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Another day, another US-bound Samsung smartphone receives the February 20222 Android security patch. Well, we have two of them today. The carrier-locked Galaxy S20 FE and the Galaxy S9 series are both now picking up the latest security update stateside. Note that the unlocked Galaxy S20 FE has already received this update.
As of this writing, the new SMR (security maintenance release) for the carrier-locked Galaxy S20 FE (SM-G781U) is available to users on Sprint and T-Mobile networks in the US. The OTA (over the air) should soon be reach units on other carrier networks as well. The update comes with firmware version G781USQS6EVB1.
Samsung has already published the content of the February 2022 SMR. It brings fixes for over 60 vulnerabilities from the Korean brand as well as Google. These fixes have rolled out to dozens of Galaxy smartphones and tablets over the past few weeks, including the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy S20 series, and many more. You can expect more of them to join the party in the coming days.
The Galaxy S9 series is also receiving the February update in the US
Joining the affordable 2020 Samsung flagship in the February security update party in the US today are the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Launched in early 2018, the four-year-old Galaxies are picking up the latest SMR with firmware version G96xU1UEU9FVA1. The update is currently available to unlocked units on all major carriers. It should soon reach users of the carrier-locked variants of the 2018 Samsung flagship duo as well.
Having completed four years in the market, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are now counting their end days. The devices will no longer receive Android OS updates. The frequency of security updates will also gradually come down. Samsung last year demoted the duo to quarterly security updates and could soon drop them further to the bi-annual schedule.
So if you’re using either of the two Galaxy S9 models in the US, you have a rare software update coming your way. Having installed dozens of such updates over the years, you probably already know how to install the new software package. But if you need to be reminded of the drill, it’s very simple. Best, you wait for a notification for the OTA update. Alternatively, open the Settings app on your phone, scroll down to the Software update menu and tap on it, and select the Download and install option. Now follow the on-screen instructions. If there’s no update available, check back again later.