The August SMR (Security Maintenance Release) for the unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the US bears the firmware version F916U1TBS2HVG9 or F916U1UES2HVG9 depending on your carrier. The update is already live on most big and small carrier networks. The remaining few should also get into action within the next few days. The latest update for Samsung’s second-gen Fold model in the US doesn’t bring any notable new features or changes. The official changelog for the same update in international markets mentioned some system stability improvements but those hardly change anything on the user’s side. The new release is all about the vulnerability fixes for this month. Samsung has already confirmed that the August SMR contains fixes for more than 30 Android OS issues. These issues posed varying privacy and security risks. One of them was a critical flow as anyone could exploit it for remote code execution over Bluetooth. On top of these, Samsung also fixed about 30 other issues that only affected its devices. These flaws exist in its customer software, i. e. One UI, and other device components. Many of them were labeled critical by the company. Affected components include Samsung DeX, Knox VPN, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, Launcher, Smart View, App Lock, and Dialer. If you’re using the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the US, these fixes should be headed to you soon. You will be notified about the OTA (over the air) rollout once available for your phone. You can also manually check for updates from the Settings app, under the Software update menu.
Galaxy Z Fold 2 may soon get the new Taskbar
Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Z Fold 4 running One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12L. One of the standout features of the new foldable is the persistent taskbar that appears at the bottom of the screen. It lets you pin your favorite apps for easy switching. Rumors are that Samsung will roll out this Taskbar to older Fold models with the One UI 4.1.1 update later this year. While there’s no confirmation yet, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will likely get it too. The update may arrive by October before Samsung begins seeding the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 to its devices. We will keep you posted.
