14 DAY TRIAL // Although Google is always the first to release Android security updates for its Pixel and Nexus devices, other OEMs strive to deliver these updates as fast as possible.
Surprisingly, BlackBerry was among the first to roll out these security updates in the last couple of months. February is an exception, though, as Sony has just started to deploy this month's security patch, which promised to address many security issues found in Android OS.
According to XperiaBlog, the following smartphones are now getting the February security update: Xperia XZ, Xperia X Performance, and Xperia X Compact. Notice that the company's flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z5, is not among the devices eligible for the update.
Sony recently kicked off the rollout of Android 7.0 Nougat for a couple of its smartphones, including the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z3+ (dual SIM model, too). However, due to some issues found soon after, the Japanese company had to halt the deployment until a fix was ready.
Unfortunately, it appears that the rollout hasn't been resumed, which means Sony hasn't yet found a way to address the issues reported by users.
The reason the Xperia Z5 hasn't yet received the February security patch might have something to do with the fact that the smartphone has been updated to Android 7.0 Nougat. The Xperia Z3+, Z3+ Dual and Z4 Tablet aren't getting the patch either.
Sony did not announce anything related to the rollout of this maintenance update, so we don't know if the handset maker added anything else besides the usual bug fixes.
If you own one of the smartphones mentioned earlier, you'll want to check for an update with build number 34.2.A.0.31. Your phone will remain on Android 7.0 Nougat, but you will run February security patch.
We expect the February security patch to be rolled out to other Xperia devices, including the Z5, along with the highly-anticipated Android 7.0 Nougat update.