Not a good weekend for Galaxy owners.
Update: Republished on April 16 with more bad news for Samsung as its Android 15 nightmare gets worse, just as Pixel moves further ahead with Android 16.
Samsung has an update problem. The Galaxy-maker was nearly six months behind Google’s Pixel with its One UI 7 port of Android 15, and critical security fixes for Android’s all too frequent zero-day attacks have often trailed Pixels as well — albeit not this month. In the world of $1500 to $2000 flagships, none of this is good. And now the latest news out of both Samsung and Google could make all that worse — much worse.
Samsung’s One UI 7 delay has been described as a “disaster” for the company. But as it finally rolls out, the PR around a much faster Android 16 and One UI 8 schedule had seemed to signal a recovery. But now another setback. Per specialist SamMobile: Samsung’s “One UI 7 release timeline for multiple devices [is] not good news,” and “what we feared has come true: only flagship devices launched in the last two years will get the update in April. Other devices will get the update in May and June.”
Given that this One UI 8 “insider” reports (via 9to5Google) suggest “Samsung launching One UI 8, based on Android 16, as soon as July with new foldables,” this timeline starts to look a bit spicy to say the least. It now seems safe to assume that Pixel users across the board will be enjoying Android 16 with all its security and privacy updates long before Samsung users on anything but new flagships can do the same. Again.
All this is made worse because within hours of Samsung’s schedule news, Android Police reported that “Google updated a record number of Pixels this week… a whopping 16 phones, tablets, and foldables.” When adding in recent Pixel Watches, “you’ve got a grand total of 19 Pixels that saw updates from Google.” This was just the regular monthly security and feature update, but it shows how seamless Pixel’s process is now.
Meanwhile, Samsung can’t seem to catch a break as it’s One UI 7 rollout stops suddenly and unexpectedly. Samsung confirmed to me that “the One UI 7 rollout schedule is being updated to ensure the best possible experience. The new timing and availability will be shared shortly.” And there is now mixed speculation as to when it will restart.
This has prompted unsurprising user concern, following on from One UI 7 delays. As SammyFans warns, “Samsung is the largest Android device ecosystem partner and the biggest smartphone seller around the globe, but its software updates and rollout needs to be more transparent than the current version. The situation around One UI 7 is the perfect example and how this low-transparency is making a massive impact on the company’s brand value despite improving a lot.”
Meanwhile, Android Central says “it’s frustrating that Samsung is continuing to run into issues on the stable One UI 7 build, considering the brand ran a lengthy four-month beta testing program that was meant to iron out these problems. I understand the need to be cautious with these things — particularly if it affects something as basic as unlocking a phone — but Samsung should have done a better job addressing these issues well before it got to the stable release.”
SamMobile says that “Samsung apologized in [an] official statement about [the] One UI 7 delay saga,” explaining that “in Korea, Samsung has sent a notification in the Samsung Members app notifying users that it has temporarily suspended the One UI 7 rollout. The brand says that it has taken this step “due to some issues requiring maintenance.” Samsung further adds that once it completes the inspection, it will resume the rollout. It also apologizes to users for the inconvenience.”
Perhaps one Redditor best summed up the mood: “At this point they should just cancel this and go straight to 8/Android 16.” The later One UI 7 becomes, the more it’s going to hit just as Pixels expect a stable Android 16 release.
All of this is critical, because in the security and privacy stakes Apple’s capacity to update everyone, everywhere has set a high bar for others to match. And in reality, only Google with its end-to-end control of Pixel’s hardware and software can come close. As I’ve said before, this is an Achilles’ heel for Android’s fragmented ecosystem and it’s an awkward backdrop with Google controlling Android while competing with other OEMs.
Android 15 was a significant update when it comes to making Android phones safer and more secure, with malware and anti-scam defenses, wired and wireless connectivity protection, and better policing of dangerous third-party installs. We are already seeing some details on Android 16 doing more of the same. If you’re spending $2000 on a new flagship, or if you have one that’s a year or two old, you don’t want an extended wait.
In my view it’s critical that One UI 8 rolls out faster and further than One UI 7, and doesn’t leave it too long between new flagships and the rest. None of this has held back Galaxy sales as yet, and its own Android 15 release is excellent. But Pixel is widening the gap when it comes to updates and upgrades and that’s not good for Samsung or the overall Android proposition. It’s also bad news for Google, raising awkward questions.
Something needs to change.
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