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Samsung is rolling out the third Android 12-based update to the Galaxy S21 series in less than a month. The company originally released the stable Android 12-based One UI 4.0 update to its latest conventional flagships in mid-November. It followed with another release later that month, introducing fixes for some bugs that sneaked into the original stable build. Now, we have another update coming the way of the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The latest update doesn’t bring any notable goodies though. It appears Samsung is pushing the December 2021 Android security patch to the devices with this release.
As of this writing, the latest update for the Galaxy S21 series is rolling out in the European region. But it shouldn’t take long for the company to make this release available to users in other regions, including the US. The new firmware version is G99xBXXS3BUL1, though it could vary depending on the market.
While there aren’t any user-facing changes here, the December SMR (security maintenance release) does contain fixes for dozens of privacy and security issues found in Google’s version of Android as well as Samsung’s One UI skin. The Korean firm recently confirmed that the new update includes fixes for over 30 vulnerabilities from Google and also patches 18 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. SVEs are vulnerabilities exclusive to Samsung’s Galaxy devices.
Samsung messed up with the stable One UI 4.0 update for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3
While the stable One UI 4.0 update for the Galaxy S21 series went through smoothly, Samsung seems to have messed something up with the update for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Users of the two foldables are having all sorts of problems following the big update, which rolled out in South Korea a few days back. Many users are saying that their phone has bricked after installing One UI 4.0. The issues are so grave that Samsung has reportedly pulled the update. It will likely resume the OTA (over the air) rollout after fixing those issues.
Meanwhile, if you’re having any issues with your Galaxy S21 following the One UI 4.0 update, the latest release probably won’t fix those. Nonetheless, if you’re living in Europe, you can now head over to your phone’s settings to download the new update. As always, you’ll be able to check for updates from the Software update menu. Galaxy S21 users in other regions can also look forward to receiving this update in the coming days.