Samsung updates Galaxy S24, S23, S22, S21, but S25 will be different

Republished on January 10 with a new report on Samsung already testing Android 16, weeks ahead of the stable Android 15 release.

Samsung has released details of its first security update for 2025, which combines the latest Android patches (also recently confirmed) with a series of its own. Nothing unusual so far – and thankfully no warnings of urgent attacks so far either.

But what is this will The highlight is the usual slow rollout as devices wait their turn, lining up by model, region and carrier for most of the rest of the month. This frustrates users, who watch Apple updates everywhere and everywhere with a certain envy.

This process is such that the December security patches are still rolling out to some devices, and there is no reason to think this will change. At least not for owners of flagships still on the monthly schedule – that is, the S21, S22, S23 and of course the S24 which is due to be replaced by the S25 this month.

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And this S25 launch has serious implications for that monthly security update. Samsung is expected to introduce seamless updates for the first time with its latest flagship, along with the launch of Android 15 via One UI 7. Seamless updates catch up with Galaxy with something that’s been available for Pixels for years . An A/B system, in which devices do not need a long reset to update to new firmware. The download takes place in the background then a simple restart activates the new software.

Android 15 also brings a huge amount of new security advances – some from Google but others from Samsung, which is now working to catch up with the iPhone (or at least close the gap) when it comes to security and privacy, as well as advancing its Galaxy AI – it hopes beyond anything Apple Intelligence can yet offer.

The newest (for now) S24 flagships are now updated with January security patches. And while those signed up for the One UI 7 beta were first to the table, it has now been extended to the S24 Ultra, S24+, and S24 phones running One UI 6.1, which still means Android 14. SamMobile“The update is rolling out in Korea and to some carrier-locked variants in the US. A wider rollout that would bring the update to more countries and regions shouldn’t be too far behind… You can identify the January update for the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra with a build number ending with AXL1 or AXL2.

SamMobile also confirms that S24 devices “are not receiving anything other than security fixes with the January update”, which it says “should come as no surprise… with a massive Android update and One UI on the way.” It is of course this “massive Android and One UI update” that brings a seamless update. But there’s every chance these will only be available for the new Galaxy S25 and beyond, given the hardware changes that might be required.

As SammyFans explains: “Seamless Updates is an A/B partition solution on Android. This is a basic configuration that cannot be applied through software. Samsung seems to have experimented with this feature with the launch of the Galaxy A55… This process significantly reduces downtime, making it a task of seconds. It is also secure compared to the legacy method because a software crash does not corrupt the system firmware due to temporary installation in the secondary partition.

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The highlights of the January update are five critical updates to Android’s core system, “the most severe of which,” Google warns, “could lead to remote (proximal/adjacent) code execution without additional execution privileges required.” All other major fixes for both Android and Samsung are very serious, but can still lead to exploitation if discovered and compromised before the patch is applied.

Although Samsung hasn’t released any critical updates this month, it warns that “some items included in the Samsung Android Security Update cannot be released at this time,” which could lead to more notifications. serious things to come.

The January update will hit S24s running the One UI 7 beta first, with flagships to follow – as we saw with the S24, which was first out of the traps, as usual. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 is expected to launch around January 22.

One theme that will be something of a hangover for Samsung after the S25 launch will be the delays in the release of its One UI 7 (Android 15) beta and stable version. Pixels and some other OEM devices – including much cheaper ones – were much earlier to the party, making headlines.

We already know that Android 16 – due this year – is running on a faster schedule than we usually expect from Google, and so the question has been raised whether Samsung will see a knock-on effect of ‘Android 15 and new delays.

Given that both Google (with stock Android) and Samsung are on a mission to improve the security and privacy capabilities of their devices, closing the gap with the iPhone, this could be painful for those who spend between $1,000 and $2,000 on a new flagship.

Perhaps then some welcome assurances on this front, with SammyFans reporting on Friday that “it appears Samsung is internally testing Android 16 before even finishing the One UI 7 beta. Recently, it was revealed that the company has started internal testing on Android 16, which could be a good sign for Galaxy users. Some latest Samsung apps have reportedly included hints about the next version of One UI, the One UI 8… The first tests of the new operating system are a good sign and we can also expect a faster public rollout.

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This doesn’t mean Samsung will catch up with Pixel – which has the inside track and was the first to use Android 15 and its major upgrades, including live threat protection and calls – but it’s certainly an encouraging account given the disappointments of 2024.

“Google officially announced the transition of Android distribution from the third to the second quarter” SammyFans explain. “The goal is to streamline vendor adoption of Android. The company aims to help phone makers ship their new flagship devices with the latest operating system. The Android 16 developer preview is already running for Pixel devices. The new operating system is expected to enter public beta by the end of February, and distribution of the stable update could begin in early June 2025.”

While none of this is certain, or maybe even more than 50/50 at this point, SammyFans suggests you could get your 2025 upgrade in the fall, which means a summer beta. As such, the timeline between One Ui 7 and One UI 8 will be extremely tight. Just like these monthly releases, we might see one update blend into the next.