Samsung is gearing up to release its Android 15 update early next month. One UI 7 will be available for eligible Galaxy devices starting April 7, with the Galaxy S24 series leading the charge. The Galaxy S21 series, which turned four earlier this year, will also receive this update — it’s the last major OS update for the 2021 Samsung flagships. Ahead of that, the company has released the March security patch for the lineup.
Galaxy S21 series gets Samsung’s March security update before the One UI 7 release
Samsung is currently rolling out the March security update, aka SMR (Security Maintenance Release), for the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra in its home country of South Korea. The update comes with the firmware build number G991NKSS8GYC1 and only contains this month’s security fixes. The company previously revealed that the latest SMR addresses over 50 vulnerabilities, including 11 critical Android OS flaws.
Since the Galaxy S21 series is no longer eligible for monthly security patches — dropped to a quarterly schedule last month after completing four years in the market — Samsung may or may not release the March SMR for the phones in other regions. The 2021 flagship lineup picked up the January patch, so technically, it isn’t due for another one until April. As such, Samsung could skip the March release in some regions.
Even if it decides to roll out the update globally, the company could bundle it with One UI 7 next month. Some Galaxy devices may receive the April patch with the upcoming big update, though. Samsung has already confirmed that the One UI 7 rollout will stretch into May or even June. We expect the Galaxy S21 trio to receive it by May. These phones will get security updates until early 2026 before reaching the end of their support cycle.
March update for more devices
Besides the Galaxy S21 series, Samsung recently released the March SMR for the Galaxy A16, Galaxy A52, and Galaxy A53. These devices join dozens of other models in Samsung’s March update party. The company is almost done updating all eligible models to this month’s security patch. The focus now shifts to One UI 7 and the April security update. We will keep you posted.
