HTC: warranty on monthly security updates smartphones is unrealistic

HTC finds it unrealistic that other manufacturers such as LG and Samsung promise to come up with monthly security updates for Android smartphones. According to the director of the American branch of the manufacturer, it is difficult to have all those updates tested by providers.

When it comes to smartphones that do not require permission from providers to push updates, such as Google’s own Nexus devices, that promise can be fulfilled, as can be concluded from the tweets by Jason MacKenzie. “Sometimes you don’t get permission from providers to push an update due to lack of time in their labs. They can only handle a certain amount of projects.”

Although many more devices adapted by providers are on sale in the United States, such provider variants of smartphones can also be found in the Benelux. Owners of smartphones often already experience that regular updates for their devices come at a different, often later, moment.

The tests by providers must guarantee that smartphones continue to work well on a provider’s network even after the update and, for example, do not suddenly consume an extraordinary amount of data, drain the battery or contain other critical bugs. Google had to deal with this with the release of Android 5.0, when users who received a firmware that was not tested by carriers reported an SMS bug. The search giant then postponed the release of the Nexus 6 and Android 5.0.

HTC promises to strive for regular updates, but does not want to commit to the rhythm of an update every month. LG and Samsung, among others, did so this summer, in the wake of the publication of the Stagefright bug in Android. The lack of security updates for Android phones has been criticized for some time, partly because many of the devices receive little to no updates and are therefore vulnerable to newly discovered vulnerabilities.

The manufacturer has now also clarified the status of the One M7 from 2013. It did not appear on the list of devices that receive an update to Android 6.0. The manufacturer has indicated that because the device is now 2.5 years old, the smartphone is too old to support it.

HTC One M9 and One M8