This 4-year-old Samsung Galaxy phone still gets monthly Android security updates

Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Samsung has rolled out a new monthly security update for the Galaxy Note 9.
  • The 4-year-old smartphone's Verizon variant has received the March 2022 security patch.
  • It's surprising to see the device still getting updates after it was removed from Samsung's monthly update cycle last year.

Samsung downgraded the Galaxy Note 9 to a quarterly update schedule in September of last year, but it looks like the device is still getting monthly security patches anyway.

The 4-year-old phone should have theoretically been receiving security updates every three months since then, but its Verizon variant was quietly treated to a new update that included the March 2022 security patch level last week. Droid Life first spotted the change.

A closer look at Verizon's software update page for the Galaxy Note 9 reveals that this is not the first monthly update the device has received since switching to a quarterly cycle. The handset also received security patches in January and February, with both the January 2022 and February 2022 security patches in tow.

The most recent update has the build number QP1A.190711.020.N960USQS9FVC5, but it is only for Verizon's Galaxy Note 9. It's not unlikely, though, that other versions will get the same patch level soon.

Aside from the March security update, the latest release does not appear to include any significant improvements.

Nonetheless, Samsung still deserves a pat on the back for continuing to push monthly updates for one of its best Android phones back in 2018, even if it doesn't have to.

Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.