Samsung has started rolling out a new software update to the Galaxy A51 5G and the Galaxy A71 5G smartphones running on the Verizon network in the US. The software update brings One UI 5.1.1 to these devices, which offers a bunch of new features to Gallery, Samsung Health, Quick Share, Device Care, and Mobile Hotspot. Along with these features, the new firmware also brings the August 2023 security patch to the two phones, which fixes 58 security issues.
The version of the new firmware for the Galaxy A51 is A516VSQU8GWH2 and that for the Galaxy A71 is A716VSQU8GWH2. According to the changelog provided by Verizon (1, 2), the software update offers One UI 5.1.1. However, after installing the new firmware, these devices might show you that they are running on One UI 5.1 rather than One UI 5.1.1 in the About Phone section. To check for the update, go to Settings » Software update and click on Download and install.
Gallery gets new watermark and editing options
Starting with Gallery, Samsung has added more date and time styles for watermarks that you can apply to images, the ability to copy effects that you’ve applied to one image and paste those effects to another image, and a new option in Remaster picture called Focus view that will highlight people in an image and blur the background.
Samsung Health now offers additional sleep insights
Coming to Samsung Health, the app will now provide an upgraded sleep management experience to users, offering insights such as Sleep Score Factors, Sleep Consistency and Sleep Animal Symbols. According to Samsung, you can now access Sleep Coaching from your Galaxy Watch as well to track your progress throughout the day.
Quick Share gets new features that enhance security
Moving to Quick Share, Samsung has added the Private Sharing option, which allows people to set a time limit for how long Quick Share should stay enabled. According to the company, it prevents recipients from resharing files. You now also get the Share to contacts option, allowing you to share files with contacts even if they are not nearby.
Improved memory management and new Device Care options
Samsung says that it has enhanced memory management on the two devices, which means that the Galaxy A51 5G and Galaxy A71 5G should perform better at multitasking. Along with that, the company has added two new features to the Device Care section, one to clear an app’s cache and the other is an option called Memory resident apps that allows you to manage apps and services that are always running in the background.
New Mobile Hotspot features
Samsung has added a dashboard to the OS that will show you the amount of data you’ve used for Mobile Hotspot. Along with it, you can now limit the data Mobile Hotspot can use and also set a time limit for the internet-sharing option. Lastly, the company has added a One-time passwords option to provide temporary access to the hotspot.
Software update scope for Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71
Samsung launched the Galaxy A51 5G and the Galaxy A71 5G in 2020 with Android 10 (One UI 2.0) and promised to offer three OS upgrades to these devices. The company has already rolled out those three updates, with the two devices running on Android 13 (One UI 5.1.1) with the latest update. That means the Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71 will not get new versions of Android going further, including Android 14 (One UI 6.0). However, Samsung will offer security updates to these phones for three more years.
