The July 2021 Android security patch has now reached Samsung‘s Galaxy Note 20 series. Both the vanilla Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra are receiving the new update. The update comes with firmware version N98xxXXU2DUF8 and is currently available over the air (OTA) to users in Germany. The rollout should expand to more regions in the coming weeks.
Galaxy Note 20 series gets the July security patch, but there’s more to it
Samsung began rolling out this month’s security patch to its devices early last week. The Galaxy S10 series picked the new update first, followed by several other Galaxy devices including the Galaxy Tab Active 2, Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Tab A 8.0, Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Note 10 series, Galaxy A52, and the Galaxy Z Flip. The Galaxy Note 20 series is now joining this ever-growing list.
However, unlike all other Galaxy devices, the July security update for the Galaxy Note 20 series is massive. The OTA download file weighs over 1GB in size. Meanwhile, the official changelog doesn’t mention any user-facing improvement or new features. It simply says “the security of your device has been improved.”
But, according to SamMobile, the new update adds a dedicated QR scanner app to the devices. This app was first introduced on the Galaxy S21 series earlier this year. Earlier, you needed to tap the QR Scanner button in the quick settings panel to open the camera app for scanning QR codes.
Moreover, the Galaxy Note 20 series is also getting the ability to read QR codes in photos stored in the gallery. This feature arrived on the Galaxy S21 lineup last month.
The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra should also be picking up some Android Auto-related bug fixes. Several Galaxy smartphone users have been recently reporting an issue where Android Auto crashes if they unlock the device. Samsung said it will roll out a fix with the July security update. The Galaxy S20, Note 10, and others did receive the said fixes. The Galaxy Note 20 series should be getting them as well.
It’s unclear if there’s any other user-facing improvement or change coming to the latest Galaxy Note flagships with the new update. We will make sure to let you know if there’s anything notable.
Meanwhile, if you own either of the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, be on the lookout for a new update in the coming days. You can download the update by navigating to Settings >Software update > Download and install on your phone.