Galaxy S21 FE Will Continue to Receive Monthly Security Updates

Last month, Samsung demoted the Galaxy S21 FE from monthly to quarterly updates. It appears the change was unintentional, as the device has been restored to the monthly update schedule. The popular Fan Edition smartphone will continue receiving regular security patches every month for the foreseeable future.

Samsung restores Galaxy S21 FE to monthly update schedule

Launched in early 2022, the Galaxy S21 FE isn’t covered under Samsung’s new seven-year update policy. However, it is still eligible for four generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. The Android 16-based One UI 8 is its final OS upgrade, with One UI 8.5 likely arriving sometime next year as the last feature release. Security patches, however, will continue until early 2027.

Per Samsung’s usual practice, the Galaxy S21 FE should have received monthly security updates at least until January 2026, if not longer. However, it abruptly demoted the device to the quarterly schedule last month, triggering widespread confusion and frustration among users. Thankfully, it turns out the downgrade was just a clerical error, and the company has since corrected it.

Samsung’s November 2025 update chart reinstates the Galaxy S21 FE to its rightful monthly updates category. The popular Fan Edition smartphone should now receive new security patches every month at least until early 2026. After that, it could be officially demoted to quarterly updates before Samsung pulls support sometime in 2027.

As mentioned above, the device is no longer eligible for major OS upgrades, so it won’t get Android 17 or One UI 9. Samsung’s newer Fan Edition models, including this year’s S25 FE, receive seven years of OS and security updates. In fact, the latest FE model will receive an additional OS version compared to the regular S25 flagships, as it shipped with One UI 8 instead of One UI 7. You can buy the 256GB variant from Samsung.com at just $649.