At times we have discussed the evolution and growth of the Android platform among OEMs other than Google. Moreover, gone are the days where smartphones from Google (formerly Nexus, now Pixel) were the first to receive any software updates.

OEMs like Samsung, Nokia, and OnePlus have broken this barrier and pushing the security or firmware updates, sometimes faster than Google itself.

And talking about updates, Samsung has pushed in the December 2019 security patchset for three of its devices. Galaxy A7 (2018), A8 (2018) and Tab A (2019) are reportedly receiving the latest patchset.

Notably, the Galaxy A7 is getting the update in India, Galaxy A8 in the UK via O2 and Galaxy Tab A is receiving the update in Europe. Let us take a look at the updates received on the devices, one by one:

Galaxy A7 (2018)

According to the Samsung security bulletin, Galaxy A7 (2018) is under the quarterly security update cycle category. The phone was served with September patch during the end of Q3.

samsung-update-plan-security

Cut to now, this new December patch is arriving with the version number BSL2 and weighs in around 364.72 MB in size. At the time of reporting this article, the update is available for Indian users.

Below is the official changelog along with the screenshot of the update prompt:

What’s New:
– The security of your device has been improved.

a7-2018-december-update
Source

Galaxy A8 (2018)

Another 2018 model, the Galaxy A8 is getting the latest update with version number CSL2 and is still based on Android 9 Pie. Keep in mind that the update is arriving via O2 in the UK region.

galaxy-a8-update
Source

We are able to grab the download file via the Frija tool. This tool downloads the firmware file directly from the Samsung FUS (Firmware Update Server). You can read in-depth about the Frija tool by heading here.

frija-a8-update

Galaxy Tab A (2019)

Owners of Galaxy Tab A (2019) in Europe are reportedly receiving the latest December 2019 security update. Notably, the update is hitting the units with version number ASK5.

The OTA is purely incremental in nature. One again, we have our hands on the firmware with the help of the Frija tool. You can check out the screenshot below:

galaxy-tab-a-update-frija

Being a complete package file, the update grabbed from Frija weighs in around 2.38 GB. However, you can weight for the official OTA to hit your device for the incremental update.

Feel free to let us know in the comments below whether you received this update or not.

Note: You can check out our dedicated Samsung Section to know more about such similar stories and the latest happenings around Samsung devices.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Sagar Naresh
989 Posts

A Six Sigma and Google Certified Digital Marketer who also holds an MBA degree in Finance and Marketing. A technology and automobile enthusiast who likes to play guitar, travel, and relax. Entrepreneur and Blogger.

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