Samsung just quietly ended support for the Galaxy S21 series apart from one lucky model – here's what that means

• Samsung has stopped supporting most of the Galaxy S21 series
• That means no more Android version updates or security patches
• However, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still being updated

If you’re still using a Samsung Galaxy S21, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, or a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, it might be time to consider an upgrade, as these phones will no longer be getting software updates. That includes both Android version updates and security updates.

Samsung unsurprisingly didn’t make a big announcement about this, but you can see that these devices are no longer listed on Samsung’s security updates page, as spotted by Phandroid and others.

The lack of Android updates means these phones won’t get any new or improved software features, but the lack of security updates is potentially the bigger issue, as it could render them increasingly unsafe to use.

Eventually apps will also stop supporting them, though most apps don’t require the latest Android versions, so it’s likely to be another few years before that’s a major issue.

A single exception

However, one Samsung Galaxy S21 model has escaped this fate, as the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still being updated – though it has switched from monthly to quarterly updates. Despite technically being part of the S21 series, this is roughly a year newer than the rest of the Samsung Galaxy S21 line, so it will probably lose support around the beginning of 2027, along with the Samsung Galaxy S22 series.

This news means that the Samsung Galaxy S21 series was only supported for around five years, but that makes sense, as Samsung didn’t switch to its seven-year update commitment until 2024, and older models weren’t part of that promise. So if you buy a newer Samsung flagship, it should have a longer support window than these phones did.

If you’re now feeling in need of an upgrade, check out our best phones and best Android phones guides for a good starting point.

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