Samsung Said to Be Developing 'Prioritise Notifications' Feature for Galaxy Phones With One UI 8.5

Following the wider rollout of Android 16-based One UI 8 in India and the global markets in recent weeks, Samsung is now said to be testing the next iteration dubbed One UI 8.5. According to a recent report, the South Korean tech conglomerate is developing a new feature to help prioritise certain notifications on Galaxy smartphones. When using this feature, notifications marked for prioritisation may appear above other general ones. This development reportedly builds upon other recently spotted features in One UI 8.5, including new clock styles and a blurred effect for lock screen notifications.

Prioritise Notifications in One UI 8.5

A SammyGuru report states that the One UI 8.5 update will bring a new feature called Prioritise Notifications for Galaxy devices. It is expected to be part of Galaxy AI — the company's proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) suite. The description of the feature reportedly reads, “Notifications that may be important will appear above other notifications to make sure you don't miss them.”

Prioritise Notifications feature in One UI 8.5
Photo Credit: SammyGuru

As per the screenshot shared by the publication, users can select high-priority notifications for each app in the feature's settings. Once this is done, notifications from the selected apps will be listed above other notifications to ensure that they are not missed.

The feature's description further reveals that the notification content will be processed on the smartphone, which indicates that it may not make use of the cloud for data processing or storage.

Unfortunately, no other information about the Prioritise Notifications feature was shared.

Apple, notably, introduced a similar feature for iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update in March 2025. Like its Samsung counterpart, the Cupertino-based tech giant's Priority Notifications feature leverages Apple Intelligence and on-device processing to analyse the content of notifications and highlight what's most important. As per the company, this helps determine their importance while maintaining privacy. While only prioritised notifications are displayed when it is in action, users can swipe up to view all notifications.

Previous reports suggest that One UI 8.5 could introduce blurred backgrounds for lock screen notifications. It is claimed to improve readability by reducing visual clutter. Further, the update may also bring refreshed lock screen clock styles to help Galaxy users customise the look and feel of their lock screen.

While the release date remains under wraps, One UI 8.5 is expected to be released with the Galaxy S26 series early next year.