Millions of Samsung phones to be blocked from new Android update this year - full list of affected devices

Millions of Samsung Galaxy smartphones will be blocked from getting the very latest version of Android this year.

It is advised that anyone with an older Samsung Galaxy smartphone should consider switching to a newer model as devices only come with a guaranteed three years of operating system updates - and that time has now run out.

It means when the latest version of Android 14, called One UI 6, is released towards the end of this year, millions of people won’t be offered the chance to download and install it.

Samsung has always made it clear that it only offers a limited number of Android updates so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to customers, but it will be a blow to those who like to keep up with the latest upgrades.

Which Samsung devices will be affected?

Listed are all the devices that are unlikely to be offered Android 14.

• Galaxy S10 Lite
• Galaxy S20 FE
• Galaxy S20 / Galaxy S20+ / Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Galaxy Note 10 Lite
• Galaxy Note 20 / Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Flip (LTE/5G)
• Galaxy Z Fold 2
• Galaxy A22 (LTE/5G)
• Galaxy A32 (LTE/5G)
• Galaxy A51
• Galaxy A71
• Galaxy Tab A8
• Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
• Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2020)
• Galaxy Tab S7 / Galaxy Tab S7+

What does the Android 14 update include?

Android 14 will help improve the efficiency of apps and offer users the option to scale text up to 200% - a boost of 70% over Android 13.

It will also block older applications from being installed on devices to cut down on malware being spread.

Google said "malware often targets older API levels to bypass security and privacy protections that have been introduced in newer Android versions.”

The tech company explained: “To protect against this, starting with Android 14, apps with a targetSdkVersion lower than 23 cannot be installed."

More details about the new update are set to be revealed at Google’s yearly I/O conference on 10 May this year at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

Which Samsung devices will be able to download Android 14?

Listed are all the devices likely to receive the Android 14 update for free.

GALAXY S DEVICES

• Galaxy S23 Ultra 
• Galaxy S23+
• Galaxy S23 
• Galaxy S22 Ultra 
• Galaxy S22+ 
• Galaxy S22 
• Galaxy S21 FE 
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 
• Galaxy S21+ 
• Galaxy S21

GALAXY Z DEVICES

• Galaxy Z Fold 4 
• Galaxy Z Flip 4 
• Galaxy Z Fold 3 
• Galaxy Z Flip 3 

GALAXY A DEVICES

• Galaxy A73 
• Galaxy A72 
• Galaxy A53 
• Galaxy A52 (A52 5G, A52s) 
• Galaxy A54 
• Galaxy A34