Google has released new data related to Android, which is considered to be a matter of concern for millions of users. According to the company’s latest Android distribution chart, more than 40 percent of Android smartphones in use worldwide are now at risk of new malware and spyware attacks. The reason is that these devices are no longer receiving the necessary security updates from Google.
Data released by Google (via 9to5Mac) show that Android 16 was present on only 7.5 percent of phones in the data collected in December. Whereas the share of Android 15 is said to be 19.3 percent, Android 14 is 17.9 percent and Android 13 is 13.9 percent. These four Android versions are considered important because Google is now releasing Android 12 and above. old versions Does not release critical security fixes for. This means that only about 58 percent of Android phones are currently under support, while more than 40 percent of the devices are completely unsupported.
Forbes’s Report According to , this is directly impacting more than one billion users, whose phones are now open to new security threats. Google had already warned in December that new spyware attacks were emerging on the Android platform and that phones running older Android versions were not safe from these threats. No system level updates are now being provided for these devices.
This situation has come to light at a time when Apple, on the other hand, is pushing its users to upgrade to iOS 26. However, in the case of Apple, this threat is considered to be temporary because most of the iPhone users will shift to the latest version in the coming months. According to the same report, Apple has a very small number of iPhones that are completely out of support.
Google’s advice for Android users is clear. If a phone cannot update to Android 13 or newer, users should seriously consider upgrading to a new phone. The company believes that a new mid-range phone that supports the latest Android version and security updates is better than an old flagship phone that no longer gets updates.
However, Google also says that older phones have not been left completely without protection. According to the company, Google Play Protect still supports devices up to Android 7. These phones continue to benefit from the latest security signatures and real-time malware scanning. Nevertheless, the lack of system level security updates does not completely eliminate the risk.
