The September 2022 Android security patch is available for Galaxy S21 users in the United States. Samsung is rolling out the latest security update for unlocked Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra in the US. Carrier-locked variants are also expected to join the party soon.
As of this writing, the September SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available for the Galaxy S21 trio on the T-Mobile and Sprint networks. The updated firmware version for the phones is G99*USQS5CVHC, reports SamMobile. The rollout should soon cover unlocked units on other networks before expanding to carrier-locked units. Samsung has already released the latest security update for its 2021 flagships in most international markets. Perhaps the Galaxy S21 series was the first to get the September SMR.
Irrespective of the model, carrier or regional variant, this update does not bring any changes or new features for the user to the Galaxy S21 trio. Samsung is just dropping the latest security patch with this release. As detailed in the company’s official monthly security bulletin, this month’s SMR fixes over 50 vulnerabilities, the vast majority of which were high-severity flaws.
More than half of the vulnerabilities patched this month were specific to Galaxy. These are defects in Samsung’s hardware or software, so they do not affect other brands’ Android products. The company mentions fixes for flaws in various components of the device such as Photo Editor, Video Editor, System UI, Telecom Application and Call Background Provider. In addition to these, Samsung is also patching around 20 flaws in Google’s Android operating system.
If you’re using the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, or Galaxy S21 Ultra in the US, these vulnerability fixes are already on the way. You should receive a new update with all fixes in the next few days if you haven’t already. You can go to Settings > Software update and tap Download and install to manually check for updates.
Samsung bets on Android 13 for the Galaxy S21 series
This may be the last or penultimate monthly security update based on Android 12 for the Galaxy S21 series. Samsung is currently testing Android 13 beta for phones. The stable update is scheduled to begin next month. The new Android version will come with Samsung’s custom One UI 5.0 software. The Galaxy S22 series will get the update first, but the likes of the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 4 will soon follow. We will keep you posted on Android 13 updates for all these Samsung phones.