Android security update statistics reveals that an alarming percentage of phones are vulnerable to malicious hacks and exploits. Google is incessant in improving their Android OS after every incremental update.
More fixes are being implemented via patches and in future android security update changes. The next major Android version is even adding some cool noteworthy features, making things more convenient for users.
Despite these major improvements, more security holes are appearing after every update as well. While Android is frequently updating its security measures, not all phones are applying the latest android security update.
According to Cnet, research shows that there's a startling 71 percent of Android phones from major US carriers that are not up to date, when it comes to the most recent security patches. The team behind Android's security admitted that "half of the devices" that are being used at the end of 2016, aren't using the most recent android security update.
That's a significantly large percentage, given that majority of these phones can be targeted with exploits that are evolving on a daily basis. According to Wired, one of the biggest challenges that the Android security update faces, is that the OS is more "fragmented" compared to Apple's more unified iOS.
There's a plethora of manufacturers and mobile companies who utilize the Android software, all coming up with their own user interface and versions of the OS. It's near impossible to ensure that all of these devices, from varying manufacturers, are utilizing the latest Android security update.
Despite the hurdles the security team is facing, they are still seeing some significant progress over the past months. Android security director Adrian Ludwig mentioned that while improving numbers of fixes are considered as "good progress", he explained that they are far from finished, when it comes to improving the latest Android security update.
The Android security team added that there's still "a lot of room for improvement." With that said, they aim to improve the statistical figures and hope that more than half of smartphones running the OS will be patched with the latest Android security update.
