Samsung discontinued software support for three Galaxy smartphones in May 2026, removing the Galaxy A13, Galaxy A23 LTE, and Galaxy M33 5G from its official update eligibility chart. These devices will no longer receive security or firmware updates from Samsung, ending four years of software support since their 2022 launches. The Galaxy A13, powered by the Exynos 850 chip, featured a 6.6-inch LCD display, 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging, and a 50MP quad-camera setup, running from Android 12 up to Android 14 with One UI 6. It was previously on Samsung's quarterly security update tier before being dropped from the May 2026 list. The Galaxy A23 LTE, equipped with the Snapdragon 680 chip, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, a 90Hz display, and 25W fast charging, also reached the end of its update cycle on Android 14 and One UI 6. Only the LTE version lost support, while the Galaxy A23 5G remains eligible for quarterly updates. The Galaxy M33 5G, which used the Exynos 1280 chip and shared hardware similarities with higher-end models like the A33 5G and A53 5G, had a 120Hz display and 6,000mAh battery but did not receive the anticipated One UI 8.5 update. Samsung's mobile security portal at security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb publishes the monthly update chart, which now only includes monthly and quarterly update tiers, having eliminated the former biannual category. Once a device's support window closes, it is fully removed with no intermediate phase. Tech sites Sammy Fans and SamMobile confirmed the removals by comparing the April and May 2026 charts, noting the absence of these models in the latest version.
Samsung ended support for three 2022 budget phones after exactly four years, including the M33 5G which shared key hardware with more expensive models that still receive updates. This creates a mismatch where nearly identical phones get different software lifespans despite similar capabilities. Nigerian and other African users, who widely adopted the A13 and A23 LTE, now face long-term use without security patches on devices once marketed as reliable. The removal of the biannual update tier means there is no warning phase—support simply stops.
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