Galaxy S20 FE stops getting updates, what about the S21 FE?

The Galaxy S20 FE, Samsung’s first Fan Edition Galaxy S smartphone, has officially reached the end of its software support. Launched back in 2020, the S20 FE just completed five years on the market this month, and that milestone also marks the end of its update journey. The device had a solid run: it received three major Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates.

Naturally, many owners of the Galaxy S21 FE, the second phone in the Fan Edition series, are now wondering whether their device is next. The good news is that there’s nothing to worry about just yet. The Galaxy S21 FE recently received the One UI 8 (Android 16) update, its final major OS upgrade, but its software life isn’t over.

Samsung should continue releasing security updates for the S21 FE for another two years. Right now, the phone is on the monthly update schedule, and sometime next year, it’ll likely be moved to a quarterly schedule before eventually reaching the end of its support period.

We also expect the S21 FE to get the One UI 8.5 update in 2026. That version should bring a handful of visual and functional improvements, keeping the device's user experience fresh for a while longer.

Interestingly, the S21 FE was the only model in the Galaxy S21 lineup to get Android 16, since it launched nearly a year after the original S21 trio running a newer version of Android/One UI. That means it’s on par with the Galaxy S22 series when it comes to software support.

If you’re still using the Galaxy S21 FE, you can safely keep it for another couple of years without worrying about security or usability. It will continue getting patches and likely one more feature-rich One UI update before support ends.

And if you’re thinking ahead, the Galaxy S25 FE serves as a worthy successor. It offers a similar mix of high-end specs at an aggressive price and is eligible for a whopping seven years of OS upgrades and security updates, a huge step up from the S21 FE.