Direct Voicemail is One of Best New Features in One UI 8.5

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update is bringing a major improvement to the Phone app with the introduction of Direct Voicemail. Already rolling out to beta testers, this feature modernizes missed-call handling on Galaxy devices. If you miss a call, the caller can still send you a voice note, aka voicemail, directly to your device. It already works great, though there’s still room for refinement. Here’s a closer look.

One UI 8.5’s Direct Voicemail enhances call management

Direct Voicemail adds a new layer to call management by letting callers leave a voicemail immediately when their call isn’t answered. In fact, you can set calls to automatically go to voicemail after ringing for a certain amount of time, anywhere between 1 and 20 seconds. There’s also an option to manually send calls to voicemail when the phone is still ringing.

Any voice message recorded by the caller is saved directly to your phone, making it easier to see and review messages in context with your call history. Missed calls with an attached voicemail contain a blue voicemail icon next to the contact’s name. You can also see the voicemail duration and a short transcription. Samsung offers easy playback controls and options to clean up the audio using Audio Eraser.

In our testing, Direct Voicemail has performed fairly well. The feature feels polished and reliable for an early version. Voicemail quality is generally good, and everything integrates cleanly into the Phone app. Voicemails become part of a contact’s full call history, while Audio Eraser helps enhance the overall experience. Live transcription and summaries can be better, but Samsung is surely on the right track.

It’s worth noting that Direct Voicemail requires an established connection between the two devices. The caller can’t send avoice note if your phone is switched off or the call doesn’t connect. This feature also only works for voice calls, not video calls.

Of course, Samsung isn’t the first to introduce a voicemail feature for phones. But the company’s implementation, especially its integration of AI features such as Audio Eraser, makes Direct Voicemail one of the best features of One UI 8.5. Even in beta, the feature shows promise, and with further refinements ahead of the stable One UI 8.5 launch.