The $1,200 Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra still downloads updates like it’s 2008
Back in 2020, Google made a change to itsAndroid 11 Vendor Test Suite(VTS), requiring all smartphones launching with Android 11 and above to supportseamless updates. However, the company ultimately backtracked on its decision and left it as an optional feature. Nevertheless, while phones from the likes of Google, OnePlus, and Motorola have long supported seamless updates, for some reason Samsunghas been resistant to use iton even its most premium smartphones. The latest on that list is the newly-launchedGalaxy S22 lineup, comprised of the Galaxy S22, S22+, and the $1,200S22 Ultra.
For those unaware, smartphones with seamless updates (or A/B updates) let you install system updates while you’re using them, unlike the old-school method where your phone had to sit dormant while the updates get installed. The feature was launched by Googleback in 2016as an attempt to make your software updating experience better — and safer.
Speaking of software updates, Samsung’s smartphones often enjoy being among the quickest to receive them. With the launch of theGalaxy S22 series, the company took things to the next level bypromising four years of Android updatesand five years of security patches for some of its high-end devices. That said, all of them lack this support for seamless updates, meaning that you’ll have to sit for minutes applying those updates while your smartphone’s otherwise unusable.
Esper’sMishaal Rahmannotes thatGoogle’s documentationstill reports that “Virtual A/B is a GMS requirement on devices launching with Android 11 and higher.” However, that doesn’t seem to actually be the case, as Samsung’s S22 series arrived running Android 12 and still don’t have seamless support. All the phones in the lineup — the S22, S22+, and the S22 Ultra — are powered by chipsets that supports virtual A/B updates, but it seems like it was upon Samsung whether to implement that or not, and it chose not to. Sigh.
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