Samsung’s upcoming One UI 8.5 update will bring several visual improvements to the system. One such improvement is the introduction of dark-themed app icons that automatically adapt to dark mode. This will make your home screen look more consistent at night.
Samsung is fixing the dark mode’s bright app icon issue
For years, Samsung’s dark mode has changed almost all key areas of the system, such as settings and notifications, but app icons have been left out. When your phone switches to dark mode, icons remain bright, which doesn’t look good in a dark background. This makes the home screen look mismatched. Now, the Korean company seems ready to fix that.
Tipster @GalaxyTechie says that Samsung is testing new dark app icons in One UI 8.5. When dark mode is turned on, some apps automatically switch their icon backgrounds to black. Apart from the new dark versions, the company is also redesigning its icons with a 3D effect in both light and dark modes. This is a noticeable shift from the flat icons in current versions of One UI. You can see the video below to see what the dark app icon looks like.
Samsung is finally working on dark app icons in One UI 8.5. Some apps are changing their background to black when dark mode is enabled. The icons have a 3D shadow in both light and dark modes. I will share the .png files of all the new icons, as many of them are yet undiscovered. pic.twitter.com/Y4lXWdFG7L
— Galaxy Techie (@GalaxyTechie) November 26, 2025
Meanwhile, Samsung may improve its icon-theming approach with the One UI 8.5 update. Android’s theming system usually relies on developers providing monochrome icon assets. As a result, we get an inconsistent home screen, with some app icons matching the theme while others do not. The upcoming Android 16-based update may address this by automatically converting icons to monochrome.
Samsung may begin a public beta program for One UI 8.5 on December 8. Reports suggest that users in the US, UK, Korea, and Germany may get access to the program first. The beta build for the Galaxy S25 series is already listed on the company’s server, hinting that the flagship trio will be the first to experience the new software.