What you need to know
- Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones will no longer receive any new software updates.
- The two phones have been pulled from Samsung's list of devices receiving Android security updates.
- Samsung had rolled out the March 2020 security patch to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge last month.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, which were launched in early 2016, have finally been pulled from Samsung's list of devices receiving security updates (Via DroidLife). Until March last year, the two phones were receiving monthly security updates. In April 2019, the two phones were shifted to a quarterly update schedule.
A vast majority of Android phones receive regular security updates for a period of two years from launch. Google's Pixel phones, however, receive security updates for up to three years. The same goes for phones that are part of Google's Android One program. So it is commendable that Samsung has supported the Galaxy S7 duo for a period of four years. Like most other Android flagship phones, however, the two phones received only two major OS upgrades.
The final software update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge was rolled out by Samsung a week back. While it didn't add any new features, the update brought the March 2020 Android security patch to Samsung's 2016 flagships. Even though Samsung will no longer be pushing new software updates for the two phones, the company's policy states security updates may still be released when a critical security vulnerability needs to be fixed.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 Active, however, still remains on the company's security updates list. Since the phone was launched in June 2016, it will likely receive another quarterly security update before being pulled from the list.
