Samsung Suddenly Released Software Updates For Hundreds Of Millions Of Older Galaxy Devices

Recently, Samsung has begun to release minor updates for "hundreds of millions" of older Galaxy devices, most of which are no longer in the software support program. That includes the Galaxy S5 Neo (Vodafone's version), Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy A7.

If you own a Galaxy S5, the new software version is G903FXXU2BFG3; Galaxy S6 is G92xFXXU6EVG1; Galaxy Alpha has version number G850FXXU2CVH9 and Galaxy A7 is A750FXXU5CVG1. All can be updated directly via OTA protocol in Settings > Software Update.

While it doesn't provide details on what these updates bring, it appears to be a release aimed at fixing GPS issues, with the Galaxy A7 alone including a security patch.

This is not uncommon as official updates to older hardware often fix serious security issues that can affect many users.

Last year, the company announced that new Galaxy devices would receive security updates for at least four years. The oldest models that the company officially supports include the Galaxy S10, Note 10, and A10 from 2019.