Samsung has started rolling out the June 2021 Android security patch to unlocked models of the Galaxy Note 9 in the US. The 2018 Galaxy flagship is picking up the new update with firmware version N960U1UEU8FUE1. The international variants of this three years old phone have already received this month’s security update.
As detailed by Samsung earlier this week, the latest security maintenance release (SMR) contains fixes for more than five dozen vulnerabilities. These include over 45 vulnerabilities found on Android OS as well as 19 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. SVEs are security issues that only affect Samsung devices.
However, that’s not it. While the June update for the international variants of the Galaxy Note 9 didn’t include any new features or enhancements apart from the latest SMR, unlocked units of the phone in the US have something more. According to the official changelog, the new software brings improvements to the Quick Share feature.
If you don’t already know, Quick Share is Samsung’s own file-sharing service. It works similar to Google’s Nearby Sharing and Apple’s AirDrop. You can search for nearby Galaxy users who have Quick Share turned on and send files to them. It lets you share everything – photos, videos, and documents – with up to five friends simultaneously.
The changelog doesn’t mention anything else. But it’s a still commendable effort from Samsung to push feature enhancements to a phone that’s will soon be three years old, and isn’t part of the company’s revised software support policy that promises three generations of Android OS updates to all flagship models as well as select mid-rangers. This generosity is only extended to phones launched in 2019 and beyond.
The Galaxy Note 9 arrived in August 2018 running Android 8.1 Oreo. It has already received two major Android OS updates and won’t be getting any more. However, the handset is still receiving monthly security updates. Expect it to continue getting those for at least a few more months.
June security patch rolling out to unlocked Galaxy Note 9 units
If you’re using an unlocked Galaxy Note 9 phone in the US, the June security update should be available for your phone anytime now if it hasn’t already. You should get a notification to download the update over the air (OTA). You can also manually check for updates from your phone’s Settings app. Open the app, navigate to the Software update menu (scroll down), and tap Download and install. The phone will connect to the internet to search for available OTA updates. If there’s any, you will be prompted to download it on the next screen.
Carrier versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 should also get the June security update in the coming weeks. We will update you when the rollout begins. You can also keep checking for the update from your end.