Android Security Updates

[waddling]

Public Mobile

I purchased an Essential PH-1 at your parent store Telus a few months ago. They are really quick at releasing security updates and when I was on Bell they would get pushed out the same day that they were available, on the 5th of the month. So now I'm with Public Mobile and have been waiting 2 weeks to see the January update which rolled out Jan 5th https://goo.gl/bHG4rv . Essential says it's my carrier holding it up. So what's the problem? Why don't you let updates go out as soon as they are available?

Dave

[waddling]

kav2001c

Windows phones are huge in the US? That must be why Microsoft discontinued support for them back in July. They had dropped to 0.1% market share (0.3% in the US) which isn't a dominant player by any stretch of the imagination. While BB has hit 0.04% market share and they all run Android now not BBOS since 2013. In short, both OS's are officially dead.

I have used Nexus phones for many years and always got updates within a few days of their release no matter what carrier I was on. Even with the Essential phone I always got updates within a day or two.

waddling

[kav2001c]

@srlawren Telus seems to have alot of hate for the Essential phone

They are being discounted faster than any LG phone ever was

BTW to board in general; the Essential is now down to $460 ! now with no contract, and most stores are giving at least $50 for trade (even a broken phone) and $100 gift cards

So you are looking $310 out of pocket not too shabby at all. The Essential still has decent hardware, and the fact it is half the price of the OnePlus (and even cheaper versus other flagships) it might be worth it if looking for a cheap / decent upgrade to use on Public Mobile

[kav2001c]

@waddling of course it is an Android issue because NO carrier is ever "on the ball"

Even in the USA we read complaints daily about security patches not coming through etc

Heck Blackberry made that one of their marketing points (and many biz bought in) that they would deploy security patches directly

Also many vendors (incl top tier ones) tend to stop updating older phones since they no longer have any sales value to the brand

Windows is hardly buried it is HUGE in the USA (in Canada not so much though lol)

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@waddling wrote:

Kav2001c

That's hardly a problem with Android, if the carrier is on the ball it will let updates roll out immediately. It's in their best interest to as it fixes security flaws that could have negative repercussions for their customers. Android is still the best user experience of any OS, not to mention that 2 of the OS's you mentioned (Windows and Blackberry) are dead and buried. 

Dave

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[waddling]

Yeah, I saw that too.

Funny that Telus who carries the phone takes >two weeks to roll out the update when Bell, who doesn't carry the phone does it immediately.

Someone needs to get it together!

DW

[koimr1]

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@srlawren wrote:

Telus does appear to be the culprit.  Essential calls them (and Sprint) out, here:

https://support.essential.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015443807-Phone-not-downloading-latest-software-u...

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I've read as well that putting in another carrier's SIM will start the updates too. I presume it has to be a working/valid SIM which doesn't make it a very convenient solution but I suppose if one needs an update right away that's an option.

Essential Phone - Security Updates/Credit (Telus)

@will13am: You're right, sideloading the OTA via ADB looks pretty quick and painless: Telus - sideload OTA

(That's for an older update; one would need to search for the latest and likely do any incremental ones in between)

[srlawren · Accepted solution]

Telus does appear to be the culprit.  Essential calls them (and Sprint) out, here:

https://support.essential.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015443807-Phone-not-downloading-latest-software-u...

[will13am]

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@waddling wrote:

Regardless of the metaphor, it's still not worth what you're suggesting.

Dave

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Different strokes for different folks.  I love my third party roms.  No politics involved, everything is full open source.  I can do manual updates for use OTAs which most rom do these days.  There is little "worth" involved in the process, just a couple of ADB commands and that is it.

[waddling]

Regardless of the metaphor, it's still not worth what you're suggesting.

Dave

[will13am]

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@waddling wrote:

will13am

Yeah, no. That isn't a viable solution as the default Android it ships with really stripped down and free of any bloatware.  Essential is always awesome at releasing security updates as soon as they become available. That's like swapping out the engine of your car because the oil is dirty.

Kav2001c

That's hardly a problem with Android, if the carrier is on the ball it will let updates roll out immediately. It's in their best interest to as it fixes security flaws that could have negative repercussions for their customers. Android is still the best user experience of any OS, not to mention that 2 of the OS's you mentioned (Windows and Blackberry) are dead and buried. 

Dave

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I would say the oil is a little more than dirty.  If the carriers get in the way too much, it is more like the bearing is in bits and pieces inside the oil. 

[waddling]

will13am

Yeah, no. That isn't a viable solution as the default Android it ships with really stripped down and free of any bloatware.  Essential is always awesome at releasing security updates as soon as they become available. That's like swapping out the engine of your car because the oil is dirty.

Kav2001c

That's hardly a problem with Android, if the carrier is on the ball it will let updates roll out immediately. It's in their best interest to as it fixes security flaws that could have negative repercussions for their customers. Android is still the best user experience of any OS, not to mention that 2 of the OS's you mentioned (Windows and Blackberry) are dead and buried. 

Dave

[kav2001c]

This brings up a serious problem with Android in general.

Why bother going through carrier at all?

Let carriers maintain their apps and don't bloat the OS with these 3rd party apps

The other major OSes (IOS, Blackberry, Windows) will update without carrier consent

[will13am]

I am not the regular user of my essential phone and so I am not 100% on top of exactly when OTAs are being received.  This seems to me like the perfect excuse to unlock the bootloader, install a third party rom.

[waddling]

Will13am

I know they don't add anything that's why this is so odd. Essential is looking into the reason PM is slowing this down too. Bell doesn't even sell the PH-1 and updates were never held back so I'm curious about why this is.

Dave

[will13am]

I doubt the Telus is holding anything up as they don't add any bloat to the stock offering. Sideloading the update manually is always an option.