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The October 2023 security update has reached a few more Galaxy smartphones in the US. Samsung is now pushing the latest security patch to the Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy S21 FE, and Galaxy S20 FE. The Note phones have already received the update in international markets, but the rollout has just begun for the two FE models. Their global versions should pick up the new SMR (Security Maintenance Release) in the coming days.
Samsung pushes October update to more Galaxy devices in the US
This month’s security update is available for both carrier-locked and unlocked variants of the Galaxy Note 20 series in the US. The devices are getting the new SMR with firmware build numbers N98*USQS5HWI1 and N98*U1UES5HWI1, respectively. Samsung’s official changelog confirms that the update doesn’t bring anything more than the latest security fixes. It was the same story in international markets as well.
The October SMR for Galaxy devices patches 46 vulnerabilities. 12 of those are specific to Samsung products, while the rest are Android OS issues affecting devices from other brands as well. At least two vulnerabilities patched this month are confirmed to be critical flaws. Along with the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, these security fixes are now rolling out to the US versions of the Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy S20 FE as well.
As of this writing, the rollout for the two FE phones is limited to carrier-locked units. They are picking up the updates with the build numbers G990USQS9EWI2 and G781USQSDHWI4, respectively. The changelog remains the same as the Note lineup. Samsung should soon push the latest SMR to their factory-unlocked counterparts in the US and gradually expand the rollout to the rest of the world.
Note that Samsung’s October update isn’t yet available for the US versions of the regular Galaxy S20 models. The Galaxy S23 flagships are also awaiting the latest security patch. Their international versions have already received it. Hopefully, it won’t be long before users stateside get it too. As usual, you can check for new updates from the Settings app. Go to the Software update menu and tap on Download and install.
Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S20 FE won’t get Android 14
Samsung is expected to release its Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update (currently available in beta) later this month, starting with the Galaxy S23 series. Other models will follow soon, but the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S20 FE won’t be in that pack. These phones arrived with Android 10 and are not eligible for major feature updates beyond Android 13. The Galaxy S21 FE will get Android 14. We will let you know when the rollout begins.