Your Galaxy S21 Updates Are Done As Google-Samsung Push Major Android 16 Changes

Samsung has officially ended regular software updates for the Galaxy S21 series. It’s the true end of the line for one of its most popular flagship generations, including the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra.

The series launched in 2021 with a four-year Android update commitment, which the company has fully delivered on. Each model received Android 12, 13, 14, and, in 2025, Android 15 with One UI 7. The last normal security patch arrived in November 2025.

Your S21 phone won't get these security fixes

Samsung recently published its February 2026 Security Maintenance Release (SMR). It's for Android 16, which is now in the second quarterly release phase (QPR2). 

In total, 37 fixes are included. 25 are Google security fixes, 12 are Samsung-specific fixes. These patch vulnerabilities affect your phone's features and apps, including Dialer, Settings, Knox, Emergency Sharing, and system services. The most important ones resolved include:

• Emergency sharing: improper access control that could break or interrupt emergency features
• Samsung Dialer: a flaw that allowed apps to trigger privileged dialer actions.
• KnoxGuardManager: a bypass that weakened app persistence protections.
• Settings app: privilege issues that allowed unauthorized activity launches.
• PACM & factory-related tools: flaws that could allow command execution with physical access.
• ShortcutService & system utilities: file creation and path traversal issues

These fixes apply to Android 13–16 devices that are still supported, excluding the S21 series and later generations. On Google's end, supported devices included the Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, and Pixel 8, 9, and 10 series.

Samsung and Google will release it soon, though no timeline has been disclosed. You should receive a notification when it arrives. But monitor the software update menu in your phone's settings so you won't miss it.

Slowed S22 updates, while Android 16 brings big Pixel upgrades

In addition to the February 2026 patch, Samsung has moved the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra from monthly to quarterly security updates. The series is now in the later stage of the support lifecycle. The phones launched in early 2022, so by 2026 they will no longer be current-generation flagships and will join the S22 series.

Meanwhile, Google is preparing to launch Android 16 QPR3. On Pixel phones, it introduces the ability to remove the At a Glance widget from the home screen, adjustable flashlight brightness, Samsung-style navigation buttons, clearer location access indicators, a redesigned System settings page, and more granular Adaptive Connectivity controls.

Until now, you were stuck with the At a Glance widget at the top of the home screen on Pixel phones. It shows the date, weather, and calendar events, but it also permanently occupies space you can’t reclaim. The update introduced a toggle to disable it.

The flashlight was also binary, such that you had only two options: to turn it on or off. QPR3 adds brightness control, allowing you to adjust the slider to your preference.

Additionally, Pixel phones traditionally use a button order of Back–Home–Recents. Samsung phones use the flipped version of Back and Recents. You can now choose the Samsung-style layout if you prefer three-button navigation over gestures.