International unlocked Galaxy Note 8 is getting an update at last

In what has been an almost excruciating wait for Galaxy Note 8 owners, who spent a hefty amount to buy the device only to see no sign of a software update for more than two months, Samsung is finally pushing an update that includes the November security patch and a slew of other changes. The update, which started out in China and made its way to the T-Mobile Note 8 more than a week ago, is currently rolling out in Taiwan, and it shouldn't take too long to reach other regions.

Galaxy Note 8 update brings security upgrades and more

In addition to the November security patch, the update brings improved performance in the Calendar, Gallery, Voice Recorder, and Reminder apps, a new secure Wi-Fi function, and a fix for an unexplained Samsung DeX error. The firmware version is N950FXXU1BQK6, and at upwards of 840 MB, is among the biggest OTA updates that don't bring a major Android version upgrade that we have seen. But then again, with the time Samsung has taken to actually give us an update, it doesn't surprise us all that much. Hopefully, future updates won't take as long, especially those that bring the ever-so-important Android security patches.

To grab the update, go into your Note 8's settings, tap Software update, then tap the Download updates manually option. We also have the firmware (for Taiwan) in our database, and at some point down the line, it should also be making an appearance on Samsung's Smart Switch software for PC.

Update: We have struck off the mention of a secure Wi-Fi feature, which seems to be an exclusive to Taiwanese devices and isn't actually a new user-facing feature.

Firmware Details:

Thanks, Ray!