Galaxy S6 Oreo Update: 6 Reasons to Get Excited & 2 Not To

Galaxy S6 Oreo Update Appears Unlikely

So those are a few reasons you should feel excited, and hopefully optimistic, about the Galaxy S6 Oreo update. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't. 

First and foremost, the Galaxy S6 Oreo update is far from confirmed. Rumors are rumors and at this point, T-Mobile is the only carrier to have seemingly confirmed plans to upgrade the device. Even if T-Mobile does upgrade its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, that doesn't guarantee an update for other carriers. 

At this point, it's up to Samsung and the company, thus far, has shown an unwillingness to keep up with competitors like Apple. Apple keeps its device upgraded with software updates for four full years before dropping support.

Samsung didn't make any bold promises on stage during its Galaxy S9 launch event so there's no reason to believe its policy has changed. 

To make matters worse, Samsung Turkey recently released an Android Oreo roadmap and it fails to mention Oreo for the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge.

Samsung Canada's also confirmed several Android Oreo updates and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are nowhere to be found.

The company recently sent a message via the Samsung Members app outlining plans to release the Galaxy S7 Oreo update in Spring/Summer, the Galaxy A5 and Tab S3 Oreo updates in Spring/Summer, and Oreo support for the Galaxy Xcover4, Galaxy A8, Galaxy J3 Prime, Tab A8 and Tab A10.1 sometime later in the year.

Carriers have also started listing Oreo updates through May and the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge don't appear on any lists. 

This doesn't rule out a Galaxy S6 Oreo update, but it certainly doesn't inspire any confidence. 

Samsung's also pulled both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge from its list of devices getting monthly and quarterly security updates. That might be the nail in the coffin for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, but the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy S6 Active remain on the list. 

Samsung's Android roll outs also don't happen overnight either. It usually takes the company many weeks to deploy major Android software upgrades. So even if we get an update in let's say June, you might not see it until August or later. 

Samsung might be testing Android Oreo on the Galaxy S6 behind the scenes, but carriers like T-Mobile will also need to test the software before the software is deployed. This often prolongs the process by several weeks or more. 

Carriers like T-Mobile and Rogers in Canada like to keep their customers informed about their software testing. Other carriers, like AT&T and Verizon, keep customers in the dark.

If you own a Galaxy S6 you should be optimistic, but know there's a very good chance the only way you'll be able to get Android Oreo is via unofficial software.