Starting with 2024’s Galaxy S24 series, Samsung started promising seven years of software support for its new phones, following a precedent Google set with the Pixel 8. It was a surprisingly user-friendly and even environmentally conscious move, letting buyers more easily keep their phones for longer while also reducing e-waste generated from constant upgrades. Unfortunately, it didn’t apply to previous models, and now we’re starting to see the consequences of that.
In Samsung’s February 2026 security updates (first spotted by SamMobile), the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra are nowhere to be seen, indicating that they’ve reached their end of support. The only phone from this line still listed was the S21 FE 5G, which makes sense, since it was released a year after the rest of the S21 line. That means these phones will no longer get regular monthly or quarterly security updates, although if a critical vulnerability pops up, Samsung might still issue an emergency fix.
None of this should be surprising, but it can still be confusing if you’re an S21 owner. To be fair to Samsung, the company only ever pledged five years of support for the S21 series on release, and only four years of Android updates. But as far as hardware goes, your phone is probably still running just fine. The Snapdragon 888 chip powering the S21 series is snappy enough for casual use, even if it can be a bit power hungry. Do you really need to replace it, especially so soon after launch?
Can you keep using the Galaxy S21 series?
As far as browsing the internet, watching videos, and scrolling social media apps goes, your Galaxy S21 phone should still hold up well. Gaming and other more demanding tasks might suffer, but there shouldn’t be anything physically wrong with your phone aside from aging. The problem comes when you start to consider safety.
Regular security updates help patch holes hackers can use to get into your data or accounts. And these days, hackers have gotten pretty smart. While you might know to avoid sketchy websites or high-risk apps, there are exploits hackers can use now that don’t need any interaction from you. Sometimes, all it takes is having a Bluetooth radio in your device, or for the hacker to know your phone number.
Getting hit by one of these hacks might be rare, but it’s not a good idea to leave yourself open to the possibility if you can avoid it. It’s like driving in a car without a seatbelt—you probably won’t get in a crash, but you’ll wish you had one if you do. Upgrading to a phone getting official security updates from the manufacturer is the best way to ensure your handset has the most up-to-date safety, but if you can’t, there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself.
Install Google Play System Updates to enhance security on an unsupported phone
Getting over-the-air updates directly from your phone’s manufacturer is the best way to stay safe while using your phone, but they’re not the only way to get security updates. Starting with Android 10, which the Galaxy S21 series does fall under, Google’s Project Mainline began delivering partial security updates via Google Play System Updates.
These won’t close all vulnerabilities, but they do allow Google to patch holes in media codecs and components, permissions, and a few other features hackers like to exploit, even on devices that no longer get official manufacturer support. “With Project Mainline, we can deliver faster security fixes for critical security bugs,” the company said in a blog post. “For example, by modularizing media components, which accounts for nearly 40% of recently patched vulnerabilities.”
Project Mainline can’t fix everything, especially problems related to your specific device, but if you do find that your phone is out of date, it’s worth ensuring your Google Play System Updates are updated to the most recent version until you can find a new one. How to check this will differ from device to device, but you’ll generally find these updates under Settings > System > Software updates. Here, you’ll see a date showing which Google Play system update your phone is running. These should normally update manually every month, but if the date looks a little old, you can simply tap it to search for a fresh update and download it.
When you should upgrade your Samsung phone
Ideally, you should take the end of software support as a sign to upgrade to a new phone, even if it appears to be working fine. But I get any hesitation you might be feeling. I’m still on Windows 10, which is facing its own security update issues, even though my device still works perfectly for everything I want from it. I’m glad to see companies catching on with extended security updates, so hopefully this will become less of an issue in the future. Tech timelines move fast, but a five-year upgrade cycle feels a lot more wasteful than even a seven-year one.
For now, though, keep in mind that any Samsung phone released before 2024 is going to face an end-of-life sooner than you might think, so it’s time to start planning for it accordingly. The company might have moved on to seven years of updates now, but that promise doesn’t apply retroactively. So Galaxy S22 owners, it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll do with your own devices next year.
