Samsung hit with class action lawsuit over One UI 6.1.1 update that bricked Galaxy S22 phones

Two Galaxy S22 owners have apparently taken Samsung to federal court over a software update they say left their phones completely dead. Nadia Ramnath and Michael Guzman filed the class action complaint on January 27 in the Eastern District of New York, naming both Samsung Electronics America and Samsung Semiconductor as defendants.

The update in question is One UI 6.1.1, which rolled out in September-October 2024. According to the 50-page complaint, first highlighted by ClassAction.org, the OTA update sent Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra devices into a boot loop they never recovered from. Phones kept crashing and restarting until they stopped working entirely, with data loss also reported.

This wasn’t exactly a bolt from the blue. SamMobile had flagged widespread bootloop and stuttering complaints back in December 2024, with users tracing the problem to that same update. The folks over at Android Police also reported that the issue was hitting Exynos 2200-powered Galaxy S22 units particularly hard, mostly in Europe and Asia.

Users who contacted Samsung’s support reportedly didn’t get far. Many were told their motherboard had failed and that repairs would cost them out of pocket, despite the update being the apparent cause. Since most Galaxy S22 devices are now out of warranty, that left a lot of people with no real options.

The lawsuit argues Samsung was aware of the defect “prior to or shortly after initiating the rollout” but still didn’t warn users, halt the update, or offer a rollback option. To make things worse, Samsung doesn’t allow users to easily downgrade once an update is installed, essentially leaving affected owners with no way out. The complaint notes Samsung’s conduct was “aggravated” by its refusal to offer a recall, refund, or meaningful support, even as complaints flooded its own forums.

One of the plaintiffs, Ramnath, was quoted $500 to replace the motherboard on her bricked S22 Ultra, couldn’t afford it, took it to a third-party shop and got the same answer, then ended up buying a new phone entirely.

According to the filing, she now uses the old one “as a paperweight.” Interestingly, the complaint also invokes the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, arguing Samsung effectively accessed users’ devices without informed consent by pushing a defective update through persistent pop-up notifications that kept appearing until users tapped “update now.”

Ramnath and Guzman want to represent all US buyers of a Galaxy S22, S22+, or S22 Ultra over the past four years, as also noted by Top Class Actions. They’re seeking damages, restitution, and an injunction, with claims including breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, and violations of New York’s consumer protection laws.

Complete case document embedded below:

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