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In May 2026, Samsung removed three Galaxy smartphones from its software update eligibility chart. The Galaxy A13, Galaxy A23 LTE, and Galaxy M33 5G are off the list. That means no more routine security or firmware updates for these phones. The devices still work fine, but the security protection that Samsung provided is now gone.
All three phones launched in 2022 and were popular across Africa and other budget-focused markets, where the A-series and M-series have long been go-to choices. If you own any of these phones, here is what you need to know.
How Samsung’s update system works
Samsung publishes a monthly update eligibility chart on its mobile security portal at security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb. Every month, you can check exactly which phones are still getting updates and which are not.
The chart has two active tiers:
- Monthly updates: flagships, foldables, and select enterprise devices get security patches every month.
- Quarterly updates: mid-range and budget phones get patches roughly once every three months.
Samsung used to have a third tier called Biannual, in which older phones would receive patches only twice a year. That tier no longer exists. Now, once a phone’s support window ends, it drops off the chart completely with no in-between step.
The three phones covered in this article were all on the quarterly tier before Samsung pulled them from the May 2026 chart.
The three phones that lost support
1. Galaxy A13
Launched: March 2022
The Galaxy A13 was one of Samsung’s most affordable options in 2022. It ran on Samsung’s own Exynos 850 chip and came with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The 6.6-inch LCD display, a 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging, and a 50MP quad-camera setup made it a solid entry-level phone for its price.
It launched on Android 12 with One UI 4.0 and received two major Android upgrades, ending on Android 14 with One UI 6. After that, it moved to Samsung’s quarterly security patch schedule.
As of May 2026, the Galaxy A13 has been dropped from Samsung’s quarterly update list. Sammy Fans and SamMobile, both of which track Samsung’s security scope page, confirmed the removal. In April’s chart, the A13 appeared in the same row as the A14 and A14 5G. In the May chart, that row starts at A14. The A13 is gone.
2. Galaxy A23 LTE
Launched: March 2022
The Galaxy A23 LTE ran on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 680 chip with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It had a 6.6-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation.
Like the A13, it launched on Android 12 (One UI 4.1) and ended its OS journey on Android 14 (One UI 6) after two major upgrades. It was on the quarterly security update schedule before Samsung pulled the plug this month.
One important thing to note: only the LTE version of the A23 lost support. The Galaxy A23 5G, which is a different device built on the Snapdragon 695, is still on Samsung’s quarterly update list. If you are in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, or South Africa, the LTE model was the more widely available variant, so this distinction matters to many users in those markets.
Sammy Fans confirmed the removal: in April, the A23 and A23 5G were listed together. In May, only the A23 5G remains.
3. Galaxy M33 5G
Launched: April 2022
The Galaxy M33 5G is arguably the most surprising of the three. It ran on Samsung’s Exynos 1280 chip, the same processor used in the more expensive A33 5G and A53 5G. It had a 6.6-inch 120Hz LCD display, up to 8GB of RAM, and came with a 6,000mAh battery in its Indian variant (the global model used a 5,000mAh cell). The 50MP quad camera setup and 25W fast charging were solid specs for a mid-range phone at the time.
What makes its removal surprising is how far Samsung went with it in software. The M33 5G started on Android 12 with One UI 4.1 and received four major Android upgrades, ending on Android 16 with One UI 8. That is more than most mid-range phones from 2022 got. Some owners were hoping for One UI 8.5 as a final update, but Samsung closed the book before that arrived.
Sammy Fans confirmed that the M33 5G was removed from the May 2026 chart. In April, it appeared in the same row as the M34 5G. In May, the row starts from the M34 5G.
Quick specs comparison
Here is a side-by-side look at the three phones:
What losing software support means for your phone
Your phone does not stop working. You can still make calls, send messages, take photos, and use apps you already have installed. The hardware is fine. What changes is the layer of protection that Samsung used to provide in the background.
1. Security: This is the most important change. Samsung will no longer send patches to fix newly discovered vulnerabilities in Android, the Exynos or Snapdragon platform, or One UI itself. For context, Samsung’s May 2026 security patch fixed 39 issues, two of them rated Critical. Going forward, your phone will not receive fixes like those. Bugs that could allow someone to access your device remotely, exploit your Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection, or compromise your data will go unaddressed by Samsung.
Google Play Protect, Play Services, and Google Play system updates will still come through for a while, since those come from Google, not Samsung. But they do not replace system-level patches.
2. App compatibility: Over time, apps that require newer versions of Android or newer security patch levels may stop working on your phone. Banking apps are the most common example. Many of them check your security patch date and will either limit features or block access entirely if the device is too far out of date. Government identity apps and payment platforms tend to follow the same pattern.
3. Performance and stability: Your phone’s hardware does not degrade on its own. The issue is that newer apps keep getting heavier and start assuming features that older chips, especially the Exynos 850 in the A13, handle less well. Any bugs or stability problems that appear from this point onward will not get fixed.
If you currently own one of these three phones, a few practical steps can help in the short term:
- Keep your apps updated through the Google Play Store. App updates continue regardless of your phone’s system update status.
- Turn on two-factor authentication on your important accounts and consider using a password manager if you do not already.
- Avoid downloading APK files from outside the Play Store, since you will not have system-level protections to catch threats.
- If your banking app starts flagging your device or blocking access, that is a strong signal that it is time to upgrade.
Samsung phones still receiving updates (May 2026)
Based on Samsung’s May 2026 security scope chart, as reported by Sammy Fans and Cloudorian, here are the devices that are still receiving support.
Monthly Updates (Flagships and Foldables)
- Galaxy S series: S23, S23+, S23 Ultra, S23 FE; S24, S24+, S24 Ultra; S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge; S26, S26+, S26 Ultra
- Galaxy Z foldables: Z Fold 4, Z Fold 5, Z Fold 6, Z Fold 7; Z Flip 4, Z Flip 5, Z Flip 6, Z Flip 7
- Select Galaxy Tab S flagships and Enterprise editions also remain on the monthly schedule
Quarterly Updates (Mid-Range and Budget)
- Galaxy A series: A14, A14 5G, A15, A15 5G, A16, A16 5G, A17, A17 5G; A23 5G, A24, A25 5G, A26 5G; A33 5G, A34 5G, A35 5G, A36 5G, A37 5G; A54 5G, A55 5G, A56 5G, A57
- Galaxy M series: M13, M13 5G, M14, M14 5G, M15 5G, M16 5G, M17 5G, M17e 5G; M34 5G and newer
- Galaxy F series: F13, F14, F14 5G, F15 5G, F16 5G, F17 5G; F34 5G, F36 5G
Samsung’s newer mid-range phones, including the A26, A36, and A56, come with a six-year update commitment. Flagship devices from the S24 series onward, along with the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 and newer, have a seven-year update promise. None of those extended commitments applied to the 2022-era A13, A23, or M33 5G.
The live chart at security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb is the authoritative source and gets updated every month. Individual entries can shift as support windows expire.
How to check for updates on your Samsung phone
If your phone is still on Samsung’s update list, here is how to check for the latest patch:
- Open Settings on your Galaxy.
- Scroll down and tap Software update.
- Tap Download and install.
- If an update is available for your region, the download will start immediately.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Samsung rolls updates out in phases, starting with South Korea and parts of Europe. African markets typically follow within days or a couple of weeks. If nothing shows up yet, check again in 48 to 72 hours.
- If you have a carrier-locked device, your carrier may run its own checks before releasing the update. This can add a few days to the wait.
- If your phone is on the quarterly schedule, you will only see a new security patch roughly every three months. A gap between updates is normal.
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