Samsung‘s January 2023 security update is live for a couple of mid-range Galaxy smartphones. The company has released the latest Android security patch for the Galaxy A33 5G and the 2019 model in the same lineup, i.e. the Galaxy A30. The rollout is currently limited to select markets but a wider release may follow soon.
As of this writing, the January SMR (Security Maintenance Release) for the Galaxy A33 5G is only available in Samsung’s homeland South Korea. Units on all wireless carriers in the country are picking up the new update. The build number for the latest firmware release is A336NKSS2BWA2. The device isn’t receiving anything else here. The update only brings this month’s vulnerability patches.
The Galaxy A30, on the other hand, is initially receiving the January security update in Asia. The rollout has begun in India, Sri Lanka, and a few other countries in the region with the firmware version A305FDDS6CWA3. Once again, there are no user-facing changes in tow. Samsung isn’t seeding anything apart from the vulnerability patches that are part of the January SMR to this aging mid-range device.
Galaxy A33 5G and Galaxy A30 get the January update in some markets
The latest update for the Galaxy A33 5G and Galaxy A30 may or may not reach other markets. We say “may not” because neither model is eligible for monthly security patches. The former debuted last year and was put on the quarterly schedule from day one (one update every three months). The latter, meanwhile, is almost four years old now. It arrived in early 2019 and received quarterly updates initially. However, the device has since been dropped to biannual security patches (two updates in a year).
This essentially means Samsung may skip a few security releases for these phones in some markets. The January update may not reach them anywhere, with users in some regions directly getting the February or March release. The Galaxy A33 5G will get security updates for at least three more years, with a couple more Android OS releases also to come. The Galaxy A30, meanwhile, is on its last legs and will soon lose official support from Samsung. It may get one more security update at best.
If you’re using either of these Samsung mid-range smartphones, you can check for updates from the Settings app. Go to the Software update menu and tap on Download and install. If you don’t see any updates today, check again in a few days.