Does Samsung’s Ocean mode make your Galaxy phone waterproof?

You’ve probably seen the recent headlines about Ocean Mode coming to select Samsung Galaxy phones with the RAW Professional update. But even if the bell rings, you may not know what it actually does or where it comes from. Here’s everything you need to know.

Ocean Mode is a camera feature that allows select Galaxy phones – such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Ultra, S26 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Fold 7 – to capture more accurate underwater photos and videos.

Why is it needed? Water absorbs light of longer wavelengths, eg, warm colors such as reds and oranges, which is why underwater photos and videos captured with conventional equipment appear darker and bluer than to the naked eye.

Dedicated underwater cameras correct this distortion, and Samsung’s Ocean Mode does the same with software at a much lower cost. However, it’s technically free if you already have a phone that supports it.

Sea mode this is not the case improve your phone’s water resistance. It won’t change the Samsung device’s intrusion protection rating.

Normal restrictions still apply. Galaxy phones are rated for fresh water, not salt water, and Samsung doesn’t recommend using them in the ocean.

In fact, Samsung has coded the following notification to appear whenever users activate Ocean Mode:

If you want to use Ocean Mode underwater, you’ll need a third-person housing. Samsung does not sell waterproof cases for this purpose.

Ocean Mode began as a niche tool linked to Samsung’s partnership with Seatrees, a Sustainable Surf program focused on restoring coral reefs and coastal ecosystems. Originally, Ocean Mode was not intended for the public.

Before Ocean Mode, recovery teams relied on dedicated underwater cameras to document marine life without color distortion. The downside is that such machines are large and difficult to handle. It is also very expensive.

This is where Samsung comes to the rescue. The company realized that the modern Galaxy S Ultra cameras were already capable of high-quality underwater photography – they needed software to correct the color loss.

Ocean Mode was designed to solve that and was used specifically for phones used in coral restoration efforts. The mode allows divers to document coral reefs using one or two Galaxy phones inside waterproof housings, making mapping and monitoring faster, more accessible, and less expensive.

But after a few years of exclusivity, Ocean Mode is now reaching the public via the RAW Expert app update on select Galaxy devices running One UI 8.5 beta.

We expect Ocean Mode to reach more people and Galaxy phones once the beta testing phase ends and One UI 8.5 goes live.

But remember, even if your phone gets Ocean Mode with RAW Master update, it won’t make it water resistant. You will need a dedicated waterproof case.