Samsung’s first post-One UI 6.1 Galaxy S23 update won’t fix bugs, but you should still download it – here's why

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands on front aps drawer leaves background
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Suffice to say, the highly anticipated arrival of One UI 6.1 on Samsung Galaxy S23 devices earlier this month didn’t go as planned. Just a few days after some Samsung fans blamed the company’s feature-packed April update for causing slower charging speeds on older Galaxy phones, others reported that One UI 6.1 had wreaked havoc on the touchscreen functionality of certain Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra devices.

Now, Samsung has begun rolling out the first post-One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S23 series, and while it doesn’t address either of those aforementioned concerns, it’s still an important software package that Galaxy S23 owners should download ASAP.

As noted by SamMobile, this latest Galaxy update brings no less than 27 Google-issued security fixes for the Android operating system, and 17 patches for vulnerabilities affecting Galaxy devices, specifically. As an example, the update addresses a vulnerability in the Samsung Pay app that allowed attackers to gain access to user information.

Incidentally, this is the same post-One UI 6.1 update that rolled out to the Galaxy S24 series in March, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Tab S9 series earlier this month. So, anyone who owns one of those devices should already have access.

According to serial Samsung leaker Tarun Vats, this Galaxy 23-specific update is already available to download in certain European regions, and based on Samsung’s usual update rollout schedule, it’s safe to assume that the US and Australian markets aren't far behind. Galaxy S23 FE owners will have to wait a little longer, mind.

To check whether your Galaxy 23 device has a post-One UI 6.1 update available, head to Settings, then Software Update. If you see an available update, hit Download and Install, then reboot your phone to apply the changes.

More updates to come

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands on listing

One UI 6.1 left some Galaxy S23 Ultra owners with "totally unresponsive" touchscreens (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

As for when Samsung will address those aforementioned charging and touchscreen concerns, the jury is out, but the company has at least shared a temporary fix for the latter (in short: update the Google app to the latest version, delete the app's data, then restart your phone).

In all likelihood, the charging issue isn’t something to be overly concerned about – we suspect it’s a temporary annoyance as older Samsung phones grapple with the increased demands of One UI 6.1 – but we still expect Samsung to roll out a future update that targets battery efficiency just in case.

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Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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