Google makes it mandatory for Android smartphone makers to roll out monthly security updates

Even as timely OS updates are nonetheless the holy grail for Android users, Google is now making sure that in case you're an Android consumer, your phone will at the least acquire the safety patches on time.

Plenty of excellent declaration came out of this year’s Google I/O. An update to maps that will ultimately make the on foot part of navigation useful, multiple voices for the Assistant and even an update to Google Lens. We even were given an early study the numerous capabilities coming to Android P, together with the first public beta of the subsequent Android OS (which we’ve been checking out since). but, as exciting as these kinds of new features may also sound, one key trouble that Android users are acutely aware of is the severely fragmented update cycle. it is no longer simply OS updates that get severely delayed, but vital safety patches also are put pushed out in a well timed way through many OEMs. Google has ultimately taken a stand against this.

At Google I/O 2018, the organization additionally stated that they have revisited the OEM contracts with their partners and covered mandatory protection patching into the language. What that essentially means is that OEMs will now be required to roll out the month-to-month security patches to their respective devices as and when Google makes them available. It isn’t the timely OS update we would all have loved however being forced to push out protection updates as they're available is a very second close. according to XDA builders, Google has stated that “We’ve additionally worked on constructing security patching into our OEM agreements. Now this may genuinely result in a big boom in the wide variety of devices and users receiving normal safety patches.”

month-to-month security patches are extremely critical in a time and age where malware, hijacks and ransomware are rampant. last 12 months when HMD international revived the Nokia brand, one in all their key selling factors become the promise of turning in security patch updates the minute Google made them available. Now, it seems Google goes to force absolutely everyone to fall in line. Google had last yr brought project Treble as a means of rushing up the OS replace technique, by using setting apart the middle Android OS from the OEM layer. This was alleged to permit OEMs to replace the center Android layer without impacting their very own software program implementation. however, as more moderen phones have been released, we learned that lots of them did not support project Treble. this is because project Treble requires a separate device partition, which become never baked into any telephone prior to Android Oreo. OnePlus even came out and stated that they could not repartition the storage through an OTA due to the possibility of bricked devices.


while project Treble still remains an optional direction for OEMs (one they have got little motive not to take), month-to-month security updates sure do provide some peace of mind. what's presently now not known is whether there could be an OS-based totally obstacle, for example, if there is a minimum OS version this is required to get these updates. Now only if Google can ensure that OEMs don't skip out on issuing patches and then misinform clients approximately it.
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