The Galaxy S20 series is older than three years, yet the 2020 flagship phones are still getting monthly security patches. Despite the clock ticking past the three-year mark, Samsung has not demoted the Galaxy S20 to a quarterly update schedule. It goes against the grain and tradition, as every Galaxy flagship phone since the Galaxy S7 enjoyed 36 consecutive monthly updates before Samsung downgraded them to quarterly patches.
For example, the Galaxy S10 series received security patches for four years. Three of those years consisted of monthly releases, and one year followed a quarterly release schedule. Now, Samsung did extend support for the Galaxy S20 series to five years worth of security patches in 2021 (at least for Enterprise Edition S20s), but it didn't say anything about how it will divide those five years between monthly and quarterly releases. However, history strongly supported the notion that the phone would get three years of monthly patches, after which new firmware would go live quarterly.
Needless to say, the Galaxy S20 still getting monthly updates three years and three months after release signals a positive development in Samsung's upgrade policy. Which, by the way, seemingly keeps getting better year after year.
Other Galaxy phones might follow in the Galaxy S20's footsteps
There's no official word on the matter, but as our colleagues at GalaxyClub point out, this recent development concerning the Galaxy S20 could mean that the 2020 flagships may get four years of monthly security patches before Samsung demotes them to a quarterly schedule.
Better yet, this hidden policy of four years of monthly security patches might also apply to newer phones, including:
- Galaxy S20 FE
- Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, and S21 FE
- Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra
- Galaxy Note 20 and Note 2- Ultra
- Galaxy Z Fold 2, Z Fold 3, and Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Flip 4
- Galaxy A52, A52s, A53, and Galaxy A54
Again, Samsung hasn't made any announcements about its Galaxy phones getting monthly patches for more than three consecutive years, so there's still a chance that these recent events surrounding the Galaxy S20 series are a fluke. Nevertheless, three months is a long time when it comes to firmware, and no change has happened yet. The Galaxy S20 continues to be listed under Samsung's monthly schedule, and that's great news so far.
We'll make sure to keep an eye on the firmware evolution of the 2020 flagship phones, and we'll keep you posted if Samsung spills the beans and we find out more. Until then, we hope you enjoy your extra updates. The Galaxy S20 series started receiving the June 2023 security patch last week.
