Samsung’s sudden warning that attacks on Galaxy phones are underway has generated a raft of headlines. WhatsApp disclosed CVE-2025-21043 and a similar vulnerability affecting iPhones. Samsung says “an exploit for this issue has existed in the wild.”
There’s now an emergency update making its way onto phones. This raises two questions for Samsung’s billion-plus users. Will your phone receive the update? And if so, when? As ever with Samsung and updates — it’s more complex than it should be.
You can check if your phone is eligible for this update here. If you’re on the monthly schedule, you are certain to receive the fix this month. If you’re on the quarterly or biannual schedule, that’s less clear — but your phone will eventually be patched.
As for when the update will turn up this month, that’s where it gets tricky. Samsung doesn’t update everyone everywhere in the same was as Apple does for iPhone and Google does for Pixel. This is awkward optically for Android’s largest OEM.
Per Samsung Magazine, “Samsung’s September security patch has only reached a few phones so far. Specifically on older flagship series Galaxy S23 and S22 and this year’s puzzles — Galaxy Z Fold7 to Z Flip7.”
Droid Life confirms the S23 Series, Z Fold7, Z Flip7 and most recently the Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 have received the update. But remember, this also varies by region and carrier. There’s no discernible logic to the rollout order, beyond newer flagships going first.
“To check for updates,” the website explains, “navigate to Settings>System updates>Check for system updates. If the update is there, you can tap ‘Download now’ and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.”
The other complication this month is the rollout of One UI 8 at the same time. SamMobile reports that the One UI 8 update “is now rolling out worldwide” for the newest flagship, the Galaxy S25. You can assume the emergency update is included.
Whilst you await your own update, just take care on the apps you install and the links you click. And keep checking for the update to install when available. If your phone is no longer eligible for security fixes, it’s likely time to consider an upgrade.