back to article Biggest security update in history coming up: Google patches Android hijack bug Stagefright

For those of you worried about the Stagefright flaw in Android, be reassured, a patch will be coming down the line in the next few days. "My guess is that this is the single largest software update the world has ever seen," said Adrian Ludwig, lead engineer for Android security at Google. "Hundreds of millions of devices are …

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          1. F0rdPrefect

            Re: just standard OTA (Over The Air) updates

            "Depends on how your device was built. Many WiFi-only tablets do a periodic phone home over the Internet to perform OTA updates. Your device may do this if on a WiFI connection even if it has mobile data."

            It is a Moto G 2nd gen. but I have no idea if it has been updated since I bought it. And as I bought it SIM free I'm not sure who would push the update.

            1. Charles 9

              Re: just standard OTA (Over The Air) updates

              You're lucky, then. You've got a pretty bare-bone Android device, so there's little to interfere. It's also primed for a Lollipop update. Both would likely come from Motorola.

  1. CAPS LOCK

    Will this reach my Acer Iconia B1-A71 (bought March 2013)?

    Thought not...

    1. dotdavid

      Re: Will this reach my Acer Iconia B1-A71 (bought March 2013)?

      Silly consumer, you should be buying a new tablet every year-to-18-months to ensure you stay up to date with security patches. No company could ever update software that was older than that.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Will this reach my Acer Iconia B1-A71 (bought March 2013)?

        Silly vendor, if that kind of attitude were to pervade other areas of the consumer world (appliances, cars, etc.) there would be a heated argument in the legislatures. There's a reasonable expectation of a device being fit for purpose for some extended duration which is usually somewhat longer than the warranty. After all, a 2-year-old Galaxy S4 is still quite useable. As is an Asus Google Nexus 7 tablet (the 2013 version that recently got the Lollipop update).

        Some are of the opinion if you're not ready to support the device somewhat longer than you anticipated because it is that darn good, you shouldn't be selling it on the market. IOW, Planned Obsolescence = UNFAIR (not to mention wasteful).

  2. Al_21

    Call me cynical

    Monthly security updates sound good... although I suspect it'll be for vulns identified months before a fix actually reaches devices.

    I don't have much faith in Android devices staying updated.

    1. James 100

      Re: Call me cynical

      I would like to think this would mean Google pushing out updates to their own parts directly, bypassing both handset manufacturers and telcos, in the same way Windows Update pulls in new patches straight from MS without consulting Dell first. With proper demarcation - regulatory/technical approval of the baseband bit, the manufacturer providing some Linux device drivers and maybe some apps to run on top - that wouldn't be too difficult.

      I went for a SIM-free Nexus for exactly this reason last time; maybe it's time the other handset brands got better update support too?

      1. Charles 9

        Re: Call me cynical

        "I went for a SIM-free Nexus for exactly this reason last time; maybe it's time the other handset brands got better update support too?"

        Why should they? Why do you think the term "Planned Obsolescence" exists? Unless it's blocked by law, phone manufacturers have no interest in updating all but the newest devices (and only to avoid defect/fitness of purpose suits).

  3. Mikedx

    Lg arent updating rooted devices

    Since LG think we are leasing our devices from them and we dont own the device, they refuse to update rooted devices. Incredibly poor attitude from the company that gave us the woman who had her hands cut off by the machinery in their factory.

    So if you are uaing an LG device and have rooted your device for any reason you have to stay vulnerable

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Lg arent updating rooted devices

      > Since LG think we are leasing our devices from them and we dont own the device, they refuse to update rooted devices

      Seeing as *you* *own* the device, what business is it of LG to interfere with it?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Lg arent updating rooted devices

        By LG's logic, you DON'T own the device. And like it or not, the software's not yours, either, due to copyright. So by their logic, they can dictate terms. That's the ultimate aim of big business selling non-perishable goods: to remove the sale model and change it to a rent/lease model so they never lose control of their goods.

  4. CrosscutSaw

    Opportunity

    Great, now my carrier will probably push some bloatware with the update. IF it ever trickles down to the customers. First they have to eff it up and brand it.

  5. Stuart Halliday
    Coffee/keyboard

    Getting to the Root of the problem.

    Funny that. I've rooted my phone (Just so I can use fonts) and now it refuses to update. What's the point of that? Let the customer decide what they want to do.

    1. Charles 9

      Re: Getting to the Root of the problem.

      The manufacturer can no longer trust the device. It's in the EULA: they will only update unmodified (in the /system sense) devices. It's like the "warranty void if removed" stickers.

  6. Simon Lynch

    SO when then?

    My Nexus 5 broke in the summer (not sure, but think software not hardware), so I schelped off to a shop to get something else. Found out they had nothing recent in stock (small town in NW Spain), so got what seemed to the least worst solution on offer - an LG G2. It's still today on 4.4.2 of Android and I am very happy I just got back a Nexus 5 in working order. I am not even happy to give it to someone else... never mind the drawer full of half-dead/dying/dead androids I have already....

    I understand why Google did what they did to get into the market, but they ended up with a Microsoft situation MINUS control. If they don't bring out another sensible Nexus I will have to go to Apple (and believe me that is really not something I want to do) or be really dumb and take a Ubuntu phone (big fan of desktop, but first generation anything is sh1t).

    So, Google, please fix the downstream process with partners...

    1. Charles 9

      Re: SO when then?

      "So, Google, please fix the downstream process with partners..."

      How can they when the partners don't want to cooperate? They're the ones that LIKE the status quo, even if it's at Google's expense.

      That's why Google's only solution to avoid potential litigation is to go the Apple route and take full control of the OS, thus why Andromeda is set up the way it is.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Software Update for Motorola

    Hi

    Thanks for sharing this article with us. Nice Post.

    A good number of Moto users have reported the random reboot / restart issue in their Moto, and the critical thing is that it can occur at any time. This is surely not an application issue, as this thing happens at any time even if the Moto is placed idle. But now, we can’t be certain, as sometimes even when the application is closed it keeps on running at the back end and it might be making such types of issues.

    We are servicing How to Software Updation for all moto mobile devices.

    Regards

    Moto Service

    motorolaservicecenterchennai.co.in/mobile-software-update-for-motorola.html

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