The beta updates are no longer limited to the Galaxy S pack and Galaxy A5x lineup. The Samsung Galaxy A35 is also in the loop this year. The first One UI 8.5 beta was released to the device earlier this month. And now they’ve deployed their second test build to fix a few bugs.
It goes without saying that the beta versions are only accessible to Samsung members who signed up to be testers. So the pool of Galaxy A35 devices using the first One UI 8.5 beta is already very small. There’s a second beta in circulation in the Indian market.
The size of this One UI 8.5 2nd beta is very small: only 1068MB. From what we learned on Samsung’s community forum, this update has the firmware version “A356EXXU9ZZD9.” There was a leak on X where we found the screenshot of the official changelog.
The April 2026 security patch is included in the package, by the way. The update mostly concerns bug fixes. They’ve now fixed the Bluetooth Autoscan, which did not work properly on the first beta. There’s a fix for the slow and laggy quick panel in the second beta update.
The message input window sometimes overlapped with the nav bar. Apps crashed with system UI ANR issues. These two problems were also addressed on the second beta. The list was short. But the One UI 8.5 is far from a stable release on Samsung's latest 5G mobile.
By the way, it’s a mid-cycle refresh of the original One UI 8. So the changes are minor. They’ve added complete customization to the quick panel. The search bar is moved to the bottom in many stock apps and across the OS, so it’s easier to tap with one hand.
Some Samsung stock apps have a new appearance. The NowBrief widget on the lock screen will toggle the flashlight when you double-tap on it. Galaxy A35 is obviously one of the phones being prepped for the stable One UI 8.5. The owners of this particular device should definitely keep an eye on the updates.