Google will require some Android phone makers to roll out ‘regular’ security patches

Google says it will require Android phone makers to implement security patches on a "regular" basis, although it is unclear to whom this requirement will apply or how rigorous the mandate will be. On Wednesday, during a talk at the annual Google developer conference caught by 9to5Google through XDA Developers the company announced that many more users would receive regular security patches thanks to the new ones agreements you are making with partners.

"When you have billions of users, it's a big goal, so you deserve the best possible defense," says David Kleidermacher, Google's head of Android security. "We have also worked on the creation of security patches in our OEM agreements, and this will actually lead to a massive increase in the number of devices and users receiving regular security patches."

Unfortunately, there are no details beyond that. We contacted Google to find out how frequent security updates will be and to whom they will apply, but the company did not have immediate answers for us. It seems that the requirement will only apply to new phones that start in Oreo or later that take advantage of Google Play services, so there probably is nothing in China. Even then, it is not clear if it will apply to all Google partners.

Although Google offers monthly security patches for Android, it has not required manufacturers to provide them, and phone manufacturers are often frustratingly slow to release updates. . The new requirements will use Project Treble to make things more fluid. Project Treble allows manufacturers to update without having to make many software changes first.

It's a good sign that Google is thinking of ways to get security updates for users at a faster pace. But most likely, any effort starts slowly given how vast and fragmented is the Android landscape.

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