As of this writing, the December SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available for users with a carrier-locked Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the US. The update is live on Xfinity Mobile and Comcast networks. The new firmware version for the two foldables is F926USQS2EVK7 and F711USQS3EVK7, respectively. Samsung should soon expand the release to other carrier networks and also cover the unlocked units of the 2021 foldable duo. This release doesn’t bring any new features or improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. The devices recently picked up the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 update with tons of goodies, so that’s understandable. Samsung is now seeding the latest vulnerability fixes to the foldable duo. And as said earlier, there are plenty of fixes in tow here. The December SMR is one of the Korean firm’s biggest monthly security releases in recent memory. As usual with these releases, not all 80 patches in the December SMR apply to every Galaxy device. Many of these concern vulnerabilities in specific components, so only devices using those components are affected. But Google’s latest ASB (Android Security Bulletin) details a few critical Android OS flaws that could lead to remote code execution without additional privileges. These vulnerabilities affect the whole Android ecosystem. There are also a few Galaxy-specific patches in this month’s security release from Samsung.
The December security update reaches more Galaxy devices in the US
Samsung began seeding the December SMR to its eligible Galaxy devices last week. It was a slow start by the company’s standards, but it has quickly picked up the pace. The latest release is already live for over a dozen Galaxy smartphone and tablet models. The US-bound Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are the newest entrants to the party. If you’re using either of Samsung’s 2021 foldable smartphones in the US, these security fixes should be available to you soon. Watch out for a notification prompting you to download the update over the air (OTA). You can tap on the notification to proceed. Samsung also allows you to manually check for updates on Galaxy devices. Open the Settings app, go to the Software update menu, and tap on Download and install. If you don’t see any updates, check again a few days later.
