Update: The Galaxy S6 edge Plus and Galaxy S6 Active are back on the list of smartphones that'll receive monthly security updates.
Original Story:
It was only a matter of time: Samsung is ending support for the Galaxy S6 family, from the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S6 edge Plus to the Galaxy S6 Active.
That means future Android security updates aren't in the cards anymore. By the same token, any chance of the smartphones getting Android 8.0 Oreo is out of the picture.
RIP, Samsung Galaxy S6
On its official updates page, Samsung has erased every trace of the Galaxy S6 lineup. All the Galaxy S series smartphones that'll still get monthly security updates are the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9 Plus.
For the record, the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A5 (2016), Galaxy A5 (2017), and Galaxy A8 (2018) will also receive the monthly patches.
As Droid Life points out, the latest security version of the Galaxy S6 is for February 2018. In other words, Samsung did a pretty bang up job in keeping the series secure.
Samsung Galaxy S6: A Short History
To recap, Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 in 2015. At the time of its debut, it was powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop, which was the latest Android version then. In due time, it got updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow and eventually to Android 7.0 Nougat.
Long story short, any Galaxy S6 phone will no longer receive security updates in the future, and it won't be getting Android Oreo too. Just to be clear, it'll keep working as usual, but it could be more vulnerable to security issues down the line.
The takeaway here is, it's probably time to get a new smartphone or upgrade to one of Samsung's later devices. One obvious choice is the Galaxy S9, but there's also the upcoming Galaxy Note 9, which will reportedly roll out sometime in July or August.
That said, reports about the phablet are making a strong case for users to wait for it. For starters, it's rumored to sport an in-display fingerprint scanner. On top of that, it could also boast the smartphone maker's second-generation Infinity Display design. Put simply, things are looking good for the Galaxy Note 9.
With all said and done, are you a Galaxy S6 owner? If so, feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know how your phone has kept up with you through the years.
