Lack of updates puts more than 1 billion Android devices at risk of malware

One of the reasons why you should always keep your devices up to date is because generally, updates come with fixes for bugs and patches for security vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, the problem with most Android smartphones is that manufacturers tend to keep their devices updated for only a couple of years.

As a result, a recent study by Which? has found that it is possible that at least 1 billion Android devices around the world are now vulnerable to malware. This isn’t to say that these devices are in imminent danger, but it does leave them considerably more exposed, especially if they are in the hands of users who might not be tech savvy enough to avoid suspicious websites or emails.

The study is based on Google’s data in which they are estimating that two in five Android devices are no longer on the receiving end of updates. For example, based on Google’s data from May 2019, 42.1% of Android devices are running on Android 6.0 or older, and with Google’s current Android Security Bulletin, there are no security patches issued for devices that old.

That being said, companies obviously are trying to get customers to upgrade as often as possible. It also does not look like many are trying to keep their phones as updated for as long as possible. Even Samsung’s latest smartphones are still only eligible for at least two years of software upgrades.

Source: Which?