Like all phones, Samsung Galaxy devices are only guaranteed updates for a certain number of years before the manufacturer stops offering support to focus on newer models. And while Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra are five years old, they’re getting a surprise update this week.
In April,we told Galaxy S20 ownersthat it was probably time to upgrade to a new phone, as they would no longer receive software, maintenance, or security updates. Originally launched in March of 2020, the phones were only guaranteed four years of updates, but received a little more. In April, Samsung officially ended support for the trio.
Fast-forward to this week, and several Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra owners received a surprise software update for their aging device. First spotted bySammyGuru, the Verizon Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra are currently receiving Samsung’s July 2025 security update.
A Surprise Samsung Update
These phones haven’t received any new software since April, andno one expected them to. As of this week, owners of a Samsung Galaxy S20 series phone from Verizon Wireless can look out for an update to firmware builds G981VSQSDHYG2, G986USQSDHYG2, and G988USQSDHYG2.
So, why is this a big deal? Well, for starters, the device was thought to beoutside Samsung’s support window. Even the update in April arrived after a long delay, and that’s because some phones only get new software every 3-4 months as they start to age. So, for Samsung to quickly issue another to these phones less than three months later is pretty unique.
According to the changelog, it’s an important update that we recommend any active Galaxy S20 users install right away. The July 2025 release for the Galaxy S20 family of phones on Verizon includes some critical Android CVE updates, patches 21 high-severity issues, and closes the door on 17 Samsung-related vulnerabilities. Furthermore, Samsung listed a critical fix (CVE‑2025‑47202) from Samsung Semiconductor, which makes the chip that powers these phones.
While this update is only rolling out to Verizon models, it could eventually arrive for other carriers. For now, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s great to see Samsung and Verizon taking steps to ensure customers stay safe, especially on aging phones. That said, we still recommend that users upgrade to something new and more secure.
If you’re still using an old Galaxy S20 series, you shouldfind a replacement. If it wasn’t officially the end of the road before, it almost certainly is now. And sure, the phone is protected from some of the latest issues, and this July update is quite the surprise, but you’ll still want to upgrade to something like the Galaxy S25+ sooner rather than later. You’re missing out on abunch of fun new features, upcoming updates to Samsung’sOne UI 8.0 software, Galaxy AI goodies, and much more.
Source:SammyGuru,Android Police
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is a premium smartphone with a 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 120Hz refresh rate. It features the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 4,900mAh battery with 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0.
