Samsung Upgrade Soundly Beaten As iPhone Update Goes Live

InnovationCybersecuritySamsung Upgrade Soundly Beaten As iPhone Update Goes LiveByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorMay 12, 2026, 04:51am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.iPhone Vs Samsung.Anadolu via Getty ImagesTiming really is everything. Just as Samsung finally uplifts Galaxy phones with its long-awaited One UI 8.5 upgrade, Apple releases iOS 26.5. Both on the same day. But while Apple’s update followed its usual slick schedule, Galaxy owners have now been waiting five months since the initial One UI 8.5 beta.One UI 8.5 and iOS 26.5 both have security at their core. Samsung says this release “safeguards more settings than before, adding an extra layer of protection.” That includes Theft Protection, Failed Authentication Lock and Identity Check. Apple’s headline update is encrypting RCS, finally securing cross-platform texts.iPhone Vs Samsung.Anadolu via Getty ImagesApple controls its ecosystem end-to-end. Its annual OS upgrades and intervening updates follow an almost boring routine. Leakers even predict release dates based on which day of which month Apple typically drops point releases. Meanwhile, Samsung watchers are left completely in the dark.While Samsung takes the flak for this, it says more about Android than its largest OEM. It’s proving to be impossible for any device maker to match Google’s slick Pixel release schedule, notwithstanding the quality issues now plaguing Google phones. Android was not designed to accommodate one OEM controlling software and hardware competing with a raft of other OEMs that do not.MORE FOR YOU“Now that One UI 8.5 is rolling out as a stable update,” 9to5Google says, "a rollout that is expanding widely to Galaxy devices across the globe – we’re just wondering why this one took so long. Samsung had...