Samsung’s July 2024 security update just started showing up on a bunch of different phones

Summary

• Several Samsung Galaxy devices have started receiving the July security patch today.
• After the Galaxy S24 series got the update earlier this month, it is now showing up on the Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S21 FE, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
• Other Samsung phones dating back to the Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy A55 are expected to receive the update in the coming days.

Samsung’s flagship devices are normally the first to receive critical updates, and keeping to the trend, we saw the Galaxy S24 series device receive the July security patch earlier this month. Following those devices, it appears that the South Korean tech giant has begun rolling out the update to a wider range of its smartphones.

The update has shown up today on some older flagships, including a foldable, with wider availability likely to hit any moment now.

As shared by SamMobile, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, and the S21 series devices (including S21 FE) have begun receiving the July update, which tends to 58 vulnerabilities, 25 of which are OS-wide, while 33 are exclusive to Galaxy smartphones.

The update seemingly brings no new features, though some devices might receive the OneUI 6.1 update alongside the security patch, which should bring new camera features like Auto Zoom, and Galaxy AI capabilities to older Galaxy devices.

For the S21 series, the update is currently rolling out for model numbers SM-G991B, SM-G996B, and SM-G998B. For the S21 FE, model numbers SM-G990B (Europe) and SM-G990U (US, carrier locked) have started receiving the update. Lastly, for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the international variant (SM-F721B) and the US carrier locked models (SM-F721U) have started receiving the security patch.

The update is expected to reach these devices soon:

• Galaxy Z Fold 5
• Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Fold 4
• Galaxy Z Flip 4
• Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Fold 3
• Galaxy Z Flip 3
• Galaxy S20 FE
• Galaxy Note 20
• Galaxy A55

You can check if the update is available on your eligible Samsung device by navigating to Settings → Software update → Download and install.

The future is looking bright for Samsung devices

Samsung has upped the ante for all of its competitors with exceptional support for two new devices. Following in the footsteps of the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung announced that the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 will, too, receive seven years of OS and security updates. This makes the two new devices Samsung’s first foldables to gain extended support. This surpasses the previous four-year update and support cycle for foldables, and matches the commitment offered by Google for some of its Pixel flagships.

For reference, Google was first to offer extended seven-year support with the release of the Pixel 8, and the mid-range Pixel 8a received the same treatment subsequently. Samsung followed suit with the S24 series, and now with the Z 6 series. We’re hoping that this is the new norm, with Samsung devices potentially offering long-term value for its premium devices. Further, with the two Android giants offering extended support, we’re hoping to see seven-years of OS and security support become the new Android standard, prompting users to hold onto their devices for longer.