Pixel 3 f1 20193/16/2023 ![]() But a phone that’s “left behind” in 2022 is in a better position than one that stopped getting updates in 2017. We’ve reached out to Google to confirm what Pixel 3 owners can expect in that regard, and we’ll be sure to update if we hear back. Pixels and other recent Android devices do have one advantage in that they offer Mainline and APEX modules to update core parts of the Android system separately from the OS itself Google can roll out a lot of fixes and security patches via that method as well as Play Services. ![]() As the days tick by, though, it’s just a matter of which vulnerabilities are discovered and how strong of an exploit they provide. There’s no hard and fast rule for when a phone becomes “insecure,” but it’s a sliding scale that builds up as its software is left behind.Īt one point, Google considered quarterly updates good enough for enterprise use, though some companies are too lazy to meet even quarterly updates reliably. But with each new month, it will fall further behind. Admittedly, the most recent update was for an earlier patch level than other currently supported Pixels have, but we’re still in a close-enough window. (I actually have a handful of separate insecure testing accounts specifically for using old phones.)įor customers still using a Pixel 3 - who, I should stress, paid $800 or more for their phone - the handset is still about as secure as other Pixels right now. You might think your phone’s security doesn’t matter, but do you have a banking app installed? How much would it mess your life up if you lost access to your Google, PayPal, or Facebook account? That’s the access your phone provides, and that’s the risk you open when you start using a phone that isn’t updated. They are as much general-purpose computers as our PCs at home. We use them for banking, investing, and we can even pay our taxes from them. In fact, Android’s monthly patches only originated because of one such vulnerability: Stagefright. Monthly patches usually aren’t delivering big new changes (outside things like Google’s Feature Drop updates), but they do fix vulnerabilities ranging from major to minor. ![]() We get excited about updates for the new features they deliver, but the majority of Android updates are actually to protect your safety and security. Updates aren’t just for new features - they keep you safe ![]()
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