Samsung has released the March 2022 Android security patch for the Galaxy S21 series. And unlike most other devices, units in the US get the latest security update first. This comes just a week after the February SMR (security maintenance release) for the US-bound Galaxy S21 trio.
As of this writing, the March SMR is rolling out to the unlocked variants of the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The new firmware version for phones is G99xU1UES5BVC1. OTA (over the air) deployment is already available to users of most wireless carriers across the country, Sam-Mobile confirmed. These include AT&T, Bluegrass Cellular, Comcast, C-Spire, Verizon, and Xfinity mobile.
Carrier-locked Galaxy S21 units in the US are also expected to receive the March security update soon. However, as mentioned earlier, the phones recently received the February SMR. So it may take some time before the latest security patch is available to them. We will let you know when the rollout begins.
As for the contents of the new update, Samsung recently confirmed that the March SMR contains fixes for several dozen vulnerabilities, the majority of which were found in Google’s version of the Android operating system. There are also fixes for some Samsung-exclusive vulnerabilities. 17 of them, to be precise. All of these fixes are now rolling out to the Galaxy S21 trio in the US.
March security update is rolling out to more Galaxy smartphones
Samsung started rolling out the March security update to its devices in the last week of February, which is nothing new. The company tends to do this monthly. The Galaxy S22 series received the new SMR first. Since then, the latest security patch has been rolled out to the Galaxy S9, Galaxy A52, and Galaxy S10 Lite. The US-bound Galaxy S21 series has also joined the party. It should soon reach international versions of the Galaxy 2021 flagships, as well as other eligible models. We will keep you posted.
When it comes to installing the new software package, you probably already know the drill. Your phone should notify you of the new OTA version as soon as it becomes available. Alternatively, you can open the Settings app, scroll down and select the app Software update menu and press Download and install. If an update is available, you will be prompted to download it. If no update is available, check back later.