Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus gain January 2021 Android security patch

Update: January 4, 2021 (4:20 AM ET): The Galaxy S9 series may not be in line for an update to One UI 3.0, but this doesn’t mean the phones are no longer seeing updates. As spotted by SamMobile, the duo in Germany are now receiving the January 2021 security patch in 2021’s first update.

The update — which includes firmware version G960FXXSDFTL1 for the Galaxy S9 and G965FXXSDFTL1 for the Galaxy S9 Plus model — isn’t a huge patch, and doesn’t yet have a clear tally of tweaks. That said, it’s notable that a phone line from 2018 is among the first in Samsung’s arsenal to receive the latest Android patch.

To check if your device has received the update, navigate to Settings > Software Update > Download and install.

Welcome to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus Android update hub. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about the latest Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus updates, including their current versions, and when future updates are likely to arrive. (Note: The S9 and S9 Plus generally receive their updates at the same time.)

Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus update

• Current stable version: Android 10
• Will the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus get Android 11? TBA

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus launched with Android Oreo, before being updated to Android Pie earlier in 2019. Like most Android flagships, these are expected to receive two major updates in their lifetime.

On November 20, the One UI 2.0 beta officially started rolling out to Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus devices in Korea. Before the S9 series, the Android 10-based beta had been available on Galaxy S10 and Note 10 devices.

One UI 2.0 brings the Galaxy S9 series up to Android 10, with a number of enhancements to Samsung’s skin of the Android OS. New additions include an expanded dark mode, less obtrusive notifications, and and Digital Wellbeing.

After Korea, Samsung started rolling out One UI 2.0 beta to Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus to its second market — India (h/t SamMobile). Users can sign-up for the Android 10 beta through the Samsung Members app.

Since then, new features have been spotted on the phone. The device has now inherited the Galaxy Note 10’s Night mode for the front camera and the rear telephoto camera, which also apparently rolled out to the Galaxy Note 9. Spotted by SamMobile, this feature now lets Galaxy S9 users on the Android 10 beta take brighter photos in low-lit conditions.

The beta update should roll out to the US market soon. A roadmap released by Samsung Israel also points to an April release for the Galaxy S9’s stable Android 10 update. While the update schedule can vary in different countries, this could be a good indicator of when to expect Android 10 on the S9 and S9 Plus.

On December 10, Samsung started pushing out its second One UI 2.0 beta to the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in India alongside the December security patch. According to Tizen Help, this update improves stability, squashes bugs, and gives the update just a bit more spit and polish.

A few major fixes include GPS data leaking, S Health measurement errors, memory leaks, slow hotspot speeds, a security folder bug, and enhancements to Bluetooth functionality. The Samsung Internet app and Samsung Dex also received some usability improvements, and both devices should see better heat management.

On December 27, 2019, Samsung pushed out its fourth One UI 2.0 beta to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Tizen Help reported that the update simply squashed some bugs and other issues.

The December update was followed by another One UI 2.0 beta update on January 8. The update fixed an issue which was locking Galaxy S9 users out of the Secure Folder on their phones. It also fixed unwanted noise occurrence while performing sound quality optimization with both 3.5mm and USB-C headphones.

In addition, the update came in tow with a new version of Digital Wellbeing and improvements to camera performance. It also added Dex for PC functionality. Lastly, it included optimizations for motion recognition in the gesture navigation state.

The end of January and beginning of February saw Galaxy S9 owners in the likes of Europe and unlocked owners in the US receiving the stable update. Meanwhile, Verizon devices got the stable Android 10 update on February 21, joining unlocked, AT&T, and UScellular devices.

A few days later, T-Mobile quietly revealed that it also started the Android 10 roll-out to the Galaxy S9 series. The update included the February 2020 security patch in tow. Sprint came in clutch not long after.

In June, the Galaxy S9 series received its long-awaited update to One UI 2.1. The patch tagged in the June 2020 Android security patch and a host of camera features that debuted on the Galaxy S20 line.

The Galaxy S9 series gained another major update in October. One UI 2.5 rolled out to both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus and brought with it Wireless Dex, improved video recording modes, and keyboard improvements.

Let us know which Galaxy S9 update you’re rocking in the comments, and if you’ve spotted a recent update we’ve missed, tip us!

Looking for another device update? Head to our general Android Pie update tracker at the link.