Newsletter
Samsung‘s January 2023 Android security patch is available for factory-unlocked units of the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra in the US. The update comes just over a week after carrier-locked variants picked it up. Last month’s SMR (Security Maintenance Release) has already reached the 2020 Samsung flagships in most international markets.
The January SMR for the unlocked Galaxy S20 trio in the US is rolling out with firmware version G98*U1UES3GWA1 (via). The rollout has just begun and may take a few days to reach all eligible units. Users can navigate to Settings > Software update on their phones and tap on Download and update to check for updates manually. You may also get a notification once the latest OTA (over the air) release reaches your Galaxy S20 unit.
This update brings several dozen vulnerability fixes to the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Samsung’s updated monthly security bulletin mentions more than 70 patches, but not all of those vulnerabilities exist on every Galaxy device. The vast majority (over 50) of the security flaws patched this month came from Google, which labeled all of those as “high-severity” issues. The remaining flaws were specific to the Galaxy family and accordingly patched by Samsung.
Samsung will update the Galaxy S20 series to One UI 5.1
The latest update for Samsung’s Galaxy S20 series doesn’t contain any new features. The company is only pushing the aforementioned vulnerability fixes. However, the phones will soon get a major feature update. The Korean firm is readying One UI 5.1 for the 2020 flagship trio.
Based on Android 13, One UI 5.1 is the latest iteration of Samsung’s custom Android skin. It debuted with the Galaxy S23 series couple of days back with a host of new features and improvements. All flagship models launched since 2020 will get the new update, including the Galaxy trio.
Unfortunately, One UI 5.1 will be the last major feature update for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. These phones shipped with Android 10 out of the box and picked up updates to Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13. They are not eligible for Android 14.
Once they receive One UI 5.1, it’ll only be security updates for them. Those updates will come at least until March of next year. One UI 5.1, meanwhile, should arrive sometime next month, or at the latest by April. We will let you know when the rollout begins. In the interim, you can update your phone to the January security patch.