Samsung isn’t exactly known for delivering fast Android updates, and the Android 15 release will take its time to hit the Galaxy S24 and other handsets. Samsung probably won’t release the Android 15 update until the Galaxy S25 launches in mid-January. That flagship series will run Android 15 out of the box, complete with Samsung’s One UI 7 on top.
More interestingly, the Galaxy S25 will come with an Android feature that Samsung was reluctant to add to its devices for years. After testing Google’s seamless updates feature with the Galaxy A55 flagship, Samsung will reportedly add it to the Galaxy S25 phones. Hopefully, all Galaxy phones and tablets will get it after that.
Seamless updates will let Samsung users install software updates faster than ever. They’ll still have to wait for Samsung to release said software updates, as the seamless updates feature doesn’t impact the company’s rollout plans.
Instead, the feature makes it much easier to install big software updates, like the Android 16 upgrade the Galaxy S25 will receive late next year or early 2026, faster than before.
That’s because the phone will download and install the update in the background while you continue using the device normally. You still need a reboot to run the newest Android release, but seamless updates will make the whole thing faster.
Samsung has yet to confirm the feature, but a leaker already mentioned it on X. It might seem inconsequential, but seamless (A/B) updates is a feature that Google released back in 2016. Yet Samsung resisted implementing it until the Galaxy A55 mid-range phone launched earlier this year.
It’s unclear why Samsung chose not to take advantage of the feature for so long. But the Galaxy A55 test must have paid off if Samsung is finally ready to go forward. Better late than never.
Seamless updates might be a more important feature in the next era of mobile computing, where AI is the big selling point of new devices. Samsung has its growing suite of Galaxy AI features ready for flagships like the Galaxy S25. AI features will have a different release cycle than main software updates, so they might require more frequent updates.
I’m just speculating here. What matters is that Samsung is embracing this technology, which should improve the overall user experience.
Let’s also remember that Samsung was the first to start offering multi-year Android upgrade guarantees for its products and the first to increase that guarantee to seven years. Samsung might not control Android or issue speedy software updates, but it’s certainly trying to improve the user experience.
If the rumor is accurate, I’d expect more Galaxy devices to support seamless updates. If the three Galaxy S25 phones come with seamless updates, then other 2025 flagships and mid-range Samsung phones should also have them. And yes, I do expect all three Galaxy S25 handsets to support seamless updates, not just the Ultra.
However, this is not good news for owners of Galaxy S24 phones and other Samsung devices that don’t support A/B updates. Samsung can’t add the feature to older phones because it cannot be done via a software update. The phones have to feature two partitions to support seamless updates, which they don’t. One partition handles the current software, while the other prepares the updates.
