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Samsung's Galaxy S7 line has had a good run with four years of security updates – but you'll want to trade yours in now

iPhone 6S killer is no longer supported

Four years after it hit shelves, Samsung is discontinuing security updates for the venerable Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones.

As spotted by DroidLife, neither handset appears on Samsung's list of supported phones, which received monthly updates until March 2019, followed by a quarterly patch schedule as the devices drift from mainstream circulation.

This will no doubt be a huge blow for those still hanging on to their S7s. The phone was a huge hit for Samsung, with 55 million units from the S7 series sold within the first quarter of 2016. The Galaxy S7 also briefly outsold the iPhone 6S, per figures from Kantar World Panel.

Although it has since been superseded by other, more capable models, the phone continues to be sold by refurbished and second-hand outlets, with the UK's popular second hand electronics shop CeX offering the entry-level S7 for £145 and the S7 Edge for £210.

Samsung's dogged determination to continue supporting the S7 is commendable, considering many manufacturers fail to provide more than a year's worth of software and security updates. Even phones certified under the Android One programme only receive three years of patches. Still, it's undoubtedly disappointing news for some.

One Samsung S7 series phones remains supported, however: the Galaxy S7 Active. This was effectively a ruggedised version of the S7, keeping the same innards and optics, but adding a thick protective outer shell.

The S7 Active hit shelves in mid-2016 so it wouldn't be surprising if support was withdrawn in the coming months. Then again, given that it was primarily aimed as a work tool for the industrial and professional sectors, it's entirely possible Samsung might give it a bit more leeway.

This all coincides with the release of Samsung's April's security updates, which address a series of troubling critical high-risk vulnerabilities, both in the underlying Google Android software and Samsung's own bloat. ®

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