Summary
- Samsung ends software support for the Galaxy S20 series of phones.
- The Galaxy S20 lineup received extended support but is no longer eligible for OS or security updates.
- If you own the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, or S20 Ultra, it might be time to upgrade soon.
Right on time, just as Samsung starts its big Android 15 update for multiple phones, the company has ended software support for the Galaxy S20 series. Originally launched in March 2020, the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra were only guaranteed four years of updates and will not receive any moving forward.
The software that these phones run today—Android 13 based on One UI 5 and the March 2025 security update—will never be updated, leaving all remaining owners running outdated software vulnerable to security exploits, bugs, and increasingly poor performance.
This week, Samsung officially removed the Galaxy S20 lineup from its update schedule, which details all devices still eligible for updates. These phones no longer qualify for new versions of Android and will not receive monthly, quarterly, or even biannual software patches. This applies to the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra, in LTE and 5G variants. For what it’s worth, the Galaxy S20 FE is still eligible, for now.
As many of you know, phones are only supported with software updates for a set amount of time, after which manufacturers have to focus on newer devices. Samsung and Google are both getting better in this regard, and recent releases are guaranteed 7 years of OS updates, but older devices aren’t so lucky. At the time, the Galaxy S20 series had the longest lifespan offered by Samsung, which promised three OS upgrades and four years of support.
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Samsung held up its end of the bargain. Even after it stopped upgrading the Galaxy S20 series with new versions of Android, it continued to push security updates developed by Google. This same four-year promise includes the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, although they’re still getting quarterly updates for the time being. Samsung may extend updates for the Note 20 series until later this year.
In fact, last year, with the release of Android 14, Samsung technically could have fully ended support for the once-popular S20 series, but it allowed for quarterly security updates instead of sunsetting the devices entirely. This kept the phones updated, safe, and secure for another year longer.
However, if you’re still using an old Galaxy S20 series, you should seriously start looking for a replacement. It’s officially the end of the road. While you don’t need one immediately, the sooner, the better. Plus, that five-year-old phone is probably suffering from slower performance and poor battery life, and it’s missing a bunch of fun new features.
Once an Android phone hasn’t received security updates for several months, it opens up to all sorts of vulnerabilities. Think about all the sensitive data on your phone, from photos and videos to passwords, banking apps, and more. You want everything protected with the latest updates, which the Galaxy S20 is no longer receiving.
So, what phone should you buy to replace that aging Galaxy S20 Ultra? Personally, I’d recommend the Galaxy S25 Plus, which I reviewed and absolutely love. I actually returned the Galaxy S25 Ultra for the Plus model, it’s that good. Or, check out the link below for a roundup of your best options this year.
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