Last updated: July 16th, 2019 at 14:25 UTC+02:00

July 2019 security update out for the Galaxy Note 8

Look sharp, Galaxy Note 8 owners in Germany, Samsung has just begun rolling out the July security update for your device. Samsung has already released the latest security update for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 9, and the Note 8 is joining the party this week. There’s still no sight of the Galaxy S10 July update, but then Samsung has taken its time with every security update for its most current flagship since its launch, so this shouldn’t be surprising for anyone.

The Galaxy Note 8 update, like the update released for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, should add the new QR code reader functionality to the camera app. From QR codes for Wi-Fi networks through website links to calendar events, you can simply point the camera at them to scan them instead of launching Bixby Vision or firing up a third-party QR app. You might, however, need to enable the feature – it’s called Scan QR codes – from the camera settings after the update has installed.

For those wondering, a dedicated Night mode for the camera probably isn’t coming to the Galaxy Note 8 (or the S8 and S8+). The QR code reader seems to be coming to all Galaxy devices that support Bixby Vision because Samsung apparently isn’t interested in forcing Bixby on its users anymore, and the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 will probably just get security updates from here on out with no new features.

The July security update (software version N950FXXS7DSG1) for the Galaxy Note 8 should expand to more markets in the coming days, and you will be able to download it over the air by tapping the Download and install option in the Settings » Software update menu on the device. Firmware for the update is available on our firmware database for anyone wanting to manually upgrade without waiting for the OTA (over-the-air) release.