The Galaxy S7 is finally being laid to rest four years after its release, as Samsung has removed the series from its Android security updates schedule.
Galaxy S7 gets removed from Samsung Android Security Updates list
The four-year-old phone series is no longer a part of Samsung’s update schedule. There is a trace of the S7 series to be found, however, as the S7 Active is still on for quarterly security patches.
The S7 Active was released the same year as the regular S7 and the more expensive S7 edge. Samsung released an update for the S7 series that Verizon delivered to its customers over this past weekend. This is proof that the S7 series has been receiving security patches now for two years beyond major Android system updates.
Why the Galaxy S7 has survived this long
The 4-year-phone losing security updates at this point begs the question, “why has the S7 series survived this long?” Keep in mind that the S7 series was released in 2016. Yet, here in 2020, the phone has still been update-eligible for the first 3 months of the year.
Samsung provided 4 years of security updates for the S7 series with only 2 years of major system updates. Normally, the company gives three years of security patches, not four.
The reason pertains to the Galaxy S7 and all it stands for. For Samsung, the S7 series is the flagship lineup that saved the Galaxy brand back in 2016. That same year also saw the release, and two back-to-back recalls, of the Galaxy Note 7.
The Note 7 was originally to be released as the Galaxy Note 6. Samsung abandoned the number 6 to bring the Note with the same number as the “S” series (7). The goal was to keep its marketing uniform across its devices. Having an S7 and a Note 6 on the market at the same time could confuse buyers.
“S” is for “Salvation”
At the Galaxy Note 7’s inception, the device looked to be a formidable successor to the Galaxy Note 5. Battery issues, exploding phones, and other issues brought about the recall of the beloved phone not once, but twice.
And then, when the explosion dust settled, customers had to send their Note 7s back to Samsung and choose another phone instead. Many customers turned to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge as their tolerable backups.
It is nothing short of accurate to say that the “S” in “Galaxy S7” stood for “salvation.” The brand has survived to date on the back of the Galaxy S7.
The extra year of security patches for a series that proved to be the Galaxy brand’s salvation is extraordinary and perhaps out of the norm for Android phones.
But it’s also Samsung’s way of remaining loyal to loyal customers who were forced to give up the phone they loved for the best thing they could find closest to it.