Will Android Oreo security features make any difference to the world of Mobile Security?

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Last week, web services giant Google released a media update which said that its next Android version titled “Oreo” will be the most secured mobile OS offered till date to the world. The internet juggernaut has also promised that Oreo will be enriched by plenty of features including a battery life boost and notification rethink.

In its latest media briefing, Google made it clear that Oreo will have a host of security updates designed to evolve with ever-expanding digital threats. This includes features which could halt mobile ransomware to blocking malicious apps and easing Android’s long standing fragmentation woes.

But will all these features make any difference in the world of mobile security or at least to the Android users..? Not at all, say experts.

It is estimated that every month, on an average over 2 billion Android devices remain active. And a majority of those are not on the latest- or not even on the recent release i.e Nougat.

Since, Android happens to be a popular target for hackers, stopping them will take at least more than a year- provided all users are brought onto a single and secured OS platform which is Oreo.  But to make it happen, Google has to offer a free upgrade to all those users who are still using phones running on old Android OSes such as Ice Cream Sandwich(4.0). This might not be possible at all as most of the hardware might not support the new OS.

Remember Microsoft tried its best to push Windows 10 to all users. But it couldn’t succeed till date due to various reasons.

Therefore, buyers who want to keep their smart phones and apps secure from the ongoing cyber threats must and should go for a new smart phone which has the latest Android Oreo.

And FYI this year, Oreo will come loaded only on Google Pixel 2 phones and on the latest Nexus. Other than these, no other phone manufacturers will be offering the new OS on their latest variants until April next year.

So, isn’t Google’s claim of offering worlds most secure mobile operating system in the form of Oreo a publicity gimmick to market its new version…..?

What’s your say…?

You can share your views through the comments section below.

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Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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