Samsung updates hundreds of millions of old phones

What just happened? Anyone still using Samsung Galaxy phones between 2014 and 2018 – which could number up to half a billion – should check for firmware updates. Samsung’s updates are minor but unusual, as affected models are much older than older phones that usually receive security patches.

Samsung launched this month sending Minor updates for older Galaxy phones, which are generally no longer supported, and eventually reached hundreds of millions of users. Affected models include the Galaxy S5 Neo (Vodafone version), Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy S6 series and Galaxy A7.

Galaxy S5 owners should find the G903FXXU2BFG3 firmware version in the Settings app. Galaxy S6 phones get firmware version G92xFXXU6EVG1, Galaxy Alpha gets firmware version G850FXXU2CVH9, and A7 gets A750FXXU5CVG1.

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Samsung hasn’t provided specific details about what the updates are or why they’re being sent, but it appears to be fixing the GPS issue. The update for the A7 includes a security patch. Official updates for older devices usually fix serious security issues that may affect many users, but Samsung hasn’t said the same. And the official list of phones still receiving security updates doesn’t go back to the A7, S5, or S6.

Last year, Samsung promised that new Galaxy phones would receive security updates for at least four years. The oldest models officially supported by the company include all Galaxy S10, Note 10, and A10 models from 2019.

To compare Apple recently published iOS security update is important for iPhone models dating back to the 6s launched in 2015. Manufacturers should keep security updates for as many of their devices as possible, as most customers don’t always upgrade to the latest models.

Modern Galaxy phone owners should look forward to Android 13, which will be rolling out on various Android models later this year. It’s not yet known which Samsung models will be supported by the new operating system, but it does come preinstalled on Google’s newer Pixel phones. Apple is also preparing for the next version of iOS to release this year, which supports all iPhone models since the iPhone 8 2017.