US Galaxy S23 FE gets December update with 60 security fixes

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Samsung‘s Galaxy S23 FE is receiving the December 2023 Android security patch in the US. The update is currently rolling out to carrier-locked units at least on Verizon’s network. Users on other networks—both carrier-locked and unlocked—should get the update soon.

December update available for Galaxy S23 FE in the US

It hasn’t even been two months since Samsung released the Galaxy S23 FE in the US. Landing in late October, the phone picked up the November security patch just two weeks after it arrived on the market. A week or so later, the new Fan Edition (FE) handset received the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update, the first of at least four major Android OS upgrades.

Today, Galaxy S23 FE users on Verizon’s network are receiving another update with the December security patch. The latest release comes with the firmware build number S711USQS1BWL1. The official changelog supplied by the carrier confirms that the update doesn’t bring anything more than this month’s security fixes. “The current software update provides the most up to date Android security patches on your device,” the changelog states.

Samsung has already detailed the content of the December 2023 SMR (Security Maintenance Release). The new security patch fixes more than 60 vulnerabilities across the Galaxy family. At least seven of those were critical security flaws in Android OS. These vulnerabilities could pave the way for a threat actor to access and gain full control of a compromised device remotely.

The latest update patches the flaws on your Galaxy S23 FE. The rollout may be currently limited to Verizon customers but it won’t be long before Samsung covers all users with the December SMR—stateside and abroad. Like before, you can check for new updates from the Settings app on your phone. Open the app, scroll down to enter the Software update menu, and tap on Download and install.

The new FE phone could get five major Android OS updates

Samsung pushes up to four major Android OS updates to its phones. The Galaxy S23 FE debuted with Android 13, so it should get updates till Android 17. However, in Europe, the phone ran Android 14 out of the box. As per its policy, Samsung needs to update the phone to Android 18 in the region. If it decides to keep parity globally, US Galaxy S23 FE users might get Android 18 too. That would be the fifth major update stateside. Whether that happens, time will tell.

2023-12-22 15:07:23