December update live for Galaxy Z Fold 3 & Flip 3 in the US
Samsung is rolling out the December 2022 Android security patch to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the US. The launch started recently and comes just a few days after the international release. This month’s security update fixes 80 vulnerabilities.
As of this writing, the December SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is available for users with a carrier-locked Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the US. The update is live on Xfinity Mobile and Comcast networks. The new firmware version for the two foldables are F926USQS2EVK7 and F711USQS3EVK7 respectively. Samsung should soon expand the release to other carrier networks and also cover the unlocked units of the 2021 foldable duo.
This release does not bring any new features or improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. The devices recently picked up the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 update with tons of goodies, so it’s understandable. Samsung is now seeing the latest vulnerability fixes for the foldable duo. And as said earlier, there are many fixes here. The December SMR is one of the Korean firm’s biggest monthly security releases in recent memory.
As usual with these releases, not all 80 patches in the December SMR apply to every Galaxy device. Many of these deal with vulnerabilities in specific components, so only devices using those components are affected. But Google’s latest ASB (Android Security Bulletin) lists some critical Android operating system flaws that can lead to remote code execution without additional privileges. These vulnerabilities affect the entire Android ecosystem. There are also some Galaxy-specific patches in this month’s security release from Samsung.
The December security update is reaching more Galaxy devices in the US
Samsung started shipping the December SMR to its eligible Galaxy devices last week. It was a slow start by the company’s standards, but it quickly picked up the pace. The latest version is already available for more than a dozen Galaxy smartphone and tablet models. The US-bound Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are the latest entrants to the party.
If you’re using one of Samsung’s 2021 foldable smartphones in the US, these security fixes should be available to you soon. Look out for a notification asking you to download the over-the-air (OTA) update. You can tap on the notification to continue. Samsung also allows you to manually check for updates on Galaxy devices. Open the Settings app, go to the Software Update menu, and tap Download and Install. If you don’t see any updates, check back in a few days.
