Paul Jones / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Samsung has released the third One UI 8.5 beta for the Galaxy S25 series, carrying the January 1, 2026, security patch.
• The update resolves issues including lock screen clock errors, gallery lagging during Live Effects, and high battery drain.
• The firmware is currently live in South Korea, Germany, the UK, and India, with releases in the US and Poland expected soon.

Samsung will launch the Galaxy S26 series with One UI 8.5, and in the run-up, the company is testing One UI 8.5 beta releases on the Galaxy S25 series. The first One UI 8.5 beta was released early in December, followed by a second beta a couple of weeks later. Samsung is kicking off the new year with a third One UI 8.5 beta release for the Galaxy S25 series.

Tarun Vats reports on X that One UI 8.5 beta 3 with firmware version ending in ZA3 is rolling out for Galaxy S25 series owners in South Korea, Germany, and the UK for now. Users in India are also receiving this release, although for them, it will be the second beta release (despite being the same build).

We expect this One UI 8.5 beta to be released in the US and Poland very soon.

This ZA3 build is approximately 1.2GB in size and features the January 1, 2026, security patch level. The changelog mentions that the following bugs have been fixed:

• Fixed the clock display error on the lock screen
• Resolved the issue related to favorites in the phone app
• Fixed the issue where Now Briefing does not display
• Improved the screen lagging issue when using Live Effect in the gallery
• Improved the issue of high power consumption when a specific app is running
• Enhanced the visibility of the search button on the widget addition screen

There are bound to be new changes that have not been mentioned in the changelog. We’ll keep an eye out for new features. Try out the latest beta and let us know your experience in the comments below!

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