For millions of people, the Galaxy S20 FE was the affordable way into Samsung’s premium world. Now that popular phone has quietly reached the end of its software road. After the October 2025 security patch, Samsung is no longer providing new updates for the device, closing a five-year support run that matched its original promise.
So what does that really mean if you still carry one in your pocket?
Five years of promises now fulfilled
Launched in 2020 as the first Fan Edition flagship, the Galaxy S20 FE offered top-tier performance and cameras at a more approachable price. Samsung committed to three major Android upgrades and five years of security patches.
That commitment has now been fulfilled, with the October 2025 patch widely viewed as the final update.
Sites that track Samsung’s firmware schedules report that the S20 FE has been removed or is being removed from active security listings, which is the company’s typical signal that a model has reached end of life for software.
Why losing security updates matters in everyday use
The phone will not suddenly stop working. Your apps will still open, photos will still save and the screen will still light up when you check notifications in the middle of your commute. The risk grows more slowly and more quietly.
Without fresh security patches, newly discovered vulnerabilities in Android or Samsung’s own software stay open. Over time, that can make older phones easier targets for malware, phishing or data theft, especially if you use the device for banking, work email or digital payments.
New Fan Edition phones get a very different deal
If the S20 FE marks the end of one chapter, the Galaxy S25 FE is clearly meant to start another. Samsung now guarantees seven generations of Android and One UI upgrades along with seven years of security updates for the new Fan Edition model, counted from its global launch.
That keeps the S25 FE supported into the early 2030s, putting it in line with the broader Galaxy S25 family and with the longer software lifetimes Google now offers on its own phones. In practical terms, it means one phone can realistically span several carrier contracts or job changes without feeling left behind on basic security.
What Galaxy S20 FE owners can do now
If you are happy with your S20 FE, you can keep using it, especially for lighter tasks such as streaming, social media or as a backup handset. It helps to keep apps updated, avoid sideloading software from unknown sources and be cautious with sensitive tasks like banking or storing important work files.
For people who rely on their phone as a primary work tool or payment device, upgrading starts to look more like a safety decision than a luxury. Some markets already offer trade-in deals or discounts when you move from an S20 FE to a newer model such as the S25 FE, sometimes with meaningful bill savings once you hand in the old device.
At the end of the day, the story of the S20 FE is a snapshot of how fast expectations are changing. Five years of support used to feel generous. Now it looks more like the baseline as phone makers stretch software lifetimes to match how long people actually keep their devices.
The press release was published on Samsung Mobile Press.
