Google is strengthening security on the Android operating system with the upcoming arrival of mandatory monthly security updates. This will benefit even the most sensitive applications, such as those for your bank or crypto wallet. At least on fairly recent devices.
A report picked up by our colleagues at Phonearena indicates Google is preparing to impose monthly security updates on fairly recent Android smartphones. This measure appears essential, particularly to allow banks and other financial institutions to offer applications that are up to date with the latest cybersecurity threats.
Very concretely, the Play Store will not directly require you to install them. However, performing certain sensitive operations in financial applications should become impossible on recent smartphones if all the updates have not been applied. This behavior is not intended as a constraint on use. But rather, as you will have understood, as a significantly more imposing barrier against hackers.
The lack of security updates is a more dangerous problem than you think
Even if we do not yet know exactly when these arrangements will be implemented, we already know that this measure will affect all devices running Android 13 and later. Smartphones running older versions will therefore not be affected. And this is even if they will still allow you to use banking and finance apps.
This means that smartphones running Android 13 and later won't offer the same security guarantees as older devices. To make matters worse, if the device is a little too old, chances are you'll already stop receiving security updates. This leaves documented flaws that can be easily exploited by hackers.
And this therefore calls for the utmost caution when using finance apps on older Android smartphones. While using such apps is absolutely necessary, it's clearly a blow to the durability—or at least the usability—of your smartphone. This may be truly annoying, but the only real solution, as things stand, is to change your smartphone, opting for a recent one.
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