Once your Galaxy S22 gets One UI 8, that’s it for major Android OS upgrades. No Android 17 or beyond. The term “bittersweet goodbye” fits perfectly for Galaxy S22 users facing the end of major updates with Android 16.

When Samsung’s One UI 8 lands, you’ll get a final batch of new features and improvements tied to Android 16. It’s the end of a four-year journey that started with Android 12, followed by security updates through 2027.

Samsung released the Galaxy S22 series with Android 12 and One UI 4.1 out of the box. At the time, the company committed to providing four major Android OS upgrades for its flagship phones. Here’s what that looks like for the S22 lineup:

• Android 12 (One UI 4.1) – The starting point in 2022.
• Android 13 (One UI 5) – The first major upgrade.
• Android 14 (One UI 6) – The second major upgrade.
• Android 15 (One UI 7) – The third major upgrade, likely rolling out around now or soon, depending on your region.
• Android 16 (One UI 8) – The fourth and final major upgrade, expected sometime in 2026.

Since the S22 series debuted in February 2022, you can expect security patches to keep coming until at least February 2027. These updates won’t bring new features, but they’ll help protect your device from vulnerabilities.

Samsung is bringing One UI 8 early this year, with the Beta Program likely within a month. The Galaxy S22 series might not join the Beta Program and jump straight to the Android 16-based One UI 8 firmware by the end of the year.

Galaxy S21 Series

As One UI 7 (Android 15) is already out, the Galaxy S21 series has received its final major upgrade, making it ineligible for One UI 8 (Android 16).

Launched in January 2021 with Android 11, the S21 series originally fell under Samsung’s three-year update policy. However, in 2022, Samsung extended that to four major upgrades for select devices, including the S21 lineup.

If Samsung cares about its fans, these phones should get One UI 8

The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra hit the market in 2021 as Samsung’s flagship lineup, winning over fans with their sleek design and powerful performance. These phones shipped with Android 11, and Samsung promised four major OS upgrades, taking them up to Android 15 with One UI 7. Now, some users are asking: if Samsung truly cares about its loyal fanbase, shouldn’t these phones get One UI 8 too?

In this article, we will break down Samsung’s update policy, check the Galaxy S21 series’ hardware capabilities, and explore whether there’s a real chance for One UI 8 to come to these phones.

Samsung’s update policy for the Galaxy S21 series

Samsung made a big promise when the company announced the Galaxy S21 series: four years of major OS updates. This means the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra will receive updates through Android 15, which comes with One UI 7.

“This was a solid commitment at the time, giving users confidence that their flagship phones would stay fresh with new features and security improvements.”

Since then, Samsung has stepped up its game for newer devices. For instance, the Galaxy S24 series and later flagships now get seven years of software support, covering both OS upgrades and security patches.

This longer support doesn’t apply to older models like the Galaxy S21, S22, and S23 series. So, based on the official software policy, the Galaxy S21 flagships are not eligible to receive One UI 8, which would be based on Android 16.

Can S21’s hardware handle One UI 8?

One reason fans are pushing for One UI 8 is the S21 series’ impressive hardware. These phones pack either the Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 chipset, depending on the region, and both are still plenty powerful.

With high-quality displays, great RAM, and top-tier features, the S21 lineup doesn’t feel outdated in 2025. These devices could handle One UI 8 without any flaw, but here’s the catch: software updates aren’t just about what the hardware can do.

For now, S21 owners can enjoy a secure, feature-rich experience through Android 15, and if One UI 8 is a must-have, a newer Samsung device might be the way to go.

Samsung should deliver One UI 8 as a thank-you to its loyal Galaxy S21 fanbase. The Android 16-based One UI 8 might not be as big a leap as One UI 7. Could Samsung surprise us with One UI 8 for the S21 series? It’s not impossible.

What do you think?

Samsung’s One UI 7.0 is a massive upgrade, and there’s plenty to explore. As always, Samsung hasn’t mentioned everything in the hefty update changelog, as new Software Update Download Settings have just come on our radar in One UI 7.0.

One UI 7.0 integrated a new settings page for Software Update Auto Download. It’s a major upgrade over the previous One UI versions, including the One UI 6.1. It follows our recent findings of the addition of new tools in the Power Saving menu.

Samsung has kept the One UI 7 software update page and placement similar to the One UI 6.1. However, the auto download toggle has turned into a dedicated section with even more update download tools to choose from.

One UI 6.1

Android 14-based One UI 6.1 has two sections and a toggle within the Software Update menu.

1. Download and install
2. Auto download over Wi-Fi
3. Last update

Hitting the first option triggers manual software update discovery. The second is a toggle that lets you enable or disable auto download updates via Wi-Fi. The third option expands the latest update’s details and changelog.

One UI 7.0

Samsung has turned the toggle into a separate section like the two others in One UI 7.0.

1. Download and install
2. Auto download
3. Last update

The newly added Auto download page has a clear description regarding the function. For added convenience, the section has three useful options for auto download of the latest software updates when they arrive, including:

1. Never
2. Using Wi-Fi only
3. Using Wi-Fi or mobile data

The OS has selected “Using Wi-Fi only” by default for auto update downloads. If you don’t want to automate updates, you can pick the “Never” option, and if you want to allow the download over mobile data, the third option to be selected.

With One UI 7.0, Samsung has devoted its Galaxy devices to the Gemini app, and when you use the side button, the software will summon Google’s assistant and not Bixby. Does that mean Samsung has abandoned its homegrown voice assistant? The answer is no, given that Bixby has its share of upgrades in the latest One UI version.

Samsung brought Bixby in 2017 as an alternative to Google Assistant. It kept receiving new features and expanding its reach through smartphones, speakers, and other home devices. Features such as Bixby Vision, Home, and Wakeup also evolved since its initial release.

However, Samsung’s growing partnership with Google has reduced Bixby’s reputation, and at Unpacked 2025, the Korean tech maker made it official that Gemini is taking the driver’s seat. On top of that, the One UI 7.0 changelog confirms that the side button now belongs to Gemini. This move is widely related to the growing partnership between the two companies and Gemini’s massive AI capabilities.

But One UI 7.0 has evidence that makes us believe that Samsung is still making progress for Bixby. The company has rebranded its home-grown assistant with a dedicated app to input text and voice commands. The UI is simple and appears the same as Gemini, but Bixby won’t facilitate a conversation. Instead, you can ask it to change any settings, create an event, open any app, or respond to similar phone-level commands.

Since you can still use Bixby, here are the two ways to assign it to the side button.

• Open settings > Advanced features > Side button > Long Press > select Bixby.
• Open the Bixby app > Settings (top right corner) > Side button settings > Long press > select Bixby.

I’ve compared the new Bixby summon UI with its older version and found that the voice screen controls are better than before. The new interface is interactive and provides a modern look to the entire application, with space efficiency.

Bixby Summon on One UI 6 (left), One UI 7 (right)

You can also expand the on-screen UI with the top handle to see the conversation history. Similar to its dedicated app interface, Bixby summon doesn’t have live voice-to-voice conversation capability.

In conclusion, we want you to know that Bixby Vision also brings a redesign to its Bixby voice sibling.

Google’s early Android 16 launch is bringing the new OS early to Samsung devices as well. At the recent Google I/O 2025 preview, Google and Samsung officially announced the Android 16 launch for Galaxy phones in the Summer.

The Pixel maker has also introduced plenty of new Android 16 features at the I/O 2025 show. Material 3 Expressive design language was also teased, which will sequentially be deployed across the Android ecosystem and Google apps and services.

Android 16 also introduces enhanced personalization features for Pixel devices. The new OS also brings enhanced dynamic color themes and bold typography, making the Pixel and stock Android phones feel unique and more personal.

Samsung’s Android 15 update comes with bold changes over the previous versions. It caused a massive delay, resulting in, One UI 7 Beta shifted from a typical July timeline to December and Stable from October to April (around 6 6-month delay).

With One UI 7 delayed so much, Samsung users assumed that the same would be repeated with One UI 8. However, Samsung and Google have already prepared the script, with the first official announcement made at the I/O preview.

Minseok Kang, Samsung VP and Head of Smartphone Planning, announced that Android 16 for Galaxy phones is arriving “this summer.” It’s a preliminary timeline, which would be any month among June, July, and August 2025.

Android 16 announcement for Galaxy devices, that too from Google’s stage, was pretty shocking to me. I have been covering Samsung for half a decade, and it’s a bold yet significant shift in the company’s software strategy.

In the past, Samsung disclosed its software plans at Galaxy flagship launches and the annual developer conference. It initiates One UI Beta built on the new OS around a quarter earlier than the Samsung Developer Conference.

Note that early July is supposed to be the launch timeline for the company’s new foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Flip7 and Galaxy Z Fold7 are almost confirmed to release with the new Android 16-based One UI 8 operating system.

As the official Android 16 launch is near, Samsung should complete the remaining Android 15 deployment on Galaxy devices. The mid-range and budget phones are yet to be upgraded to the One UI 7 update, but the rollout has picked a pace.