Samsung has long lagged behind in adopting seamless updates for its Android smartphones, and the reasons remain unclear. While the company finally began embracing the feature with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy A55, recent developments suggest the rollout remains inconsistent.
The newly released Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26 have just received their first software updates in Europe. As the saying goes, there’s good news and bad news. The good news? The Galaxy A36 does support seamless updates. The bad news? The Galaxy A26 does not.
This inconsistency is confusing. It’s reasonable to expect that all devices released after the S25 and A55 would support the feature. Yet, Samsung seems to be picking and choosing which devices receive the upgrade.
To clarify, seamless updates rely on two identical system partitions. When your phone receives an update, it installs it on the inactive partition. That means the phone remains fully usable during the process. After installation, a simple reboot switches to the updated partition. This approach makes the update experience smoother and significantly faster.
However, for seamless updates to work, the device must include both partitions from the beginning. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A26 lacks this setup. As a result, it will never support seamless updates — not even through future firmware updates.
Meanwhile, Samsung has yet to release the first update for the Galaxy A56, so its status remains uncertain. Still, there’s hope, given that its predecessor supports the feature.
In conclusion, Samsung’s slow and erratic rollout of seamless updates continues to frustrate users. While the company has made progress, its inconsistency — especially in mid-range models — makes it difficult for users to know what to expect.
