Hardcore Samsung enthusiasts love to sideload early versions of One UI onto their devices. It’s the backbone behind many recent One UI leaks, including from us at SammyGuru. Samsung has made efforts to patch the methods used to obtain these leaked material, and their latest step is a huge blow for older Galaxy devices.
Sideloading OTA updates via recovery no longer works
On Galaxy devices with an A-only partition scheme, including the Galaxy S24 series and older, users could previously install an OTA update via Android Recovery, which you access by holding a button combination while booting the device. From there, you could connect the phone to a computer over ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and sideload a zipped update package onto the device.
That option has now been taken away. With the recent XZAD internal release of One UI 8.5, several enthusiasts complained that they couldn’t sideload the latest build to their devices. The device simply wouldn’t report its connection status while in recovery mode, with a no devices/emulators found error. The device still connects normally when booted into Android, but because ADB is unavailable in Recovery, users can no longer send sideload commands to install OTA packages this way.
This affects all A-only-partitioned Galaxy devices, including Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy F, Galaxy M series phones, older Galaxy Z series foldables, and even Galaxy Tab models. This change will come to all users in One UI 8.5’s official release, whether through beta or stable form.
Galaxy devices that use an A/B partition, such as the Galaxy S25 series and newer, never supported this behavior in the first place. As a result, users on those devices have already had to rely on hidden system activities or questionable third-party apps to sideload early builds.
What are the implications of this change?
Some users may worry about recovery options if a device becomes corrupted, or about being able to force an upgrade or downgrade. There’s no need to panic: full firmware packages will still be available and can be flashed through Download Mode using Odin, which remains the primary emergency recovery method.
For enthusiasts who want to live on the bleeding edge of One UI, that dream is slowly reaching an end. For now, you can downgrade to One UI 8.0 and then update. But as new versions of One UI release, that method becomes less and less feasible. Not to mention the regular data wipes.
For the average Samsung device user, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll continue receiving regular official updates and you’ll still be able to restore the operating system if anything goes wrong.
If you plan to buy the Galaxy S26 series, our Mystery Box program is now live. You can sign up here to be eligible for free accessories during pre-orders, including a 65W charger, protective case, and more.
Thanks @my_znacomy on Telegram for the image!