Summary
- Galaxy S20 will get quarterly security patches going forward, beyond the promised support timeline.
- S20 FE, Note 20 have also been downgraded to a quarterly update schedule.
- Samsung is going the extra mile with security updates for its 2020 flagships, which is a commendable move.
Samsung’s software policy states that the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 are eligible for three years of OS updates and four years of security patches. However, according to the company’s promised timeline, the Galaxy S20 is no longer eligible for new security patches as it is now over four years old. But instead of abandoning the device, Samsung has downgraded it to a quarterly security update schedule, extending its software support cycle.
Here’s every Samsung phone, tablet, and wearable that will get four years of Android updates
Samsung may offer four years of updates, but we know you’re upgrading way more often
SamMobile first spotted Samsung listing the Galaxy S20 family and the Note 20 series in its April security bulletin. These devices are mentioned in the company’s quarterly security updates list, meaning they will receive one security patch every three months. Typically, Samsung drops its old devices to a quarterly update schedule in the last year of software support. So, if you own the Galaxy S20, you should receive security patches for another year, albeit less frequently.
New security updates won’t give your old Galaxy S20 a new lease on life, but they should patch critical exploits that might threaten your privacy and on-device data.
Galaxy Note 20 and S20 FE also moved to a quarterly update schedule
Disappointingly, Samsung has also downgraded Galaxy S20 FE and Note 20 owners to the quarterly update list. Since the phones launched a few months after the S20, they should have received monthly security patches for longer before being put in the same category as the S20.
On the plus side, the Galaxy Note 20 and S20 FE should get a few additional months of software updates after the initial promised timeline. But don’t expect the new builds to contain radical new features or changes; they will only contain security patches and little else.
Samsung is not obligated to provide security patches for these devices for another year. So, it’s commendable that the Korean giant is providing additional security patches for its flagship phones from 2020 past the promised timeline.
The Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series share similar internals, so the company should eventually drop support for them simultaneously. This is perhaps also why the S20 lineup is getting security patches beyond the promised four years.
