In May 2026, Samsung removed three Galaxy smartphones from its software update eligibility chart. The Galaxy A13, Galaxy A23 LTE, and Galaxy M33 5G are off the list. That means no more routine security or firmware updates for these phones. The devices still work fine, but the security protection that Samsung offered is now gone.
All three phones launched in 2022 and have been popular across Africa and other budget-focused markets, where the A-series and M-series have long been go-to choices. If you own any of these phones, here’s what you need to know.
How Samsung’s update system works
Samsung publishes a monthly update eligibility chart on its mobile security portal at security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb. Every month, you can check exactly which phones are still getting updates and which aren’t. The chart has two active tiers:
- Monthly updates: flagships, foldables, and select enterprise devices get security patches every month.
- Quarterly updates: mid-range and budget phones get patches roughly once every three months.
Samsung used to have a third tier known as Biannual, in which older phones would get patches only twice a year. That tier no longer exists. Now, once a phone’s support window ends, it drops off the chart entirely without an in-between step. The three phones covered here were all on the quarterly tier before Samsung pulled them from the May 2026 chart.
1. Galaxy A13
Launched: March 2022
The Galaxy A13 was one of Samsung’s most affordable options in 2022. It ran on Samsung’s own Exynos 850 chip and came with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The 6.6-inch LCD display, a 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging, and a 50MP quad-camera setup made it a solid entry-level phone for its price. It launched on Android 12 with One UI 4.0 and got two major Android upgrades, ending on Android 14 with One UI 6. After that, it moved to Samsung’s quarterly security patch schedule.
As of May 2026, the Galaxy A13 has been dropped from Samsung’s quarterly update list. Sammy Fans and SamMobile, both of which track Samsung’s security scope page, confirmed the removal. In April’s chart, the A13 appeared in the same row as the A14 and A14 5G. In the May chart, that row begins at A14. The A13 is gone.
2. Galaxy A23 LTE
Launched: March 2022
The Galaxy A23 LTE ran on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 680 chip with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It had a 6.6-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization. Like the A13, it launched on Android 12 (One UI 4.1) and ended its OS run on Android 14 (One UI 6) after two major upgrades. It was on the quarterly security update schedule before Samsung pulled the plug this month.
One important detail to note: only the LTE version of the A23 lost support. The Galaxy A23 5G, which is a completely different device built on the Snapdragon 695, is still on Samsung’s quarterly update list. If you’re in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, or South Africa, the LTE model was the more widely available variant, so this distinction matters to many users in those markets. Sammy Fans confirmed the removal: in April, the A23 and A23 5G were listed together. In May, only the A23 5G remains.
3. Galaxy M33 5G
Launched: April 2022
The Galaxy M33 5G is arguably the most surprising of the three. It ran on Samsung’s Exynos 1280 chip, the same processor used in the more expensive A33 5G and A53 5G. It had a 6.6-inch 120Hz LCD display, up to 8GB of RAM, and came with a 6,000mAh battery in its Indian variant (the global model used a 5,000mAh cell). The 50MP quad camera setup and 25W fast charging were solid specs for a mid-range phone at the time.
What makes its removal surprising is how far Samsung went with it in software. The M33 5G started on Android 12 with One UI 4.1 and got four major Android upgrades, ending on Android 16 with One UI 8. That’s more than most mid-range phones from 2022 got. Some owners were hoping for One UI 8.5 as a final update, but Samsung closed the book before that arrived.
Sammy Fans confirmed that the M33 5G was removed from the May 2026 chart. In April, it appeared in the same row as the M34 5G. In May, the row begins from the M34 5G.
Quick specs comparison
| Spec | Galaxy A13 | Galaxy A23 LTE | Galaxy M33 5G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | March 2022 | March 2022 | April 2022 |
| Chipset | Exynos 850 | Snapdragon 680 | Exynos 1280 |
| RAM | 3GB / 4GB / 6GB | 4GB / 6GB / 8GB | 6GB / 8GB |
| Storage | 32GB / 64GB / 128GB | 64GB / 128GB | 128GB |
| Display | 6.6-inch PLS LCD, 1080p | 6.6-inch PLS LCD, 1080p, 90Hz | 6.6-inch TFT LCD, 1080p, 120Hz |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 15W | 5,000mAh, 25W | 6,000mAh (India) / 5,000mAh, 25W |
| Main Camera | 50MP quad setup | 50MP (OIS) quad setup | 50MP quad setup |
| Launched on | One UI 4.0 / Android 12 | One UI 4.1 / Android 12 | One UI 4.1 / Android 12 |
| Final OS | One UI 6 / Android 14 | One UI 6 / Android 14 | One UI 8 / Android 16 |
| OS upgrades | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Update tier (before removal) | Quarterly | Quarterly | Quarterly |
What losing software support means for your phone
Your phone doesn’t stop working. You can still make calls, send messages, take photos, and use apps you’ve already installed. The hardware is fine. What changes is the layer of protection that Samsung used to offer in the background.
Security: This is the biggest change. Samsung will no longer send patches to fix newly discovered vulnerabilities in Android, the Exynos or Snapdragon platform, or One UI itself. For context, Samsung’s May 2026 security patch fixed 39 issues, two of them rated severe.
