It’s obvious that some of Samsung’s latest devices would headline its plans for any future updates, which is why the oft-berated Galaxy Fold and the mid-range darling Galaxy A50 find themselves here.
However, given how Android device makers treat software updates, the distinction between major upgrades, like the one Samsung is planning as part of its Android 10 rollout, and security patches, like the ones we cover frequently, has to be made.
For the latter, since 2015 when Google took the bold step to stop bundling fixes to vulnerabilities with major Android updates (as point updates), Android device makers have done a somewhat commendable job taking Google’s cue and availing the same updates to users of their devices, albeit always late.
Some, like Samsung, detail from time to time which devices remain in their good graces to receive such critical security updates. Yeah, it should be a blanket guarantee that any device that is still under 2 years since it was released would get such updates but, in the Android world, that would be asking for too much. You’d need an Android One device for such kind of guarantees and more.
As such, the latest update from Samsung detailing which of its devices users can expect to continue receiving security updates regularly is here.
As can be seen from the list available on Samsung’s website, 3 new devices have been added to the category of devices that are getting security fixes every month, as Google avails them: the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Samsung Galaxy A50 and the Samsung Xcover4s. The trio join the usual suspects, Samsung’s flagship devices from the past 2 years, and outliers like the 2017 Galaxy A5 and last year’s Galaxy A8.
The Galaxy A50’s addition is just a matter of formality since the device has been receiving updates every month since it was released.
Almost every other device of note that Samsung has released over the past year that is not a flagship-class model, has been relegated to receiving security updates at least once every 3 months (at least they’re being realistic). This is where one finds most of Samsung’s tablets and the 2019 Galaxy A series devices that we can’t stop swooning over.
The not-so-lucky devices that Samsung is just buying time before it sends them to the updates cold for good, find themselves listed in the “other regular security updates” category which, like the name suggests, is really an afterthought because lawyers need to stay happy. This is where the Galaxy Tab from 2 years ago finds itself as it is the only one that fell from grace in this update. Others that have been here for a while include Samsung’s “apology” to the world after the grand fiasco that was the Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy Note FE. This is also where one can find all the Galaxy J series devices that are being phased out.
Now that this is out of the way, maybe we can get back to waiting for Android 10 and One UI 2.0?
