Samsung promises up to seven years of updates for its top phones

Samsung’s update promise depends on how much you paid. Flagship phones, like the Galaxy S series and the Z foldables, get up to seven years of Android updates. Mid-range phones get about five to six years, and budget models get up to four.

Those long windows are fairly new. Older phones were sold with shorter promises, which is why some models from 2022 and 2023 are already at or near the end. Security patches often run longer than full Android version upgrades, but the big feature updates stop first, especially on the cheaper Galaxy A series.

Here’s the status of the most popular Galaxy phones that are close to the cutoff:

• Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra: Android updates end in February 2027. One UI 9 is their last major upgrade.
• Galaxy S22 series and S21 FE 5G: support ended earlier in 2026.
• Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4: updates ended in August 2026. The Fold 5, Flip 5 and newer models are still covered.
• Galaxy A15: updates until December 2027.
• Galaxy A24: updates until May 2027.
• Galaxy A34 and A54 5G: both get updates until March 2027.
• Galaxy A73: no longer updated as of April 2026.
• Galaxy A06: the 4G model lost updates in August 2026, but the 5G version is covered until February 2031.

That last pair shows how much the exact model matters. Two phones with almost the same name can have support windows that differ by years, so check the full model name in your settings rather than guessing. You’ll find it under Settings, then About phone.

Tablets follow the same tiered pattern. The Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra get Android updates until August 2027, and the Tab S9 FE and FE+ run until October 2027. The cheaper Tab A9 and A9+ only get two generations of Android upgrades, and their support ends in October 2026, so owners are at the finish line now.

Rugged business tablets last the longest. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 is covered until January 2028, and the Tab Active 5 Pro until 2033.

On your wrist, the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, both from 2022, get Wear OS updates until December 2026.

The phones still on the list are getting One UI 9, Samsung’s version of Android 17. It arrived first on the newest flagships, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, and is rolling out in stages, with Galaxy A and M phones getting it through November. Samsung Japan has confirmed support for models from the Galaxy S23 series onward.

The update leans on AI. My FanCam keeps a person you pick centered in a video as they move. Now Nudge can read what’s on your screen and suggest things, such as pulling up a reservation while you plan in a text chat. On the safety side, a Security Brief adds malware warnings and alerts about unknown apps, and scam detection for calls now covers Canada, Japan and India.

If your phone is still supported, you have time. An S23 owner, for example, can keep using the phone into 2027 with security in mind, and doesn’t need to rush into a new model. If your phone is off the list, it will keep working, but each month without patches leaves it more exposed to new threats, and apps will slowly stop supporting it as they’re built for newer Android versions.

Samsung won’t send you a warning before support ends, so check yourself:

• Open Settings, then Software update, and look at the date of your last security patch. If it’s several months old and nothing new arrives, your phone has likely aged out.
• Look up your exact model on Samsung’s security update list to confirm it is still covered.
• Before buying a used or refurbished Galaxy, check its end date. A low price on a phone with a few months of support left isn’t much of a bargain.
• Watch for warning signs of a hacked phone, like strange pop-ups or apps you didn’t install eating your data. On an unsupported device, that’s a strong signal to upgrade.