A handful of old Galaxy smartphones that are no longer officially supported got updated earlier this month, but that was only the beginning. As it turns out, Samsung is rolling out a similar firmware update with GPS fixes for millions of other aging Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S5 Neo, the Galaxy Alpha, the Galaxy S6 series, and the Galaxy A7 (2018).
Similar to the other recent firmware updates for the Galaxy Note 8, the Galaxy S7, and the Galaxy S8, the latest software release for Samsung's older Galaxy phones appears to address an issue concerning GPS connectivity and stability. (via GalaxyClub)
Samsung hasn't explained the exact reason behind this new wave of firmware updates for old Galaxy phones, but the company may have discovered a security flaw that needs fixing. Whatever the case, Samsung is rolling out the update for virtually hundreds of millions of aging Galaxy smartphones, and that's not a small undertaking.
The update for the Galaxy S5 Neo carries firmware version G903FXXU2BFG3. The Galaxy S6-series update is identified by firmware number G92xFXXU6EVG1. Galaxy Alpha users — assuming there are any left in 2022 — can look forward to firmware number G850FXXU2CVH9. And the new update for the Galaxy A7 (2018) can be identified by firmware version A750FXXU5CVG1.
None of these phones should still be supported, so nobody expected them to receive new firmware updates in 2022. The Galaxy S5 Neo, for example, got released in 2015, and it recently celebrated its seventh anniversary. The Galaxy Alpha is even older and got released in September 2014. It was Samsung's first smartphone to adopt a more premium exterior design with a solid aluminum frame.
Keep in mind that these firmware updates don't come with the latest security patch. The tracker only mentions GPS stability improvements, although, according to the official changelog, the Galaxy S6 series might also enjoy additional device stability improvements and fixes, along with performance upgrades.
Samsung customers should be able to download these new updates via the Settings app on their phones. Alternatively, they can download the official firmware files from our website and install the new updates manually using a Windows PC.
Is anyone still using the Galaxy S6, S5 Neo, Galaxy Alpha, or Galaxy A7 (2018)? We'd like to hear from you, so feel free to comment below and let us know your thoughts on Samsung releasing these new updates.
