Samsung ends updates for Galaxy Z Flip, demotes S20 & Note 20

Samsung has ended software update support for its first-gen clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip. The device will no longer get updates, not even security patches. Its 5G version, meanwhile, continues to get security patches. The Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Note 20 series have also been demoted to quarterly security updates.

The original Galaxy Z Flip reaches its end of life

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip in February 2020 with Android 10 onboard. The company pledged three major OS updates—Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13— and four years of security patches for the foldable. It delivered the promise, pushing security updates till January this year. Now that four years have elapsed, the Korean firm has expectedly ended support for the device.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5G, on the other hand, still has some life left in it. That is because it arrived six months later than its 4G sibling. Samsung launched it in July 2020, with a market release in August. The 5G model is also done getting feature updates (updated till Android 13) but will receive security patches at least until mid-2024. The company will launch its sixth-gen foldables around the same time.

Samsung has also ended update support for a couple of budget models. The Galaxy M21 (2020 version) and Galaxy M31 are the two devices that have reached their end of life alongside the original clamshell foldable. These devices also debuted in early 2020. You can expect the Korean tech behemoth to end support for more 2020 Galaxy smartphones and tablets later this year.

Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 demoted to quarterly security updates

Like the Galaxy Z Flip and the two M series devices, the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra also arrived in early 2020. However, Samsung isn’t ending software support for the flagships just yet. It has only demoted the trio from monthly to quarterly security patches. It is unclear how long Samsung will update the devices. The phones won’t get feature updates, though. They didn’t receive Android 14, so no One UI 6.1 either.

Interestingly, this also applies to the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and Galaxy S20 FE (4G and 5G versions). These devices debuted between August and September 2020. Going forward, they will receive new security patches once every three months or so. If you are using any of these Samsung smartphones, you should consider upgrading to a newer model soon. While the company has discontinued the Note lineup, you get the same S Pen experience with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.