Samsung has released the September 2024 security update to the factory-unlocked units of Galaxy S21 series devices in the USA. The update was released for the global variants last week and for the carrier-locked Galaxy S21 units yesterday.
Factory-unlocked Galaxy S21 gets September 2024 security update in USA
The latest software update for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra comes bearing firmware version G99xU1UESCGXH1 in the US. It is meant for the factory-unlocked versions of smartphones and brings the September 2024 security patch that fixes 67 vulnerabilities found in the previous software version.
Besides the new security patch, the update doesn't bring anything new to the Galaxy S21 series. If you were hoping to get the One UI 6.1.1 update that is rolling out to other high-end phones, you would be disappointed to know that One UI 6.1.1 won't be released to the Galaxy S21 series.
The update is now available on all carrier networks. If you have a Galaxy S21 and live in the US, you can now check for the new software update by navigating to Settings » Software update » Download and install. You can also download the new firmware file from our firmware database and flash it manually.
The story continues after our Galaxy S24 review in the video below.
Android 15 will be Galaxy S21's last major Android OS update
Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 series in early 2021 with Android 11 onboard. The phones in the lineup received three major Android OS updates already: Android 12 (late 2021), Android 13 (late 2022), and Android 14 (late 2023). The devices will now get the Android 15-based One UI 7.0 update before the end of this year, and that will be its last major Android OS update.
The Galaxy S21 series will continue to get security updates for a year after it gets the Android 15 update. If you want to upgrade to a new phone, you should consider the Galaxy S24 (watch it in our video above) or wait until the Galaxy S25 launches early next year. It will likely come with a promise of seven years of Android OS updates.
