Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra will no longer receive monthly updates

Highlights
  • The Galaxy S21 series will now receive quarterly updates.
  • It will get One UI 7 with Android 15 as the last major OS update.
  • Security updates for the Galaxy S21 lineup should continue until early 2026.

Samsung last year improved its software support by announcing seven years of updates for the Galaxy S24 series, which continues with the latest Galaxy S25 series. Even the budget Galaxy A16 5G comes with six years of software updates. However, the older Samsung flagships may not be so lucky as the brand has started reducing updates for the four-year old Galaxy S21 series.

Samsung Galaxy S21 now receiving quarterly updates

  • The Samsung Galaxy S21 series featuring the Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra has stopped receiving monthly updates.
  • First spotted by 9to5Google, Samsung has updated its security updates page adding the Galaxy S21 series under the quarterly updates section.
  • This means that the Galaxy S21 phones will now receive a software update every three months and not monthly like it used to. It would be four software updates for the Galaxy S21 in a year.
  • The Galaxy S21 FE is not included in this change and will continue getting monthly updates. Samsung gradually reduces software support for older models from monthly to quarterly updates.
  • As for the OS upgrade for the Galaxy S21 lineup, it should get the latest Android 15 version with One UI 7 since it is promised to get four years of OS updates. It launched with Android 11 so Android 15 will be last OS version for these phones.
  • The Galaxy S21 series gets five years of security updates, which is expected to continue until early 2026.

With reduced software support from Samsung, the Galaxy S21 series might be vulnerable to issues and bugs. Galaxy S21 users will also not get access to the latest features. It’s fine for now but if you plan to continue any Galaxy S21 phone for longer then you might want to consider newer models. It’s different with the latest models though as Samsung has increased software support up to seven years.

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Key Specs

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100Processor
6.8 inches (17.27 cm)Display
12 GB RAM + 256 GB
16 GB RAM + 512 GBRAM & Storage
108 MP + 10 MP + 10 MP + 12 MPRear Camera
40 MPFront Camera
5000 mAhBattery
See Full Specs

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