![\"Galaxy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765055533_141_0x0.jpg\")
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This update decision comes as a surprise.<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Updated on Dec. 6 with a more detailed Android threat assessment and the news that Google has issued attack warnings for targeted users around the world.<\/p>\n
Samsung has taken more than its fair share of criticism in recent months on the upgrade and update fronts. One UI 8 and now One UI 8.5 beta delays and a monthly security update that appears overly complex to users \u2014 users whose phones are out of action for a prolonged time when they do update, given the lack of seamless updates.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s some good news. Per SammyFans<\/a>, \u201cSamsung has surprised Galaxy S21 users with another software update.\u201d These are five-year-old devices that have now been relegated<\/a> from monthly to quarterly updates. \u201cBut Samsung has now released three updates in just over three months.\u201d And these are security fixes that matter.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S21\u2019s latest firmware release \u201cinstalls the November 2025<\/a> security patch, which improves system security and stability to provide a better Galaxy experience.\u201d<\/p>\n ForbesSamsung One UI 8.5 Release\u2014This Changes AndroidBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n One of those improvements better protects the fingerprint sensor, preventing \u201cunauthorized access.\u201d Another is especially topical, enhancing the security of wired USB connections, which has become a major focus over recent months.<\/p>\n The USB defense \u201chelps protect the phone when plugging it into different devices or chargers,\u201d which defends against the controversial threat from juice jacking. This is when a public charging point is actually a computer, stealing data unlocked devices<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s topical because it\u2019s holiday season, which means airports, hotels and response. Public charging points \u2014 just like public Wi-Fi \u2014 becomes a much bigger deal. As the world slows down mid this month, you will see plenty of warnings on social media to be careful where and how you charge your phone.<\/p>\n SammyGuru<\/a> says the new update \u201cis now live in Europe, carrying the firmware build version HYK1. It improves overall device security and system stability, ensuring a smoother and more reliable experience. Samsung previously revealed that the November 2025 SMR addresses over 40 vulnerabilities across the Galaxy lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n These phones may be getting patched, but they\u2019re not getting upgraded. They\u2019ve reached the end of the road on that front. While it\u2019s good news that security fixes are coming early, this won\u2019t persist for long. If you have one of these phones, you should really upgrade to something newer that gets monthly updates as normal, not by exception.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the more critical December security update has also started to deploy. Per SammyFans<\/a>, the Galaxy-maker \u201chas now started rolling it out for one of the popular Galaxy A series smartphones, the Galaxy A34 5G.\u201d<\/p>\n December\u2019s update is huge. There are more than a hundred fixes across core Android and Samsung specific platforms. More importantly, Google<\/a> and CISA<\/a> warn that two of the vulnerabilities patched this month are under active attack. As such, for a Galaxy device to be considered secure, it needs to receive December\u2019s update as well.<\/p>\n Just as we saw in November, \u201cSamsung is also focusing on providing the latest security patch this month for mid-range devices instead of flagships first.\u201d That\u2019s unusual, and likely to perplex those that have dropped $1500 or more on a device. The long-standing expectation has been that the most recent flagships are updated before anything else.<\/p>\n SammyGuru<\/a> says the same. \u201cWe can confirm the availability of this month\u2019s security maintenance release (SMR) for the Galaxy S34 5G in Indonesia. The update arrives with the firmware build version A346EXXSBEYK3 and doesn\u2019t bring anything more than the latest security fixes. The device is already running One UI 8.\u201d<\/p>\n No word yet whether the Galaxy S21 will get this new update as well. To be frank, if it does not, then it doesn\u2019t matter it has November\u2019s fixes, it will still be at risk. The Galaxy S21 Series does not make the official list<\/a> for December\u2019s update, but that hasn\u2019t stopped these phones being updated in recent months and these fixes are urgent.<\/p>\n With perfect timing, the criticality of running a support phone has been perfectly illustrated with Google sending a \u201cnew round of cyber threat notifications to users around world.\u201d Per Reuters<\/a>, Google warned users \u201ctargeted using Intellexa spyware, which it said spanned \u2018several hundred accounts across various countries\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n While these attacks are very specifically targeted, as ever it\u2019s these sophisticated exploits that have a nasty habit of filtering down into wider use if not addressed.<\/p>\n