Google Extends Security Patches of the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X by Two Months
We don’t know why, but Google has just extended support for the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X by increasing the security patch lifespan by two months, pushing it back from September 2018 to November 2018. Two weeks ago we reported on the Google Security Update bulletin for September 2017, and actually showed the security patch lifespan for each of Google’s devices.
For those somehow unfamiliar with security patches, they are simply Google’s response to security vulnerabilities and other, similar problems. Previously, without a platform update there was no way to update the device to protect against key vulnerabilities. The answer to this was the security update system, a set of CVE and bug fixes, compartmentalized enough that carriers and manufacturers can easily apply them to their devices.
Sadly the actual life span of the devices for major updates hasn’t changed, not that an extra two months would really matter. Due to the nature of platform updates on Android, it is unlikely an extra two months for major updates would actually be a benefit as they come yearly. It’s already highly likely both devices will not receive Android P. This is because their Android version update lifespan came to an end this month, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see anything new within the next two months.
This coming October, the Nexus 9 and Nexus 6 will receive their last security updates before finally being deemed End of Life. This will leave the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X as the final, sole survivors of the Nexus program. It’s interesting that Google has extended their support for two months so far in advance, and it’s unlikely to have an actual security based reason behind it. It may be that Google are doing a customer service as a final send off for the devices, but nobody can really say why.
Source: Google Support
0 comments:
Post a Comment