Launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the devices passed through Android 7.0 Nougat and, finally, received Android 8.0 Oreo. The last security patch released for these two devices was distributed until March of this year. The only model in the Galaxy S7 line that is still on Samsung’s list is the Galaxy S7 Active, which was launched in June 2016 in some markets (Brazil was not one of them). Potentially, the next security update will also be the last for this model. What happens now? In its main smartphone lines, Samsung guarantees four years of monthly security updates from the launch date. On the other hand, the system guarantees updates for two years. If a smartphone is launched with Android 10 and is part of lines like the Galaxy S, for example, it will also receive Android 11 and Android 12. This way, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge units that are on the market received the last security update last month. This means that fixes for security holes are no longer available. Users need to consider the risk of eventually infecting their smartphones with malware and other digital threats, given that a future loophole (if found, in this case) could be exploited by cybercriminals.
