The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9 has started receiving the latest Android security patch for the month of April, ensuring that it's up to date in terms of security.
Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9 April Security Patch
This version of the Galaxy S9 has model number SM-960F, and the April 2018 security update has started rolling out in Germany so far. The Galaxy S9+ has yet to receive the same treatment, but it should get the security patch sometime within the next few days.
The update should also start rolling out to unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9 units in other markets soon enough, but no timeline is currently available. Oddly enough, the update seems to be extremely small in size, weighing in at just 60 MB.
For the sake of comparison, previous security updates for the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy Note 8 weighed as much as 400 MB, so that's a dramatic decrease in size for the latest security patch. This might be due to the new Project Treble, which heralds great things in terms of upgrades.
Monthly Android Security Updates
For those unfamiliar with the concept, these monthly security updates aim to keep Android devices up to date and protected against the latest threats. It all started with the Stagefright scare, which prompted Google to take additional measures to ensure Android is secure.
Google releases new security patches at the beginning of each month, but it's then up to the original equipment manufacturers to distribute the updates to their own devices. Some do it sooner, some do it later, and some apparently lie about it.
Galaxy S9 Security
The April security patch for the unlocked version of the Samsung Galaxy S9 fixes seven Android vulnerabilities deemed critical, and eight other vulnerabilities specific to Samsung's software.
Samsung lists the update's release date as April 17 and the rollout is always gradual, so it might take a short while to reach more devices in more markets. Other than the security patch, the update brings no changes to the Samsung Experience, or the Android 8.0 Oreo version that runs on the smartphone.
As previously mentioned, no clear timeline is currently available for when the update will make its way to other markets, but Galaxy S9 users in other countries can manually check for the update's availability by accessing their smartphone's Settings Software Update > Download updates manually. Those who prefer getting it automatically can just wait for the OTA notification prompting them to install the update.
