Samsung releases new maintenance update for the Galaxy Note 8 in Europe

Samsung has released a maintenance update for the Galaxy Note 8 in Europe. The upgrade bundles a number of bug fixes, including an workaround for a nasty DeX connectivity issue, as well as a new Secure Wi-Fi feature and updated versions of the Calendar, Gallery, Reminder and Voice Recorder applications.

Here’s the full changelog:

• A new Secure Wi-Fi function has been added.
• Calendar, Gallery, Reminder and Voice Recorder have been updated.
• Samsung DeX error has been resolved.

Secure Wi-Fi, as we recently noted, is Samsung’s in-house VPN. It debuted on the budget-friendly Galaxy J series a while ago, providing users with the option to encrypt all outgoing Internet traffic, thus preventing applications and websites from tracking them as they surf the web on (unsecured) public Wi-Fi networks.

Here’s how to check to see if the update is ready for your Galaxy Note 8

To check to see if the OTA is ready for your Galaxy Note 8, open Settings, select Software Update, then tap Download Updates Manually. Alternatively, you can always wait until you receive an alert prompting you to install the upgrade, though that could take longer to arrive—so we’d recommend opting for the former.

The post Samsung releases new maintenance update for the Galaxy Note 8 in Europe appeared first on SamMobile.

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SamMobile Daily Recap: December 11, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9 and more!

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what we published today.

APK

Samsung Email surpasses 100 million downloads on the Play Store

Samsung’s Game Live app update brings Galaxy Note 8 support

Firmare News

Firmware Update Magazine: December 11, 2017

Galaxy S8 and S8+ November security update rolling out in India

General

Samsung launches Newsrooms for Belgium and the Netherlands

Phones

Dual SIM Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are being tested for China

Galaxy A8+ (2018) hands-on video reveals design, spec sheet

Galaxy S9 will feature an improved iris scanner, report says

The post SamMobile Daily Recap: December 11, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9 and more! appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung launches Newsrooms for Belgium and the Netherlands

Samsung has today announced that it’s launched a trio of new Newsrooms: two for loyal fans in Belgium (in Flemish and French) and one for the Netherlands. The firm will use the online portals to spread word about business insights, citizenship activities, company news and products announcements in local languages.

The company took to its Global Newsroom on Monday to announce the news, noting that it’s launched nineteen Newsrooms to date, including the Global Newsroom and local editions in a number of regions—Germany, Italy, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, to name but a few.

As we’ve said in the past, Samsung merely uses its Newsrooms to publish press releases, so you most definitely won’t find any leaks there. For the latest news, leaks and opinions, be sure to keep your browser pointed to SamMobile—and while you’re at it, be sure to follow us over on both Facebook and Twitter.

The post Samsung launches Newsrooms for Belgium and the Netherlands appeared first on SamMobile.

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[APK] Samsung’s Game Live app update brings Galaxy Note 8 support

Samsung’s Game Live app was launched earlier this year for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ as a dedicated streaming service for mobile gamers. Game Live allows one to stream their gaming sessions on Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube, with support for recording audio so they can offer real-time commentary while taking out the enemy in Modern Combat or completing targets in Candy Crush. Last week, Game Live was updated with official support for the Galaxy Note 8.

Game Live works for more than just officially supported phones

The app has already been working on devices not officially supported by Samsung, but it requires manually installing the APK. Note 8 owners don’t need to do that anymore, as Samsung’s latest flagship can now access the app from the Play Store. It’s possible some of you might still not see it as available in your country, but we have the latest version’s APK file available in our database that you can download and install on your phone.

The Play Store listing can be found here.

The post [APK] Samsung’s Game Live app update brings Galaxy Note 8 support appeared first on SamMobile.

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Dual SIM Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are being tested for China

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are sure to come in dual SIM variety, just like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and last year’s Galaxy S7. Samsung has launched dual SIM models of its flagships even in European markets this year, and unsurprisingly, the dual SIM Galaxy S9 and S9+ are being tested by certification authorities. Variants for both China and Taiwan have been listed on the FCC and Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) websites.

Dual SIM Galaxy S9 could support “dual SIM dual VoLTE”

These listings don’t tell us anything interesting, other than the model numbers for the devices, but those aren’t different from the usual norm. As other websites that have covered this story suggest, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ could launch with support for offering VoLTE calls over both SIMs instead of limiting either of the SIMs to 2G or 3G network, which is the case right now. That’s thanks to the X20 modem inside the Snapdragon 845, although it will also depend on Samsung being able to implement the same technology on its Exynos chip. If that fails, the company is likely to keep the “dual SIM dual VoLTE” feature of the Snapdragon chip out of the two flagships (or keep it limited to the Snapdragon version in China).

It also remains to be seen how widely available the dual SIM Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be. Thanks to the new Snapdragon 845 modem, it would be easy for Samsung to launch the dual SIM models in the US, at least for the unlocked variants. It would be great to see every unlocked model in every country carrying two SIM slots, if not support for running two SIM cards and a microSD slot at the same time. But it’s likely to continue to be a hybrid slot, given how space inside premium smartphones these days is, well, at a premium. Time – and further leaks and rumors – will tell.

The post Dual SIM Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are being tested for China appeared first on SamMobile.

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December security patch update now available for the Galaxy C7

In yet another instance of Samsung’s top-of-the-line phones falling behind mid-range ones as far as Android’s security patches are concerned, the company is pushing out an update with the December security patch to the unlocked Galaxy C7 in China. From what we know, this is the second device after the Galaxy A5 (2016) to get the latest patch. Based on Samsung’s update scene in the last couple of months, we’re guessing this means the December patch will reach all of the company’s 2017 flagship phones sometime in mid-January.

December patch fixes ten vulnerabilities in Samsung devices

The December security patch fixes numerous Android vulnerabilities, along with ten exploits that only affect Samsung devices. We don’t know if the Galaxy C7 update brings anything else, but it’s highly unlikely for a device that’s from the mid-range segment and has been on sale for a long time. There’s no way to tell, of course, given the C7 is limited to the Chinese market. Hopefully, the December patch will be making its way to more devices soon, especially those that are more widely available.

If you own a Galaxy C7, you can grab the update from the Settings » Software update menu. We also have the firmware in our database, which you can use to upgrade manually using a PC. Seeing the December security patch update on some other Galaxy phone that you own? Do let us know in the comments!

Firmware Details:

Model	SM-C7000
Model name	Galaxy C7
Country	Select country China (Open China) (CHC) Hong Kong (TGY)
Version	Android 7.0
Changelist	12482825
Build date	Tue, 05 Dec 2017 11:35:00 +0000
Security Patch Level	2017-12-01
Product code	CHC
PDA	C7000ZCU2BQL2
CSC	C7000CHC2BQL2

The post December security patch update now available for the Galaxy C7 appeared first on SamMobile.

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Galaxy S8 and S8+ November security update rolling out in India

It’s a tad quite late for flagship phones to be getting the November security patch seeing how the December update has already been released for Samsung’s mid-range phones, but if you own a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ in India, your expensive phone should finally be receiving an update with the not-so-latest security patch. It’s a 500 MB+ update (firmware version XXU1AQK7) that, in addition to the November patch, includes Bluetooth stability improvements.

The November patch, as we have repeatedly been saying, is an important one, as it fixes the KRACK Wi-Fi exploit. It’s an exploit that hasn’t been taken advantage of in a major way yet, and it also doesn’t help if the router or network your phone is connected to hasn’t been updated with a patch for KRACK, but it’s still something that needs to be fixed on priority. That’s what the new update does, so if you have a Galaxy S8 or S8+ in India, you should grab it as quickly as possible.

How do I get the update?

Open the phone’s settings, go into the Software update section, then tap the Download updates manually option. Alternatively, you can download the firmware from our database and use a PC to upgrade, although we only recommend this if your phone is unable to get the update over the air.

The post Galaxy S8 and S8+ November security update rolling out in India appeared first on SamMobile.

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SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: December 11, 2017

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Firmware Magazine. You can think of it as your go-to resource to find out which of your Samsung devices has received a new update or if it’s going to receive a new firmware update in the near future.

To keep things interesting, we present the Firmware Magazine in new designs every week. It will always include the important details about firmware updates such as the firmware versions, device model numbers, Android OS versions and the country where said update is out already.

Keep in mind, however, that these firmware details are based on the firmware that are available in our database, and in some cases, the latest updates might not show in the same week as the full firmware files take additional time to make it to our database.

The purpose of this magazine is to bring all of that important information about firmware updates to you, the reader, in a manner that’s easy to comprehend—so even if you’re new to the world of firmware, you’ll have no trouble making sense of it all.

The post SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: December 11, 2017 appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung Email surpasses 100 million downloads on the Play Store

Samsung’s in-house Email application has surpassed an eye-watering 100 million downloads on the Play Store, making it one of the most-used mobile clients in the entire world – but that doesn’t mean people actually use it.

Samsung Email actually comes pre-installed on all of the firm’s smartphones, so there’s a (good) chance the number recorded consists of devices fetching updates for the application. There’s nothing to say it’s ever been opened.

I’m an avid Email user – are you?

Truth be told, I’m an avid Email user – and that’s because it supports the three main protocols: Exchange, IMAP and POP3. Yes, you can technically add them all to Gmail, though the process is a lot simpler with Samsung’s offering.

Do you use Samsung’s Email application on your Galaxy-branded smartphone? Or have you opted for a fully-loaded third-party client? Be sure to let us know over on Facebook or Twitter –or in the dedicated comments section.

The post Samsung Email surpasses 100 million downloads on the Play Store appeared first on SamMobile.

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