This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: Numerous Galaxy S20 and Note 20 users report bugs with wireless charging after the latest update, OnePlus announces that their new phones are only getting one major update, and more!
What's New This Week?
Huawei
- Mate 30 Pro is now receiving EMUI 11
OnePlus
- The latest OnePlus devices are only getting one major update
- OnePlus 5 now officially supports EIS
- The latest beta for OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro may wipe your data
Samsung
- Galaxy Tab S2 is now receiving October's security patch
- Galaxy Note 10+ 5G gets One UI 3.0 beta in South Korea
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE gets another update – touch screen issues still not fixed
- One UI 3.0/Android 11 will soon reach the S10 Series, Z Flip 5G, and Z Fold 2 5G
- Numerous S20 and Note 20 users are reporting issues with wireless charging after the latest update
- Latest update for the Galaxy S20 brings December's patch
- Verizon's Note 10 series gets the November security patch
Huawei
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
EMUI 11 is now available for the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and it brings a few new features, UI changes, bug fixes, and other improvements as well.
Despite its name and the massive 3 gigabyte size, don't forget that this update is still based on Android 10 – even though Huawei has mentioned that they are going to add some Android 11 features to it later.
For now, you can expect to get a few new things such as:
- A revamped UI
- Smart Always-On-Display
- Smoother animations
- Artistic themes
- FloatingWindow for better multitasking
- Story Creator
- Along with privacy improvements and more under the hood improvements for performance
OnePlus
OnePlus N10 5G and N100
Both the OnePlus N10 5G and N100 come with Android 10 out of the box. And while most Android devices nowadays get two major updates, OnePlus unfortunately confirmed that both of their new models are actually only getting Android 11.
The Nord N10 5G and N100 will receive one major Android update and a total of two years of security updates. The plan for these two devices aligns with industry standards for smartphones in more affordable price ranges. As always, we will continue listening to feedback from our users and looking for ways to improve the software experience for all OnePlus devices
So, the way we see it, OnePlus justifies this decision based upon the fact that these are budget devices. And since they are cheap, they shouldn't get the same treatment as their more expensive siblings – at least as far as software support is concerned. Whether that's indeed a justified decision or not is up to you to decide.
OnePlus 5
A new update is here for the OnePlus and it brings quite a few fixes and minor improvements. But, more importantly, it also includes EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization).
This is the full changelog:
- System
– Fixed the abnormal call recording issue
– Fixed the de-activated alarm issue when phone was powered off
– Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.09
– Updated GMS package to 2020.08 - Full Screen Gestures
– Back gesture from the bottom of the screen is available (One Plus 5T only) - Camera
– Electronic Image Stabilization has been added, bringing you a more stable shooting experience
The update only weighs 235 megabytes and, at this point, it's worth mentioning that it was actually released once more a long time ago. But, due to a system-breaking bug, it was pulled back until now where they are releasing it again.
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro
The OxygenOS Beta 3 for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro has been out since the end of October. But, as it turns out, some people receive the stable version instead of the beta – and that results in a full data wipe.
It's probably to warn you about it now. But, if you value your data, we obviously wouldn't recommend going anywhere near it. Then again, those who hold important data on their phone shoudn't be using a beta anyway.
According to our sources, there is also this app that's going to keep your data even after the wipe if you use it. But, again, we wouldn't recommend installing the update in the first place – not unless you don't mind losing data.
There are also a few other problems with this release – such as people not being able to use 5G with two SIMs. However, that's to be expected with beta releases.
Samsung
Galaxy Tab S2
Samsung is known for keeping their latest smartphones updated faster than any other Android manufacturer. But that's not to say that they don't care about older models. After all, it's been more than 5 years ever since the Galaxy Tab S2 came out and it's now receiving October's security patch.
The update is already available to Verizon customers in the U.S and also in South America. At the moment, only the 9.7-inch model has been spotted with the update – but we see no reason why Samsung wouldn't also push it to its sibling.
That said, the aforementioned update doesn't seem to be bringing any new features to the table. If you haven't received it yet, don't forget that it may be an incremental push – which means that some of you will no doubt have o wait a bit longer than others before getting your turn.
Galaxy Note 10+ 5G
Since both the Note 20 and S20 series started receiving One UI 3.0 beta, it was only a matter of time before older flagships took turn as well. And that's exactly the case with the Galaxy Note 10+ now.
The update is currently only available in South Korea. However, there is a good chance that it'll soon become available in other regions as well.
Meanwhile, both the S20 and Note 20 have been receiving the update all over the world including, but not limited to: Germany, U.S, UK, China, Germany, Poland, India, and, at the same time, Samsung has confirmed that the S110 is soon going to get it as well.
With all that said, do keep in mind that it may take some time before everyone receives the latest One UI beta. Probably at least by the beginning of 2021 or so.
Galaxy S20 FE
One more update is here for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with the November patch included. As many of you no doubt hoped, the changelog mentions that the stability of the touch screen has been improved. But, according to our sources, that is unfortunately not the case.
Some commenters mention that they can repetitively introduce abnormal behavior by pinching to zoom at specific speeds while others haven't noticed anything at all. Judging by this piece of info, we'd say that only specific models are affected by this bug.
Whether this is a hardware/manufacturing defect or not is still unclear. But, then again, if it only affects specific devices, there is no other clear explanation. We'll just have to wait for Samsung's input on the matter.
That aside, the changelog only mentions the usual bug fixes and improvements. And, judging by the file size of 200 megabytes, we highly doubt there is anything else hidden under the hood.
Galaxy S10 Series, Note 10, Z Flip 5G, and Z Fold 2 5G
Both of Samsung's flagship series (S20 and Note 20) have been receiving the latest One UI 3.0 beta for a while now. And according to new official information from Samsung, it looks like the older flagships are soon going to follow as well.
The Note 10+ 5G has already started receiving the update in South Korea. Other than that, we are also waiting for the Galaxy S10 series, Note 10, Z Flip 5G, and Z Fold 2 5G.
Of course, we expect it's going to take quite some time before the updates are available outside of South Korea and quite a lot of time before the stable versions come out.
Note 20 and S20
Numerous people are reporting issues with wireless charging after updating their flagship. There is no doubt that this is a software-related bug that most likely came from September's or October's security patch.
So, if you are regularly using wireless charging, you may want to wait a little bit more before installing the next OTA update.
Rebooting the device or clearing the cache doesn't seem to do anything. The only known solution at this moment is to not install the problematic update in the first place.
Other than that, it looks like the only option is to wait for another update that's going to fix the issue that the original update caused – it's the endless cycle of updates.
Galaxy S20 (One UI 3.0 beta)
Another One UI 3.0 beta update is here for the Galaxy S20, and, somehow, it also includes December's patch – which is kind of funny considering that we are not even halfway through November.
Other than that, the changelog also mentions camera performance improvements and the usual bug fixes/system improvements.
Furthermore, the beta notices also mention that:
- College and GIF creation function is now also provided after the photo(s) has been selected
- Increased spacing between Music Player panel and Quick Panel icon
- Expansion of the navigation gesture recognition area
- Reduced motion sensitivity when moving in camera mode with swipe
- Fixed pop-up view when swiping edge lighting pop-up
The update is currently available in the UK and Germany. Though, as per usual, we expect that it'll soon become available in other regions as well.
Verizon's Galaxy Note 10 Series
It's no secret that the U.S variants of smartphones often lag behind compared to their global siblings in terms of updates. Thankfully, this month was actually quite fast as the whole Note 10 series in Verizon is now receiving the November security patch.
This includes the Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G!
This patch fixes five critical vulnerabilities in the Android OS and also 29 high-level threats, 31 moderate threats, and five more that are exclusive to Samsung devices.
The changelog doesn't mention anything else. But, chances are that there are also a few minor bug fixes and general improvements.
Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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