Samsung is now rolling out an update that will install the October 2017 Android security patch to the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016). The October patch resolves 215 vulnerabilities found in Google’s operating system including several critical security issues found in the media framework and a remote code execution vulnerability. The software upgrade also fixes six security flaws found in Samsung’s proprietary mobile software suite. The Galaxy A3 (2016), along with a number of other Samsung handsets, did not receive the September security patch, although the South Korean smartphone manufacturer was able to distribute a separate update that fixed the BlueBorne vulnerability found in its (and many other) mobile devices last month.
The update is currently rolling out over the air and it may take several days before it is distributed to all handsets. However, users also have the option to manually initiate the upgrade process by going to the device settings and proceeding to the “Software Update” section if it’s already available for download in their territory. Before the software package is installed, users should back up their local files and images to a personal computer or a microSD card. In addition, the battery of the device should have at least 50 percent of capacity left to last through the entire procedure and there should also be enough free space in the internal flash storage to temporarily keep the installation file.
The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) is powered by the Exynos 7578 chipset with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and a Mali T720 MP2 GPU. The smartphone also sports a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a pixel density of 312 pixels per inch. Both the front and the back of the device are protected against scratches by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Also included with the Galaxy A3 (2016) are 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal flash storage that can be expanded using a microSD card with a capacity of up to 256GB. A 2,300mAh battery is found within the handset to keep its lights on. Meanwhile, the rear camera of the phone has a 13-megapixel sensor, while the front-facing selfie module has a 5-megapixel one. The Galaxy A3 (2016) originally shipped with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop pre-installed, although it was upgraded to Android Marshmallow within a year after it was released. Last June, the handset was again updated to Android 7.0 Nougat, the last major OS iteration it’s likely to receive from Samsung.