Samsung Rolls Out Major Feature Update To Millions Of Galaxy Phones – Forbes
Granada, Andalusia, Spain, 24th January 2024: New Samsung S24, Ultra smartphone in its box. Detail … [+]
This story was updated with details about the September security patch and Samsung’s new update policy.
After promising to add new Galaxy AI features to older Galaxy phones earlier this month, Samsung is now rolling out One UI 6.1.1 to several countries and devices.
The update was originally bundled with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z flip 6, which launched in July. Those foldables had exclusive access to several features such as Suggested Replies, Note Assist and Sketch To Image.
But other 2023 and 2024 Galaxy device owners, in several countries, are now receiving the patch after the first round of updates were rolled out last week.
Users in India, Europe, South Korea and the U.S. have reported seeing the update on Reddit and Samsung’s community forums. It’s not clear how long it will take for the update to hit all territories, but keep an eye on the software update section of your phone’s settings menu.
For now, the update is limited to select devices from the last two years, including the Galaxy S24 series, S23 series and S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5 and Galaxy Tab S9 series.
In terms of features, One Ui 6.1.1 owners can expect to mix the below Galaxy AI tools depending on their device.
The Galaxy S22, Fold 4 and Flip 4 will not get access to any of the new Galaxy AI features yet. Samsung hasn’t confirmed that it will spread the tools to even older handsets, but it has done precisely that for other Galaxy AI updates in the recent past.
Features that were previously exclusive to the Galaxy S24 when it launched it January landed on the Galaxy S22 a few months later. In March Samsung said it would update “100 million” Galaxy devices with AI before releasing updates to more phones. In July, a Samsung representative on the company’s community forums said that other Fold 6 and Flip 6 exclusive camera features, such as Live Effect, will hit the Galaxy S22 series, alongside the Galaxy Tab S8 tablets.
Update September 18th: Samsung is now rolling out its September security patch, with it comes a bunch of fixes for issues of varying severity. Most are either rated as “moderate” or “high” and only one fix is labelled as “critical”. These updates are monthly for devices still within Samsung’s list of regularly updated phones and tablets. Some popular devices, like the Galaxy S20 range, are close to being excluded from these updates.
Elsewhere, Samsung may be working on a new plan to extend software support to its mid-range devices. A report from The Tech Outlook, via Android Authority, claims that Samsung will extended software support for its budget smartphones to six years of security patches and operating system updates.
Currently the Galaxy A series, for example, receives four years of OS updates and five years of security patches. Adding two more Android releases to phones that could cost under $300 is a huge improvement and issues a challenge to the competition. Update policies for cheaper phones are often disappointing because they’re seen as throwaway devices. But Samsung setting a new standard will have an impact on other device makers, and ultimately the value of mid range smartphones.
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