Motorola is infamous for taking ages to push new Android updates to its devices. Worse, even then, the final public release is riddled with bugs and issues. A wider beta program should allow the company to speed up the process and get more feedback from users to improve the final release. The move also puts Motorola closer to its rivals like Samsung and OnePlus, which typically run a wide beta program for their devices. In fact, Motorola is currently the only major Android OEM running an Android 17 beta program for its flagship devices. Samsung is still busy testing Android 16 QPR2-based One U
You can now test Android 17 on more Motorola phones… The public beta program should soon also expand to other countries, which are typically part of Samsung's first wave of beta releases: the UK, the US, and select European countries. The ZD5 firmware is a hefty 4.16GB download and packs the April 2026 security patch. …
… The firmware is based on the latest Android 17 Beta 2 code and doesn’t appear to introduce any noticeable visual changes. Since this is the first internal beta, it may not include any major new features. They should appear in future beta builds as development progresses. …
… More devices should join the One UI 8.5 beta program Based on internal firmware spotted on Samsung's server by @tarunvats33 , Samsung should soon also open access to the One UI 8.5 beta program for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 . As for the Galaxy S25, its 893MB ZZCD firmware brings a bunch of bug fixes. …
… Now, the device is getting yet another One UI 8.5 beta build, bringing the count to nine. …
… After that, you can download the beta firmware from the software update section of your Moto phone. …
… Samsung is now also expanding the beta program, releasing the first One UI 8.5 beta for its 2025 flagship foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. The ZC5 firmware for the Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 is currently live in South Korea and India. …
… For now, the BZDP firmware is only available for Galaxy S25 — including the S25 FE — and Z Fold/Flip owners in South Korea who are a part of the One UI 8.5 beta program. …
… That gap will likely widen with Android 17-based One UI 9, which is currently in limited public beta testing for the Galaxy S26 series .
… Introduced with Android 10, this mechanism lets Google update core OS modules directly via the Play Store without waiting for full firmware updates from device manufacturers, dramatically speeding up security patching across the ecosystem. …
… Worse yet, recent firmware updates have eliminated the ability to disable it. …