Firmware
What to do after your Samsung Galaxy Phone gets farewell from major OS (One UI & Android) update eligibility list?
After a time, every device becomes ineligible for regular updates, no matter if they are security patch updates or major OS or UI updates. It becomes pretty insecure and problematic if your device no longer gets any updates, as they are indeed helpful for resolving any issue that appears on the device and also help to make it malware free. Let’s know why it is insecure and problematic and what to do when that happens.
Informatively, in terms of Samsung, they provide three and four years of OS updates according to the device’s category. In specific, the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z foldable series phones get four years of OS updates along with some mid-range Galaxy A devices. Besides, other lower-end and budget phones get least updates than four. These updates bring bug fixes, performance improvements, some novelties, and more with them.
Let us tell you when the Galaxy smartphone stops receiving OS updates; the first disadvantage is its Android version will now be the same forever and can’t be changed in the newer one. Besides, it also becomes eligible for any improvements that Google provides in its Android. However, regular security updates still make their way to those devices, but that too for a limited period. Samsung provides five years of security patch updates.
If you are unaware, security patch updates basically fix vulnerabilities that appear on your device’s Operating System and protect it from malware attacks. Hence, as long as your device is getting security patches, there is nothing to worry about. Besides, Google has also come up with a solution for it- Project Mainline, which helps to update some parts of the OS using the underlying platform, so you don’t need to rely on OTA updates.
What to do if your Galaxy phone will not get update?
Notably, Google can also bring new tools and features to the device without depending on the Operating System. If you are still unsatisfied with those, there are some other options as well, which will help you let your device experience a new life even if it no longer gets any OS updates. These ideas are listed below.
You can install an unofficial ROM: To update the Android version, you can get help from a third-party ROM. Their developers have made those unofficial ROMs compatible with nearly all devices from all brands.
Can use third-party applications: If you are willing to experience the latest Android version’s offerings, you can use a third-party application for that. All you have to do is find the right application.
Nota bene, we suggest you choose a smartphone with the maximum number of OS updates possible, along with five years of regular security patch updates. It is the best way to keep your device safe and updated for a long time.
Samsung has recently published the May 2024 security bulletin on its official site. With this documentation, the company is not limited to sharing the software details but also refreshing the scope tab, where it mentions the devices that are eligible to get security updates according to the frequency.
For your information, Samsung has made three lists of devices: one list is named as the current monthly update, the second list includes the quarterly update devices, and the third list is the biannual security update devices. For starters, in the first list, all the devices mentioned are eligible to get updates every month, while the second list holds the devices that are eligible to get four updates per year, and the last one has the devices that are only eligible to get two updates per year.
Samsung follows the policy of giving security patch updates to certain years, so when the device reaches a limit, it is freely removed from the list, or if any device is running in the last year of its retirement, the company changes the frequency of them. The company will make a few changes with the latest May 2024 security patch.
Samsung removes these devices from the update list and also welcomes new ones
Samsung has made strict decisions in terms of its pre-decided software update policy. Now, with the fresh set of changes, the Galaxy A71, Galaxy A31, Galaxy A11, and Galaxy M11 are removed from the list. All four devices have reached their limit; the Galaxy A71 and Galaxy A31 were released back in 2020 with the eligibility of five years of software support, while other devices belonging to the budget range that were released in 2020 are only eligible to get four years of software support.
Apart from removing the device, the company has also welcomed some new devices, including the Galaxy C55 5G and the Galaxy M55 5G. The company has also changed the security of the Galaxy A52 4G (Enterprise model).
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Samsung has officially published the details of the upcoming May 2024 security patch update for Galaxy devices. For your information, with every new security patch update, the company aims to apply new codes that improve the device’s mechanism and make it able to work against external threats. Let’s explore how the May 2024 security patch will enhance the devices’ security.
Samsung One UI May 2024 security patch details
According to the documentation, the May 2024 security brought more than 50 fixes for resolving the issues in the internal functions. In detail, Google has included 31 patches, where 3 issues are addressed under the critical head, 27 issues are addressed under the high head, and 1 is categorized as moderate. For your information, all three heads represent the sensitivity of the issues. Apart from these, Samsung has also added 25 patches that will exclusively enhance the security of Galaxy devices.
Samsung added some more patches for Galaxy devices
As Google provided the patches according to the previously identified issues on the Android devices, Samsung is also doing the same but limitedly for its Galaxy devices. According to the information, there are 25 patches included that will fix several issues on the Galaxy devices. However, the Korean giant doesn’t provide full details about those fixes, but on the basis of the SVE details, the company will address several issues related to existing functions, including secure folders, cameras, bootloaders, DarManager services, and server authentication bypass vulnerabilities identified in several stock services.
Samsung May 2024 security patch-eligible devices
Along with the May 2024 security patch details, Samsung has also shared the scope of the devices eligible for Galaxy devices. In this list, there are some devices listed under the monthly security update eligible devices that will get the May 2024 security patch. Check out all the devices below:
- Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, W23, W23 flip, W24, W24 flip
- Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20 FE 5G, Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Note20 5G, Galaxy Note20 Ultra, and Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Enterprise Models: Galaxy A52s 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy A54 5G, Galaxy A55 5G, Galaxy Xcover5, Galaxy Xcover6 Pro, Galaxy Xcover7
The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is the latest premium mid-range smartphone on the market. It debuted with Android 14 and One UI 6.1. To maintain its security, the company has started rolling out the fresh April 2024 security patch update for the device.
As of writing, the April 2024 security patch for the Galaxy A55 5G has been spotted in several regions, including Europe, Asia, and some Latin American countries. More specifically, the European units of the Galaxy A55 5G are getting a new update with the firmware version number A556BXXS2AXD3. In Asian countries, the update is coming with the firmware version number A556EXXS2AXD3. Meanwhile, the Latin American units are getting a new update with the firmware version number A556EXXS2AXD4.
According to the official changelog, the April 2024 security patch doesn’t bring any major changes for the devices, but it will strengthen their security. According to the official documentation, the latest security patch will provide more than 40 fixes, and Google has added 27 security vulnerability fixes related to the Android OS. Along with this, Samsung has also provided 17 more fixes that remove the security-related bugs from the Galaxy devices.
Moreover, if you update your Galaxy A55 5G smartphone to the latest version, you may get some new changes that can improve the overall performance and stability of the devices. So if you are facing any issues, then the new software update may bring resolution for you.
To take advantage of new software improvements for your device to the latest version, if you are using the Galaxy A55 5G device in any of the above-mentioned regions, you can now install the latest software by going to the software update menu from the system settings.
Ranjit Bhonsale
March 20, 2023 at 4:11 am
Too much of fact and less about the topic. What to do with a totally usable device? Do even these “other” OS support the older hardware?