Samsung's first foldable, the original Galaxy Fold and its 5G sibling, has reached the end of its three-year run of monthly protection, and the company has begun easing it into a slower rhythm of security patches. Three years after a debut that was delayed more than once, the device now sits in the middle tier of Samsung's support list, where updates arrive every quarter rather than every month. Official care is expected to last until around September 2023, and the software story closes with Android 12, the last major system it will carry. For anyone still holding one, the quiet lesson is that
Samsung Moves Original Galaxy Fold to Quarterly Security Updates After Three Years on Market
Android 12 is where its software life ends.
Mark
So what actually changed for Fold owners this month?
Mimi
Samsung moved the Galaxy Fold and Fold 5G from the monthly security list to the quarterly one. Patches now arrive every three months instead of every month.
Mark
Was that a surprise?
Mimi
Not really. Samsung promises three years of monthly updates to flagships, and the Fold passed three years on the market in September 2022.
Luke
Worth noting that the three years run from market arrival, not announcement. It was announced in February 2019 but didn't ship until September, after delays.
Mark
And the Android 13 question?
Mimi
It won't get it. The Fold got Android 10, 11 and 12, and it ends on 12. The newer four-OS-upgrade, five-year security policy doesn't cover it.
Luke
Right, and that policy was announced earlier this year for recent and upcoming flagships and select mid-range models, so the Fold was never in scope.
Mark
How long will quarterly updates last?
Mimi
Until at least September 2023, then official support ends.
Luke
That's the expected timeline, and it's worded as at least. The report says Samsung may push a few more releases afterward but doesn't say how many or when, so that part is unknown.
Mark
So should owners panic?
Mimi
No, but the advice is to move to a model on monthly patches if they want faster protection against newly found vulnerabilities.
Il Polso
- The original Galaxy Fold and Fold 5G have dropped from monthly to quarterly security patches on Samsung's support listings.
- Owners now face a shrinking protection window, with official support expected to stop around September 2023.
- The phones were left out of Samsung's extended four-OS-upgrade promise, so Android 12 is their final system.
- Owners are being urged to switch to models still receiving monthly patches before vulnerabilities pile up unaddressed.
Samsung's first foldable, the original Galaxy Fold and its 5G sibling, has reached the end of its three-year run of monthly protection, and the company has begun easing it into a slower rhythm of security patches. Three years after a debut that was delayed more than once, the device now sits in the middle tier of Samsung's support list, where updates arrive every quarter rather than every month. Official care is expected to last until around September 2023, and the software story closes with Android 12, the last major system it will carry. For anyone still holding one, the quiet lesson is that every pioneering machine eventually passes from active guardianship into memory.
On Samsung's support website, the original Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Fold 5G have moved from the monthly group of maintained devices into the quarterly one. Both the 4G LTE and 5G versions will now receive security patches every three months instead of every month. It is a change that marks the end of the phone's most attentive period of care.
The shift follows Samsung's own standard, which promises three years of monthly security updates for flagships. The first-generation foldable met that promise. Announced in February 2019 and not reaching shoppers until September of that year, the Fold had a difficult debut, and its three-year anniversary in September 2022 is what triggers the change.
The quarterly schedule is not endless. Official support is expected to run until at least September 2023, after which Samsung will end formal backing for the first globally available foldable. A few additional security releases may still arrive, but they would fall outside any firm commitment. Owners who want faster protection against newly found privacy and security flaws are advised to consider a newer model.
The software story is also reaching its close. The Fold launched on Android 9 Pie and has since received Android 10, 11, and 12. It will not receive Android 13. The cause lies in Samsung's recently announced policy, which grants four OS upgrades and five years of security updates to recent flagships and select mid-range phones. The original Fold does not qualify and remains under the older, shorter terms.
The date to watch is September 2023, when quarterly patches are expected to stop and the first Galaxy Fold will move from reduced support to none.
On Samsung's support website, the list of Android devices the company still actively maintains is split into three groups: monthly security updates, quarterly updates, and twice-yearly updates. The original Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Fold 5G now appear in the middle group, the quarterly one. Both phones, the 4G LTE model and the 5G model, will receive security patches once every three months instead of every month.
The move follows Samsung's own policy. The company promises three years of monthly security updates to its flagship phones, and the first-generation foldable got that. Samsung announced the Fold in February 2019, but it did not reach the market until September of that year. Its debut was pushed back more than once because of various problems. The Galaxy Fold duo completed three years on the market in September 2022, and the shift to quarterly patches is what that milestone triggers.
The quarterly schedule has a limit. The Galaxy Fold and Fold 5G are expected to get updates until at least September 2023. After that, Samsung will end official support for what was the first globally available foldable smartphone. The company may still push out a few more security releases, but they would no longer be part of a formal commitment.
For people still carrying the phone, the practical advice is to move to a newer model eventually. Phones on monthly security updates get protection against newly discovered privacy and security vulnerabilities faster than a device on a three-month cycle, and a phone with no official support gets none on a schedule.
The software side is also settling. Debuting on Android 9 Pie, the Fold received three major Android upgrades: Android 10, Android 11, and Android 12. It will not get Android 13, and Android 12 is where its software life ends.
The reason is the policy Samsung announced earlier in 2022. Recent and upcoming flagships, along with select mid-range models, are promised four generations of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. The original Galaxy Fold is not eligible for that extended commitment, so it stays on the older three-year terms.
What to watch is September 2023. That is the point at which the quarterly updates are expected to stop, and the first Galaxy Fold would move from reduced support to none official.
Citazioni salienti
Samsung promises three years of monthly security updates to its flagship models, and the Galaxy Fold received that support.— Android Headlines, paraphrasing Samsung's policy
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