Samsung Galaxy S25 series handsets can install an update while the phone is running, reducing the time taken to reboot after an update.
Samsung Galaxy S25 series (pictured) was launched on January 22
Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra were launched earlier this week, and details of various features have emerged in the subsequent days, such as support for satellite connectivity. The latest handsets from the South Korean tech conglomerate are reportedly capable of installing an update while the phone is running, reducing the time taken to reboot after an update. This feature was introduced with Android 7.1, and improved with the arrival of Android 11 in 2020.
According to an Android Police report, the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra are the first Galaxy S series smartphones to arrive with support for seamless updates. Samsung is one of the last major smartphone manufacturers to implement support for seamless updates, which were first introduced by Google nearly a decade ago.
The firm launched its first handset with support for seamless updates last year, with the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G (Review). The three models in the Galaxy S25 lineup are the first Galaxy S series models that offer the same functionality.
In the report, Android expert Mishaal Rahman points out that Samsung hasn't introduced support for Google's older version of seamless updates (introduced with Android 7.1 in 2016) that uses an A/B partition, with two copies of the system, as it requires more storage on a user's device.
Samsung Galaxy S25 uses Google's newer virtual A/B update scheme
Photo Credit: X/ Mishaal Rahman
A/B updates allow the phone to install an update to another partition, while the phone is running (A), then reboot to the updated partition (B). If the process fails, the phone boots into the previous partition (A) and attempts to install the update on B again.
Instead, Samsung has used the non-A/B seamless updates mechanism that was introduced five years ago with the arrival of Android 11. Incidentally, the Google's Pixel phones have supported the modern version of seamless updates since they were unveiled in 2020.
The non-A/B seamless updates use up less storage than the older A/B version, and they allow the phone to apply patches to a "compressed snapshot" of partitions that need to be updated. New fixes that were included in the update are pushed to the so called snapshot, instead of relying on two partitions, according to the report.
As a result of Samsung finally adding support for seamless updates with the Galaxy S25 series, customers will not have to spend a few minutes after each software update, waiting for the system to reboot and install it — a process that typically takes a few minutes.
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