Samsung releases a new update prior to the major release of One UI 7

Samsung has released a new patch of updates for its devices to kick off the year. About 51 updates, including 21 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures, which are unique to Samsung, were included in the company's security update. The remaining 29 patches address bugs in Android.

As part of Samsung's monthly Security Maintenance Release (SMR) procedure, these fixes are intended to increase the devices' security. Users with the One UI 7 Beta 3 upgrade were the first to receive the update for the Samsung Galaxy S24 series in South Korea. The security update for the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Fold SE was released today, January 9.

The majority of these patches addressed flaws that let hackers read or run scripts on users' devices without authorization. One of them even altered how Android versions 12, 13, and 14 configured device notifications without the user's knowledge.

Samsung's patch changelog lists 24 "High" level patches in addition to five "Critical" level updates, albeit the company did not specify which vulnerabilities were involved. They deal with problems with the Bootloader, Notification Manager, and Messages on Samsung.

This security patch is currently only accessible on all South Korean devices and carrier-locked phones in the United States. Samsung's website states that it intends to make this update available to all of the aforementioned devices worldwide, but it also notes that "delivery time of security patches may vary depending on the regions and models."

By going to Settings > System & updates > Security update, users can see if their devices have any upgrades. The update has been trickling out in phases, so don't be too upset if you haven't received it yet.

The January patch for Pixel devices, which is available for Pixel 6 and higher models, was also released this week. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series only received security enhancements, whereas the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series received bug patches.

Samsung is currently occupied with preparations for its upcoming major Unpacked event, which will finally unveil the Galaxy S25 series and stable One UI 7 to the world on January 22 in California.