Samsung has started internally testing the May 2026 security update for the Galaxy S26 series, marking the first sign of the upcoming patch rollout. The build, spotted as S942BXXS2AZE2 for the new devices, indicates a new security update. This time, due to the stable One UI 8.5 update for previous Galaxy devices, Samsung is behind schedule in releasing the new security patch.
Galaxy S26 Test Build Appears on Samsung Servers
The firmware string ‘AZE2’ points to the second build under the May 2026 cycle. This week, Samsung posted details about the fixes we can expect from the May security update. According to Samsung’s bulletin board, the latest security patch addresses 29 Android CVEs and 10 One UI SVEs, though the update has not yet started rolling out widely.
The Galaxy S26 series is among the first devices to receive this test build, which makes sense given that it already received two April 2026 updates. The second April update for the Galaxy S26 Ultra specifically included close-up camera improvements, and the third April OTA brought additional camera fixes for US users. The May update may also include additional camera optimizations and stability improvements.
Samsung has been moving fast with software updates this month, especially as the stable One UI 8.5 rollout gains momentum. Meanwhile, Samsung is also actively testing its next major software release. Samsung silently uploaded an Android 17-based One UI 9 beta build to its software server for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with the build listed as S948BXXU2ZZE7.
The ‘Z’ in the firmware version usually indicates an internal or beta-stage build, so we may be close to seeing the beta testing program for the next version. The appearance of the first One UI 9 beta build this early is not entirely surprising, as a similar pattern played out last year when the first One UI 8.0 update for the Galaxy S25 was spotted around the same time.
The public beta for One UI 9 could start within the coming weeks, with the end of May or the beginning of June being the likely window. One UI 9 is based on Android 17 and is expected to bring improvements to the media player and a new Tap to Share feature, though the overall changes appear incremental.
For now, the S942BXXS2AZE2 build remains on the test server and is not available for end users. The May 2026 update is expected to roll out first to the Galaxy S26 series before expanding to older Galaxy devices in the coming weeks.
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