Has your Samsung Galaxy device finally received the latest critical security update, or are you still waiting—and why are some devices not updating at all? Does this leave your phone at risk?
Meanwhile, Apple just sent a tantalizing message to millions of Samsung users…
Did Samsung just give Galaxy users a reason to switch to an iPhone?
This month has not been a good one for Samsung Galaxy users on the security front. After a good start, when the company even beat Google in detailing the month’s broadest fixes for Android and Samsung alone, the release was a mess—it’s late May, and millions of users have been left waiting.
According to the latest References, “Samsung’s May 2024 update rolls out widely,” end. And while “things are a bit more exciting this month, as this update will bring One UI 6.1 to a number of older phones and tablets,” the harsh reality is that security updates need to be issued quickly and efficiently.
One UI 6.1 alone isn’t a blanket reason for the delays—let’s remember that the monthly schedule can usually be less messy than that, but it’s still confusing. Users expect the correct installation for their country, device, network and whether their phone is unlocked or not. “The updates started from May 10 for selected models and by the end of the month, many devices in different series and carriers will have received the update.” Not a good look — not in 2024.
And it gets worse. For users of a two-year-old mid-range device, the unexpected news is that the newly released UI 6.1 update “does not come with the latest May security update. Instead, it brings the April security patch, and it’s unclear if Samsung will release a separate update for it.”
Sorry-but what? This is also compounded by the fact that the May update includes a critical Android fix that was released by Google in April, delayed by Samsung until May, and is now being delayed further. When I first reported on this almost three weeks ago, I said it should be installed as a matter of urgency.” I haven’t changed my mind, but it’s been a while since Google made the fix available.
From the user’s point of view, how should they interpret this kind of advice: “A few days ago, Samsung released the May SMR (Security Maintenance Release) to the Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and a few other devices in the US. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also started receiving the update around the same time, but only in select international markets. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the company to bring it to the US.”
Let’s contrast this for a moment with Apple, Samsung’s main rival in the premium device market. Within days of iOS 17.5 being released to all its users, everywhere, at once, it became clear that there was a troubling issue where users reported that long-deleted photos reappeared unexpectedly. Apple issued a fix immediately, to everyone, meaning it managed to deliver two global updates to all its iPhones—regardless of country, carrier, network, or lock status—within a week.
Google is getting Android right on the security front—that much was clear anyway, and it’s become even more so with Android 15 innovations that push even Apple hard in some areas. But where the security update process and schedule is so complex and confusing, it undermines both safety nets and the latest battle over how many years of updates each device can receive.
In a month where we’ve seen Google update Chrome multiple times and Apple update the iPhone multiple times, Samsung’s process needs to be streamlined. Yes, it may take a few days to reach its install base, but users shouldn’t be bombarded with news update reports about which model, which country, which network week after week, especially when security has become so basic and central issue.
To you, Samsung…
