Samsung Galaxy S23 gets December update: it doesn’t fix recent bugs

The Samsung Galaxy S23 December update is now available. Security is improving, but two recent bugs remain unresolved.

Galaxy S23 December 2023 update

The Galaxy S23 was the first Samsung phone to receive the Android 14 upgrade in October. Although this worked well in principle, the devices in the series have since been hit by two annoying bugs. Neither of them is limited to the S23 series, but these are the phones that will be the first in our country to receive the December update today. Does this fix bugs and faulty Google Play system updates?

Let’s start from the beginning. The approximately 370MB update is now available on the Galaxy S23, S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S91xBXXS3BWKC firmware release already includes the December patch, which contains 50 improvements to the Android operating system. Seven critical vulnerabilities in the security of the operating system itself have been closed. There are 15 Samsung specific software fixes which include Knoxsecurity system, Contacts Application, bootloader and AR Emoji To update.

No more bug fixes

Unfortunately, that seems to be all the update does. Even after installation, the icons in the status bar remain in exactly the same place every time. They have to jump a few pixels at a time to prevent long-term burn-in – as happens with the navigation bar, for example.

This “bug” came with the Android 14 upgrade and hence has not yet been resolved with the new update. Although the actual burn-in process won’t progress that quickly, it would be nice if Samsung didn’t wait too long before coming up with a – seemingly simple – solution to the problem.

We also reported last week that it is currently not possible to perform Google Play system updates on many Samsung phones. This remains the case even after installing the December update on the Galaxy S23. There is a possibility that the cause of the problem will not be found on the phones themselves anyway. However, this issue will not be fixed with the new update.

You can check for yourself whether you can download a new Google Play system update via Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Updates -> Google Play System Update.

Availability

However, everyone can download the December update now Unbranded Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra models in the Netherlands, Belgium and the rest of Europe. Wait until you receive the notification automatically, or manually check availability via Settings -> Software Update -> Download and Install.

Have you received the update yet? Have you been able to get a new Google Play system update since then?

(Thanks to everyone who let us know!)