When the Stagefright vulnerability was first uncovered, many manufacturers quickly released security updates to patch the flaw. These include Google itself, LG, and even Samsung. They have even promised that security updates will be released on a monthly basis to patch any security issues that surface over time. HTC, on the other hand, has come out and said this is simply “unrealistic.”
This particular statement came from president of HTC America, Jason Mackenzie, on Twitter. When a curious user asked Mackenzie if HTC will commit to a monthly security update schedule like Google, LG and Samsung, he simply replied that while the company will push for the updates, it’s unrealistic to expect a guaranteed update every month.
@bkerensa @htc 3. We will push for them, but unrealistic for anyone to say guaranteed every month
— Jason Mackenzie (@JasonBMac24) October 3, 2015
When more users started asking why it’s unrealistic to expect timely security updates from HTC, Mackenzie reasoned that it is due to carriers. As Android updates would normally require carrier approval before it can be rolled out to the respective devices (for devices locked to carriers, that is), this usually slow things down. However, both Samsung and LG promised that even carrier-locked versions of their devices will receive monthly security updates, which puts HTC in quite a difficult position.
As for us Malaysians, we do not have any carrier-specific devices here. All smartphones sold by our local telcos are unlocked sets, so since Mackenzie mentioned that it would be “easy” to roll out security updates for unlocked devices, we could expect HTC to release security updates for its smartphones in a timely manner in Malaysia. Only time will tell if this will be the case.
(Source: Phone Arena)
