Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge won't receive software updates anymore

By Joe Maring
last updated

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ may be the hottest Samsung devices out right now, but just a few years back, Samsung's flagship phones were far different compared to what they are today. Four years ago, the all-plastic Galaxy S5 and its weird perforated back was considered the best the company had to offer.

Samsung made a huge leap forward in design when it launched the metal and glass Galaxy S6 series in 2015, and this essentially paved the way for the Samsung phones we know and love today. All good things must come to an end, however, as Samsung's officially stopped all future software updates for its S6 lineup.

The Samsung website has a continuously updated list of phones that are scheduled to receive monthly and quarterly security updates, and Android Police recently discovered that a good chunk of the Galaxy S6 series has been removed.

More specifically, this means there won't be any future updates for the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge.

The S6 Edge+ and S6 Active were originally removed from the list as well, but they have since been added back to it. These two phones were released a few months after the S6 and S6 Edge debuted, but it's likely Samsung will halt updates for the Edge+ and Active at some point before the year is over.

Companies deciding to stop supporting phones is never the most joyous thing to talk about, but in the case of the S6 and S6 Edge, Samsung did a solid job with three years of support – even if it wasn't the fastest to release new software.

Are any of you still rocking a phone from the Galaxy S6 series?

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

39 Comments
  • Considering that the S9 series was just released, this doesn't sound too bad.
  • No no. I'm sure we'll see very soon in here that the sky is falling
  • Haha, true point.
  • iOS 11 works on the iPhone 5S, which was released in 2013. It's unfortunate that Android OEMs can't do something similar for at least their flagships.
  • What's the point on holding on to something so old?
  • Phone manufacturers love people like you. Through marketing and advertising, you've been conditioned to believe that it is acceptable. I wonder if you also believe in replacing your car every 3 years.
  • Can't compare cars to phones. Doh
  • Oh, you mean leasing a car? Yes, it's perfectly acceptable, and has been going on before the iphone.
    That stupid comment aside, I think many people just get tired of their phone before 3 years is up. It only takes me a year before I want to change it up.
    I still keep all my old phones, and all still work, but I don't go back and use one I had 4 years ago.
  • Why do you keep them? I sell my old one to defray the cost of upgrading.
  • If it works, why replace it?
  • Yeah and you can run iOS on a leap pad and it will still be the same..
  • Just because it can run on older phones doesn't mean they run smoothly.
  • Oh crap, so my Note 5 is also getting abandoned soon
  • That's what appears to be the case.
  • The s6 has given its life well
  • All's not lost. Now one can root their S6 guilt-free and throw a custom ROM onto it.
  • The title is not completely accurate. After 3 years, that device is no longer GUARANTEED to receive software updates. It MAY receive a couple of small patches but companies are not obliged to support it as much as they used to. Some older phones do receive patches, but again, they're not obliged to do so as they arrive seemingly at random.
  • Samsung is so slow with the updates, I assumed they abandoned the s6 and s7 long ago.
  • My S7 hasn't even received the monthly security updates since January. I have little faith that we'll even see Oreo. This being my 3rd Galaxy phone I am jumping ship for LG.
  • Did you buy it from your carrier or unlocked from Samsung? Some carriers are better than others (and I've heard that they can be better than the OEMs in some cases, too).
  • LG's update schedule makes Samsung's seem fast. They may beat Samsung with the latest OS, but they don't believe in patching the bugs they inflict for months.
  • LG shouldn't even be on your list if you want updates. So far, on the Android side, I only really recommend the Pixel line if updates are a concern, alongside companies like Essential.
  • Weird, I've received two (?three) updated for my S7 this year, most recently a couple of weeks ago. UK unlocked.
  • I Use S6 Edge and i never receive OTA updates (I am in Africa), but when i connect to Samsung Smart Switch i instantly get the latest updates, my phone is currently on March Security Patch. I guess you can try that.
  • My Note 5 is on the March update. Lately the monthly updates have arrived like clockwork. I honestly didn't think it would be updated this long. I'll replace it later this year with either a pixel 3 or the S9.
  • Writing this from my pre-ordered S6 edge. Best phone I've ever had. Still buttery smooth. Still beautiful and very modern looking. Unfortunately I have a slight hairline crack in the bezel so I can't replace the battery cheaply or I'd keep this. I guess I'll move to the S9 when battery life becomes unbearably short.
  • I had the same opinion of my GS7 edge - very nice phone, and didn't experience too much of a slowdown in day-to-day use over time.
  • Guess my work S6 won't be getting Oreo then like some sites predicted. Thought it was too good to be true, as others have said, time to throw Lineage OS on the old gal.
  • My 2013 Asus Rog laptop still gets updates in 2018
  • My wife will be thrilled. She hates having to run updates. I tried to entice her with an S8, but she was like "meh, I like my phone as is".
  • My wife's Pixel is still on 7.1.
    Couldn't give a toss about updates or security.
  • Doesn't the Pixel have seamless updates? All she needed to do is reboot. The new OS will be loaded in seconds as it will be installed in a second partition while she uses the phone
  • Sound the alarm!
  • I've got a couple of S6's in a draw somewhere. Motherboards gone on both of them so not overly concerned about support.
  • What about 3rd party android versions?
  • People will wish they had the plastic body-based S5 when they drop their "best that Samsung has to offer" S8/9 on their carpet only to see the find it spider cracked either on the back,front, or both. The misplaced contempt for the older S series designs and materials is sad.
  • +1. I completely agree. I am baffled with the materials thing. The industry and consumers insist on pretty metal and glass shells and as soon as they are taken out of the box, a cheap plastic case is slapped on which completely hides all that beauty. I'd much prefer the light weight plastic to cover with the cheap plastic case. Lighter and probably less expensive. And with that plastic she'll they can make it removable and have a replacable battery so when the original battery no longer holds a charge, a fresh, long lasting replacement can take it's place. And if one decides NOT to put on that cheap plastic case, you save the weight of that case making the phone even lighter.
  • Totally agree - I just don't see the point of making them pretty when many of us just use a case anyway.
  • Ah ha