October Update Live for Galaxy S21 Phones on One UI 7

While One UI 8 may be facing a temporary pause, Samsung continues to roll out the October 2025 security patch. The Galaxy S21 series is the latest to receive this month’s security update, ensuring protection against the latest vulnerabilities. The rollout has just begun and, as usual, it may take some time before the update reaches users worldwide.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series receives the October 2025 security update

Over the past couple of weeks, Samsung has rolled out the October SMR (Security Maintenance Release) to a bunch of devices, including the Galaxy S25 series, S24 series, and a few mid-range models. The Galaxy S21 series now joins the party, with more to follow in the coming days.

As of this writing, the October 2025 security update is live for the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra in a bunch of Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Users are receiving the new firmware with build version G99*BXXSHHYJ1 (h/t Mohammed Khatri / X). The update brings more than 30 vulnerability patches, including several high-severity issues.

As expected, the Galaxy S21 phones aren’t getting anything more. These devices are already done getting new features. They aren’t even eligible for One UI 8 — the S21 FE is still eligible, though. Security patches are also coming to an end soon. Samsung is expected to pull support for the 2021 flagship lineup in the first half of next year.

If you are using a Galaxy S21 model, you should consider upgrading to a newer device soon. The Galaxy S25 series is currently selling with a big discount. But as long as you use the S21, make sure to install the latest available security patches and other updates. You can check for updates manually from Settings > Software update > Download and install.