Samsung has begun rolling out the latest Android security update for December 2021, and, for some Galaxy phones, the update is arriving as part of the update to One UI 4.0 and Android 12.
Samsung December 2021 security update — what’s new
As usual, the rollout of the December 2021 update for Samsung Galaxy devices began just before the new month even arrived, on November 30, a full week before Google released notes on the Android update. According to Google’s bulletin, there are 17 issues fixed in at least Android 12’s version of the December 2021 patch, but we’ll still need to wait for Samsung’s notes.
Meanwhile, Samsung is typically mum about what’s new and fixed in each update until later in the month, ensuring that security vulnerabilities remain relatively unknown until the fixes are more widely available on devices. That said, for some Samsung devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the December 2021 update is arriving as part of the more important update to the Android 12-based One UI 4.0.
Devices with Samsung December 2021 security update
Before the month of December even got started, Samsung began rolling out the latest security update, though certainly not as quickly as in recent months. As is usually the case, Samsung rolled the update out first to some of its most expensive phones, the line of Galaxy Z foldables.
This list will include a note on where the update first debuted and if it is also available in the United States. As usual, the latest additions will be marked in bold.
Year after year, the Galaxy S series has been the essential Android phone to own, serving as one of the strongest and most popular competitors to Apple’s iPhone. To respect the additional cost of buying a flagship phone, Samsung makes monthly updates available to Galaxy S series devices before lower-end phones.
So far, the only Galaxy S phone to get this month’s patch is the Galaxy S10, which received the update on December 6 starting in Europe.
- Galaxy S10 / S10+ / S10e — G97xFXXSEFUL1 (Released first in Switzerland)
It used to be that the Galaxy S series was the flagship phone for “everyone,” while the Galaxy Note series offered extra features for the Android enthusiast. Now it seems that the Galaxy Note series may be coming to a close in favor of Samsung’s line of more expensive Galaxy Z foldable phones. To reward the early adopters of Samsung’s foldable screen tech, the Galaxy Z series is often among the first phones to receive each month’s Android security update.
Samsung kicked things off with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G on November 30 across Europe, followed pretty closely by the original Galaxy Z Flip on December 2 in Austria and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 got their stable updates to Android 12 and One UI 4.0 on December 6 in Korea and Serbia, respectively, simultaneously bringing the phones to the December 2021 security patch.
- Galaxy Z Fold 3 — [Build number not yet known] (Released first in Korea)
- Galaxy Z Flip 3 — F711BXXU2BUKM (Released first in Serbia)
- Galaxy Z Flip 5G —F707BXXS6EUK1 (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy Z Flip — F700FXXS8EUI2 (Released first in Austria and Switzerland)
While the Galaxy Note series appears to be finished for the time being, with the other devices in Samsung’s lineup picking up the once-exclusive S Pen support, Samsung is continuing to actively support the Galaxy Notes it sold in years past.
On December 6, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G got its security update starting in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Later that same day, the update arrived for owners of the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ who bought their phone from a US cell carrier, making them the first Samsung devices in the US to get the December 2021 patch.
- Galaxy Note 10+ 5G — N976QXXS5FUK4 (Released first in Saudi Arabia and the UAE)
- Galaxy Note 10 / 10+ — N970USQS7FUKA (Released first in the US)
- US: Available on carrier-locked phones
Author: Kyle Bradshaw
Source: 9TO5Google
