Google has become severe about mobile manufacturers that use Android. In addition to charging them for including the Google Play Store, the company wants their handsets to be up to date with the latest security updates and the newest versions of Android. However, if the manufacturers don’t accept that, they will lose the advantages offered by Google.
Google launches security patches, monthly, to fix the security vulnerabilities in Android. The majority of smartphone manufacturers usually include these updates a few days after they roll out, but many are typically sending updates quarterly.
As for the system updates that Google launches annually, manufacturers are usually at least half a year late.
Smartphone manufacturers usually offer up to 2 years of support and then they stop releasing new updates with the latest security patches or new versions of Android. Google, however, is now going to force all manufacturers to launch at least four security updates a year within the first year after they launch a mobile model. In the second year, they also have to continue to send updates and patches.
Google Forces Android Smartphone Manufacturers To Release Security Updates For At Least 2 Years After Launch
These measures apply to any device launched from January 31st, 2018, that totals more than 100,000 customers. From July 31st, the action was already employed by 75% of manufacturers, and as of January 31st, 2019, it will be mandatory for all smartphone producers.
If a manufacturer does not meet the criteria set by Google, the giant Internet company could stop approving future devices from the respective manufacturer, which would prevent producers from launching smartphones with Google apps included.
The measures that Google has started to implement this year are already showing the first results. The majority of the more than 200 Android mobiles from 30 different manufacturers already have security updates launched. Additionally, Android One phones receive updates every month.
Google is also working on making Android more straightforward to update by smartphone manufacturers, as the update process has many steps to follow and is too slow.
