Samsung has started rolling out the fifth beta update of One UI 8.5, beginning with the Galaxy S25 family. As expected, the update brings a handful of fixes and refinements across the system. But the feature that has caught the most attention, and the one Samsung is clearly spotlighting, is the major upgrade to Bixby, its AI voice assistant.
With this beta, One UI 8.5 introduces a redesigned version of Bixby, turning it into what Samsung now describes as a conversational AI device agent. In simpler terms, Bixby is no longer just a voice assistant that responds to rigid commands. It now understands natural language in a more fluid way, meaning you don’t need to remember exact feature names or menu paths.
The company says, "Bixby understands the intent and takes the appropriate action, reducing the time and effort required to manage everyday device settings and features."
Say you don’t want your screen timing out while you’re reading, Bixby can now figure out the right setting and toggle it. Ask why your phone behaves a certain way, and it can surface relevant controls to fix it.
What makes this even more interesting is that it’s powered by Perplexity AI. That integration gives Bixby real-time web access, allowing it to fetch up-to-date information directly within its own interface. Instead of pushing you into a browser, it pulls live answers into the assistant window itself.
In a market where companies are racing to build smarter AI layers into their ecosystems, like Apple trying to reinvent Siri, Samsung may have just secured something others have been chasing: a tightly integrated AI assistant that controls the device and searches the web.
Of course, Bixby isn’t the only change in this beta. The fifth One UI 8.5 build also brings general bug fixes, performance improvements, and polish ahead of the expected stable release. Reports suggest it’s a relatively small update in size, reinforcing the idea that Samsung is refining rather than reinventing at this stage. Still, this beta appears to be one of the final steps before the broader rollout tied to Samsung’s next flagship cycle.
For now, the One UI 8.5 beta, including the revamped Bixby, is available to Galaxy S25 users in markets like Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the UK, and the US.
Louis Eriakha
