One UI 8.5 is finally rolling out to more devices. And with it landing on my Galaxy S24+ earlier today, I finally got the chance to check out one of the update's quieter additions. One I was curious about but that hasn’t received much attention.
Namely, One UI 8.5 introduces new downloadable wallpapers. It might not sound like a major feature at first, but if your device is just getting One UI 8.5, I think these wallpapers are worth checking out at least once. Even if you're not a fan of the designs, these refreshed wallpapers have a fairly long history.
One UI 8.5 downloadable wallpapers explained
At a glance, the wallpaper customization section in One UI 8.5 doesn’t look all that different. There’s the new AI-backed Creative Studio tool, but beyond that, not much immediately stands out.
Samsung’s official One UI 8.5 changelog says:
- New downloadable wallpapers: Discover new wallpapers featuring interactive elements. Wallpapers are downloadable so they don't use up your storage space when not in use.
However, upon further inspection, you'll probably notice that the old Graphical wallpaper section Samsung introduced with One UI 5.0 years ago looks a little different. There are a couple additions, and each wallpaper now has a download icon instead of being pre-loaded.
As it turns out, Samsung’s big wallpaper update in One UI 8.5 revamps the original Graphical wallpapers from One UI 5. Samsung added two new designs for a total of eight wallpapers, and all of them are now interactive. Downloaded wallpapers can be freely uninstalled.
What does being interactive mean? Well, they animate when you interact with them. Some use parallax effects that sync with the phone’s motion sensor, while others react to screen taps.
NOTE: These animations occur only on the lock screen. These wallpapers are static on the home screen.
For example, the old tennis court wallpaper we’ve had since One UI 5.0 now features a bouncing ball that moves when you tap the screen. Samsung's new firmware update also added a similar basketball-themed wallpaper with the same kind of interactivity.
Samsung updated both the old and new Graphical wallpapers with the same interactive treatment. And since animated wallpapers naturally take up more storage than still images, it makes sense that Samsung decided to make them optional downloads in One UI 8.5.
If you want to try them on your One UI 8.5 device, pinch the home screen > Wallpaper and style > Change wallpapers > scroll down to Graphical.
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