Study hopes to help users pick out safer phones

Oct 9, 2015 13:50 GMT  ·  By

In the wake of the discovery of the Stagefright vulnerability, we’ve realized just how easy it is for our Android smartphones to be infiltrated. It merely takes an MMS or a corrupted audio file to get access to your phone’s private data.

That’s why Google, Samsung, Motorola and other important players in the mobile market have promised to deliver monthly security updates, in an attempt to keep their devices as safe as possible.

Even so, some phones are more secure than others. This is what a group of researchers from the Cambridge University in England have found after years of urging Android users to install an app called Device Analyzer, which was used to collect usage statistics.

Manufacturers have a big part to play in making their devices safe

According to the team’s findings, some mobile devices tend to be more secure because their manufacturers tend to be more active and push security updates on a timely basis. Recently, an HTC official was heard saying that monthly security updates are unrealistic, given that carriers are also involved in the processes.

So the Cambridge study blames manufactures rather than Google, operators and users for the bottleneck created. What’s more, the researchers provide us with a piece of information that will prove crucial to those who are looking to purchase a new device.

The study has found that LG, Motorola and Nexus devices are the most secure you can ever hope to find on the market. And the good news is that Google just launched two new Nexus smartphones, the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, while LG also rolled out a brand new model called the V10.

Lastly, Motorola unveiled a new lineup this summer, which consists of the new flagship, the Moto X Style, but also of mid-rangers like the Moto G third generation.

Researchers go on to praise Google for its efforts to mitigate many of the risks, but the company can’t do it on its own.

The study stresses that manufacturers have to join in in order to help maintain a high security status on their devices. And phone makers like Motorola and Samsung are doing exactly that.