Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung has reinstated the Galaxy Note 20 series to monthly security updates.
- Earlier this week, the Galaxy S20 series and Note 20 series were demoted to quarterly security updates.
- The Galaxy S20 FE will also continue receiving monthly security updates.
Samsung has built a reputation for providing some of the best software support among Android phone makers, but things weren’t always this good.
Samsung’s 2020 flagships, including the Galaxy S20 series, have already received their final major Android OS updates. However, they were still included in the monthly security update cycle until recently. A few days ago, Samsung finally demoted them to quarterly security updates — a typical step as devices reach the end of their software support lifecycle.
The Galaxy Note 20 series and Galaxy S20 FE also suffered the same fate. This was a bit surprising as the Note 20 series and the Galaxy S20 FE were both released much later in 2020, giving them at least a few more months of monthly security support.
However, Samsung appears to have reversed this decision. An update to the Work Scope page has moved the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra (4G and 5G variants) back to the monthly security update schedule. The Galaxy S20 FE has been reinstated back to monthly security updates, too.
While this is good news for now, it’s likely just a reprieve. These devices are nearing the end of their security support. It’s expected that, within a few months, the Galaxy Note 20 series and the S20 FE will officially transition to a quarterly security patch schedule.