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Samsung’s latest security update has been released, but it has serious issues
Updated June 6th with new reports on Samsung vs. Apple support.
Samsung has released details of the June software update for its flagship devices, patching vulnerabilities for Android and Galaxy phones. It includes one important fix that you should install as soon as possible, and more importantly, it includes several missing fixes.
Samsung’s security bulletin excludes three patches from Google’s own update (one already available and two that don’t apply), but this isn’t a real issue for users.
Android’s June update includes three important Qualcomm fixes that are not yet included in the Samsung release. This is subject to change, but it’s also possible that Samsung devices may experience a delay in receiving these fixes, as we’ve seen in recent months, where component updates were not provided until the following month’s release.
Qualcomm is distributing patches directly to OEMs and “strongly encourages OEMs to apply the patches as soon as they are released,” but Samsung warns that “some patches we receive from chipset vendors may not be included in this month’s security update package. Once the patches are ready, they will be included in a future security update package.”
If the component updates are truly important, it would be preferable to have them included in the release, even if it means a delay of a few days. The second part of the Android update, including the Qualcomm update, won’t be officially released until June 5th. It will remain to be seen whether these make it into Samsung’s revised June release.
Delays have become something of a watchword when it comes to Samsung’s monthly releases, mostly due to a patchwork quilt schedule where different devices, regions and carriers (with different locked/unlocked status) are updated separately.
One area where Samsung has an edge over Apple is the length of time they offer support for their devices, at least according to recent reports. Android Authority“Apple finally announces iPhone support period, shorter than Samsung…Apple will support the latest iPhones for at least five years, shorter than the seven years guaranteed by Samsung and Google.”
The update comes thanks to Apple’s application to comply with the UK’s new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations. Apple says the iPhone 15 will be supported “for a minimum of five years from the date of first supply.”
That said, it’s a bit of a stretch to praise the seven-year warranty that Samsung rolled out in its PR campaign in opposition to Apple’s regulatory filing: iPhones often receive security updates for well beyond five years, and there’s no reason to think that will change.
As 9to5Mac In response to these latest reports, Apple commented: “iPhones have a proven track record of being used and supported by Apple well beyond the five-year warranty period. For example, iOS 15 released a security update in March of this year that worked on the iPhone 6s, which is nearly nine years old.”
The site also points out that “while it’s odd that Apple won’t promise a warranty that matches Samsung and Google’s seven-year guarantees, iPhone users don’t need to worry about their devices losing security updates after five years — Apple’s track record shows it’s better than that.”
More importantly, as we’ve said before, in a world where Apple and Google can update everyone at once, we’d love to see Samsung do the same. Annoyingly, some low-tier, budget Galaxy devices are still getting the May update. And when it comes to security, that’s not a particularly good situation.
The June release doesn’t really stand out, apart from the now-missing Qualcomm critical patch, but Google warns that several of its high severity vulnerabilities “may lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed,” meaning an attacker would need physical access to the phone, not something they could do remotely. Hence the rating.
Samsung’s own high severity patch this month is similar in nature.
Android 15 is currently in beta and focuses on security and privacy improvements and features, and is expected to compete directly with iOS 18 in the fall, but Samsung’s clumsy update approach will continue to be noticeable, especially as the Galaxy AI battles Apple’s new iPhone AI in the premium market.
As we noted last month, if Apple can update all iPhones twice within a two-week period, Samsung’s view seems to be that a gradual update schedule has become outdated, even if Apple’s own mistake led to a second unscheduled update.
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