Three phone update notes before November: Samsung's October patch, the Pixel 6's last month, and OnePlus on the 29th

Samsung: the October patch is here

Samsung's October security update started reaching US phones this week. Droid Life spotted it on Verizon for the whole Galaxy S25 family, the S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge and S25 FE, plus the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7. (Droid Life) Here are the Verizon builds to look for:

• Galaxy S25: S931USQSDDZJ1. S25+: S936USQSDDZJ1. S25 Ultra: S938USQSDDZJ1.
• S25 Edge: S937USQSADZJ1. S25 FE: S731USQS9CZJ2.
• Z Fold7: F966USQSDCZJ1. Z Flip7: F766USQSDCZJ1.

It fixes 62 security issues: 45 from Google, nine of them rated critical, and 17 from Samsung, including four from Samsung's chip division. (Android Headlines) There are no new features. These phones already got One UI 9 and Android 17, so this is maintenance and probably all they'll see for a while. Other carriers and unlocked models usually follow within days. To get it, go to Settings, then Software update, then Download and install.

One correction to the summary I was sent. It said the patch targets modem memory bugs on Snapdragon and Exynos chips and improves fingerprint and Bluetooth reliability. None of the coverage I read, and nothing in the update notes, says that. It's a security patch. If your Bluetooth gets better, enjoy it, but don't install it expecting that.

Pixel 6: the end of the month is the end

I wrote on October 8 that the October update was probably the Pixel 6's last. Droid Life's updated support table now lists October 2026 as the end of both Android and security updates for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, five years after they launched. (Droid Life) The Pixel 6a is covered until July 2027 and the Pixel 7 until October 2027. Everything from the Pixel 8 on gets seven years.

Your Pixel 6 keeps working after this month. What stops is security fixes, and the bugs found after October stay open on your phone forever. If it's your main phone and you bank on it, start planning the upgrade now, and don't wait for it to break. Midrange phones from Google and Samsung are usually cheapest during the November sales.

OnePlus: October 29, and it's ColorOS

OnePlus's Android 17 rollout starts Thursday, October 29, with the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus Pad 4, followed on October 30 by the OnePlus 15R, 13 and 13s. Older phones follow in November and December, and the last Nord models in early 2027. (PhoneArena)

The summary I was sent called this "OxygenOS 17" with refined animations. That's the part it got wrong. As I wrote last week, this update replaces OxygenOS with ColorOS, the software Oppo uses on its own phones, as OnePlus winds down in North America. Your phone gets Android 17 and its promised security updates. It also gets a different look and different settings menus.

What I'd do this week

• Galaxy S25, Fold7 or Flip7: install it. It's security only, and there's no reason to wait.
• Pixel 6 or 6 Pro: take the last update, then start shopping before the patches stop mattering.
• OnePlus 15 or 13: back up to Google and screenshot your settings before Thursday, so you know what to turn back on.

My own Fold8 is on its own schedule, and I check it the same way: Settings, Software update, every couple of weeks. That's the whole habit.

Verified October 22, 2026. Samsung devices and Verizon build numbers from Droid Life. Fix counts from Android Headlines, which covered the S25 series; the Fold7 and Flip7 international rollout from SamMobile. Pixel support dates from Droid Life. OnePlus schedule from PhoneArena, which describes it as OnePlus's official roadmap. OnePlus has not said whether the dates are global or staged by region.