Samsung One UI 8.5 adds fully customisable unlock animations

Samsung introduces a subtle but meaningful update to LockStar in the One UI 8.5 beta, giving Galaxy users far more control over how their phones unlock. 

The update replaces the long-standing static unlock with dynamic transition effects and adds manual brightness controls for the Always On Display.

Samsung One UI 8.5 beta features 

Unlocking a Galaxy smartphone has always been a functional experience. But, with the release of LockStar version 8.5.00.8, this experience has changed. According to a post by Ice Universe on X, there are many unlocking animations available, and these include Slide, Expand, Spread, Wave, Warp, and Ripple.

With your Samsung device, you can customise each animation beyond just selecting a type. You can set animation speed, direction, and distortion, as well as the physics involved in the animation itself.

The latest update also includes control of the interpolator, which gives users control of how animations accelerate or slow down during the unlocking of the handset. This control enables Galaxy users to enjoy a more personalised experience.

In addition to the animations, LockStar now brings the ability to manually set the brightness of the Always On Display, explained via tipster Tarun Vats below:

The Always On Display now has a manual brightness setting, something that was previously almost exclusively locked to the automatic brightness feature through Samsung’s software, now allowing the user to set the brightness of the

It can be particularly beneficial for those devices that have full-screen AOD, and those phones include the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 series. Consumers can opt for dim display mode for saving batteries or bright display mode for showcasing their wallpapers and clock designs.