Samsung extends phone security updates to four years
Samsung has increasingly relied on extended software updates as a selling point, and this now includes security patches.
The company has committed to providing regular security updates for at least four years after the initial release of the phone or tablet.
Before now, Samsung promised only two years of security fixes on a regular schedule.
You get a third year at a reduced quarterly rate if your device previously received monthly updates, but other products leave without any regular patches after the second year.
The four-year promise covers the upcoming devices, but it also extends to devices released since 2019, such as: the older Galaxy S10 series and Galaxy Tabs.
Samsung's new policy is not limited to flagship models only, but low-cost phones, such as the Galaxy A10e, get these extended updates.
And helped Qualcomm and Google to improve partially to enable four years of updates for Snapdragon phones, although this applies mainly to new devices.
Samsung is extending this period to non-modern devices, and Qualum clearly has no say in products that use Samsung's Exynos chips.
This is a rare move in the Android world, where it is still very common to lose security fixes after two or three years.
And you can now buy a new Galaxy device knowing that it will likely be protected from known vulnerabilities for most or all of its usual life.
This move could help the wider community of mobile devices, as it reduces the number of phones that are exploitable or vulnerable to widespread attacks.
Galaxy devices eligible for this update
Foldable devices:
Fold.
Z Fold2 5g.
Z Flip.
Z Flip 5G.
Galaxy S Series:
S10.
+ S10.
S10e.
S10 5G.
S10 Lite.
S20 5G.
S20 + 5G.
S20 Ultra 5G.
S20 FE 5G.
S21 5G.
S21 + 5G.
S21 Ultra 5G.
Galaxy Note series:
Note 10.
+ Note 10.
Note 10+ 5G.
Note 20 5G.
Note 20 Ultra 5G.
Galaxy A Series:
A10e.
A20.
A50.
A11.
A21.
A51.
A51 5G.
A71 5G.
Galaxy XCover Series:
XCover FieldPro.
XCover Pro.
Galaxy Tab Series:
Tab Active Pro.
Tab Active3.
Tab A 8 (2019).
Tab A with S Pen.
Tab A 8.4 (2020).
Tab A7.
Tab S5e.
Tab S6.
Tab S6 5G.
Tab S6 Lite.
Tab S7.
+ Tab S7.