Google has detailed the latest Android Security Bulletin and released the fixes for Pixel devices. These are exploits and other security concerns that affect Android as a whole. Issues with the operating system, kernel patches, and driver updates may not involve any particular device. Still, the folks maintaining the working system code must be fixed on the Android base. That means Google and they’ve detailed the things they have improved for this month. Updated factory images for supported Pixel devices are available, and over-the-air updates are rolling out to users. If you don’t want to wait, you can download and flash the factory image or OTA update file manually, and here are some handy instructions to get you started.
The company that made your phone uses these patches to send an update out to you.
These changes have been released to the people making the best Android phones for at least 30 days, but Google can’t force anyone to deliver them to you. If you’re using a phone from Samsung, LG, or anyone besides Google, you’ll need to wait for them to send an update and shouldn’t try to flash any of the above files. It might have already happened; as OEMs can send out the patch before the deadline, Google must adhere so that the exploits aren’t publicized.
Verify Apps and SafetyNet are at work anytime you add an app to your phone, and seamless updates to Google Play Services will keep them up to date regardless of any hold-up from a manufacturer or carrier. Of course, Google has safety checks to prevent any problems on your phone because of any security exploits. Details about Android Enterprise Security can be found here.
Thanks to Project Mainline, devices with Android 10 and later may also receive security updates as Google Play system updates.
Highlights of the May 2021 security bulletin
- As usual, the Android Framework, Media Framework, and System libraries have addressed high-severity issues.
- The Google Play Store was updated through a Project Mainline update.
- Qualcomm and MediaTek have updated both open and closed-source components to patch exploits found in their hardware.
Full details for the May 2021 security bulletin are available on the Android Security website. Updates for Pixel devices are detailed here.
You can see the Android Security website for details on all the bulletins, and Google also breaks down the separate Pixel-specific changes.
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