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Samsung December patch now reaching Tab S6, Tab S4, and S8 Active
Our continuously updated roundup of all Samsung phones getting the December patch in the US
A bunch of Galaxy phone users got a bit of a head start on the December 2020 security patch when Samsung released the update two weeks ahead of schedule. While that update was meant for some international beta users testing out One UI 3.0, Samsung kick-started the stable rollout of the latest patch in the US at the beginning of the month. The first device to get bumped to the December 2020 level was Verizon’s Galaxy S20 FE, most recently followed by the Tab S6, Tab S4, and the S8 Active.
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Google promised over a year ago that the wireless version of Android Auto would work out-of-the-box on any Android 9.0+ phone, but that hasn't quite panned out. The only devices that have been able to use it are Google's own Pixel devices (plus the Nexus 5X and 6P), but that finally appears to be changing.
Samsung devices haven't historically been the quickest to receive OS updates. This week, Android 9 Pie came to the T-Mobile variant of the extra-durable Galaxy S8 Active, nearly a year and a half after the Oreo update.
With One UI, Samsung introduced a system-wide night mode for its Android Pie devices. The new feature darkens the manufacturer's proprietary software such as the Calculator and Messages apps and also alters the overall menus and interface colors, but still requires you to manually enable dark mode in other applications like Messenger or Slack. Android Auto, on the other hand, happily receives this setting and defaults to it, no matter the time of the day.
Most of you are probably familiar with AT&T's very misleading initiative to dub an enhanced version of 4G LTE "5G Evolution." As the top comment on that post predicted, the "5G E" icon has begun to roll out very quickly, already hitting both the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy S8 active less than two weeks after the announcement.
Samsung recently promised to speed up its Oreo rollout, and it appears to be doing just that. After pushing Oreo out to several more Note 8 and GS8 variants, the time has come for T-Mobile's Galaxy S8 Active to get a taste of Oreo. The update was approved on March 29th, but it seems to have only started hitting phones in the last day or so.
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All four major US carriers have now rolled Android 8.0 Oreo out to the Galaxy S8 and S8+, but we hadn't heard much about the often-forgotten third sibling, the Galaxy S8 Active. That changes now, as AT&T has become the first carrier to roll Oreo out to the rugged S8.
It's getting to be the gift giving season, and does it really matter whether that's a gift for yourself or a gift for someone else? It is our position that it does not. T-Mobile customers can now give themselves a gift in the form of a new Galaxy S8 Active, LG V30+, or Revvl Plus. All three of those phones are now live.
Lately, some of you have been expressing your displeasure about the amount of Pixel 2-related issues we've been reporting on. These issues have been brought to our attention due to the sheer amount of enthusiasts who purchase and use these phones. But make no mistake about it - while the Pixel 2 and 2 XL have been having some issues that shouldn't be present on phones of this caliber, other phones have similar(ly hilarious) issues. Case in point: two of Samsung's newest flagship phones are having the same muted microphone issue that can also be solved with a Nintendo-style blow.
The Galaxy S8 was launched simultaneously on all carriers earlier this year, but AT&T had a few months of exclusivity on the S8 Active. There have been rumors the Active variant would come to other carriers, and now that's official. The Galaxy S8 Active will be on Sprint and T-Mobile later this month.
The opinion that Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is useless is one that is pretty universal. We've seen an epic war between Samsung and developers who wanted to remap the button (seriously, here are more links), but even after Samsung "disabled" the button in the last battle, Bixby would still activate the screen when pressed. Now though, disabling it will render it virtually nonexistent (which we've all been waiting for).
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- Evan Blass of @evleaks fame just dropped an image of the phone. Feast your eyes:
Samsung's Active line of flagships has been an AT&T-only zone for years. Since the first S4 variant launched in 2013, big blue has held exclusivity to the rugged flagship. (There was one Sprint S5 variant, but it wasn't called Active.) But the days of AT&Tyranny for the Active line are coming to an end. It looks like the durable IP-68 version of Samsung's flagship is headed to T-Mobile. At least, someday.
Samsung launched Bixby on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus earlier this year, but the presence of a physical button on the phone for Bixby has rubbed some users the wrong way. There have been a few methods to block or redirect the Bixby button to other apps, but Samsung has insisted that the Bixby button is for Bixby. In a new update, you can finally disable the button, but you can't point it to another app.
The Galaxy S8 Active is the fifth Samsung S phone to bear the Active name, and it's easily the most refined take on the concept yet. Currently, the S8 Active is only available on AT&T, and that's the model we've received for review, but eventually, Samsung has less than subtly implied it will make its way to other carriers here in the US, as well to the unlocked market.
After a slew of recent leaks, the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8 Active was finally announced as a limited-time AT&T exclusive yesterday. The pre-order pages are now live on the carrier's site, for both the Meteor Gray and Tungsten Gold colorways, and we also get our first official confirmation of many of the specs.
After the last few weeks of leaks, it has finally been announced. Samsung's new Galaxy S8 Active will be available for pre-order tomorrow, August 8th, as a limited-time exclusive for AT&T. In-store availability for AT&T will start this upcoming Friday, August 11th. If you are interested, try to keep your current phone dry until then. The Galaxy S8 Active will run you $28.34 a month for 30 months via AT&T Next®.
We already know a fair bit about the upcoming Galaxy S8 Active. It was initially leaked about a week ago, and a high-quality render was revealed earlier today. We can now confirm earlier leaks, as we have obtained a Samsung employee training manual for the S8 Active.
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 Active hasn't been announced yet, but we already know almost everything about it. This latest entrant to Samsung's Active line of rugged smartphones will reportedly pack most of the standard Galaxy S8's specifications into a rugged, industrial-looking body. Now, famed leakster Evan Blass (@evleaks) has released an official render of the S8 Active.
For four years now, Samsung has released an "Active" variant of its flagship Galaxy S devices, starting with the Galaxy S4 Active. They've all carried the same basic formula, adding a durable body, MIL-STD certification, and a larger battery to the phones they've been based on. Now, pictures and some details of the Galaxy S8 Active have leaked online, revealing that the phone doesn't stray too far from the family tree.
The Wireless Power Consortium was formed in 2008, to promote the Qi wireless charging technology in consumer products. It looks like someone at the WPC has messed up, as the unannounced Galaxy S8 Active has appeared on the site.