"The problem isn't a sudden flaw but a slow drift. Android adoption data shows most users are still running software versions that Google no longer fully supports. While recent confusion around Google Play system update dates has raised concerns, Google says that the issue is cosmetic. The real issue is simpler and more serious: phones running Android 12 or older are now outside the security safety net."
"Google's latest Android distribution data shows that only about 58% of devices run Android 13 or newer, Forbes reported. As of December 2025, Android 16 was installed on just 7.5% of phones. Android 15 accounted for 19.3% of devices, Android 14 for 17.9%, and Android 13 for 13.9%. "Those four Android versions matter because Google no longer provides critical system-level security fixes for Android 12 or older," Forbes reported."
More than 40% of active Android devices—over one billion phones—no longer receive critical system-level security fixes because they run Android 12 or older. Only about 58% of devices run Android 13 or newer, and the newest releases have limited install share. Google Play Protect continues to provide app-level protections and updated malware signatures back to Android 7, but those protections do not replace OS-level security patches. Manufacturer decisions to scale back long-term support for models such as certain Galaxy S21 variants further widen the security gap and reduce users' paths to receive fixes.
Read at TechRepublic
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