Samsung has gained a reputation as one of the better Android device makers in terms of releasing updates in a timely manner. The latest Android security update for September 2022 has begun rolling out to these Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets.
Samsung September 2022 security update – what’s new
Breaking from the usual pattern of releasing updates before the new month begins, Samsung didn’t begin the rollout of the September 2022 security patch to Galaxy devices until the day after Google updated its Pixel phones. As always, Samsung has released their own separate Security Update Bulletin, which lays out the fixes and improvements included with this month’s patch.
In addition to the 24 security issues included in Google’s Android Security Bulletin, Samsung has patched at least 21 exploits that were exclusive to Galaxy devices. One vulnerability, marked “High” severity, abused a feature of Samsung Knox to “cause local permanent denial of service.”
Beyond the typical security improvements, the September 2022 update doesn’t seem to include any changes to functionality for most of the devices it’s been released on so far. However, for a handful of devices like the full lineup of Galaxy Z foldables, Samsung has been including the One UI 4.1.1 update with the September patch, bringing the large-screen enhancements of Android 12L.
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Devices with the Samsung September 2022 security update
As of late, Samsung has a loose tendency to roll out updates for its phones from newest to oldest, with a bit more priority given to high-end devices like the Galaxy S flagships and Galaxy Z foldables. Over the coming weeks, the September update will surely arrive for more devices in the wider Galaxy lineup.
This list will include a note on where the update first debuted and if it is also available in the United States. As usual, the latest additions will be marked in bold.
Galaxy S series
Between their premium pricing and mainstream popularity, the Galaxy S series of phones are often among the first to get each month’s security updates. That focus has also improved since Samsung brought previously Note-exclusive features to the Galaxy S line in recent years.
Samsung kicked off the month by releasing the new patch for last year’s flagship phones, the Galaxy S21 series, starting on September 7. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G was right behind, picking up the update that same day across much of Europe. The LTE version of the S20 FE got the same patch a few days later.
There was an interesting bit of back and forth for owners of the Galaxy S22 series this month. Samsung initially rolled out the latest update in Europe on September 8, before pausing it on the Galaxy S22 and S22+ the next day. Ultimately, Samsung globally released a different version of the update for Galaxy S22 series owners on September 13, nearly a week later.
The next batch of Galaxy S phones to get patched included the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy S21 FE, on September 13, while the latter phone’s Exynos model was a day behind. Galaxy S20 and S20 5G both picked up their updates on September 15. Going back another generation, the full Galaxy S10 and S10e series got patched on September 20.
- Galaxy S22 / S22+ / S22 Ultra — S90xEXXS2AVHD (Released globally)
- US: Available on locked and unlocked devices
- Galaxy S21 / S21+ / S21 Ultra — G99xBXXS5CVHI (Released first in Germany)
- US: Available on carrier locked devices
- Galaxy S21 FE — G990BXXU2CVH7 (Released first in Europe)
- US: Available on carrier locked devices
- Galaxy S20 FE 5G — G781BXXU4FVI1 (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy S20 FE LTE — G780GXXU3CVI1 (Released first in Asia)
- Galaxy S20 5G — G986BXXSFFVHA (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy S20 LTE — G985FXXSFFVHA (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy S10 Lite — G770FXXU6GVH6 (Released first in Spain)
- Galaxy S10 / S10+ / S10e — G97xFXXSGHVI1 (Released first in Europe)
Galaxy Z series foldables
As of late, Samsung has been leading the charge for foldable Android devices, turning them from a futuristic concept into an affordable reality. Given the company’s emphasis on foldables and the raw retail cost of those phones, the Galaxy Z Flips and Z Folds are often given the same level of consistent updates as the Galaxy S phones.
However, that hasn’t really proven true for September, with this month’s update not hitting any Galaxy Z phones until nearly midway through the month. Thankfully, this happened with good reason, as most foldables updated this month also received a bump to One UI 4.1.1, which is based on Android 12L and includes Google’s enhancements for large-screen devices.
Starting on September 13, owners of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 both began receiving the latest patch from Verizon. Notably, Verizon’s version of this update came loaded with two new bloatware apps, “Bingo Blitz” and “Blocks.” The Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G later got patched at about the same time on September 14. On September 15, owners of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 got their security patch and One UI update.
Lagging far behind the rest of the foldables, the recently released Galaxy Z Fold 4 didn’t get its first security update until September 30.
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 — F936BXXU1AVIH (Released first in India)
- Galaxy Z Fold 3 — F926USQS2DVHE (Released first in US)
- US: Available on carrier-locked devices
- Galaxy Z Flip 3 — F711USQS3DVHD (Released first in US)
- US: Available on carrier-locked devices
- Galaxy Z Fold 2 — F916BXXU2HVHA (Released first in Germany)
- Galaxy Z Flip 5G — F707BXXU7HVH9 (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy Z Flip — F700FXXUAHVH9 (Released first in Italy)
- US: Available on unlocked devices
Galaxy Note series
The Galaxy Note line was effectively discontinued as of 2021, with the Note 20 generation marking the final release for the series. All the same, many of those devices are still actively supported by Samsung, receiving consistent updates. Notably, this month did mark the end of updates for the Galaxy Note 9.
No surprise, the first Galaxy Note to get updated for September was the newest one, the Galaxy Note 20, picking up the patch on September 7. The more affordable Galaxy Note 10 Lite was next in line, getting updated on September 15.
- Galaxy Note 20 / Note 20 Ultra — N98xFXXS5FVH7 (Released first in Europe)
- Galaxy Note 10 Lite — N770FXXS8GVH3 (Released first in France)
Galaxy Tab series tablets
Considering we don’t rely on our tablets as much as we do our smartphones, Samsung generally only updates the Galaxy Tab series on a quarterly or biannual basis. Many of Samsung’s tablets were updated to the August patch in the last few weeks, bringing One UI 4.1.1, so we likely won’t see too many Galaxy Tab series updates this month.
That said, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite got a slightly different update than it’s more premium counterpart, complete with One UI 4.1.1 and the most up-to-date security patch, on September 16.
Galaxy A/M/F series
In addition to the higher-end offerings, Samsung also has a wealth of more affordable Android phones. Between the midrange to upper-midrange Galaxy A series and lower-end options in the Galaxy M and Galaxy F series, Samsung offers surprisingly regular updates even for its less expensive phones.
To that point, on the same day that the Galaxy S21 was updated, Samsung launched an update for the Galaxy A52s 5G. Next up was the Galaxy A53 5G which picked up the update on September 13, followed the next day by the Galaxy A33 and A52. Meanwhile, the latter phone’s 5G variant got updated on September 15.
Further down the scale, Samsung’s first M-series phone to get updated this month was the Galaxy M12 on September 20. Just before the month came to a close, Samsung launched patches for the Galaxy A12 Nacho and Galaxy A71, both of which are only scheduled to receive quarterly updates.
- Galaxy A71 — A715FZHU8CVI4 (Released first in Hong Kong)
- Galaxy A53 5G — A536USQU3AVH1 (Released first in the US)
- US: Available on locked and unlocked devices
- Galaxy A52s 5G — A528BZTU1CVH6 (Released first in Taiwan)
- Galaxy A52 5G — A526BXXS1CVH7 (Released first in South America)
- Galaxy A52 — A525FXXS4BVI2 (Released first in Russia)
- Galaxy A33 5G — A336EDXU4AVH9 (Released first in Indonesia)
- Galaxy A12 Nacho — A127FXXU7BVI4 (Released first in Russia)
- Galaxy M12 — M127FXXS3BVI1 (Released first in South America)
How to check for the latest OTA on your Galaxy device
If your device is slated to have been updated already, but the patch hasn’t arrived for you personally, you can try updating manually. Simply open the Settings app, tap “Software update,” and choose “Download and install.”
This article was first published on September 7 and most recently updated on September 30.
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