The Samsung Galaxy S25’s coolest feature could get a big upgrade in One UI 8

• A new rumor suggests One UI 8 could add a narration feature to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series’ Now Brief feature
• Tentatively titled Listen Brief, the feature applies a text-to-speech processor to the AI-generated news and update summary
• One UI 8 is without a release date at the time of writing.

Without a doubt, one of the coolest Samsung features to launch this year is Now Brief, the AI-powered daily summary that sits at the core of the Galaxy S25 series AI-focused platform.

As SammyGuru reports, the Now Brief feature seems to be exclusive to the Galaxy S25 series for now – the wider release of One UI 7 hasn’t brought the feature to older devices

That’s likely due to its reliance on the Knox security chip, which was introduced with Samsung’s latest flagships; but while older devices might miss out on Now Brief, it seems that Galaxy S25 users could see the feature quite substantially upgraded with the next version of One UI.

A new rumor suggests that One UI 8 could bring a new feature called Listen Brief, which is pretty much what it sounds like – an audio version of the Now Brief. The feature was uncovered in a look at unreleased code by Android Authority.

Now Brief is already a pretty convenient concept, packaging rolling news, updates, weather and more into a quickly digestible feed.

But for those who want an extra shot of convenience, Listen Brief would make getting your daily dose of personalized information even easier.

The findings suggest you’ll be able to choose between Samsung’s and Google’s text-to-speech processing, which means this is likely a narration of the existing Now Brief text, rather than an AI assistant reading, processing, and then explaining the contents of the brief.

Speaking personally, I’ve not been the keenest on AI – I have my issues with the generative side of things, and when it comes to time-saving stuff like transcription and email summaries I’ve rarely had a use for the tools on offer – but even I was impressed by Now Brief when it was revealed at this year’s first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked.

As for Listen Brief, I can see this being useful for a few types of people – first and foremost those with visual impairments or issues processing text. I’ll always welcome features that make tech more accessible to more people.

Listen Brief could also be a useful addition for commuters, parents with busy mornings, or those who just prefer listening to reading. It’s a neat potential addition to what was already a great idea.

We’re still quite a way away from seeing One UI 8, but I’m hoping that the best Samsung phones will receive their next major OS update in quicker fashion than the wobbly rollout of One UI 7. Let us know whether you’d use Listen Brief in the comments below.

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Jamie is a Mobile Computing Staff Writer for TechRadar, responsible for covering phones and tablets. He’s been tech-obsessed from a young age and has written for various news and culture publications. Jamie graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Since starting out as a music blogger in 2020, he’s worked on local news stories, finance trade magazines, and multimedia political features. He brings a love for digital journalism and consumer technology to TechRadar. Outside of the TechRadar office, Jamie can be found binge-watching tech reviews, DJing in local venues around London, or challenging friends to a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.