Samsung has followed up its promise to provide monthly security updates for its phones with more details on the rollout.
Back at the beginning of August, with the Stagefright exploit fresh in mind, Samsung joined Google in promising to provide monthly security updates.
It seemed to be a highly ambitious move from a company that’s infamous for the glacial pace of its software update program. Samsung’s heavily modified version of Android doesn’t lend itself to rapid updates, while Android’s issues with mobile network interference are well documented.
Samsung appears to be making good on its promises, though, having provided further details on its update plans. There are some limits in place, however.
In a new Samsung Mobile Security Blog, the company has outlined the devices that are going to receive these regular security updates. They include the recent Samsung Galaxy S range, incorporating the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6, and the Galaxy S5.
Also included is the recent Galaxy Note range, which means the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note 4, and Galaxy Note Edge.
Finally, a couple of Samsung’s more recent tablets will also be included, namely the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and Galaxy Tab S.
It’s a far from comprehensive list, and only really incorporates Samsung’s flagship phones from 2015 and 2014. Even fairly recent mid-range releases like the Samsung Galaxy A5 are notable by their absence.
Related: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs S6 Edge: What’s different?
Samsung also notes that the update rollout “may vary depending on regions and carriers,” so there’s no guarantee that even the aforementioned flagship phones will received timely security updates in all markets.
Last month, HTC refused to provide its own guarantees, labelling such monthly update promises as “unrealistic.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
