Despite the end of its major upgrade journey, the Galaxy S21 has not been abandoned by Samsung. Instead of One UI 8, the trio of flagships launched in 2021 continues to receive the latest security patch. The update has now started rolling out in the US for locked devices and will soon expand to many other regions.

Samsung released the September 2025 security patch for the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra with firmware code HYI1. This update only focuses on fixing security vulnerabilities in the Android system and One UI service, without adding new features.

Launched in early 2021, the Galaxy S21 models have stopped receiving software upgrades, with One UI 7 being the final version. From now until 2026, these devices will only be provided with periodic security patches before officially ending their support lifecycle.

While these patches don't add any new features, they're still important for keeping users stable and safe. However, upgrading to newer models is still worth considering, especially since Samsung has extended its seven-year update policy for both Android and One UI since the Galaxy S24. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is also currently on sale with a number of attractive discounts.

Note that the Galaxy S21 FE is not part of the original S21 trio. Launched nearly a year later, it's still on the list for One UI 8, which is expected to be released this month and will also be the last major upgrade.