This leaked One UI 8.5 feature is my favorite so far, and here’s why it makes a huge difference

Samsung’s One UI is unquestionably the most exhaustively themed custom Android skin. I say this because Samsung is the only manufacturer making Android devices that goes to the extent of remaking every menu and sub-menu, including even the highly ignored Digital Wellbeing dashboard. With its upcoming One UI 8.5 interface, Samsung could be taking a bold step towards reshaping the interface that has remained largely unchanged for the past two generations.

Some of these changes are controversial and hold the potential to spark off a fresh iOS vs. Android comparison. But there’s one change that I wholeheartedly look forward to: a striking revamp of the Quick Settings panel. Based on the leaks, One UI 8.5 is expected to adopt Android 16’s extensive customization options for Quick Settings — with an extra shot of newness. Even before the One UI 8.5 beta has been released, I’m genuinely rooting for this option to be a reality and feel it could be a dramatic improvement — beyond visual appeal — to the panel that One UI has seen in recent years.

But before I go on sharing my reasons for calling the upgrade my favorite, tell me what you think about Quick Settings customization in Android.

With One UI 8, Samsung has shifted its priorities. Instead of coupling major visual upgrades with bumping the Android version, Samsung has focused on the speed of delivery and under-the-hood changes. This approach, aside from the angst surrounding One UI 7’s delay, may also have resulted from Google’s transition to an earlier-than-usual release of Android 16. As a result, One UI 8 arrived shortly after Google dropped Android 16 for Pixel phones — practically reversing the effects of the extended One UI 7 release that miffed Samsung users.

Meanwhile, the release of the mid-cycle (One UI X.5) update, which used to arrive with the foldables each year, has also been moved ahead by half a year. As One UI 8 bears the responsibility for upgrading the Android version, the next update is expected to bring significant changes to the interface.

One UI 8.5 hasn’t been confirmed officially, but leaked builds have revealed the scope of changes to expect. In addition to core improvements and new privacy features, Samsung emphasizes visual changes with One UI 8.5.

I chose to call them changes rather than upgrades because whether these changes are truly upgrades is a matter of contention. And that is because One UI 8.5 appears to be leaning towards a design seemingly inspired by Apple’s Liquid Glass UI. I’m glad it’s not a blatant rip-off of iOS 26, as is the case with some Chinese manufacturers’ latest UIs based on Android 16. Instead, Samsung’s approach appears to emphasize better visibility rather than Apple’s fixation on making the interface look nearly transparent.

One of the features Samsung is reportedly adding to One UI 8.5 is an updated quick settings panel. While previous versions of the Quick Settings panel have primarily allowed us to rearrange individual setting toggles within a limited space, the new iteration offers significantly more flexibility. The leaks so far depict a panel that will enable accomplishing more than just rearranging toggles.

The most significant change I like is the ability to resize individual control toggles and have them occupy more or less space as per your preference. For instance, if I want any toggle, say mobile hotspot, to occupy the space of two columns, I now have the liberty to do so. Therefore, the Quick Settings panel can be a mashup of differently sized toggles, arranged as I like — just like Android allows for widgets on the homescreen. The only principle it must follow is that the toggle must snap to the existing invisible grid of four icons.

However, these requirements only apply to the horizontal arrangement. That means — I hope — I would cherish complete autonomy over how many tiles I want per row; I could choose to deck the entire section with toggles stacked in the standard 4 x 4 grid, or I could stretch a single tile over the entire panel width. If I wish, I could even add toggles to just one edge. The new options also allow flipping volume and brightness controls over to vertical bars — similar to iOS, and countless other Android skins that have started copying it now.

I feel this is a complete game changer, because beyond the default placements, I could deploy countless different arrangements based on my preferences — or change them when I feel bored or dissatisfied. However, to me, it’s more than an antidote for boredom. It’s actually the means to make Quick Settings far more utilitarian.

If there’s something most users — whether they use an Android or an iPhone — will agree on, it’s that our phones have become giant slabs that are difficult to use with a single hand. Several sections of the interface — at least in Android skins — have shifted closer to the bottom so you don’t always absolutely need both hands to accomplish basic tasks. Even with elements that haven’t changed completely, such as the homescreen, there has been flexibility in placing icons closer to the bottom of the screen.

No such option existed for Quick Settings until recently — at least, not in Android, which makes the recent change in Android 16 a big deal. And with the same likely being adopted with One UI 8.5, Samsung users should soon be able to benefit from it.

That is especially true since Android 16, despite its option to resize tiles, does not allow empty space. This is something One UI 8.5 shouldn’t limit us with.

As I mentioned above, the biggest benefit I envisage of this change is the option to position the settings toggles so that they are easier to reach with one hand. Following the update, I intend to place my most-used tiles, such as mobile hotspot, screen recording, Extra dim, and Sleep mode, closer to the bottom right so they’re well within reach. Meanwhile, to fill up space on the left, I hope to either use bigger tiles that occupy more space or are placed in the second column from the left side. That way, I would still have the option to reach them without having to aim precisely with my thumb.

Since the volume and brightness sliders can also be squeezed into a tighter space, I hope to place them within comfortable reach of my thumb.

Another big change is that One UI 8.5 no longer necessitates Quick Settings toggles to be placed inside a container — although one could still use a container to place icons. While Samsung intends those for more important icons, I plan to use them for the less important ones, while placing the more frequently used ones outside, at the bottom of the page. In the process, I might even have fun creating shapes — as we did with ancient emojis in the SMS era — bring a fresh, non-drab appeal to the Quick Settings page.

Over the last two decades, Android has undergone significant changes, but customization and freedom have always been its two key pillars. While the latter is, sadly, under threat from Google’s inclination to restrict sideloading, customization still hasn’t taken much of a hit (especially if you overlook the declining popularity of custom ROMs). And this Quick Settings revamp not only feels empowering but should also inspire Samsung’s competitors.

Admittedly, while these changes seem exciting, Samsung may still drop them before the final release early next year. I would be heartbroken if that happens, but that’s how beta updates work. And we, mere mortals, have little control over which features companies choose to include or ditch from their betas.

That said, I’m filled with hope that Samsung WILL bring the revamped panel to One UI 8.5 — not only because it is much better than what stock Android offers, but also because it will be the most far-reaching Quick Settings panel among all of Android skins. Here, I’d like to recall my confidence in One UI being the most extensively customized Android skin, and much better than many blatant iOS-rip-offs that we have grown accustomed to seeing.