A Register editor's experience with a 2022 Samsung Galaxy A33 illustrates the pain of updating a phone left dormant for months. The device, stored in a warm, dry room, insisted its USB-C port was wet and refused to charge—a phantom moisture warning that only cleared after a warm, breezy afternoon. Once charged, the phone immediately began offering a cascade of updates: seven in total, each needing individual consent for download and installation, with sluggish performance turning the process into a two-day chore of reboots and logins.
The author notes that while Samsung promises security updates until 2027, the update path for a neglected device is far from smooth. He echoes a colleague's earlier complaint about Windows 11 patching, arguing that vendors should ship better software and streamline update delivery. Specifically, he suggests Samsung roll past updates into cumulative downloads so a single intervention modernizes a device, and that the company should proactively point users to its Smart Switch desktop app, which can install cumulative updates in one go.
The piece doesn't claim Samsung is uniquely bad—it explicitly compares the experience to Windows 11's patch marathon—but it does highlight a practical gap in how Android vendors handle long-inactive devices. The author's core ask is simple: make the update process less attention-seeking and more automated, especially for budget phones that lack wireless charging and other conveniences.