faster than before, matching Google’s own release cadence.
We’re still over 3 months away from the expected unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, but we already know many of its new software tricks thanks to a trove of One UI 8.5 leaks. Leaked builds of the software have surfaced, giving us a rare opportunity to see what Samsung is developing for its next major release.
As its name suggests, One UI 8.5 will be based on this year’s Android 16 release, not the yet-to-be-released Android 17. However, it will differ from its predecessor. While One UI 8 was based on the initial stable release of Android 16, One UI 8.5 will be built upon the second quarterly platform release, Android 16 QPR2.
Josh Skinner and Jeff Springer from SammyGuru, who obtained a leaked build of One UI 8.5, verified this for us. They confirmed that the SDK version and build ID prefix within the build are “36.1” and “BP4A” respectively — values that correspond to Android 16 QPR2. This information is enough to conclude that One UI 8.5 will be based on Android 16 QPR2, and here’s why that matters.
Why One UI 8.5 being based on Android 16 QPR2 is important Although Android has been on a quarterly release cycle for years, few device makers besides Google ship software updates based on these releases. Nearly every OEM chooses instead to wait for Google to finalize the next major annual version of Android before they begin adapting it to their own software. This saves them time and effort, as they only have to merge major Android changes once a year instead of four times.
The downside is that OEMs, and by extension their users, miss out on new features that Google introduces in quarterly releases. For example, Google introduced Identity Check — a feature that stops phone thieves from performing sensitive actions even if they know the device’s passcode — in the first quarterly release of Android 15. Because most OEMs skipped Android 15’s quarterly updates, this feature won’t be widely available until those manufacturers roll out their Android 16 updates, which will incorporate all the earlier changes.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
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