Samsung releases critical update for millions of Galaxy users

Samsung has just published details of the June software update for its flagship devices. The release fixes Android and Galaxy security vulnerabilities, including one critical patch that should be installed ASAP and, importantly, several that are missing.

While Samsung’s bulletin excludes three patches from the Google update – one has already been released and two are inapplicable, that’s not the real problem for users.

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The June Android update includes three critical Qualcomm fixes that have not yet been mentioned in Samsung’s release. This may change, but it could also mean a delay in the delivery of patches to Samsung devices – as we’ve seen in recent months. In previous months, component updates were not released until the following month.

Qualcomm provides patches directly to OEMs, and while it says it is “strongly recommended to implement these patches on released devices as soon as possible,” Samsung warns that “some patches expected to be received from chipset vendors may not be included in the update package security of the month. These will be included in upcoming security update packages as soon as patches are ready for delivery.”

Where component updates are truly critical, it would be a good idea to include them in the release, even if it would delay them by a few days. The second part of the Android update will be officially made available only on June 5 – including Qualcomm updates. We will see if they will be included in the revised June version of Samsung.

Delays are the watchword when it comes to Samsung’s monthly launches, largely due to the patchwork schedule in which different devices, regions, and carriers – with different locked/unlocked statuses – are updated separately.

As I said earlier, in a world where Apple and Google can update all users at the same time, it would be good if Samsung started doing the same. Awkwardly, but cheaper love-tier Galaxy devices are still getting May updates even now.

While nothing stands out about the June release other than these critical, currently missing Qualcomm patches, Google warns that a number of its own high-severity security vulnerabilities “may lead to local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges.” This means that the attacker will need physical access to your phone, not something that can be done remotely. Hence the rating.

Samsung’s own high-impact patches that rolled out this month are of a similar nature.

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With Android 15 currently in beta and heavily focused on security and privacy improvements and features, and set to catch up with iOS 18 in the fall, Samsung’s rigorous approach to updates will continue to stand out, especially as its Galaxy AI battles Apple’s new solution iPhone AI in the premium segment of the market.

As I said last month, the prospect for Samsung of Apple being able to update all iPhones twice in two weeks – though its own mistake led to a second unscheduled update makes it seem like the step-by-step schedule may have had its day.