As of this writing, the December SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available for the carrier-locked versions of the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra in the US on Comcast’s network, SamMobile reports. The update comes with firmware version G99USQS5DVL3. Samsung should expand the rollout to other carrier variants as well as unlocked units soon. The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, are initially picking up the December SMR on unlocked units in the US. The new firmware version for these phones is S90U1UEU2BVL1. This release is available more widely, with the same source confirming the update on AT&T, Cricket, Bluegrass Cellular, and C-Spire networks. The carrier-locked versions should also join the party shortly. These Samsung flagships aren’t getting any new features with the latest update. But the December security patch is pretty big. Well, the latest ASB (Android Security Bulletin) released by Google itself is huge. We have fixes for at least five critical vulnerabilities, some of which could allow remote code execution with no additional privileges. Bad actors could exploit these vulnerabilities to remotely control an affected device without the victim’s knowledge. The new ASB also includes 60 high-severity and a few moderate vulnerability fixes. These issues exist on Android OS as well as various other partner components. They affect all Android devices that use the compromised components. However, that isn’t all. The latest SMR for Galaxy devices also includes 13 vulnerability patches for issues that don’t exist on products from other brands. These issues are specific to Samsung’s Android ecosystem. The Korean firm itself patched the vulnerabilities. Overall, the December SMR patches no less than 80 vulnerabilities, though not all of them exist on every Galaxy device.
Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22 series get the December update in the US
If you’re using either of Samsung’s past two generations of Android flagships in the US, the December security update should be available to you soon. You may get a notification about the OTA (over the air) release in the coming days. You can also manually check for updates from the Software update menu in the Settings app.
