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Samsung won’t update the Galaxy S20 series to Android 14 and One UI 6.0. The 2020 flagships will end their life on Android 13. However, the phones are still getting monthly security patches and will continue to receive those for at least a few more months. Samsung recently released the November security patch for the lineup in international markets. The US versions are now picking up the latest security update.
Samsung’s November security update reaches the Galaxy S20 in the US
As of this writing, the November SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available for the factory-unlocked and Verizon units of the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra in the US. Unlocked units are picking up the update with the firmware build number HWK1 (last four characters). That for Verizon units is HWJ1. Despite different build numbers, it’s the same update. Samsung is pushing the latest security fixes with no additional changes.
The Korean behemoth previously revealed that this month’s SMR patches 65 security issues in Galaxy devices. At least five of those are critical Android OS vulnerabilities, Google confirmed. The lot also includes a few Galaxy-specific Exynos patches. Since the US versions of the Galaxy S20 trio shipped with the Snapdragon 865, the phones are safe from the Exynos vulnerabilities. Other issues may be present, though.
Installing this update will keep you safe from all of them. Samsung has already pushed these security patches to most other eligible Galaxy models, with many of them getting the security patch bundled with the One UI 6.0 update. A few picked up the patches through a separate update. If you’re using a Galaxy S20 model in the US, the latest security fixes will reach your phone soon. That is if you haven’t already installed it, of course.
You can check for new updates by navigating to Settings > Software update > Download and install on your phone. Since the 2020 Samsung flagships will no longer receive feature updates and will soon stop getting security patches too, you might want to upgrade to a newer model to stay protected from security flaws. The Korean form will launch the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024.
The Galaxy S24 lineup is less than two months away
Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 in February this year. However, next year, the company reportedly plans to unveil the Galaxy S24 series in January. It may host the Galaxy Unpacked event on January 17 in San Jose, USA. The devices are said to arrive in stores before the end of the month. The Korean firm will formally announce the dates in a few weeks.