Samsung may copy one of many Pixel’s greatest methods with One UI 8.5

Though Samsung has solely lately begun rolling out its Android 16-based One UI 8 replace to Galaxy gadgets, there’s already a substantial variety of rumors about what’s coming subsequent with its One UI 8.5 replace.

Whereas no particular timeline has been introduced for the discharge of One UI 8.5, it’s reportedly constructed on the Android 16 QPR2 replace, which introduces quite a lot of new Android options. One potential characteristic which will curiosity Samsung customers is Name Screening.

Android Authority lately found code in a leaked construct of One UI 8.5 indicating that Samsung is creating its personal AI-powered model of Call Screening — a characteristic that has lengthy been accessible on Pixel gadgets. The characteristic is predicted to make use of an AI Assistant, probably Samsung’s Galaxy AI, to mechanically display screen calls and show a textual content transcript of the caller’s message in your display screen. From there, you’ll be able to select to reply or ignore the decision.

Samsung’s Name Screening might work very equally to Google’s

Apple lately launched Name Screening with iOS 26

Within the strings of code Android Authority unearthed, there are references to how Samsung’s Name Screening might work, together with the flexibility to decide on between 4 completely different screening ranges.

The primary stage would display screen all incoming numbers. The second, known as “Excessive”, would display screen all unknown numbers. The third stage, known as “Medium,” would display screen all suspected spam calls and numbers, in addition to worldwide calls and numbers with a blocked caller ID. The fourth stage, known as “Low,” would simply display screen spam and rip-off numbers.

If these completely different screening ranges ring a bell, it is as a result of they’re similar to how Google’s Name Screening characteristic on Pixel telephones works. On Pixels, Name Screening has three completely different safety ranges. The primary is Most, which screens all unknown unknown numbers and declines spam. The second is Medium, which screens suspicious calls and declines spam. And the third is Fundamental, which declines solely recognized spam.

Whereas Samsung already affords a name screening instrument referred to as Bixby Textual content Name, it requires guide activation and is not an computerized service, not like its upcoming Name Screening characteristic. Based mostly on Android Authority’s findings, it seems that Samsung’s Name Screening characteristic could also be extra intricate than Google’s, with the potential to catch much more calls. The Medium stage, specifically, looks as if it could work greatest, because it casts a large internet, not only for rip-off calls, but in addition for worldwide numbers making an attempt to name you.

Rip-off calls are simply one of the crucial annoying issues to cope with on any smartphone. You hear your cellphone ringing and assume it might be one thing vital, solely to search out out it is a random, unknown quantity calling you. Actually, whereas I used to be penning this story, I obtained one on my cellphone. Google’s call screening feature, which has been round since 2018, is one in all my favourite Pixel options, because it saves you from having to select up the cellphone, particularly if you happen to’re uncertain if a quantity is spam or not.

It is value noting once more that this characteristic was noticed in improvement code for One UI 8.5, so there is a risk that it will not be launched with the replace. The code Android Authority noticed was additionally in Korean and never in English but, so it is solely attainable that it might be launched in Korea first, earlier than making its option to worldwide markets.

Personally, I hope this Name Screening characteristic arrives on Galaxy gadgets with One UI 8.5. It is a characteristic Pixel telephones have had for a very long time, and Apple even lately copied it with iOS 26. So, Samsung introducing Name Screening sooner slightly than later would make sense to me, because it’s enjoying catch-up right here.