How secure is Bluetooth pairing on the Galaxy S25?
- Smartphones like the Galaxy S25 use Bluetooth to connect to devices such as headphones, computers, and even other smartphones.
- Bluetooth pairing is relatively secure, although there is always a possibility that vulnerabilities can be exploited for unauthorized access.
- Samsung constantly updates its devices to address various vulnerabilities, including those related to Bluetooth.
The Galaxy S25 series utilizes Bluetooth 5.4, which is one of the latest versions of the wireless communication technology before Bluetooth 6. With this, users can connect to various devices, such as wireless earbuds and headphones, laptops, gaming controllers, and even other phones.
Bluetooth SIG, the body that regulates and establishes Bluetooth specifications, includes security measures and resources in the core specification to ensure that users can establish secure connections. However, the nature of Bluetooth, like many wireless technologies, makes it possible to take advantage of vulnerabilities. Thus, Bluetooth is not foolproof or 100% secure, and can be exploited to take control of your phone.
Is the Bluetooth version on the Galaxy S25 good for high-quality wireless audio?
Bluetooth v5.4 on the Galaxy S25 enables a wide support of Bluetooth capabilities and codec support, allowing good, high-quality audio to be streamed to your earbuds or headphones.
While no major audio-specific features were introduced with this Bluetooth version, the spec includes support for LE Audio, which enables low-power audio transmissions using the LC3 codec. This means the phone can stream high-quality audio while using less battery power in your wireless earbuds. LE Audio is a core feature supported on Bluetooth 5.2 and above.
In addition, Bluetooth v5.4 supports bitrates of up to 50 Mbit/s and a range of up to 240 meters. By comparison, Bluetooth 4.0 only supported a maximum bitrate of 3 Mbit/s and a range of up to 60 meters.
Connectivity |
Supported formats |
Supported codecs |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S25 |
Bluetooth 5.4, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C |
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, DSF, APE |
SBC, AAC, SSC, LDAC, aptX |
The Galaxy S25 itself supports various audio formats, as well as Bluetooth codecs, including AAC, SBC, and LDAC. However, the supported codec and audio quality will depend on the earbuds or wireless headphones you use. I have found that using Samsung devices such as the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro works great with the Galaxy S25 and supports features like Auracast for broadcasting audio or receiving broadcasts.
Thanks to support for high-res audio, you may also want to consider headphones from other brands, such as the Sony WH-1000XM6.
Don't worry, but be wary
That said, there's little reason to worry, but plenty of reasons to remain cautious. Brian Hussman, an independent security researcher, tells Android Central that Bluetooth exploits are not often taken advantage of, which is good news for Galaxy S25 users.
"Bluetooth is notoriously insecure, but it's not often exploited," Hussman tells us. "It takes the right knowledge and equipment to pull off something like a MITM (Man-In-The-Middle) attack or to gain control of a device via Bluetooth once you've found out how to exploit the device itself.
While it still has plenty of room for improvement, Bluetooth has become much safer and reliable in the past few years."
Furthermore, Samsung updates the Galaxy S25 on a monthly cadence with security patches that address various vulnerabilities, such as those related to Bluetooth. For example, the April 2025 update included fix SVE-2025-0255(CVE-2025-20946): Improper handling of exceptional conditions in pairing specific bluetooth devices in Galaxy Watch Bluetooth pairing. This vulnerability allowed "local attackers to pair with specific bluetooth devices without user interaction."
What you can do to remain safe when using Bluetooth
So, while you should be relatively safe when pairing your Galaxy S25 with other Bluetooth-enabled devices, there are things you can do to make sure you're not putting yourself at risk. The FCC has a list of guidelines on how you can protect yourself when using Bluetooth, including:
- Turning off Bluetooth when it's not in use.
- Unpairing your phone from a rental car's Bluetooth and clearing any data.
- Use Bluetooth in "hidden" mode.
That last one is pretty easy, as your phone is only "discoverable" when you're present on the Bluetooth menu in your phone's settings. However, you should still be wary of and reject unfamiliar Bluetooth pairing requests. Otherwise, you should enjoy safely pairing your Galaxy S25 to your heart's content.
Small but mighty
The Galaxy S25 is one of the best compact Android phones money can buy. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset ensures stellar performance no matter what you're doing, and Samsung's 7-year update promise means you phone will remain safe and secure for years to come.
