Smartphone Security Updates: Some Phones Better Than Others?

It’s time to stop and think about just how much information your Smartphone holds. Photos, all kinds of account numbers, passwords, texts, emails, and much more. It’s not just your personal PII (Personally Identifiable Information), it’s also all of your contacts, be it family, friends, or otherwise. You’d surely never, ever want all that data in the hands of a hacker. That single fact makes updating your Android phone the litmus test of how committed you are to keep that data secure as possible.

Precious few of us have security software on our smartphones, which makes OS updates one major key to keeping your PII safe. Updates almost always include the latest security patches and that’s often the easiest way to keep hackers at bay.

Android phones are currently #1 on the hacker hit list, and smartphone manufacturers are doing what they can to keep up with security. With Google being the most prolific smartphone producer, they take security updates very seriously. They offer the most frequent security patch updates on a monthly basis and urge their users to download them immediately. In addition, Google recently came out with a list of the most secure Android phones, which are the best at reliable and quick security updates occurring automatically. No longer will you have to keep putting off that annoying security update only to completely forget about it. If you’re in the market for a new phone, Google urges users to take a look at their list below and make your purchase with that knowledge in mind.

However, don’t panic if your phone isn’t on the list. It doesn’t mean it’s not secure, it simply means you need to be diligent about updating OS security patches. Google’s Android Enterprise website is the place to go for more information. The website states their goal is “…giving customers confidence to select, deploy and manage devices that meet elevated enterprise requirements… knowing they will receive regular security updates and at least one major operating system update, work with zero-touch enrollment, and be available unlocked.”

BlackBerry KeyOne
BlackBerry Motion
Google Pixel/Pixel XL
Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL
Huawei Mate 10/Mate 10 Pro
Huawei MediaPad M5
Huawei P Smart
Huawei P10/P10 Plus/P10 Lite
Huawei P20/P20 Pro
LG G6
LG V30
Moto X4
Moto Z2 Force Edition
Moto Z3 Play
Moto G6/G6 Plus
New Nokia 6
Nokia 3.1
Nokia 5.1
Nokia 7 Plus
Nokia 8/8 Sirocco
Sharp Aquos Sense SH-01K
Sonim XP8
Sony Xperia XA2/XA2 Ultra
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony Xperia XZ1/XZ1 Compact
Sony Xperia XZ2/XZ2 Compact

One very important thing to remember: Currently, no phone is invulnerable to hacking attempts. However, a few moments of update inconvenience can save you countless hours trying to restore your identity and everything that goes with it.

Stickley on Security
Published November 14, 2018