In a surprising turn of events, Samsung has released the Android 10 update for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The update arrives just a couple of days after it was postponed to February, at least according to the company’s official update release timetable. What’s more surprising is that the update was first released in Germany. Samsung’s Android 10 update roadmap says the update is due in March in the country. So much for trusting those timetables.
The Android 10 One UI 2.0 update for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is now also available over the air (OTA) for users in Italy and in the US for those using the device on Xfinity Mobile. It should gradually expand to other carriers and markets over the next few weeks.
Interestingly, the update is currently out only for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus units running on Android 9 Pie. Samsung is yet to release the stable Android 10 One UI 2.0 build for beta users. It shouldn’t be a long wait now, though.
The OTA update size for Pie users ranges between 1.7GB to 2.0GB depending on the device model and region. This update also bundles the January 2020 Android security patch. You can download the update by tapping Download and install in the Software update menu of the phone’s Settings app.
It’s worth noting that updates are released in stages and may not be available to all Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus units straight away, even if the update has been released in your region. You should get a notification once the update becomes available for your unit.
Galaxy S9 Android 10 update released, focus now on mid-rangers
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 lineup originally launched with Android 8 Oreo in early 2018. The S9 duo are the oldest Galaxy flagships eligible for the Android 10 One UI 2.0 update.
Now that the update has been released for the two devices, Samsung’s focus would be on the Android 10 update for its budget and mid-range Galaxy smartphones.
The company doesn’t have any active One UI 2.0 beta program to bother about either.
Samsung has already released the Android 10 update for a few lower-end devices, including the Galaxy M20, M30, and A40s. The likes of Galaxy A30, A50, M30s, A70, and other 2019 Galaxy A and Galaxy M series phones are on the pipeline next.
Samsung’s revolutionary foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, should also be getting the Android 10 update in the coming months.
While Samsung’s customer representatives have repeatedly said the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will be getting Android 10, that seems highly unlikely. Samsung makes no mention of either of the devices in its Android 10 update roadmap anywhere in the world.
Further, the company traditionally provides only two major Android OS updates to its Galaxy smartphones. We’ll have to wait and see if Samsung changes its Android version upgrade policy anytime soon.